Chapter three - New Home
That was a couple months ago. It was now June 8th, and a beautiful sunny day. In the morning when I awoke I got ready and met Damien in the hall like I always did. We walked hand in hand to the cafeteria and saw Mrs. Gull in there scanning the room for someone. When her eyes landed on us she beamed and walked briskly towards us with a smile on her face.
When she reached us she said "Congratulations you two. You've both been adopted thanks to your brother-sister idea. Hurry and eat breakfast, pack your things, and be ready to leave in an hour. That's when your new family is coming to pick you up." She told us. When she walked away I hugged Damien excitedly while saying "Oh my God! We're adopted!" He laughed and we went to eat breakfast. After breakfast we went to get our things and wait in the front room. After a few minutes of waiting the front door opened and five people entered.
The first was a kind-looking plump woman with caramel colored hair to her shoulders and soft blue-brown eyes. She had on a white polo shirt and some plain jeans with tennis shoes. The man beside her was just as plain, with sleek blonde hair and shining green eyes, he wore a white shirt and some jeans with tennis shoes. The woman walked up to us and said "Hello. You must be Maddie and Damien. I'm Laura, and this is my husband Connor." she introduced us. She gave both Damien and I a hug, followed by Connor doing the same. They went to fill out some paperwork while the other three people continued to stare at us.
They were all teenagers our age. The girl was short and very petite, with spiky black hair and dark green eyes. She was wearing a white shirt with a gray half vest over it and some gray pants. She also wore gray flats and a gray striped fedora hat. She had on a long double white and black necklace and some white dangle hoop earrings. Her eyes were shining and she looked very excited and full of energy.
The other two were the guys. The first guy was tall and burly with dark brownish-black curly hair and dark green eyes. For his big size he had a large easy going smile on his face and looked as excited as the girl did. He was wearing a tight white t-shirt and some dark wash jeans with black tennis shoes, along with a white punk hat on his head.
The other guy looked much like Damien. He had bronze hair and shining Emerald eyes. He was taller and slightly more muscular than Damien, and had a kind smile. The three stood there watching us in silence, but apparently the small pixie like girl couldn't take it anymore because she bounded forward and gave us both hugs.
"Hi, I'm Evelyn! You're Maddie and Damien right? We heard a lot about you from mom and dad, and I'm soooo excited to meet you!" she gushed out quickly while constantly bouncing on her toes.
"Yeah, I've kind of noticed you were excited." I told her. She made a pout face while the big burly guy laughed.
"She's right Evelyn, you need to stop drinking coffee and should probably just stick to juice in the mornings." he told her, laughing again. She stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed again.
"At least I can stay quiet and not pull pranks for a time span of more than ten seconds Brandon! You know I'm right too!" she accused him. He stopped laughing for a moment, and then a whole nother round started. He came up to me and gave me a huge hug, swinging me around while I said "Brandon...can't...breathe..."
"Oh, sorry." he said, and set me down. "Welcome to the family sis!" he said enthusiastically. He then gave Damien the same bear hug he gave me. He stepped back by Evelyn and the other boy come around them.
"I'm Andrew." he said smiling, and gave me a gentler hug than the other two gave me, then hugged Damien too. After that we all sat in the chairs and talked about what we all liked. I was surprised to find I liked a lot of what the others liked. With Evelyn we both loved long walks, sleepovers, girl talks, movies, and apples. With Brandon we both liked video games, cars and motorcycles, pranking people, talking, and playing sports. With Andrew he liked almost everything that I did, especially when it came to music. We kept talking and found out that we liked most of the same bands.
Right then Laura and Connor told us all to go out and get into the van. When I stepped outside with my bags I took a deep breath of fresh air; freedom. We all got into the van quickly with Damien, me, then Andrew sitting in the back. Evelyn and Brandon got the captain's chairs, Laura sat in the passenger seat, and Connor drove. Brandon and Damien began talking about their favorite sports teams while I rummaged in my bag, finally pulling out my iPod. I put the ear buds in my ears and began listening to "Wild Child". I was shocked when Andrew leaned over to look and said "That's a good song."
I glanced up at him in surprise. "You know Enya?" He nodded and I handed him and ear bud, which he gladly took. Probably so he didn't have to listen to Brandon. I'd never met anyone else who liked Enya like I did. Andrew took my iPod and began scrolling through my songs, stopping on François-Joel Hillier. I relaxed against the seat as the familiar music swirled around me. Next thing I knew I must have fallen asleep, because a hand touched my arm that I didn't recognize. I slowly opened my eyes to see bright Emerald green eyes. Andrew.
I wrapped the cord around my iPod, put it into my bag, and got out. We were at the airport, but why? Were we picking someone up? Were we flying somewhere?
"Are we flying?" I asked Andrew. He nodded his head at me and Evelyn jumped up to me.
"We live in Spain! You're going to love it there; it's so beautiful!" She began to tell me everything about her home back in Spain. She didn't shut up about it until we got onto the plain.
"You're going to love the house! It's gorgeous and super big, a lot like a mansion. We have it located down a secluded path and it's away from most other houses. It's by the shore, but not too close. Our house sits in a cute little meadow, facing the sandy shores of the ocean. All around the house and beyond are lush flowing hills and forests. Plus all the land surrounding us and beyond for miles and miles is like free country. Nobody owns it, but anybody is allowed on it. It's awesome!"
That's when I asked her a burning question, though I barely got it in there before she began to talk again.
"Why did you guys adopt us from the heart of Missouri instead of from around where you lived?" I asked her.
"We wanted you to get a real full-on experience of something new." she explained easily. Ah, that makes sense. The seatbelt light flashed on, so we all buckled in. I sat by the window with Damien next to me and Evelyn on his other side. Across the aisle were Brandon, Andrew, Connor, and Laura. We ascended into the air and I kept my eyes fixed on the outside world, watching it shrink. Once we were up in the clouds, the seatbelt light dinged off and we were told we were 'free to move around the cabin'. How predictable.
Damien traded seats with Evelyn so he could talk to Brandon and Andrew about cars, while Evelyn jabbered on nonstop about anything and everything with me. Apparently she was a fashion girl, and said she'd be playing Make-Over-Maddie on me a lot. I groaned at that. I hate makeovers and getting all dressed up and fancy. Valerie could have told anyone that. She played Make-Over-Maddie with me a couple times and I complained. A lot.
After a few hours we began our descent back into the real world. I watched eagerly out the window and saw the ocean stretching beneath us; it was gorgeous. We passed over a long sandy beach and then over many fields and meadows. I could see forests and towns further out from us. Up ahead I watched as the airport swam into view. When we landed we got off and went into the terminal. We had finally made it out and into Spain. To our new home.
As we exited the terminal we were led to two cars. One was a massive Jeep Wrangler; I'd always loved big and powerful cars, so this one just got on my buddy list. Next to it was a much smaller car; a shiny silver Volvo. The Volvo looked simple, but once you got behind the wheel, most cars wouldn't be able to catch you. I eyed them both with an expert's eye for a moment before everyone began to get in. Brandon, Evelyn, Connor, and Laura were going to ride back in Brandon's jeep, while Damien and I went back with Andrew in his Volvo.
We pulled out with the jeep on our tail, but soon it began to slide further and further back. I was sitting in the passenger seat while Damien sat in the back watching the scenery fly by. No one could blame him; it was extremely beautiful out here. Andrew made brief comments, pointing out certain things in particular to Damien and me. As time started to weave on, Andrew began to ask us questions. We answered them all truthfully, and with a smile on my part. At one point he even asked if we were going out, and if that's why we wanted to get adopted together.
I laughed loudly at that one with Damien. The thought of me and him going out was just totally wrong! Eww!
"No, we're not going out. Damien is like the twin brother I never had but always wanted, and I didn't want to have to leave him, so we enrolled as brother and sister together." I told him, still giggling. Andrew smiled at the sincerity in my voice, and something else too. I just couldn't put my finger on it yet.
We all sat in comfortable silence before I asked "Hey Andrew?"
"Yes?" he asked back.
"Do you, Evelyn, and Brandon have a boyfriend and girlfriends?" I asked him. He laughed one quick laugh before answering.
"Evelyn has a boyfriend named Thomas Ellis, and Brandon's girlfriend is Thomas's sister Georgiana Ellis. They're actually twins." He answered. "But not me, I don't have a girlfriend. Actually, come to think of it, I've never had a girlfriend before." He didn't seem upset by it. It actually made him seem more carefree.
"I've never had a boyfriend before either; my friends always fought over them so I didn't bother. But I never had to go anywhere with them and their boyfriends. You must really feel like the fifth wheel." I told him sympathetically. I couldn't imagine having to go out on dates with my brothers and sisters when they're all coupled up. I would have felt so invisible. I felt really sorry for him.
"It's not so bad." He said casually, shrugging. "You either get used to it or you don't. That's just how it is I guess." He turned his eyes back to the road.
"I guess so."
After a little while, Andrew pulled off of the main road and onto a gavel path through the trees.
"We're almost there. This is actually our driveway." he informed us. I gaped openmouthed at him. Driveway. This huge stretch of road in front of me was a driveway? Damn.
Ahead I saw the trees parted and revealed the most stunning sight I had ever seen. Out of the trees was a gorgeous meadow filled with wildflowers of all kinds, and in the meadow's center stood the most amazing house I had ever seen. I heard Damien whistle from the back seat, but all I could do was stare. I had two words to describe this house. Holy. Shit.
The house was huge and three stories high. The exterior was white, with a huge wooden wrap around porch. I could just barely see the huge garage on the other side of the house. The back wall of the house was made up entirely of glass, and it overlooked the valleys and hills behind the house. Far in front of the house I could see the beach and ever moving ocean. It was so incredibly beautiful.
Andrew stopped the car in front of the porch and turned off the car, getting out. He went around to my side and opened my door for me to step out. Huh, never had anyone do that for me before. But I liked it. Brandon pulled up next to us in his monster jeep, and then another car pulled up next to him. I practically purred when I saw the new car.
The newcomer's car was a hotrod red M3 convertible, with a black leather interior. Sitting on that interior were a pair of blondes. The girl was tall and statuesque; someone you'd expect to see on the cover of a magazine. She had flowing blonde hair down to the middle of her back and light blue eyes. She wore blue skinny jeans and black ballet flats. Her shirt was red like her car, with ruffles down to her waist. She had on a large heart necklace that was blood red. Overall, she was gorgeous. Her brother was different. He wore simple blue jeans and tennis shoes, with a brown t-shirt on top. His blonde hair was slightly mussed from the wind, and he had sparkling baby blue eyes.
When they got out they practically ran to their lover's embrace. I almost awwed. They're all so cute together. Laura came over to me and put her arm around my shoulder and said "Welcome home Maddie." This was already amazingly perfect. Only one small thing would make it better, but I doubt they'd have it...
"Hey Maddie! Damien! You guys like horseback riding right?" Evelyn asked and then continued, "Well we have our own personal stables down behind the house; we all love horseback riding too! Laura's idea was that we could go to the guy we get our horses from and let you guys pick out your own! The guy's a professional, he trains his horses to the max; you won't find any better ones in the entire world! So whaddya say? Come on Mads; I need a new trail buddy!" she gave me her pouty face and I laughed at her, while nodding my head. I was gonna get my own horse!
"Evelyn, I would love that! Thank you so much!" I said. Evelyn squealed and ran over to me, giving me a hug and jumping up and down. I laughed and jumped up and down with her. Soon Georgiana joined us; it's a girl thing. Finally we settled down and Evelyn grabbed my hand, excited to show me my room. She dragged me inside with more strength than I would have guessed for her small size and showed me the house. She dragged me through the living room, kitchen, dining room, the basement, and then up the stairs. As we made our way up to the third floor she pointed out rooms as we went by.
"That's my room, and here's Laura's study, Connor's study. On this floor it's Connor and Laura's room, Brandon's room, and Damien's room. On this floor we have the guest room, Andrew's room, and here's your room. You're gonna love it!" she squealed excitedly. I opened the door to find the most beautiful and me-type room I had ever seen. It was the room I had always dreamed of.
The room was spacious with the back wall having a lot of windows, with a larger and rounded one in the middle, looking out towards the stables. The carpet was a soft green, like grass. The bed was huge and made of many brown colors. The bed frame was wooden and had many carved leaves and flowers in it. The walls were painted in many browns and greens, and were made to resemble the forest in my room. There was a wooden desk and vanity, and I had two doors that led to the bathroom and closet. I turned around to Evelyn with my mouth hanging open and squealed loudly, jumping up and down.
I gripped her in a hug and said "Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you!" repeatedly. She laughed and jumped up and down with me. I calmed down and told her I wanted to practice my flute quickly, so she left. I put my bags on the bed and pulled out my flute. I had a small bench with pillow cushions on it sitting in front of the largest of my many windows. I noticed outside the window was a mini balcony that I could sit on. I opened the window and climbed out to the balcony and sat with my flute, breathing the fresh ar.
I had memorized all my own personal music by now. I thought of one of my songs and began to play. It was a very soft and soothing melody, but still complicated at the same time. It had a bit of traditional songs in it too. It was soft and then got a little faster and more cheery. When it ended I put my flute down and laughed. That song was so funny it always made me smile. I put my flute back to lips and played my favorite song, the one I played for Damien the day I met him.
As I started my song I could feel a prickling on the back of my neck, telling me someone was watching and listening to my music. I ignored them and continued to play my melody. Once it was finished, I heard someone clapping behind me. I turned around and saw Andrew standing there with a smile on his face. He stopped clapping and said "That was amazing. What song is that?" he asked me.
"It's called Waltz Fantasy; I wrote it." I told him. His jaw dropped.
"You wrote that? That's awesome!" he exclaimed. I thanked him and came back inside, putting my flute on my desk. Andrew handing me a pair a slick brown boots. I put them on and saw with surprise that they fit me perfectly. We hurried downstairs where Evelyn led everyone out to the well-worn path leading to the Markley Stables.
