CHAPTER 1: Mrs. Maple

Mrs. Maple's Mahogany Town Orphanage

I stared at the green wooden sign of my new home; it was poor wood working but it looked nice in a sense you knew where you were. And it was the first sign I've seen in years. I'm not usually scared of a lot but the black fragmenting paint and the yellow glow of the dirty windows creeped me out. I hope It would do that to anyone else that's about to live here. Or drive weirdoes away.

After staring at the crappy sign I walked up the creaky stairs with fear they'd break under the 115 lbs. I call my body. I was hesitant about knocking on the door, because my brother set me up in this orphanage, b I could always run. Wait no; I don't have Phan with me. But I'll just forget about that subject for later.

I knocked on the door with a sense of sacredness and waited for someone to open it. Finally a lady maybe 24 opened the door the light from the hallway behind her detailed her more than the night would. She had short cut raven black hair, crystal blue eyes, and was short, but curvy which gave away her age.

"You must be Igart, or Hazel, or Marshall? Whatever you liked to be called!" She hugged me after her awkward greeting. "But really what do you liked to be called?" She smiled.

I released the hug "You can call me Iggy, and you must be Mrs. Maple. Right?" I asked grabbing my backpack off my left shoulder and pushing m glasses up my nose. I could smell lilac coming off her probably perfume.

"Yeah, I am. But, come! Come! You can meet the other 5 kids!"

She walked through the front door and I followed her she turned left and we came into the kitchen it smelled like Milktank meat. The tiles were white and the rest was black but I was never a matching kid so it didn't bother me.

"Well this is the kitchen I'm cooking stuffed Milktank patties if that's ok with you?" she flipped the patties on the stove. I smelled the scrumptious aroma and answered carefully.

"Sounds great, my last home only cooked grime." I smiled and looked for a place to set my bag down. "Where can I set this?" I peeked to the side.

She pointed up to the stairs. "We'll go to your room so you can meet Dez and Pear soon. Than you can meet the girls."

I nodded my head in agreement.

She walked to the room on the right, which was the living room it had a ripped up couch and a recliner chair which looked like it was about to deteriorate. "I know it's not the best, but it's all I got, I'm a 23 year old running an orphanage. Don't consider me a mom but a sister of sorts." She patted the couch.

"How do you even run this place?" I asked raising an eyebrow.

"Let's just say I know people."

I smiled and stifled a laugh. "Oh." She turned around and walked up the stairs knocking on the wall repeatedly.

"Dez! Pear! Meet the new guest he's staying with you!" She opened up the door and to boys where getting up.

The first boy was my height so about 5'10, he had wicked long blonde hair, and gold eyes. He had a magazine in his hands.

"Hi, I'm Dez." He took out his hand and I shook it he seemed laid back in his hand shake. "This is Perry but we call him Pear for short, he can't talk though." Another boy walked up.

This boy looked bad ass though he had long black hair with a blonde highlight, crimson red eyes; he wore a bandana over his mouth. It was black with a skull mouth on it. He pulls out his hand and I shake it too.

"Hi I'm Iggy. And this isn't my first time in a home so I won't be shy."

Dez smiled and I don't know what Pear was doing. I walked in the room and Dez pointed to the top bunk towards the left. The bottom bunks wall was covered in bikini pictures and had modeling magazines on the nightstand. Which ones the perv? I wondered looking at the two boys.

"You're bunking with me" Dez said smiling, as I threw my bag on my bunk.

I looked at him "Nice posters." I put as much sarcasm into those two words as much as I could.

I stared at the other bed; it had a guitar on it and the night stand had tons of note books on it. I guess Pear is a musician or something. Now I know, don't judge a book by its cover. Wow, never knew that phrase was true.

"Im a hormonal teenager. What do you expect?" He sat on his bed and laughed at me.

Mrs. Maple knocked on the door. "I got the girls ready to meet you, let's go." I walked after her still dazed by Dez. I wouldn't ne surprised if he had "Adult rated" ones.

"Hey Iggy, Fiona and Becca are good looking. Scarlett's cute, but not my type." Dez said winking.

"I'll keep that in mind." I said nodding.

We walked down the hallway and I looked at the pictures. But one caught my eye; it was a young boy with raven black hair and red eyes, Red Haruko. I kept to myself in wonder as Mrs. Maple walked me to the next room. Three girls waited at the room's door.

"Hi im Fiona!"

The first girl came up to me she has long blonde hair with curls on the end, she was tall about 5'6, with fair skin, and pearl pink eyes. She seemed perky and not my type.

"Hi I'm Iggy." I greeted with a head nod.

The next girl came up rebelish. She had black hair and Green eyes, and the whole leather jacket and combat boots thing she had going on set of the rebel feel.

"Im Becca." She said nodding her head hi. I nodded mine back. "This is Scarlett she's a little shy"

Then she came out. I thought she was gorgeous in my own eyes. She was short but skinny too, with short cut red hair and emerald green eyes with fair skin.

"H-h-hi" I stuttered, this was the first time a girl has ever done this too me.

"Hi." She was soft spoken but her voice was great.

Mrs. Maple grabbed my shoulder. "Well it's time to go to sleep so bye girls."

I walked back to the room blushing. No girl ever did that to me, and I was amazed at that girl.

I entered the room red faced and dazzled. Pear was playing his guitar and Dez was reading another magazine, and then he looked at me.

"If you want to clean up before bed bathrooms down the hall on you're right."

I nodded and went down to the bathroom. As I was walking by I heard the girls talking about me.

"He's adorable Scar and it looked like he liked you!" I could hear the high pitched voice of Fiona.

"Really?" I could barely make out Scarlett's voice.

I finally decided to stop eavesdropping and went into the bathroom. I looked at myself and looked carefully. I had emerald green eyes with a little hazel and dark brown hair. My eyes were covered with my glasses which were black.

"Iggy!" I heard Mrs. Maple yell my name. "You're Brothers here!" I looked at the bathroom's door and darted out of it.

Jordan was here.