I woke up for the second time today with no one around. Curiously, I sat up, feeling just fine, and stood. By now I was used to waking up in this place with a flock of men around me, but the room was completely empty. I padded out into the hallway and looked left to right. Empty. Confused, I walked down the hallway to the stairs, and made my way down. On the first floor, I still didn't see anyone until I walked into the kitchen. There, Garrett was making a ham and cheese sandwich, squirting the meat and cheese with a last shot of mustard. He turned around as I walked in.
"Hey, you're awake! Last time it took you a few hours after I put you on the bed, this time it took about half the day. I was worried." Garrett was already walking towards me, and he stopped about an inch away. I could feel his breath on top of my head. "Are you okay? Do you feel sick?"
Garrett placed his hand on my forehead. It was wonderfully warm. I looked up at him, seeking strength in his blue eyes. Then, something clicked between us. I could feel my eyes widen, and watching his eyes grow too. Right then and there, it felt like there was a connection between me and him, like a cord that wrapped around us and tied us together. Then he bent his head towards me, wrapped his arms around my waist and our lips met. It felt like the whole world exploded, leaving trails of fiery hot liquid in its wake. I didn't even notice when my arms snaked around his neck and when I stood on my tiptoes just to get closer to his mouth. Our mouths were moving in unfamiliar ways but it felt so… right. Being with Garrett was a completely natural thing, and I didn't even have to think about it. He was a part of me, and I was a part of him. We both broke away at the Garrette time to breathe and rest our foreheads together.
"Wow." I said.
Garrett nodded his head in agreement.
"So do you believe in soul mates?" I asked.
"I do now."
I don't know how long we stood there like that, with more kisses in between, but it must have been about an hour later that we heard the other firemen tromping in. We sighed and let go of each other, and I ran my fingers through my hair to try to give it some order. Tom walked in, got one look at my hair, swollen lips, and flustered face and he grinned.
"So, I guess you two were, uh, pretty busy while we were gone." Tom's smirk got even bigger. Garrett and I flushed a bright red. "Hey, girly. I bet you gotta get home soon, unless you, ahem, are staying with Garrett here." The smirk just kept getting bigger while Garrett and I kept getting redder.
"Yeah, I should get home… but I'll be coming back tomorrow if that is okay." Garrett and Tom both nodded uncharacteristically.
"You got some serious firepower goin' on, and this firehouse could really use it. Hey, Garrett , Why don't you walk Sara home? It's getting dark out ,and you could, ahem, talk about life in the firehouse." Tom winked when he said talk. Garrett and I both agreed to this, and we left, trying really hard to ignore the other smirks of the firemen. He walked with me the couple of miles, talking about nothing in particular. About a block from my house, Garrett stopped and turned me to face him.
"So, about that date…"
I smiled and replied, "Next Friday?"
He nodded, got this faraway look in his eyes, and pulled out of it, obviously deciding on something. This was clarified when he bent his head towards me, and we kissed for like five minutes with very little air before I broke the kiss and said goodbye. He smiled and waved after me, and I knew he watched me until I closed the door to my house behind me and broke the connection. My sister Leah, the biggest snob in the world, came tromping down the stairs and hurled herself at me.
"Hey Sara, did ya hear? Apparently, some fairy girl with powers stopped a bank robbery and put out two fires. Also, she put the building back together with her magic, passed out, and some seriously hot fireman took her to the firehouse. Problem is, she looked an awful lot like you. The whole thing was televised! So, my question is, why exactly do you look like that girl? Oh, and by the way, where were you?"
I replied, "Well, first, I stopped tis bank robbery and put out a fire, then put the building back together. Then I passed out and Garrett, a really hot fireman, carted me to the firehouse. Then I woke up, stopped another fire with Garrett, and went back to the firehouse yet again and passed out when I got there. After I woke up, Garrett and I made out and he walked me home. So, here we are!"
I smirked and left her gaping in the doorway. Leah was a year older than me, and thought she knew everything. So I guess I shocked her when I blurted that out. Plus, she was the 'special' one in the family. If anything magical were to happen, she would expect it to happen to her. Anyway, I walked into the kitchen and pulled out a glass. I filled it with some orange juice and drained the glass. As soon as I was finished, I could hear several footsteps coming down the stairs. Just then, Leah rounded the corner with my parents in tow and spoke.
"Why does she have to be the one with special powers? Why not ME? What makes HER SO SPECIAL!!!"
My parents looked at each other and sighed.
"Well, I guess it's about time to tell the story to the girls. Come, everybody. Let's sit in the living room." My dad directed us to the room.
"Well, Leah, when you were about a year old, someone knocked on the door. Your mom opened it, and there, sitting on the doorstep, was Sara. We went through the courts and all of the child care mess, but even the top detectives of our area could not find her parents. So, they elected us as her adoptive parents, and here we are."
I sat there stunned for a minute. I mean, for my whole life, I've always thought that I was a member of this family, but that all came crashing down in a flood of lies. Leah appeared stunned too, as if she couldn't believe the luck she had that she wasn't related to me. Dad spoke again.
"We should have told you sooner, but we didn't want to give you up. I guess we have to give all that up, especially now since you are us different."
Leah broke in, "Hey, what about me? She's not a part of this house anymore. She's way different."
"Now stop this right now," Mom cut in. "There is no reason why she isn't a member of this family anymore. You stop that –"
"STOP!" I screamed. "That's IT! I'm done in this house. No matter what I did, you guys never even looked at me! You don't care about me and Leah just happens to be the only one brave enough to speak it."
With that, I stormed upstairs and grabbed the two largest suitcases and a large shoulder bag from the hallway closet. In five minutes, I had every article of clothing I owned parked into the two suitcases, and my curling iron, straight iron, brush and other toiletries packed into the shoulder bag. I double-checked my suitcases to make sure I had all my shoes, and sipped them up. I threw my phone into my purse, and then threw the purse in my bookbag. I grabbed my charger and threw that in there too. Then double-checked everything again. I then remembered something. I had a cat named Nala, but no one in the house even liked her. I was in charge of her care, and I knew that if I left her at home, she would end up in the pound. I found her under my desk, and quickly packed her in the cat carrier I kept under my bed. I strapped that to one of the suitcases using one of the holey pairs of pantyhose I originally planned to leave behind. With a last look at my room, I hauled my book bag and shoulder bag, grabbed the suitcase handles, went downstairs, and left for good.
I was lucky going back to the firehouse, for I knew many street people would love the chance to take advantage of a young girl on her own, but I didn't meet any. An hour after I left, I arrived on the firehouse doorstep and knocked. A very sleepy Tom answered the door, but seemed to wake up when he noticed me standing there.
"Sara! What are you doing-" he frowned when he noticed my suitcases. "Oh my! What happened?"
So I explained everything, and Tom just nodded here and there sympathetically.
"Well, we don't have an extra room, but you can stay in Garrett's room. He has an extra bed."
I approved of the choice, and at that moment Tom seemed to register that I had Nala with me.
"Oh, cute little cat. We'll have to help you feed it and such, but it can stay. We'll keep the windows and doors closed."
With that, he gestured for me to follow him inside, and I gratefully followed. He quietly gestured for me to enter Garrett's room so I wouldn't wake him, and he showed me where the bathroom was. With a wave goodnight, Tom went to his own room, and I changed into my cotton shorts and tank top I used for bed in the bathroom. Quietly, I put my stuff in a corner in the room, and unstrapped Nala from the suitcase. As soon as I unlatched the door, Nala rushed out in a blur of tabby fur. She found my bed and promptly curled up and fell asleep on the pillow. The clock on Garrett's nightstand read 11 o'clock, and I figured this place had an early start. I lay down on the bed, nestled my head next to Nala, pulled the covers up, and fell asleep.