Dried tears stained my cheeks as I stepped into the small office. It was hot, but only an old fan in the corner attempted to cool the blazing room. Along with the fan the office contained a desk, bookcase and a couch. The desk was littered with papers; it looked like it had just been hit by a tornado. Old dust covered books filled the bookcase, as well as a few files over flowing with paperwork. The room looked like it had stayed the same for years, and it probably had. I doubt this place got much funding. The lady who had brought me here from the hospital gave me a small nudge, and I walked over to the couch. Made with old worn leather, it stuck to the sweat that was practically dripping off my body. Running my fingers through my platinum blonde hair, I moved my fringe from my eyes. Even though I was only wearing shorts, sneakers and a t-shirt, it felt like I was covered in thick blankets, weighing me down and trapping me in the heat. "You must be Kio" Came a rough voice from behind the desk, interrupting me from my thoughts. My eyes flickered to the man. He looked like he was in his late forties, with faded black hair, littered with grey streaks. His face looked like he hadn't shaved in a few days, and he looked like he hadn't slept well. Despite the heat he was wearing black dress shoes, black slacks, and a white button up shirt. He had sweat patches under his arms, so I was guessing he was hot. I gave a small nod, and he sat down on the office chair. Moving a few papers around on the desk, he found a small file. Pulling out some reading glasses from his pocket he began reading the first page. "Car accident after a trip to….everyone but Kio killed…minor cuts and bruises…" He continued to mutter to himself. I dropped my head, letting my hair create a small curtain around my face. That was my file, the file that contained the information about the accident. The accident. Those words had plagued my thoughts for the last few nights. The nights I had spent alone, in a plain, uninspiring hospital room. Mother, Father, little Opal, all dead. The words were like a knife, twisting and stabbing my chest a thousand times. Tears threatened my now dry eyes, quickly blinking, I forced them back. I refuse to shed any more tears over this, what was the point? The man cleared his throat, distracting me from the thoughts that were close to tearing me apart. "Kio; Your parents and little sister were killed in a car accident three nights ago, only you survived, is this correct?" He asked, his eyes staring intently into mine. I didn't trust my voice, so I just nodded. He accepted this, obviously used to children not talking to him. "I am Ryan Leroy. The head of staff here, basically I am in charge, remember that." His voice held a subtle threat. I nodded again. He stood up, walking over to where I sat. "This is a list of our rules, we take these very seriously. You don't look like a trouble maker, so you should be okay." He attempted a smile as he handed me the page, but it looked a little forced. "I have to get back to the office. Will you be okay?" The question was obviously directed to Mr Leroy, so I stayed quiet. To be honest I had completely forgotten she was there. "Yes thank you Dianna, we will be fine." He shook her hand, closing the door as she walked out. My eyes dropped to the paper in front of me. All the normal rules were there, the whole curfew thing, no stealing, stay within the boundaries etc. I looked back to Mr Riley, who was watching me. "Is there anything you don't understand?" He asked, like he expected me to be stupid enough not to know what 'no running in the halls' meant. But I was smarter than to point out his demeaning tone. So I just shook my head, which seemed to satisfy him. There was a knock at the door. "Come in." He called, not looking up from his desk. The door opened and a young lady walked in. She looked in her mid-twenties, with her strawberry blonde hair pulled back in a messy bun. She was wearing a long sleeved navy blue dress that just covered her knees, and black flats. "Ah yes, Christine, can you please show Kio to his room." He still hadn't looked up, like it was too much of a hassle to lift his head and look at her. "Yes sir" She replied, her voice quiet, and a little high pitched. She looked at me hopefully, taking the hint I stood, following her out. Silently she led me down the hall, the clicking of her heels echoing around us. The walls were littered with old, torn flyers; obviously no one had bothered to take them down. We passed a few closed doors; I could hear muffled voices coming from behind them. I tried to blow my fringe from my eyes, but it had stuck to the sweat. Sighing I tried to move it, but it just fell back into place. Great, I was going to need to get it cut again. Christine gave me a questioning look, but I just looked down at my feet. We stopped at a T intersection. "That is the hall. You will eat there, and most of the kids go there to socialise during their free time." She stated, pointing to the door in front of us. "That is the girl's wing; boys are prohibited from being in there. And vice versa." She pointed down the left corridor. "And this is the boy's wing." She said as we continued down the hall. So far this place looked pretty simple, everything was symmetrical and evenly laid out. Wooden doors started to line the walls, each one with a number on it. I was guessing these were the dorms. A few guys walked around, and some looked my way. But they mainly kept their heads down. They all looked fairly young. "We only have one other seventeen year old, and up until now he has been the eldest. His name is Kyle and he will be your dorm buddy." She sounded like she was bored, like she would rather be anywhere else but here. I knew exactly how she felt. We stopped at the very end of the long hall, Room 101. She knocked on the door, and looked impatient as we waited for it to open. When the door opened I gasped. Kyle was tall, and tanned, and half naked. He was only wearing boxers, and along with his messy dark brown hair he looked like he had only just gotten out of bed. Even though we're the same age, he towered over me. His whole body was covered in subtle muscles, like he was really strong, but didn't show it. To me he was beautiful, but Christine looked at him with a hidden disgust. "Kyle, this is your new roommate Kio" His eyes looked to me at the mention of my name, like he hadn't noticed I was there. I shivered involuntarily at his gaze, his eyes were filled with some emotion that I couldn't pin point. This made me even more nervous. "This kid doesn't look seventeen Christy" His voice was like silk, caressing my ears with every word. An image of him whispering my name filled my mind, and I quickly dropped my head, hoping he didn't see the red that I knew was flashing across my cheeks. "It's Christine, Kyle. Don't make me remind you again." She scolded, but he shrugged it off. "And he is seventeen; in fact he is two months older than you. So behave." I watched for his reaction, and my heart skipped a beat as what I thought was interest filled his eyes. Those beautiful pale blue eyes, a complete contrast to my black ones. His eyes were such a pale blue, they were only a few shades darker than white. Christine turned to face me. "Your bags have already been delivered, dinner is at six in the hall, be late and you miss out. No exceptions." And with that, she walked of down the hall, leaving me with Kyle. When I looked back to him, he had already walked back into the room. I followed him in, closing the door behind me. Looking around the room I bit my lip. There were two single beds, on opposite sides of the room, a single desk and a wardrobe. One bed was made, and the sheets looked like they had only just been put on. The other had its sheets pulled up, and the duvet was on the floor. The desk had nothing on it, other than an old lamp that didn't have a bulb, half a pencil and a small notepad. My bag was on the floor beside the wardrobe. I hurried over to it, dropping to my knees next to it and pulling the zipper open. I sighed loudly with relief as an old bear fell out. Snatching it of the floor I buried it into my chest, holding it tightly. I didn't care that Kyle was probably watching, and I let the tears falls from my eyes. Opal's bear, the last thing she had with her when she died. Parts of the fur were a little singed, and its right eye was missing, but it was the only thing I had. My parents had never written a will, and with two mortgages the bank had taken pretty much everything we had owned. I managed to sit the bear down beside me and wipe the tears on my shirt. Peering into the bag I saw the bare minimum of clothes, a photo frame, and a small box. The photo frame held the last family photo that was taken, a month before the accident. I bit my lip as I picked up the box, and more tears fell as I looked inside. It was a jewellery box, and inside were my parent's wedding rings. I slipped it into my pocket, laid the photo on my bed along with the bear, and zipped up the bag. Even though my skin felt like it was on fire, I suddenly felt really cold. Goosebumps ran along my skin, and I hugged myself. Alone, I was alone. I had no one, and I never would. Pain stabbed every part of my body, and I curled into a ball. I didn't care that Kyle sat right behind me, I didn't care about anything. They were gone, and I had nothing. I cried, I don't know how long it was, but I cried for longer than I ever had before. Soon dry, heavy sobs raked at my body, and I felt myself shaking. I felt sick, and my eyes were red and puffy. My face stung, and my whole body hurt. Why was I here, what was the point, what did I have to live for? My parents, the people who had raised me, I had known them all my life, and they were the only people I trusted with my life. They meant everything to me. And now they are gone. What is the point? I felt like screaming, like ripping apart anything I could get my hands on. This isn't fair! I should have died in that car, not Opal! Opal, who had barely begun living. Sweet innocent Opal who used to run around the house in pink dresses and blonde pigtails. Opal who had never done anything bad to anyone. It should have been me! It felt like my heart had been ripped out, like there was a hole in my stomach, like a thousand pieces of barbed wire were getting torn through my chest. My head spun, and I thought I might pass out. "I know how you feel Kio." Kyle's voice was soothing, and it pulled me from my torturous thoughts. Slowly, I managed to sit up, looking at him through blurry eyes. His face was full of compassion, his eyes held understanding. He stood up, taking two steps and dropping down onto his knees in front of me. "I don't care for any one here. In fact I have been here for the last seven years. No one wants to adopt a fully grown child; most of us have given up hope. People learn pretty fast that you can't count on any one here. And until now I never cared what any of them thought or did." I dropped my gaze, looking at my lap as he continued. His words weren't that comforting, but hearing his voice helped ease my sorrow. "But you Kio, something like this should never have to happen to anyone so cute." His words shocked me, my head snapped up and I stared at him wide eyed. He gave a small laugh, leaning in to rest his forehead on mine. I gasped, he was so close I could smell him, and God did he smell nice. It filled my nose, and I couldn't help a small, pleasant sigh. "Kio." He whispered; his voice now slightly husky. His eyes were filled with that emotion again, and I still had no idea what it was. The way he said my name made me shudder, which only made him smile. Making me feel even more confused. What was I feeling? Did I have feelings for him? I had never dated girls before; I had never really been into it. But I never suspected this as a reason. But he filled me with something I couldn't explain, and I only knew his name. I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to make sense of it all. Then suddenly, without warning, his lips were on mine. My body lit up, like I had been thrown into a fire, but it felt good, and it had nothing to do with the temperature around us. I pushed myself up onto my knees, and he wrapped his arms around me, pulling my body against his bare chest. I put my arms around his neck, lacing my fingers in his hair. Before I had felt like this whole thing was torture, and it still was. But I was suddenly kind of glad it had happened. I felt alive, in a way I never had before. I felt like I was running, jumping, dancing and it felt good, it felt right. I felt like I belonged here, in his arms. My hands ran down his chest, feeling his muscles under my small, delicate fingers. He ran his tongue along my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth. Our tongues danced, making my body react even more. I dug my fingers into his back as I tried to pull him closer. He pulled away slightly, enough to part our lips. We breathed heavily, staring into each other's eyes. I could feel a small smile play on my lips, something I thought I would never do again. He smiled back at me, and I finally knew what that look in his eyes was, because I could feel it in my eyes as well. It was passion, it was devotion, it was love. And I had a feeling we would be missing out on dinner after all.
