Myrtle Fields (ch.2)

by Hope in Oregon

   The living room was bright and airy, thanks to a large window on the far wall. Jackie wanted to escape the two woman, run to some bedroom and write in her journal, but part of her was curious about the old house, too. A few cats glided out from under an armchair in the corner, purring and winding around my legs. "Oh, that's Missy, Jackson, and Lisa." Mrs. Lexington said dismissivly, as the felines slinked away. I forced myself to smile, but I wanted to be alone. The bookshelf in the corner interested me, but Mrs. Lexington blocked it so I couldn't see the titles, claiming that they wouldn't interest me. After that, she kept me away from the books, and she seemed nervous. I wondered what she could be so worried about. After all, they were just books, weren't they?

   As we entered the kitchen, I noticed that it was rather cramped. The refrigerator chugged away in one corner, wheezing as if it was going to give out every so often. We toured another bathroom, and to one side of it, was a bedroom. "Jackie, this'll be your room." Mrs. Lexington told me cheerfully. I didn't totally trust her yet, so I stayed silent. I wanted to poke around in the room when nobody was there with me. "Uh.. you guys can see the rest of the house. I want to unpack." I lied, but they bought it, striding away and chattering. I laid my suitcase out on the matress and clicked it open. Slowly, I reached under my clothes and brought up an old, black-and-white photograph. It showed my mother, smiling and laughing as she held baby me. I sucked in a hard breath and placed it carefully back in the suitcase.

   Next, I began to pull out my clothes, instinctively putting jeans in the bottom drawer and t-shirts, underwear, and bras in the top. Once before, I had heard Ms. Ellis remark that I would need new clothes soon, but when I didn't even grow a full inch that year, she dropped the topic. My new room was rather large. The bed looked comfortable and cozy. There was an old oak dresser in one corner, and a funny little closet that barely fit my two pairs of tennis shoes and uggs. I noticed a large chest hidden away in the back of my closet. It seemed to be built into the wall, somehow. Even though my curious side wanted me to try and pick the lock, I turned away from it to go find Ms. Ellis and supposedly, my new foster mother.