To begin a new life
April 17th, 2000
8:26 am
"Come on guys. You know I love you and so does Bob, Sadie, and Zillah. You two need some help." The fourtyish blonde woman behind the wheel said.
The two teenagers, one boy and one girl, sat silently. They stared out the window as though the woman had said nothing. They made no move to anwser or talk back – just sat there.
"Xan, honey, come on. I know you can talk some sense into Nick. Don't look at this as a punishment, think of it as beginning a new life." The woman sighed, "Look, you both heard the judge until you two get your grades up and get off the drugs and alcohl, we can't adopt you."
The two still sat silently, only now they were looking at the woman.
"Remember, how if we don't adopt you two soon, you'll be placed in another home?"
"Emily." The girl, Xan, said, simplily. She didn't need to say more. That was the first word either Xan or Nickolas had said to her in almost two weeks.
Emily Georgian looked up at the road, "There it is, guys. Mt. Horizon."
Xan looked at her twin brother. She cupped her hands around his right ear and began to whisper, "Is it just me or has Emily gone nuts?"
Nick looked at Xan, and cupped his hands around her left ear, "She's completely lost it. I mean it's not like we asked Sadie or Zillah to come smoke a joint wit' us."
The car came to a stop, and Emily unlatched her seatbelt, "Come on guys."
Xan and Nick reluctantly undid their seatbelts and climbed out of the car. They looked around and could a glance at a man who was comeing their way.
Xan again whispered to Nick, "Isn't that the headmaster?"
"I dunno. I didn't read the brochure to this place."
Xan watched Emily greet the man, while Nick leaned against the car.
"Hi, I'm Emily Georgian. You must be Peter Scarbrow."
"That would be me." A woman came up behind him, "And this is Sophie Becker."
Emily looked back at the twins, "Xan, Nick, come here."
Xan rolled her eyes at Nick, who walked slowly toward the trio of adults.
"This is Xan Aleeza Noellesen and this is Nickolas Francisco Noellesen." Emily said, and Xan looked at her like she was nuts.
Peter shook Xan's hand and then Nick's. They each replied with a nod then glared at their foster mother.
"I, um, have to be going. My two daughters aren't exactly happy about this arrangement."
"Take. Us. Home." Xan said.
Emily looked at Xan. Xan always spoke in clipped sentences. That was the first sentence Xan had said in two weeks.
"Emily can't take you two home until you both are able to." Peter said, seriously.
Emily looked at them. She gave Xan a kiss on the forehead, "I love you. I'll get you as soon as Mr. Scarbrow says I can. Nick, help me get your stuff."
Nick walked back to the car and took out the two suitcases, and the two bookbags. He walked back and placed them at Xan's feet. He waved goodbye to Emily, who frowned, but got in the car.
Peter motioned for the two to follow, and each grabbed their respective suitcase and backpack before doing so. They followed him to an office from what they could gather, and stood in the room still clutching their stuff.
"You can put your things down on the table." He told them and they dropped the bags loudly, "Now there are some rules to go over before you two go to the dorms. One, There is no use of drugs or alcohl. Two, there is no violence. Three, there is no smoking. And Four, there is no sex."
Xan threw her brother a 'That's-really-gonna-happen-with-us' look.
Peter opened Xan's backpack and emptied it out. A pack of cigerettes fell from the other things, "This is an example of what's not allowed." He handed them to Sophie, who threw them in a bucket of water that just happened to be there.
He looked through the things and came up with a syringe, "Another thing that's not allowed." He set it aside, and then carefully put each item indiviually back into Xan's backpack.
He did the same for Xan's suitcase, Nick's backpack, and Nick's suitcase, coming up with another two packs of cigerettes, a small amount of cocaine in a plastic baggie, another syringe, and a bottle of beer. Sophie put them in a bin and walked out of the room.
"Now you two can go to your dorms." He said, watching them pick up their things.
Xan, now dressed in a black shirt and black pants, looked at what was around them. The dorms, Peter's office, tables, house, shack. Unknown to her, she'd drawn out Mt. Horizon in her notebook.
Nick, extremly unhappy to be where he was, instead of at home, was writing down what he thought would be the best way out. He too was dressed in black, and glared at anyone who looked at them.
Daisy looked at the two newcomers, "More losers for the club."
Shelby looked at Scott, "I heard they don't talk."
Katherine looked out the window at them, "I saw the girl unpack her stuff. She's got a million horse things."
"The guy's got everything in black." Auggie interjected.
Xan looked up at the window, then hid her face. There was no point in getting to know any of them. They were going to leave her and forget about her.
"So, how we gonna get out of this place?" Xan asked, exhaling a puff of smoke.
"Well, from what I can gather, not easily. The main road probably has cops gaurding it. That lake probably leads to a river. If we hike down to a certain point, we can make a raft out of something, then take that to where ever the river goes. Or we take the road less traveled by, and stay here."
"Whattaya nuts? I am not staying here. They will betray us, the same as Emily and Dad and Lizzie and Ory." Xan looked at her brother like he was a Martian.
"Good point. So we go. Tomorrow night. After we can slip away." Nick said, taking in another drag from his cigerette.
Shelby leaned against a tree – she had heard everything.
End of Part one
Part two will be up soon (hopefully)
Cassie Jamie
Noahxfiles@aol.com
