Okay...here we go, right?
He was slowly waking up to a voice halfway yelling at him. Go away... He growled in his head, sighing grumpily and curling up. He instantly regrets it, as it just seems to encourage whomever the voice belonged to more. The blanket is yanked off of him, and he sits up to grab it back, his eyes still shut.
"Eli, wake up! Now!" The voice said sharply, but not without a hint of humor. Rubbing his eyes and groaning, Eli looked over drowsily at a clock on his bedside table. He squinted, his blurry vision slowly focusing on the numbers. Six in the morning.
"What the Hell, Jackson...?" He asked groggily, forgetting that the middle aged man hated swearing for a moment. He slowly stands, looking up and noticing that Jackson's hair was graying...and slightly... "Are you going bald?" He asked without thinking. Jackson's eyes widened, and one hand flew to the top of his head. Eli begins to grin, then groans again. "Why're you waking me up at the ass-crack of dawn?"
"Watch your language, young man. You may be the oldest here, but I won't hesitate to wash your mouth out with soap and you know it." Jackson threatened. After he receives a muttered apology from the teen, his voice begins to heighten with excitement. "I have wonderful news for you!"
"Uh...the donations are going well...?" Eli guessed, hoping it was true. He loved helping with the younger children, but it was hard to put six-to-eight-year-olds to sleep when the beds provide mediocre comfort at best. Better bedding was high on the list.
"Actually, yes. We got quite the generous donation from a philanthropist Angelica managed to grab the attention of." Jackson shook his head, having lost his train of thought for a moment. "But no, that's not it!"
"You found a match on that dating site?"
"Stop guessing and pay attention!"
"So that's a no?"
"Elijah!"
"Sorry. Continue."
"I got a call this morning from a family, and-"
"Is Terry getting adopted? He's been trying really hard."
"No, it wasn't for Terry! It was for you!" Jackson finished impatiently. Silence for a few moments as the young teen squinted, processing the statement.
"...you're joking." He deadpanned. Jackson shook his head vigorously.
"You know I'd never joke about something like this!" He exclaimed.
"But...but I can't just leave! This place has been my home since I was a year old! I was gonna work here!" Eli began, his eyes wide. "You need more people for the fundraisers, and I'm the only one old enough to work for money, and-"
"Eli, you can still do these things when you can." Jackson cut him off calmly, but with sadness under his tone. "But this may be your last chance to be in a functional family, and go to a real school. Now please stop arguing and pack up. We have a long drive ahead of us." He turned and left the room. In a burst of spite, Eli raised his middle finger to the door, then drew it back after a moment and ran a hand through his shaggy auburn hair.
"Shit..." He repeated various expletives for a minute, furiously wiping his eyes and berating himself mentally for crying. But what could he do? This place was his life. He'd given up long ago on being adopted. He was going to put his heart and soul into helping the orphanage! "I thought he took me off of the list...I asked him to..." He said softly to himself. Standing there for another minute or two, he pulled an empty suitcase from under his bed and began packing what little he had. Drawings the younger kids made for him, his second pair of pajamas and two outfits that were basically the same, a hoodie. He put on one of the outfits (blue jeans, a solid blue t-shirt, and the red hoodie) and slipped on a pair of lace-up boots that ended just above his ankles. Finally, he picked up a small, fluffy stuffed wolf he'd had with him when he first arrived at the orphanage. He put it in the suitcase as well and closed it. Just as he walked out the door, he heard Jackson starting his car outside. Eli walked towards the entrance and stopped by the door to the 'playroom', where all of the kids were. Briefly, he considered going in to say goodbye. But he couldn't. If he went in, he wouldn't be able to make himself leave. So he drew in a slow, deep breath and kept walking.
He was silent for much of the drive. He stared out the window bitterly at the clear blue sky and shining sun. Why was the day so damn pretty? It was like the God he was never sure he believed in was mocking him. He sighed, long and slow and dramatic enough to make him cringe. Jackson noticed and spoke.
"I expected you to be much more verbal about this..." He said, the caution in his voice only halfway a joke. Eli sends him a dirty look that is returned with a raised eyebrow. He sighed again, looking away.
"Who are these a-these people?" He asked, stopping himself from insulting the family he had yet to meet.
"The Fazbears." Jackson responded. "Don't make fun of the name, Elijah." Eli huffed and rolled his eyes.
"You're no fun..." He muttered.
"Anyway, I was only able to talk to the oldest. His name is Freddy, I believe. I couldn't hear him well on the phone, there was a lot of talking in the background." Eli nodded, humming to show that he was listening. "That's all really know. This could be the right family for you, Eli."
"I told you to take me off of the list."
"You knew even then that I can't."
"...do I have to make them like me?"
"You have to try. Just be yourself, you're likeable enough."
"Gee, thanks." They both cracked grins, Eli's significantly smaller. He yawned and rested his head on the window. Within a minute, he's out like a light.
"Eli..." Jackson said, shaking the teen gently. Eli's eyes instantly opened, and he sat up and stared at the house. It was the only one for about half a mile, and pretty large. Two stories tall, painted white with a dark shingled roof and a dark blue door. For some reason, Eli's eyes were drawn tot he door. The color was like the ocean. For a moment, his imagination ran wild. He would open the door and fall straight into the ocean, the darkest depths of it. He'd begin to get cold, and unable to breath. He'd claw towards the surface, but it wouldn't get any closer. His lung began to burn and he began to suck in water desperately and- "Eli!" He snapped out of it and looked at Jackson.
"I'm okay..." He hugged the man tightly and sighed, then took the suitcase from the back of the car and got out. He didn't watch the car drive away.
The boy looked lost, Freddy thought. Like he didn't know where and why he was there. He was clutching a small suitcase tightly. The wind was blowing, and it pushed his bangs in front of his eyes, which the teen quickly brushed away. One eye was different from the other, Freddy could tell that even from a distance. It was darker. He wanted to rush out there to greet him, but then a hand placed itself on his arm, and his sister spoke.
"Don't scare him. Let him come up here first." She said gently.
Eli stood there for several minutes, just staring up at the house. Why was he here? Why didn't he fight back harder to stay at the orphanage? Why did these people want to adopt him? Who adopts a teenager? He shook his head and took a breath, walking slowly onto the porch to the front door. Once again, he thought of the ocean, and had to shake the thought from his head. He knocked on the door. It swung open quickly, and he took a startled step back.
"Hey!" A deep voice exclaimed cheerfully. Eli looked up at a tall, broad shouldered man about...somewhere between twenty and twenty-five. His hair was almost as long as Eli's, but neatly combed to stay out of his eyes. His eyes were deep blue, and...he had a few gray hairs. Wasn't he too young for that? Other than these hairs and a few other signs of stress and mild exhaustion, the man wasn't bad looking at all. But he was wearing too much brown. Eli didn't care much for the color anyway, but the man was brown head to toe. Chocolate colored hair, a dark brown long sleeved shirt, beige converse...at least he was wearing blue jeans. He tried to will himself not to say anything, but it already slipped from his mouth.
"You look like a walking chocolate bar." He sounded rude, almost contemptuous, and winced. God, this man looked like he had enough to deal with without the kid he was adopting insulting him! What the Hell was his-the man began to laugh, and Eli stared in surprise.
"I guess I do, huh?" The man stuck out a calloused, work-roughened hand. "Freddy Fazbear. Welcome to my home, Eli." Eli stared at the hand for a moment, then slowly reached out and shook it.
God, it's already so different and yet so similar XD What do you guys think? Is it any better? Tell me what you think, and if you have any questions PM me!