The Unheard Children

Chapter 4

Although we didn't get the last chapter to 10 votes I'm hoping we can at least get this chapter to 10 comments. I'm really enjoying giving you guys this story. I'm trying to make my stories longer and more in depth. I hope you guys like the chapter.- Vanillabean18

Ellie sat in her bed listening to her music and doodling in a notebook. She hadn't noticed that someone was knocking on the door. Jack tapped her knee and she finally noticed that he was standing there. "Hey there. Alice wants me to tell you that she would like your help downstairs." he announced. Ellie threw her notebook on the bed and went downstairs to see what it was that Alice needed help with. Alice was standing there at the counter kneading dough. "Jack told me you needed help." She inquired.  "Yeah, I actually need help baking the bread if you don't mind." she replied.

    Ellie sat at one of the bar stools and took direction from Alice. "I also wanted to talk to you about yesterday." Alice began. "Oh no, I shouldn't have been snooping." Ellie cut off. "No, this is your home. It's just...that's Jack's area. He doesn't really like anyone in his space." She continued. Ellie looked at her. "No, I should have been mindful." she replied. As Ellie and Alice finished making the bread they began talking about their experiences in the world.

    "When I was younger I wanted to be a baker. My mother didn't like that idea very much. She wanted me to marry a good man and have children but my life went in another direction." Alice revealed.  "So why didn't you?" Ellie questioned. "Well before I did any of that I got into a car accident when I was seventeen, and I left the hospital not able to have children of my own. At the time my younger sister who was only fifteen had found out she was pregnant and I couldn't stick around so I headed out to make my dreams come true." Alice answered. "So when did you meet Jack and become foster parents?" Ellie wondered. "I met Jack a few years later in my late twenties. We got married and decided to become foster parents a couple of years later. Our first foster child was a baby but before we could even have the chance to adopt him, they gave him to the highest bidder. So from then on out I decided that I wanted older children and only girls." she finally finished

    Ellie thought that it was nice for Alice to share about her life. She hoped that she wouldn't expect that in return. Ellie went back up to her bedroom and sat on her bed. Cas was downstairs playing a card game with Jack, Caroline, and Lettie. Alice came up to her room and asked if she had any laundry that needed to be done. She went over to her hamper and grabbed the three outfits that she had worn and handed them to Alice. "Thanks, sweetheart." It had been a longtime since someone had done Ellie's laundry for her. "By the way, I never got to ask you what you were into. Like do you have any hobbies.?" Alice asked. Eliie thought it was strange. "Umm, yeah. I like to draw." she began "But I left my  old book behind." she finished. Alice gave her a faint smile and went on her way.

    Cassidy came bursting into their bedroom, smiling happily. She looked over to her sister and scrunched her nose. "Why do you always sit in here? You know they don't bite. They are really nice." she smiled, plopping down on her bed. Ellie smirked, "I don't really know these people. They don't care for us so I don't get attached, next thing you know they'll be shipping us out like the rest of them." Ellie replied. "Shut-up,Ellie. You don't know that they'll send us away. The only reason we get sent away is because of what you do. You don't listen to anything people tell us to do." Ellie argued back. Ellie was growing angry. "Cas they are not our family. We had a family." She fired back. "And they died. Dad died before I was born and mom died what? Two years later. I don't remember them. You talk about them as if I can remember and I can't. So they are your family. I want a family to give me the memories you have." she cried before leaving the room. For the rest of the day Ellie and Cassidy didn't speak. They hadn't exchencged more than two words.

    The next day was the first day of school. Cassidy was excited to learn that they were placing her in the fifth grade instead of the fourth. Ellie smiled because she always knew Cas was a genius. Ellie went to the bedroom and picked out a cool outfit for the first day of school. Denim shorts with a graphic tee and black hightop converse. She went over to the mirror to place her hair in a low bun. She grabbed her backpack and jacket before heading downstairs to meet the rest of the household. Cassidy had gotten up before her and was ready. Her purple t-shirt dress and black leggings looked cute with her all white sneakers. Everyone headed to the car, Alice dropped off Cassidy first and then the older girls. "Ellie can you wait for a second?" Alice smiled. She gave Caroline and Lettie a look and both headed out of the car into the building. Alice handed Ellie a bag and smiled. "Open it." she exclaimed. Ellie looked in the bag and was excited to see that it was a scrapbook and actual shading and drawing pencils. "Thanks" she told Alice

    Ellie got out of the car and grabbed the schedule from her back pocket, She entered the building and began walking around trying to find Advanced Statistics. She headed to the office to ask where the class was. "Umm. I'm looking for the Advanced Statistics class. The Teacher's name is Lancastor. Sebastian Lancastor is his name." she asked. The secretary was beginning to walk her when she saw a student pass by the office. "Ethan" she yelled, he came into the office and asked what he could do for her. "Can you please deliver Miss Spencer to your father's class." she said looking at my schedule. "No problem mom." he answered.

Ellie began walking behind the boy. "I see the new girl is a smarty." he smiled back at Ellie. "Yeah, well I see the boy who can't do anything because his parents work together at his school" she smiled back. "Touche." she replied. "So where did you move from here. I actually moved around a lot so who knows where I'm from." she joked. While walking Ellie saw Lettie in the hallway and waved at her. She obviously didn't wave back. "Wait you know Lettie Duncan?" Ethan asked. "Yeah, my little sister and I are living with them. Why" she questioned. "They are battshit weird and crazy." he replied. Before Ellie could ask another question Ethan told her that they had arrived.

    Ethan entered the class "here's your new student, dad." before he left back out again. Ellie went and took a seat as she watched all of the other students look at her. The remainder of the class was boring and so were the next five classes. Lunch had finally arrived and she was sitting by herself picking at the salad on her tray. "Hey, smarty." she heard a voice. When she looked up it was Ethan. "I never got your name." he smiled. "It's Eloise Spencer. But I prefer Ellie." she said back. "Well Ellie, I would like for you to come sit with my friends and I." she suggested. Ellie thought about it and decided that she would give it a shot. She picked up her tray and followed Ethan to a table that was occupied by two other girls and another guy. "These are my friends Alexander, Chloe and Hannah. Guys this is Ellie." she introduced me. "They all seemed nice. "This is the girl I was telling you about the one that lives with the Duncans." he finished. Ellie blushed. "What's so weird about the Duncans?' Ellie asked.

    "A couple of years back I used to be friends with Caroline. One day I was over at your house and Lettie was doing something wrong. Alice locked her in a room, I thought nothing of it, but I went to look. Lettie was chained to her bed crying. I asked her what was wrong but she wouldn't say. I went home and told my mom about what happened and they threatened to have me arrested for breaking into their house and telling lies. Even Caroline said I had broken in." Hannah recalled.

"People call them the collectors. I heard the mom dresses them up in the middle of the night and takes pictures of them. There was another girl named Giselle, but nobody knows what happened to her." Chloe announced. Ellie was taken back. She went the rest of the day thinking about what the other kids told her. At the end of the day Alice was there to pick her up. She walked slowly to the car and got in quietly. "How was your first day?" she asked. "It was nice." she answered back.