14 January 2013
I froze in place as the group grew closer. There was a young woman in a green St. Bennett’s vest leading a man and woman who looked to be a couple. I was still a little enraged that a random kid broke me out of the Nut Room just to interrogate me. I didn't belong here. I shouldn't belong here. My parents shouldn't have died the way they did. Who started the fire? Did they know I wasn’t there? I felt like Lewis with the endless questions. I could feel my blood start boiling at the fact that this woman was probably about to lock me up for being unwillingly dragged out of the clinic by some annoying kid.
“Hi, there,” the vested lady half-yelped, “are you Kay?” I nodded, still a little puzzled. “I’m Victoria; I help out with adoptions. This is Mr. and Mrs. Blake, they're looking to adopt. Mr. and Mrs. Blake, this is Kay, she’s new here.” Did all employees already know about my background? How much did they know? The whole situation felt messed up to me.
Mrs. Blake looked too snooty and irritating to be a mom. She looked like the type of person who hated kids. She looked me up and down, her strange, yellow eye make-up was over-applied. Her arms were crossed and I thought I heard a disappointed huff come from her. Mr. Blake, a tall, lanky man with a witch-like nose just stood gawking at me.
“Is that,” Mrs. Blake hesitated, “blood on your face?” She pointed to my right cheek. I rubbed it with the back of my hand to see a red smear.
“Oh, that, yeah,” I said as I crossed my arms too. “Had to teach a kid some manners,” I said with a cocky grin. I enjoyed the wide-eyed reaction from the couple.
“Someone ought to teach you some manners, little lady,” she said, “or some decency at least. I hope you can get the help you need here."
I couldn't believe this lady; she was worse than Lewis. I shifted my weight and ruffled my brow. “Decency? How ’bout you get yourself some common respect, first, ma’am.”
“Excuse me?” she asked with the same expression.
“Y’all heard me! How do ya expect to adopt a kid when you’re as sour as a week-old carton of milk left outside?” She raised her eyebrows as I continued: “Are ya bitter ’cause you can't have kids?” She gasped, her mouth left hanging. Out of nowhere, I felt an arm hook around mine.
“Finally, I found you, Kay.” I looked around to see Lewis on my arm. I nearly shook him off again. “I have to show you something!” he exclaimed, dragging me away again, but this time not toward the library. As we left, I heard Mrs. Blake tell Lewis it was nice to see him again. He swung me around when we turned a corner to a hallway. “You’re more psycho than I thought!” he yelled in a whisper. “If anything, you want to get out of this place, not be left here longer. That's exactly where you're heading acting like that in front of potential adoptive parents.” He wasn't touching me now, but with him inches away, he had me against the wall. “You're lucky I saved you, it could've gotten worse; you might have,” he stopped to laugh, “beat her up.” Click, click. He lit me like a gas stove. “Then you would be here forever like Alex. Hell, you guys might actually become pals then!” he was genuinely laughing now. I just kept burning. “You guys could grow old together and--”
I cut him off by grabbing his shirt collar. “No, you're lucky. ’Cause if I was a degree hotter in the library, I would've pounded you to a pulp. I didn't have a good enough reason then, but I do now,” I said, raising my fist.
“Hey, hey, hey, okay, look,” he pleaded in a serious tone. “Let me tell you something. There was a kid, Jerald, who used to live here. He was just like you, hot-headed and stuff, and he somehow managed to get on everyone's bad side--even those looking to adopt. He lived here for two years before he understood that, if he wanted to get out, it wasn't going to happen if he kept acting like a royal jackass.” I loosened my grip. “He met this couple who came here a few times before; everyone knew them. They were really pompous, irritating people; no one wanted to be adopted by them. Jerald had shaped up enough though, by the time they came again, and they decided to adopt him. They knew how badly he acted before, but I guess they had hope or just didn't care. Jerald wasn't happy at first, but they all ended up getting along perfectly.” I stared blankly at him now, no longer holding his shirt. “Right now, you're Jerald: a wrong-way train on a one-way track heading straight to Orphan Town.” He backed up slowly but kept his eyes frozen on mine. He turned the corner and walked away, and for the first time, someone had left me speechless.
Orphan - Pt. 5 • Opuss № I