I stepped out of the bathroom, my hair dripping and my clothes only slightly damp. Sarah was waiting patiently outside for a turn to use the shower, clothes neatly folded in her arms. I smiled as I passed her.

I had always had sympathy on Sarah because unlike Natalia and I, she had known her parents and had loved them. They had cared for her and she'd thought that they loved her until they gave her up for adoption.

Natalia's dad had died when she was a baby and her mom had disappeared shortly after that.

My parents were always a mystery to me. No one had really told me what happened to them. I wasn't even sure if they were still alive. Some said that they'd been murdered, while others told me that they gave me up for adoption too. I wasn't really sure what to think.

One of the maids stuck her head inside our door. "Girls, breakfast in fifteen minutes. After, we'll set out for the day." She shut the door behind her and I could hear her bustling down the staircase. I knew her to be Tiana and secretly wished to talk to her because unlike the other employees in the foster home, she didn't have a British accent and neither did Natalia and I. We'd both been born in Eastern United States.

Sarah came out, wearing a blue top with dull jeans and sneakers. Her hair was neatly combed and in a silky ponytail.

Together, we descended the stairs to the mess hall where girls of every kind were eating. The food was almost always the same; dry toast for breakfast, box macaroni n' cheese for lunch and mashed potatoes and gravy for dinner. Occasionally, we'd get a special treat like fresh fruit or strawberry yogurt but that didn't happen often.

After devouring numerous pieces of toast we stepped out of the Foster Home and stepped into the yellow bus waiting for passengers.

"Hey, Natalia! Sarah! Monica!" I turned to see Elmer Oakland, the only male that worked at the Foster Home. He was the handyman and although he had acne and a bad limp, he was an expert at jokes and a good friend to the girls. "How're my favorite girls?" he asked, grinning.

I smiled back at him. "Decent," I answered.

He nodded understandingly. Then his face split into a grin. "Good news; I'm going with you on the trip."

I sighed with relief. Maybe the "field trip" wouldn't be so bad after all.

"I have to sit in the front though," he said frowning. "Gotta go." He took off into the bus.

We sat at the back; Sarah pulled out her book on agriculture, Natalia rested her chin on her hands, and I prepared to doze off. It was going to be a long day.

The ride was boring as usual and when Miss Annie called Natalia and I to the front, we were startled. We walked up to her and I shuddered. Her hair was long and greasy, the color of soot. Her eyes were dark, piercing, and hollow and she wasn't exactly skinny. "Stop the bus!" she called to the driver and motioned for them to get out.

"Now," she said in her raspy voice. "I have to discuss something with you two." Just as I opened my mouth to speak, Natalia gave a shriek of horror. Miss Annie was starting to grow taller, her midsection expanding. Her skirt fell off and revealed a disgusting snake tail, slimy green scales glittering where the lower half of her body would have been. Her face morphed too; her features became uglier and her eyes were glittering with hatred. She made a sound like a snake hissing.

Natalia's mouth was open in a silent scream. I tried to remember what I was seeing. I had read a Greek mythology book once and this creature resembled a creature from it. "Dracenae," I whispered.

She snarled "Die!" and charged us. My super good reflexes kicked in and I grabbed Natalia and lurched aside. The demon closed in on thin air.

"Hey!" a familiar voice shouted. I looked up and saw Elmer holding a thick club, eyes like steel. Then my mouth dropped open. He wasn't wearing pants. Instead he had furry donkey legs! The dracanae leapt at him but he clubbed it and tossed me something. I caught it and realized it was a perfect fitting bronze . . . sword. My eyes widened and I turned to the dracenae who Elmer was still holding off. I sliced the sword into her and she let out an unearthly scream that filled the air. Then she evaporated into yellow dust.