Baby Steps

Moving... Again

"Judy, Leo, I can explain!" I start, hoping against hope that maybe my foster parents will listen to me.

"Alex, just stop. We are done with this. We tried to help you, to show you the way to go but you keep your eyes shut. Why do you keep doing these things?" Judy explains, leaning into Leo's large body. She brushes a strand of black hair out of her face. Both of my foster parents are Latino, coming from Puerto Rico back in 2002. Judy wasn't able to have children because of some weird condition, so they fostered children instead. Leo was tall, fat, and loud. He had a clean shaven face and a buzz cut.

"Besides, Alex, it's out of their control. The Board requires me to relocate you whenever an incident happens. You obviously don't understand that there are consequences to your actions," My social worker, Lillian Jameson, says. She isn't wearing her usual sympathetic smile, instead she is frowning at me with disappointment.

As if she cares. She deals with at least 20 bad kids a day. How am I any different?

"I already have a new foster home all set up for you. You'll go home and pack your belongings now and I'll pick you up at 5:30," Lillian says. I stare at everyone in shock. I wasn't expecting to move so quickly. Mrs Molyneux is glaring at me, my former foster parents look disappointed, and Lillian is looking at her watch.

I just get up and leave. I don't pause to wave at my friends, or explain anything to my teachers. I just go to my locker, grab my bag, and walk home. It started raining while I was in school and after only a few seconds I am soaked to the skin. I flip a piece of drenched hair out of my face and try to hold back a tear. I never cry, and I won't now.

I reach my house and walk through the door. I can hear voices emanating from the kitchen.

"It wasn't your fault, Judy. The girl is messed up," Leo's accented voice rings throughout the house.

"Yes it is Leo, don't you understand? She needed us! We should have given her more boundaries! We have never failed a child before," Judy exclaims in a wavery voice. I can imagine her face with the black mascara running down her face. I quickly and silently step up the stairs and slam the door to my room. I grab my suitcase, throwing what little belongings I have inside.

Fifteen minutes later, I am in a little silver Nissan being driven away from yet another forever home. The goodbye was quick and effortless as my fake siblings weren't there. I stare out the window, wondering where they would take me now.

We drive out onto the highway, then out of the city. We keep driving and driving for a good two hours, passing town after town. Finally, we slow down as we arrive at our destination.

"Welcome to Falling Springs" a little ramshackle sign exclaims. As we drive, we pass a bad excuse for a grocery store, a gas station, a school, a few tiny houses, and a car shop. We head out of the town, take a left off the highway and go down a road that is apparently Range Road 472. Lillian slows, and turns right down a road even smaller than the first.

A little stone house comes into view. It looks small but cozy, and is obviously well kept. It had two windows in front and a black roof. It's door are painted a clean brown color which is the same as it's porch. There are flower pots in front that are just blooming, and it has a big yellow dog sleeping on the front porch. It's ears perk up as it sees the car, and it leaps up, barking and pretty much flying right off the porch.

Lillian slows down and stops and I look through the window to get a taste of my surrounding. The house is on a hill that slopes down to the farm. To the right of the house there is a big, red barn. Behind it are some pastures full of multicoloured horses that lead into a shrubby forest. On the right side of the curved driveway is a big white tent type thing which I would assume is a riding arena, and next to that is a large outdoor sand ring. On the other side of the driveway, across from the house, there is a grass arena full of some wooden jumps, and across from the barn is a big round pen. Surrounding the property are various pastures that eventually turn into thick forest.

In the round pen is a woman with sandy blonde hair wearing a black cowboy hat. She is chasing a horse around with a red lead rope. The horse is large, black, and seemingly uncooperative.

It kicks out at the woman and then gallops straight into the gate, almost breaking the chain that holds him in. The woman yells at the horse and then turns and walks towards Lillian. She had blonde greying hair and is wearing a black cowboy hat. She has a blue plaid shirt and some jeans on. She is holding a whip in one hand and used the other to shake Lillian's hand.

The horse is staring at the woman, watching to see if she is looking, and then, quickly and quietly, he leap cleanly out of the pen and trots down to the pasture. The blonde woman runs after him and grabs his halter. She then clips a lead rope into it and pulls him into the barn. Lillian and the random woman then walk towards the car. I open the door and get out.

"Hello, my name is Alana," the woman says, reaching out to shake my hand. I glare at her and start towards the house. The two women follow me. As I walk into the house I look around at my new home. I am in the front entrance. It has a tiny wood table, a bench, a coat hanger, and a wide closet. To my right is the living room, where there are some red chairs, a black couch, and a small wooden coffee table. It also has a fireplace that is crackling away, shooting the odd spark onto the dark brown hardwood floor. The walls in the house are beige and white, and have the odd homemade painting or decoration. In front of me is the kitchen, which has a gas stove and a fridge and some other kitcheny things.

To the left of me is a small office with some glass doors and a cherrywood desk, with a window looking out on the pasture. I walk through the kitchen and see a hallway that presumably leads to the bedrooms, and then into the dining room. I cautiously walk up some stairs and into a hallway that holds a bathroom and two bedrooms. One bedroom is painted blue, with a brown horse themed blanket and a ton of horse stuff all over the walls. Another room is plain green and has boyish stuff in it.

"I see you found your bedroom," Alana says behind me, startling me. I roll my eyes and drop my suitcase on the ground.

"I have to sign some papers with Lillian and then we'll give you a tour of the place!" She exclaims in a cherry voice and makes her way downstairs.

I look out my window and see the same black horse, galloping at full speed towards the fence. He runs impossibly close and slams into it with his chest. He tosses his mane, trots away and comes at the fence again.

Over and over, he smashes into the fence, shaking it but not doing any damage.

"Why are you doing that?" I ask myself, and suddenly the horse stares at me, as if he can see right through me.

This is going to be interesting.

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AN

Hey sorry for not updating lol. So yeah hi.