Temporary Home; Chapter Two

The Picture is Aileen at Fifteen.


"-Happy birthday to you-" The crowd around me sang.

Kelsey's face was twisted in agony, as she watched me, standing before the cake.

"-Happy birthday, dear Aileen-"

"Why is she staring at me?" I mentally thought.

Kelsey lifted the camera to her face and snapped the picture.

"She's jealous of you." Ollie's voice hissed.

"-Happy birthday to you!"

I quickly blew out my candles, not taking my eye's off of the women. Why would Kelsey be jealous of me? She had collected me from the site of my family's death a few years ago and even had this party arranged for me, with the foster home I was currently with.

The children around me clapped. They were all so happy.

"I hate them all..." Adrienne hummed.

Beverly, my current foster mom, stepped forward and began to cut the cake. The cake, had bright blue frosting, swirled with different shades of color's to represent a sunset. The frosting on the top was laced as "Happy 8th birthday Aileen"

I watched the Hispanic woman's nimble fingers, gently grace the knife through the Vanilla cake. She had handed me the first piece of it and told me to go sit.

"Don't eat it." Bennie growled.

I didn't argue. I just sat and stared at the cake, as the other little girls came and sat near me.

Typical. They still acted as if I wasn't there, only turning their attention towards me when an adult came near.

My eye's swept through the crowd. Kelsey had vanished.

The voices inside my head were in a deep argument. I only could pick up the simple words and phrases. One was glued into my mind.

"She will be dealt with."

It was the same word's that had been said, before my third foster mother had died in a drowning accident a few months ago. The voices didn't like her so much after she had dragged me to church and begged the preacher to get rid of the 'demons' inside of my head.

She was wrong. They weren't demon's. They are my friends.

Somebody shrieked. Adult's rushed past me, scooping up their children into their arms.

"Go, Aileen. Go see what's happening." Chasity's soothing voice chided.

Regardless, I pushed through the crowd.

People were screaming. Other's were holding their kid's so tight, I imagined them popping.

I pushed past the last women, when she gave a startled gasp and a "No Aileen. Get back!"

But it was to late.

I stood emotionless, staring at a hanging body.

Kelsey..

She was hanging from a branch of an Old Oak tree, more than ten feet in the air.

"Every party needs a Pinata." Chester's raspy voice laughed.

I examined her. The rope was tightly wrapped around her throat.

A women rushed forward and lifted me from the ground, holding me against her chest.

"You see, Aileen. She disobeyed us." Ollie chuckled. "This is what she deserves."

"She could hear you?" I was shocked, I had believed I was the only one who could hear them.

"Oh yes, little one." Ollie's voice came a little quicker this time. "You don't want this to happen to you? Do you Aileen?"

"Do you? Do you?" The rest of the voices repeated.

Kelsey had died because she had disobeyed. I wasn't going to be next.

"No!" I exclaimed, squirming in the lady's arms. She must of thought I was upset about Kelsey, because her arms tightened around me.

"It's okay honey!"

"Good girl. Never disobey us. We love you and we never want to harm you Aileen."

"I love you too."

--------

I awoke from the nightmare of my memories to somebody calling my name.

"Aileen? Aileen, it's time for you to wake up! We're almost to Veronica's." The bright voice of my Social Security worker, Natalie, bounced through my head.

Her voice was to high-pitched for me to actually enjoy her company anymore.

I had gotten Natalie, after Kelsey had died in what the police had ruled as "Suicide." Even if she was mean, I preferred her to this crazy women before me.

But still, I gently opened my eye's and forced a small smile. "We're already here?" I asked in the kindest voice I could manage.

Over the year's with Natalie I had learned to be very polite with her, or she would get offended and bust into tears. It was annoying really.

"She's very annoying." Audrey agreed.

"Darling?" Natalie cooed.

Instantly, I glared at her. "Never call me that!" I growled, through clenched teeth.

That was my father's nickname for me and she knew that damn well.

Natalie's face crumbled and I felt bad for snapping at her.

"I'm sorry Nat- It's just.." She shook her head.

"No. No. I'm sorry deary." Though her voice sounded tight, I realized she was making an effort.

I had gotten into a habit of doing this. Saying something off hand and then upsetting people.

"Erm... What were you saying before I... Um." I paused, hoping she had gotten the message.

"Oh!" She yipped, sitting up straighter in her seat.

Seriously? Whats wrong with this woman?

"Can we crash the car to shut her up?" Bennie sighed.

"No! We might injure Aileen. Suck it up Bennie." Chasity scolded.

I suppressed a laugh at the two arguing, until I realized I had missed everything that Natalie had said.

"I'm sorry Nat's. What did you say?"

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Aileen, can you at least try to be liked by this family?" Her voice hit me like daggers.

I was starstruck, but with years of training, I showed no emotion.

"What do you mean, Natalie?" I shot back. It came out a lot harsher than I meant it to be.

She looked near the point of tears, "I mean were running out of homes for you to stay in Aileen and..." She bit down on her bottom lip.

"And...?" Mercy asked.

"And...?" I echoed.

Natalie sighed, "And... Our next option is sending you to a Facility for Special kids... Like you."

My expression darkened. "Special kids?" I spat, anger boiling inside of me.

"Riddance.." One of the voices registered.

"No, baby I didn't mean it like that. It's just some of your previous foster parents have reported that you-" She quickly spread out the words before I interrupted.

"That I what? Talk to myself? Don't socialize with the other kids?" I roared.

"No! No! Nothing like that! Your just a lot quieter than they're used to and its different." She protested. She knew she had hit a nerve.

"She's a nuisance.." Jasper hissed and I agreed.

We rode silently, until we had reached Veronica's house. My new home for a month or two.

The house wasn't anything spectacular. It's what you would picture as the houses in the movies or on a show like Modern family.

The burgundy colored building with wooden planks in order was surrounded on all four sides by a layer of green. The pathway leading to the garage, which was beside the house, from the road had an even layer of gravel topped with little quantities of sand and dust from the world around.

The front porch had a few shrubs that grew beautifully along the house all the way up to the garage on one side and the first window after turning right along the edge. A board asking people to stay away from trampling the grass was put along the tiled path connecting the Garage and the house while the grass had covered the sprinkler.

"I don't like it." Adrienne scoffed and I slightly agreed with her.

Three children busted out of the front door as Natalie and I pulled into the driveway. Not one of them looked any older than ten, but you could tell they were related.

Each of the children; two girls and a boy, had white blonde hair that fell straight. Their eye's were punctured bright blue. Their pale skin was settled with hazel freckles splashed on their cheek's and nose. Their cheek's were flushed pink, like someone had pinched them.

I sat there for a moment, watching as the children hugged onto a tall woman's, who I assumed was Veronica, arms and legs. It wasn't hard to see where they got their look's from. The women's hair was long and curled at the tips, but pulled into a ponytail.

Why was she a foster mom when she had three kid's of her own?

I took a deep breath and lifted myself out of the car.

Natalie had beaten me to Veronica and was chatting up a storm, by the time I had approached. I stuffed my hands into my jacket pocket and watched the small kids.

They examined me with interest.

The boy lifted his hand to my pant leg and tugged. I had meant to swipe away his hand, but as I did, he caught it and held it.

The little boy grinned, which, I admit, got me smiling.

I lifted my hand under his chin and lightly swiped my fingertips across his neck.

He giggled.

I looked up and realized Natalie and Veronica were watching me, but I didn't let go of the little boy.

My smile fell away and I stared at a rock on the ground.

"Well, Veronica this is Aileen. Aileen, this is Veronica. Your new foster mom." I met the women's eye's, they were brighter than the sky.

"Nice to meet you." I mumbled.

The little boy tugged on my fingers. "That's Pearson. He's four and usually very shy..." Veronica announced. "The two other one's-" She indicated to the little girls hiding behind her. "-they're my twin daughter's, Paisley and Payton. Both six years old."

I smiled at Pearson, before turning my attention to the girls. "It's nice to meet you all."

Although I was smiling on the outside, I was quite worried.

The voices had gone silent.

They were never quiet...

Author's Note

Please Ignore Grammer Problems, I'm not the Best writer... But I love to hear your Feed back!