Dustin's life surprisingly got easier as the days went by. His parents quit doing drugs so much and weren't always drunk when they were around. They helped him with stuff around the house. Dustin got fewer beatings and even got a chance to invite his friends over to play! Dustin was so happy to finally have some of the things like the other kids had. The house looked as if it were brand new when they were finished. Though it needed to be repainted in a while it still looked amazing. Dustin even moved out of the storage room and into a real room that was once a guest room. With an average sized bed, a nightstand, a desk, new carpet that wasn't molding, and a closet full of clothes.
His parents said he could do anything to his new room. He could move the furniture around, paint his room, move some clothes in, and even get a television! Dustin was curious of why his parents were treating him like this after being treated so badly but he just shrugged it off. He finally felt like a normal kid or well what one should feel like for once. Now it was only September, so he wondered what the surprise would be on his birthday. At school he still had great friends but he started getting more. He tried to play football once but he broke his hand by landing on it when another boy tackled him. Dustin decided to stay with sketching and drawing after that. He was meant to be an artist. The art teacher always admired his works. Dustin could draw almost anything you asked. From barking dogs in the backyard to lounging lazy cats on the couch, from magical fairies flying from a flower to the next flower in a forest to fire breathing dragons burning castles down in fairy tale stories.
He even drew a courageous knight carrying his princess home on his noble black horse. It all looked so weird like they were pictures taken in black and white. Dustin never colored them in; he was afraid the color would ruin them or take the value away from them. So he only sketched by pencil and outlined in marker or pen. Days flew by or slowly slipped away from him in a matter of time. Now it was late in November and it started to get chilly and snow a lot. Dustin ran out playing in the snow making snow angels or building snowmen. His parents smiled from the window, snuggling close and sipping hot chocolate watching him. Talking about their plan for the future when things would change.
The next month came, making it December. Dustin invited some of his friends over to just hang out and chill. Some of them gave early birthday presents to Dustin. He got a new t-shirt that said 'don't mess with the boss' with some jeans, a video game, and some new music disks. Dustin thanked them all for the presents and hugged them all. Finally Dustin's birthday, December 19, was here. His parents took him to Disney Land for the day. He was now eleven years old.
Dustin thought this was the best surprise he has ever had. Little did he know there was a catch behind it.
And little catch was all needed to be said. The parents never really loved their son, Dustin. They thought of him as a waste of their time and money. Dustin's parents made a plan behind his back finding a house far into the woods and an "adoptive" family for him. So they treated him nicely just till they could figure out their plan and make sure there weren't any flaws. And when they finished the plan it was all set up. Ready for Dustin to walk right into it and never be seen again....
