Page 5 of His To Claim

Elena keeps the charade until she pulls into the driveway of what I assume is our destination and shifts the Benz into park.

We pull up to an abandoned looking, two-story yellow house, with chipped gray shutters and a large white picket fence. The windows are boarded up with metal bars and there is a rusty porch swing on the semi-manicured lawn. A large fence to one side and a small one-car garage on the other. It’s not a bad-looking house, definitely bigger than our two-bedroom mobile home, but it oddlydoesn’t look lived in. At the top of the small second-story window is a large sign reading THE GRAYSON’S.

“This is where we’re going?” Jade scoffs with obvious distaste.

“Home Sweet Home,” I say laughing.

Elena turns her head to us as she grabs her purse from the passenger seat. Her light hazel eyes look warm and comforting as she smiles softly at the two of us who have been nothing but rude to her since we met.

“It was such short notice so I’m not sure your room is ready yet. Stay here while I get all of your paperwork settled,” she says in her posh accent.

We idly wait in the car as she walks down the driveway and up the cracked pavement leading to the entrance. She knocks on the front door a few times, but nobody comes to answer it. Looking down at her watch she knocks again, but still no answer. Deciding we’ve given her enough time on her own, I step out of the car, Jade following behind me when a tall, thin woman with the wildest red hair I’ve ever seen steps out of the screen door. The lady eyes us warily as we step up to Elena, and I know what she’s thinking as she looks us over.

Two teenage girls mean trouble.

Sure, Jade and I are still kids, but we are wise beyond our years. Kids in these rundown neighborhoods grow up without parents and we grow up fast. I can tell she knows we’re no good at following rules, and to anyone giving their generous time to raising kids in the system, that’s a load of unwanted trouble.

“Mrs. Grayson, like I mentioned over the phone earlier today, I’m Elena Masters with the Department of Social Services. These are the two girls I informed you I was bringing. They are Scarlett Steele and Jade Wolfe, ages fourteen and thirteen, sisters from Providence.”

“Yes, of course, Ms. Masters, welcome to Pleasant Hills,” says the red-haired woman looking directly at us, ignoring Ms. Masters who stands before us.

“I’m Alice Grayson, my wife Sarah and I started as foster parents when we first got married fifteen years ago. We’ve seen many kids come and go through our doors, but we assure you this is not your typical foster home. Sarah and I love all the children we’ve housed, and we believe you all are worthy of a fair chance at the life you deserve. Here you girls will be cared for. I must warn you as soon as you step through these doors you become part of our family. You become an honorary Grayson. Mine and Sarah’s daughters. The boys and girls here, your siblings.”

She smiles softly at us as she turns and begins walking through the door leading us into the main living area of the home.

We follow the woman, Alice, into a large room painted a light blue color with two large beige couches lined in a L-shape in the middle of the room facing an entertainment system.

“This is the main living room. Where the kids spend most of their time. As for bedtimes and all that, we have to enforce a curfew by state regulations but other than that you are free to come and go as you please.”

We keep walking down the hall as she motions to the television hanging on the wall.

“This is the only place in the house with a television and it has some cable channels we can afford to have. There’s a small computer lab upstairs, with about four computers, but most of the kids just do their homework at the high school or library.” She continues to walk and talk as we follow her through the house.

“To the right here we have the kitchen and dining room. I usually do most of the cooking, Sarah’s not a particularly good cook.” She turns to me and whispers quietly, “Don’t tell her I said that. I’ll deny it, I swear.” I can’t help but crack a smile. “We serve three meals daily along with various snacks in our pantry available for you. Breakfast is at seven, nine on weekends, lunch is at noon on non-school days, and we have dinner together every night at six.”

I get this eerie feeling we are being watched although there is not a kid in sight.

“Where’s everyone at?” Jade asks, looking around the empty house.

“At school of course. You girls will enroll at Pleasant Hills High.”

“Great, a new school,” Jade snickers as she stares at a picture frame hanging in the middle of the hallway leading to the kitchen. “Is this Sarah?” she asks, pointing to the photograph of Mrs. Grayson with a woman with dark brown hair and brown almond-shaped eyes. They stand in what looks like a yard with four kids, three boys and a girl, who look to be about ten years old.

“Yes, that’s my Sarah and our children.”

“You have kids of your own?” I ask.

“All fosters, but those four have been here the longest,” she says, but adds no more information, so I don’t ask.

“How many other kids are here?” asks Jade.

“Those four, two older boys who are about to turn eighteen in the next few months, and three younger children who are about to turn ten and eight, twin girls and their brother. We never have over ten kids at a time but since Kayden and Mitchell turn eighteen soon and will leave, we have space for you two.”

Elena shrugs her shoulders as she turns to us. “It was here or five hours away in Lakeview, figured this would be best,” she says, turning to look at Mrs. Grayson who steps into the kitchen leaving us alone with her. “My supervisor has worked with Alice and Sarah before and she has said nothing but wonderful things about them. They are good people. Genuine and caring. It’s hard to find those qualities in foster families nowadays. Everyone’s in it for a payout or because they’re too lazy to get a proper job. You’ll be much better off here with them than where you were.”

“You know nothing about us or our situation,” I sneer, and I regret it instantly. Elena has been nothing but kind. It’s not herfault our parents are criminals. I remember Agent Servite’s words, possibly murderers.

“You’re right, I don’t. Either way, I have faith that you will find a home here,” she adds, and I turn to look at Jade who simply shrugs her shoulders.

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