an old trick a friend once taught me at the Laundromat to wash our clothes frequently without having to pay. We continue to stay in the little yellow house every night, our presence continuing to go undetected.
Before I know it a couple of weeks have passed. Time advances so hastily that I begin to panic when I realize I am no closer to getting us enrolled in school. Gabe and I are becoming very good friends and he is so kind and patient with Rose. As much as I enjoy the time we spend getting to know each other, with each day that passes I am becoming increasingly worried about what our future will hold.
One morning I wake in the little yellow house to hear the annoying little Chihuahua next door barking insistently. I walk to the kitchen window, tempted to yell out the window at it to be quiet, but a commanding knock at the front door starts up that causes me to yell out in surprise. My hand flies over my mouth and I freeze in place, hoping whoever it is will go away.
“Sheriff’s office,” a gruff voice calls out.
My eyes dart to the bedroom where Rose is still sleeping. My heart is beating so wildly my body hiccups with each beat. I watch in terror as the door handle begins to move. Before I can process what is happening the front door swings open and two officers in matching tan uniforms stand staring at me from the front step.
The taller of the two looks less threatening with large blue eyes and shortly trimmed blond hair. He steps forward with exaggerated delay and gives me a wary smile.
“Hey there. Are you here alone?” There is a kindness in his eyes but his hand is at his belt, poised over what I guess to be a Taser gun. The beady-eyed, overweight officer behind him sneaks in behind his partner, watching me with cautious eyes as he does so.
I nod when I am too afraid to speak. My chances of running away without being caught are terrible since Rose is still sleeping and I won’t be able to simply grab her and run. I can’t leave Rose here all by herself, either. My options are horribly limited.
The officer still speaks to me with languid care, as if I am a bomb about to explode. “We got a call that there were two young girls in the backyard of this house last night. Is there someone else here with you?”
My eyes flicker to the bedroom again. I know I have no other choice. “My sister,” I whisper.
The taller officer motions for his partner to head into the bedroom but keeps his eyes trained on me. “Where are your parents?”
The shorter officer walks into the next room in a quick movement.
“Don’t scare her!” I beg.
The taller officer holds his hand out toward me. “We aren’t here to hurt anyone. Did you and your sister run away?”
Tears fill my eyes. “Our parents are both dead. But I’m eighteen.” The second part isn’t quite as truthful as the first but my birthday is not too far away so I consider it more of a white lie.
“Do you have any identification?” He has crept in closer to me so I take a step back.
“No.” My shoulders fall when I know there will be no way to avoid foster care at this point.
The officer’s hand curls around the Taser and he continues to speak to me with a certain deliberation. “I’m going to have to take you in, just to make sure you haven’t been reported as missing by anyone, okay?”
I bob my head in affirmation, a tear falling down my cheek. The shorter officer comes into the room with Rose in his arms. Her cries are soft when she reaches out for me. I run over and take her away from the officer, hugging her close to me. The taller officer removes his hand from the Taser and motions for me to come along with him.
“Shhh, it will be okay,” I whisper to Rose.
But it is another lie, because I don’t know that everything will be okay. Not this time.
CHAPTER 4
“Are these people movie stars?” Rose asks as we step into our new home.
Svetlana, our new foster mother, laughs good-naturedly as she
Before I know it a couple of weeks have passed. Time advances so hastily that I begin to panic when I realize I am no closer to getting us enrolled in school. Gabe and I are becoming very good friends and he is so kind and patient with Rose. As much as I enjoy the time we spend getting to know each other, with each day that passes I am becoming increasingly worried about what our future will hold.
One morning I wake in the little yellow house to hear the annoying little Chihuahua next door barking insistently. I walk to the kitchen window, tempted to yell out the window at it to be quiet, but a commanding knock at the front door starts up that causes me to yell out in surprise. My hand flies over my mouth and I freeze in place, hoping whoever it is will go away.
“Sheriff’s office,” a gruff voice calls out.
My eyes dart to the bedroom where Rose is still sleeping. My heart is beating so wildly my body hiccups with each beat. I watch in terror as the door handle begins to move. Before I can process what is happening the front door swings open and two officers in matching tan uniforms stand staring at me from the front step.
The taller of the two looks less threatening with large blue eyes and shortly trimmed blond hair. He steps forward with exaggerated delay and gives me a wary smile.
“Hey there. Are you here alone?” There is a kindness in his eyes but his hand is at his belt, poised over what I guess to be a Taser gun. The beady-eyed, overweight officer behind him sneaks in behind his partner, watching me with cautious eyes as he does so.
I nod when I am too afraid to speak. My chances of running away without being caught are terrible since Rose is still sleeping and I won’t be able to simply grab her and run. I can’t leave Rose here all by herself, either. My options are horribly limited.
The officer still speaks to me with languid care, as if I am a bomb about to explode. “We got a call that there were two young girls in the backyard of this house last night. Is there someone else here with you?”
My eyes flicker to the bedroom again. I know I have no other choice. “My sister,” I whisper.
The taller officer motions for his partner to head into the bedroom but keeps his eyes trained on me. “Where are your parents?”
The shorter officer walks into the next room in a quick movement.
“Don’t scare her!” I beg.
The taller officer holds his hand out toward me. “We aren’t here to hurt anyone. Did you and your sister run away?”
Tears fill my eyes. “Our parents are both dead. But I’m eighteen.” The second part isn’t quite as truthful as the first but my birthday is not too far away so I consider it more of a white lie.
“Do you have any identification?” He has crept in closer to me so I take a step back.
“No.” My shoulders fall when I know there will be no way to avoid foster care at this point.
The officer’s hand curls around the Taser and he continues to speak to me with a certain deliberation. “I’m going to have to take you in, just to make sure you haven’t been reported as missing by anyone, okay?”
I bob my head in affirmation, a tear falling down my cheek. The shorter officer comes into the room with Rose in his arms. Her cries are soft when she reaches out for me. I run over and take her away from the officer, hugging her close to me. The taller officer removes his hand from the Taser and motions for me to come along with him.
“Shhh, it will be okay,” I whisper to Rose.
But it is another lie, because I don’t know that everything will be okay. Not this time.
CHAPTER 4
“Are these people movie stars?” Rose asks as we step into our new home.
Svetlana, our new foster mother, laughs good-naturedly as she
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