I stayed silent for a moment and thought of what to say. Then I sorted my mind and started to explain.
"In the night after my birthday we were robbed. I don't know who it was but the person killed both my parents and ran away after the police held in front of the house when a tree collapsed. Later I went downstairs and cried until my neighbors came to check on my family in the morning. They've heard some loud noises and were worried. Because I was covered in blood they thought I did it, so I ran away..."
I tried to avoid talking about the gun. I didn't want them to ask more questions.
Mr. Anderson looked at me thoughtfully.
"Did anyone call the police? Did the murderer leave anything behind? Are you injured?"
Emily looked at me also but didn't say a word. She seemed shocked so I answered my teacher.
"Yes, my neighbors called the police. The robber didn't leave anything behind. I'm alright, don't worry about me."
Mr. Anderson stood up and walked to the phone.
"Alright, I will take care of the rest. Since you ran away, they're probably looking for you. I will tell the police officers that I found you and took you here. You're safe now."
I teared up and walked to my teacher. As he grabbed the phone I hugged him from behind and looked up.
"Thank you, Mr. Anderson! Thank you..."
Then Emily came as well.
"Don't worry, my dad will take care of everything. I'm sorry that I was so pushy earlier."
Then my teacher turned to us.
"Alright, while I'm busy you can get to know each other a little."
Emily grabbed my hand and pulled me to her.
"Amazing idea, papa! I'll take her to my room. Bye!"
She pulled me upstairs and closed the door behind us. Then she walked to her bed and jumped on it.
"Come, sit next to me, I don't bite."
I sat down next to her and she suddenly hugged me.
"I'm sorry you had to go through all this with your parents but we're here now for you"
I nodded and hugged her back.
"Thank you, Emily."
Then she stood up and searched her drawers for something. She pulled a small ring out and turned to me.
"Give me your hand."
I lifted my arm and she took my hand. On the ring was a little stamp and she turned it around and stamped my hand with a little heart. Then after that she did the same to her hand and smiled.
"From this day on we will be sisters! This is the sign of our boundary."
She suddenly jumped on me and pushed me on her bed. Then she cuddled me again and giggled happily.
"I always wanted to have a sister! Little sis Mia."
I was speechless and startled. She seemed a little bit weird but alright. I hugged her back and we were laying like that for a while. She told me about her hobbies and favorite movies. She was talking like a waterfall and the time passed by like nothing. I didn't have to say much, not like I could. But then Mr. Anderson called us from downstairs.
"Hey you two! Dinner is ready come down to eat!"
Emily jumped up like a dog chasing a ball and dragged me with her. No wonder this girl fell off the stairs at the pace she's running through the house. We went down and took seats in the kitchen. I didn't eat for the whole day so I was happy my teacher cooked something.
After dinner we all sat in the living room and watched some movies before we went to bed...
In the upcoming weeks the days went by like this. I usually played with Emily after school. I was even able to attend my classes again after Mr. Anderson talked to the principal. We were often going out for walks and whenever we needed help with our homework, my teacher was there to support us. The police also came to the house from time to time to check on me. They wanted to make sure I'm in good hands, since I didn't have any close relatives left in the country. But they stopped coming over after a few visits.
The time was wonderful and it almost felt like my new home, until this one night...