Family #4

Chapter 1

"Emma, this is Mr. and Mrs. Parker." Stephanie says to me with enthusiasm.  "They're your new family!"

Standing next to her are a man and woman that appear to be in their early forties.  They look to me with smiles, and the woman holds her hand out. I take her hand in mine and give her a soft handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Parker!" I then reach for her husband's hand and do the same.  "You, too, Mr. Parker." I smile at them curtly.

"We're so excited to meet you, Emma!  You're going to make such a wonderful addition to our family!  We've already prepared you at room at home and we're all ready for you to move in." She flashes a beaming smile at me.

Wow is she excited.  "I'm excited as well, Mrs. Parker." I mutter in reply.

"Oh please, call me Rebecca!  You truly don't need to be so formal."

"Sure thing, Rebecca." I smile in return.

"I'm sorry, dear, my wife may be a little intimidating at times," Mr. Parker says sheepishly, looking over at his wife.  "Nevertheless, we are excited to have you with us."

"No worries!  She didn't intimidate me.  I'm happy that you all are so excited." I answer with gratitude.  He simply smiles in return.

"Okay!" Stephanie speaks up, "We just have a little bit more paperwork to get through and you guys may be on your way."

For the next 20 minutes, the Parkers finish all of the paperwork required to take me home while I am left alone with my thoughts.

So this is them, family #4.  They seem nice enough though.  I wonder what they're going to be like at home.  I wonder if they have any pets or any children.  I wonder what neighborhood they live in and what they do with their lives.  I also wonder why they chose to take in a foster child. 

I've been in the system for a little over six years now, and it seems that many people have been different reasons for doing it.  Some (like family #2, the Andersons) simply do it for the money involved; others, however, are truly compassionate when it comes to children abandoned to the foster system.

I don't really see a point in my being in the system anymore anyway.  I'm already seventeen and I've just begun my senior year.  They should've just let me be by myself.  They say that I need a family to help support me in all the important events of the next year, but I don't see the point.  What I need is stability.  And moving on to another family of random strangers at the beginning of my senior year is not stable in the least.

"Emma," Stephanie utters, breaking me from my thoughts. 

"Yes?" I stammer in reply.

"Everything is all set.  You're ready to go!" She responds, clasping her hands together.

"Of course," I nod in reply, moving to give the woman a hug.  Stephanie has been the one constant in my life since I've been in the system; she's been there since the beginning.  Since she is the one that directs which child goes to which family, we have spent a lot of time in conversation.  She's the one person that truly understands me.

After a few seconds, I move out of the hug and tell Stephanie goodbye with a small wave and a genuine smile, turning to go with the Parkers. 

"We'll take good care of her." Mr. Parker says with a smile as he placed his hand on the door knob.

"I know you will," Stephanie responds with a small smile, "I wouldn't let her leave with you if I had any doubts."

We all share one last smile before  I leave with the Parkers, off to start my next new beginning. 

When we get to the parking lot, the Parkers lead me to a souped-up black Tahoe.  I climb into the back and buckle up.

Mrs. Parker--Rebecca--glances at me through the mirror, probably trying to gauge my feelings.  Finally, she speaks up.  "You are so pretty, Emma!"

"Oh, thank you," I mutter in reply as a small smile begins to form on my face.

I wouldn't define myself as pretty.  I wouldn't say I was ugly, either, don't get me wrong, but when people think of pretty girls, I'm not the kind of girl to come to mind.  I've got thick, sandy brown hair that falls in loose curls around halfway down my back and emerald green eyes.  I'm a little bit more on the tan side, but nothing extreme.  Also, I'm pretty short for my age--only 5'2".  I've given up on growing any more though.  When it comes to my body, I'm quite average, most certainly nothing special.

"We're here!" Mr. Parker exclaims, pulling me from my thoughts.

Wow that was a quick drive.  They must not live very far from the office.  I probably should've payed more attention on the way here.  As soon as the motor dies in the car, I open the door with a sigh, ready to see my new home.

As soon as I step out, I'm in awe.  This house is enormous!  It is a huge white house, white a barely noticeable black roof.  It's very modern.  It has a decent-sized porch that wraps around one side as far as I can see.  The entryway is through huge black double doors. 

With a hand on the doorknob, Rebecca looks to me with a smile.  "What do you think so far?"

"This house is amazing!" I gawk in reply.

"I'm glad you like it," she returns.  "Just wait until you see the inside. Your room is all ready!  You can redecorate it if you choose, of course." She smiles, turning the door knob and walking into the house.

As soon as we enter, a boy around my age pops around the corner and says hi to the Parkers.  This must be their son.

"Oh goodness, Emma, I totally forgot to mention to you that I have a son.  I was just so worked up about finally meeting you." She laughs, embarrassed.

"No worries.  I'm Emma," I say, reaching a hand out to the boy.

He takes my hand with a firm grip and looks at me with an expression of pure ice, "I'm Drew."