Chapter 1
The Triple M's
Zora
Ever since I could remember, deception, hatred, and greed surrounded me. It didn't matter if you were pretty, if you got good grades, got a fucking award from the mayor, there was always something they found wrong, there was still a way for them to spew hatred at you, a way for them to knock you down. The only light in my life? That would be Marcus Juli, and even he is just as cynical as I am.
He and I have been best friends for as long as I could remember. I don't remember a time he wasn't beside me. Whether we were knocking people's heads in or sleeping side by side to protect each other from the animals' people called "parents."
Marcus was my home, the only person I knew I could rely on no matter what, it was just him and I. We were in and out of a lot of foster homes, most times we were taken out because we got ourselves removed by running away other times it was due to the unfortunate situations when our "parents" or "siblings" got a little too "hands-on" that's when Marcus would step in for me We would end back up in our group home. After about the 5th time of us having issues and being removed, they decided just to leave us alone. They allowed us to stay in Mrs. Monroes' group home.
However, today apparently, is the day that shit changes. Amanda took me out to get some summer clothes, I saved up some money from my part-time job, and she actually said yes to taking me to the mall. How we ended our day in her office, I have no idea, one minute we are grabbing ice cream and the next we are here. But as usual, someone always proves me right. Instead of taking me because she wanted to be kind, she had her own vendetta. According to my caseworker, there is a woman named Ana, who is apparently adopting us. She has a savior complex and wants to help Marcus and me ya right, I wonder how much money she's getting for taking us.
I roll my eyes as Amanda continues to praise Ana. " She has had 3 other others just like you, and Marcus and they've achieved many great things! One is in the military running her own platoon, and another is a resident at St. Luke's children's hospital."
I look at her and sigh, "I get it, Amanda, she's great, she is going to turn us into some law-abiding citizens. Look, You're laying it on fucking thick; she's already submitted the papers to get us adopted, it doesn't matter if we want to go or not. It's a done deal."
Amanda looks up to the ceiling in her office and runs her hands through her chestnut-brown hair in frustration. She looks straight at me, places both hands together in her lap, and recrosses her legs and leans forward. "Zora, this is a good opportunity for you, I just don't want you to mess it up with this negative attitude of yours. Just please give it a chance, you turn 18 in a little over a year. If you don't want to be there anymore come your birthday, then leave, but it's only one year. Plus with Marcus away on basketball camp this will give you time to get to know her, one on one fully."
I give up, this woman is so stubborn. Plus it is just a year how hard could it be, I've dealt with worse. "Fine, you win. I will go willingly…. Hold on, is she religious? You know I don't do them bible thumpers."
Amanda chuckles softly, "No, Zora, she isn't a 'bible thumper,' she is more of a go with the flow type of person, easy-going. I believe that is why she has had so much success with the others."
I grab my backpack off the floor and start digging through it for a cigarette. I know I just bought a brand new pack yesterday when I went with Marcus to the liquor store by the group home. "Damn it! Fucking Marcus!"
Amanda starts at her, outburst, "What did he do now?"
"Stole my fucking new pack of smokes, is what the asshole did! He keeps bitching about me quitting as if stealing the pack would stop me. I still have money dumbass."
Amanda rolls her eyes at me, she always does it when I cuss too much. She learned I was going to cuss no matter what she said, so that's all she does now. "All right, kiddo," she stands and straightens her shirt. "Time to get you back to Mrs. Monroe group home, I'm sure you ditched your daily chores to go to the mall. You know she's going to be very upset that it hasn't been done all day, let us not get her further mad for missing group therapy too."
I hop up, swipe my bag up in the process, and head for the door with her following behind. "Hey, thanks again for taking me, even though it was a sneaky way to lay that bomb on me."
She laughs, "You're welcome, I would've taken you regardless, and I would've told you this week anyway." she locks the door and we continue out to the parking lot. 'You just made the timing sooner. I'm glad this is happening to you, but I am sad that I won't get to see you anymore. I've been your caseworker since you came to us when you were first born.`` I ignore the sensitive shit she's going on about and get into her car.
The drive back to the home takes 15 minutes, but it felt like so much longer, I'm ready to get to the liquor store so I can get a new pack of smoke and some zigzags to roll a few joints. After a long day at the mall and then getting ambushed has made me ready to get stoned and take a hot shower. Still, instead of getting those things, I get to sit and talk about my feelings about being abandoned as a baby. I'm going to be 17 next month and never even knew my parents, sure when I was little, I would think about them and wonder why they wouldn't come back and take me from the nightmarish life I lived. I'm older now, and I understand how cruel the world is and how selfish people are. I know that whoever is my parents won't be coming for me, so why cry and think about it. As we pull up to the dull greenhouse with a saggy porch and roof to match I see my other best friend, Morgan. As usual, she wears a bright pink colored shirt, and cut off jean shorts and sandals typing away on her phone. She looks like a Barbie who took a wrong turn 10 turns ago. This is definitely not a neighborhood for someone like her, but she doesn't care. I get out of the car and say goodbye to Amanda as she hands me my bags from the back seat. Morgan looks up from her phone just as I close the car door, and walk to the steps. Standing up, she slides her phone in her back pocket. "What took so long? I have been here for half an hour waiting for you. Didn't you remember we were going to go have dinner with my mom today?"
Ugh, no I didn't forget I just hoped if I showed up late, I wouldn't have to go, I don't like her mom much. She has always been too sweet, and Marcus won't go around her. He says he gets a bad vibe from her, so I try to stay away as well. But lately, her mom has pushed to have me around more often, which is weird since I barely know her. "No I didn't forget, Amanda was supposed to bring me back here but instead took a detour to her office. She wanted to show me some documents that were submitted yesterday."
She raises an eyebrow as if she doesn't believe me. "And what exactly was it that she needed to show you?"
"Well," I cringe I'm unsure how she's going to take it, Morgan can be a bit extra with things. "There is a woman highly involved in the foster care world, and she has taken a liking to Marcus and me."
Hand on her hip, she flips her hair, "What does that have to do with the thing she needed to show you and why you are making us late?"
I decide to walk and talk fast, striding up the stairs and into the house, I quickly say, "She is going to adopt Marcus and me. She Already Submitted the paperwork."
I'm already close to the bedroom I share with Marcus when I finish saying it. Just as I'm about to reach for the doorknob, I'm grabbed by the shoulder and spun around to face a shocked looking Morgan. "WHAT DO YoU MEAN ADOPTING YOU???!!"
"Shhh, I just found out I don't want the whole house to find out!" I tell her as I turn around to open the door and pull her inside.
I sit the bags on my bed and sit down next to it. Just as Morgan goes to sit on Marcus' bed, she stops herself and decides to sit in the chair at the desk by the closet. Well, that was weird, she usually has no problem sitting there.
She looks at me pointedly, "Spill," she says, "It isn't a big deal, it's some chick with a fucking complex. She wants to fix Marcus and me like she has the other kids she's adopted. Bitch has adopted 6 damn kids in the last 10 years! Apparently, we are her next project. It's whatever I'm sure once Marcus gets back and hears of this, we will be planning our move out date and plans for our 18th birthdays."
Morgan perks up at the word birthday "Speaking of birthdays, what are we doing for your birthday next month? Marcus will still be at camp so that it will be just us 2! We haven't done a birthday alone since my 15th birthday, and we went out to get our nails done"
I cringe at the memory of getting my nails done, it wasn't the people who did them or the store we went to. It was the teasing I got once I returned to the home. Marcus wouldn't stop calling me a girly girl, and a princess, as if I could be either of those things. " I don't know what I will be doing for my birthday next month, I leave with Ana in two days. Amanda suggested me and her get to know each other while Marcus is away at camp, who knows if I will be allowed to do anything."
I hear a couple beeps and vibration and I look up to see Morgan taking her phone out of her back pocket, she starts to push buttons super fast and making a face at it. I swear that the girl stays on her phone.
She looks up at me, " I gotta go, mom is mad she got stood up by us. I will tell her the news and what Amanda said, maybe after I tell her she isn't too mad and gives us a free pass." she laughs a little.
"Your mom? Giving a free pass? Your mom never gives those out."
She shrugs her shoulders, "What can I say, she has expectations. Hopefully, one day she will realize I am not perfect, and I am going to mess up, even if this time it was you and Amanda who messed up."
I get up to walk her out and tell her I will text her when I get the chance. Morgan waves bye while heading down in her phone. I shake my head. I swear that girl is going to run into a pole one day while texting and walking.
Just as I am about to head to group therapy, I see Mrs. Monroe come out of her office with her signature flat expression on. " Zora, I need you to come in here."
I sigh and head into her office and sit in the threadbare chair in front of her old school teacher's desk. "What can I do for you, ma'am?"
Mrs. Monroes' chair squeaks as she sit's in the old thing. " I will get to the point, Amanda called and informed me you and that troublemaker Marcus will be leaving in two days, and since Mr. Juli is not here to collect his things, it is up to you. You need to go finish your daily chores then start on your and his room. I want that entire room cleaned out and packed. I want you ready to leave by tomorrow night! Anything that isn't packed come first light will go to the trash, I do not care. Ana will be here to pick you up Friday morning at 6 a.m. now leave."
Wow, give a girl room to breath, and process this shit at least I don't have to do group therapy.
I did what I was told that night, I finished my chores, grabbed a quick bite to eat from the kitchen and headed to clean out the room I've lived in pretty much my whole life. By one in the morning, I was dead tired, and I decide to say fuck it and crawl into bed, I will do the rest tomorrow.
Morgan
Leaving Zora's house with my face in my phone, I wave good-bye and head down the street towards home. I spot the usual ally way, I walk down and behind the big oleander tree and summon a portal to open to her living room. She appeared in front of a very upset looking Ellery; her mother was definitely in a mood today. "Why didn't Zora come over as I had asked?"
I walked over to the black and white sofa and sat down, "Well, Amanda had some interesting news to share with Zora."
My mother raises her eyebrows at that, so I continue, "Amanda told Zo that she and Marcus are being adopted by Ana something." "WHAT?!" My moms' outburst of, "What?!" makes me jump, but her surprise is understandable.
"I know I was just as surprised. I guess the woman has helped a lot of other foster kids like them become successful people in the world." Leaning back into the couch getting comfortable, I asked, "So, what are we going to do? This is the year we are supposed to draw her into the magic and truth." Ellery goes to sit in the recliner next to me. She simply says, "We will continue on as planned."
I stared at her eyebrow raised and asked, "What if this lady decides to take her out of Bend high? It won't happen for sure then."
Her mother looks pensive as if she's forming a plan. "I will befriend this Ana woman, this will grant us more access to Zora and keep us going forward. The only thing we have to do is make sure that troublemaker Marcus stays out of the way."
" I agree he has been acting stranger than normal, I have been noticing he's been saying and doing things that aren't good-natured."
Ellery stands and heads toward her room and looks back at me and stops, "Morgan, keep that boy away from her. I don't want his negativity to affect her, especially since her powers are going to start to manifest soon!"
With that, her mother goes into her room and shuts the door, leaving Morgan to form a plan, because Alaunus knows I am going to need his insight.