Chapter One

I stand alone; it’s what I’ve been taught. I’ve always been like that, always standing alone with no one to trust. I’m just your average sixteen year old teenager with an attitude problem. I have no friends, no one to talk to and see if I’m okay, I’m an orphan. I don’t even know what a family is, I don’t even believe in it. All my life, I’ve been told that my luck will change for the better, but it never happened.

 

I’m alone, always have and always will be. I’ve been in the orphanage home for as long as I can remember, but no one loves me. Each time there’s an adoption day, people always seem to skip me and go for the nicer looking kids. I am nice, aren’t I? Sure, I can be snappy at times, but I’m not mean. If that fact is true, then why won’t anyone love me? I don’t care if people want me now, it’s too late anyway. Way to late, ten years late. When I was six, I realised that if people didn’t adopt me back then, people won’t now.

 

My attitude problem all started when I was very little, around the age of four. People were always making fun of me, so one day, I had enough. I would yell and kick people at times at school, but the only person that has ever clamed me down was Kate. Kate is the head here, but to me, she more of a mother. Whenever she gives me a hug, she would always smell of freshly baked biscuits or cakes. Sometimes I would cry into her and not let go, and she’ll just sit there and let me do it. I still do it, but she’s never around me as much as she like she used to be.

 

I share a room with this six year old kid. She a sweetheart; always cares for people. She came here last year, because her mother died and her father was sent to prison for some reason. When she first came here, she ended up crying in my arms. I was a little surprised, but then she whispered, “You’re going to be my big sister. I don’t care if you say no; I want you as my big sister. Wherever you go, I’ll come with you, just don’t leave me.” Those words changed my mind a little about her, and from that day, I decided to take her under my wing.

 

Today she’s not with me. Today is adoption day, where everyone gets adopted but me; I never got any adoption, not even fostered. I’m in my room, staring up at the roof, not doing anything in particular. I hear the parents or people come and chat to Kate before meeting the kids. I never even got a parent come up to me and chat, so that’s why I’m hiding away in my room today. My hoodie covers my eyes, and I go into a light doze.

 

A knock on my door got my attention, as I sat up. It opened, revealing Kate. This surprised me; she never comes to me on adoption day. She’s also smiling, which is a first as well on these days. She enters, smiling brightly, “Hey, sweetheart!”

I nod, “What’s up?”

She enters, a man following her. I raised a brow, but she answered my question, “This man is named Mark! He’s going to be fostering you!”

My eyes widen for a second. I stare at the man, but I glare. I don’t like the look of him, he’s seems too normal if you ask me. I hop off my bed, grabbing my notebook. I glare, “If he was, then why didn’t anyone tell me? I need to know these things, Kate!”

“Now Scarelette, would you listen to me…”

“No! I will not listen! I don’t even know that guy is! Unless he can convince me by the end of the day, I don’t want anything to do with him!” I slam the door in their faces, storming to this spot near a tree.

 

I stay there for the whole day, not caring of people were staring at me. People always tend to stare anyway, but I don’t care. I don’t care about anyone or anything. I don’t need a family to care for me; I can take care of myself. People just don’t tend to see that. At school, I’m always in the Guidance Councillors office, and he always asks the same things. How are you today? What do you intend to do in the future? Why don’t you care about anything? The list just goes on, as if it’s on replay. My answers are always the same, always I don’t care or a shrug. Why can’t people see that I don’t want to be with anyone, that I don’t need anyone?

 

I hear footsteps coming closer to me, but I don’t look up, instead I just write more poetry. It’s a past time thing I do, I developed it when I was seven. I usually write when I’m upset or depressed, which is rather good yet odd. In one way, it clears my mind by simple words, but in another way, it just doesn’t make any sense.

 

I felt a hand on my shoulder, and immediately I brush it off, glaring at the new comer. It’s that guy that was with Kate, what was his name again? Mark or something like that, but whatever it is, I don’t care. I just glare, “What?”

He sits next to me, shrugging, “Mind if I sit here with you?”

I raised a brow, “If you want, there’s no law against it.”

He watches me write, and chuckles, “Poetry, huh?”

“I know what you’re doing, I know all the tricks. Don’t try them on me…”

“What? Honestly, I was just complementing you on your writing skills.” He smiles warmly at me, which is a first thing for me, “Mind if I read them?”

I nod, unsure, “Whatever…”

He chuckles yet again, and starts to read. After a few pages of my poems, he frowns, “You have some serious problems. For instance, your grammar needs a lot of work. Apart from that, they’re very deep with emotion.”

“My grammar?”

He chuckles, “Yes, Scarelette, your grammar.” He stands, smiling down on me, “How about this, until you make up your mind on whether or not you would like to come with me, I’ll come here each Saturday to give you a lesson on poetry.”

I think it through. Well, I haven’t made my mind up yet, oddly enough. This guy seems okay, regardless. I nod, “Fine.”

He walks to his car that is parked on the other side of the fence, “I’ll be seeing you then in two days…” He drives off.

 

I wave, unsure. People don’t usually keep their promises to me, so why should I believe him. However, I guess I’ll just wait until Saturday; I’ll wait for two days and see what happens.