"I'm telling you. They had no clue. Before they could even react to it…" The person stopped talking at the sound of Danny coming down the steps. "I believe our new housemate has finally made our presence." The boy probably not more than a year or two older than him gave Danny a look of confidence. A look he was not familiar with.
"Oh everyone it is my pleasure to introduce to you Daniel Fabulous. Danny just turned ten on New Years day." She walked over towards a large painting above the fireplace mantle. The painting had a large home surrounded by trees and a meadow. "This fine home you are now living in is called the Laudmore Home which was built in 1902. This fine home has thirteen bedrooms. The original owner Carl Laudmore built it for orphans. This home is surrounded by over 500 acres of land. We have fruit orchards and a farm."
"Wow that is huge." It sounded like a lot to him. He imagined an acre was a lot. Now times 500. He could only imagine how long it would take to explore the property.
"Yes it is. And all of us who live here are responsible for the land. We grow our own food. Veggies and meat. We will be teaching you how to feed animals." She now moved over to the couch. Four people were sitting patiently. "I apologize. Let me introduce your new housemates.
"This is Samantha. She is the veteran of this home… don't let her sweet smile fool you. She is the best athlete in this home. You pick a sport. She will dominate." She appeared to be the oldest of the group probably around 17. Her hair was long, dark and wavy. Danny couldn't take his eyes off of her. He was smitten with this mature woman.
"Hey Danny… Happy your here. Just call me Sammy." He had a hard enough time remembering names yet she was so pretty. He noticed her hair had a lightning streak in it.
"Next is Ray, he is our world builder. Okay he's the master of any game in this home. Give him a 1000 piece puzzle and 30 minutes and you will have a completed puzzle and over 10 minutes left " He looked the same height as him but the boy was probably two years older.
"I hope you last longer than the other boy." The boy had bright yellow hair that was spiked.
"Julie is our engineer. You give her any issue and a little time and she will solve it and figure a more efficient way to do it. She did a report on how to route the city's sewage more efficiently and save the city millions on a yearly basis. The report was so well done the city promoted it and adopted the plan. She ended up getting paid thousands of dollars for this concept. Once other cities got wind they all wanted to hire her to work on civil projects." She had brown hair and lighter features. She looked happy to see him.
"Can't wait to see what you can do." She appeared to be the second oldest. Probably about 15.
'Do? What do I need to show them? What could this place be about? Do they want me to take tests to live here?' He felt confused with what was going on. Here he was in a room surrounded by strangers that seem to be gifted well beyond anything he could do. Last year he hit a home run. Technically it wasn't. He was playing wiffle ball with two of his roommates. His only friend at that house, Jared threw the pitch and Danny swung the wiffle ball bat as hard as he could. It flew right past him and rolled on the patio. The other kid chased after it and Danny made his run around the two bases for home. It was the last time he played outside. His disease made it nearly impossible for him to be outdoors after that.
"Danny, stop worrying. Like I said earlier you belong here." She could read his face with little effort.
He noticed her smiling. It was something he had rarely seen her do. Sandy looked happier than he had ever seen her. Unfortunately about the only time they saw each other was when he was moving placements. She would normally take him for lunch on those days when he had to move. Over the years there were less tears. Less bitterness. It stopped feeling personal because it really wasn't. Danny just felt like he was fitting in a place until he wasn't. Yet with Sandy it still felt personal. Because she was there through all the pain and sadness and now maybe just through happiness.
"And our youngest resident and yet also our fastest, Renee. If you challenge her to a race you will just be racing the wind she leaves behind. Don't take my word for it." She appeared to be 9 or 10 and was slim yet tall. Possibly taller than him. He guessed she must have long legs that make her so fast.
"Soon you will meet the others who call this home, Danny."
"So I'm sure you are all wondering about young Danny and why he is joining us." She walked towards two large glass doors that looked outside. He couldn't believe this was going to be his home. "After lunch we can go outside to do a demonstration."