Author's Note: Hello! Yes! It is I! Back from the dead! Mwahahaha! *Cough* cough *wheeze* well, that didn't work out as I planned. Anyway! I am back! For another go at J.K.'s wonderful work! Hope ya'll like the first chapter! Some of it was written rather late, so it may not be quite as half-good as the rest of it. Maybe like… and quarter good, or something like that. I was never good at fractions anyway…
Disclaimer: you silly people! You actually don't know which characters are in the book, and you're reading the HP section? *Cluck, cluck * naughty! Naughty!
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A blood red sun rose slowly, as dawn fell on the Scottish orphanage. The warm tendrils spreading out in the now rosy sky. Staining it with a soft pink glow, that heightened to a light violet as dawn came full circle.
The colored light breached the fragile sugar glass windows of the orphanage in Aberdeen. The simple glass windows glowed with new light, as the girls inside the second story room fluttered in to wakefulness.
Ru's eyes slowly batted open, and she groaned. I have to get up…but the beds so comf- get up! Ru sighed out loud. She hated to be beat by her conscience. All around her, girls were slowly rising from their peaceful slumber.
Ru let the warm light from the new day fold around her, and she sighed again, slowly lowering her pale feet to the dark wooden floor.
Stretching her arms lazily, Ru took a longing look at the view out side her window, and not for the first time since she had been moved to her bunk beside the thin glass pane, her breath caught in her chest. The sun hung low in the sky, as it's purple and red hues stretched out over the sapphire ocean. This orphanage was set right on the beach line. In fact, the orphanage was a retired lighthouse, refurbished by the government in to a home for orphaned children. The rocks on the beach side stood like black opals in the white tipped tides, and Ru creaked open the rusty window.
A cold sea breeze tossed her already bed-ruined hair, and she breathed it in. She savored the rich smell of the sea, which was so unlike any other she had ever imagined. Ru closed her eyes, drinking in the different flavors of dawn on the oceanfront. She heard the seagulls calling, as they slowly circled the high structure, and in the distance she heard a sea-lion pup barking, calling for it's mother. Ru was lost in a world filled with sapphire water, and ruby-red coral, she was stuck in a trance-like state she wished would never end.
"Ru!" Ru's eyes snapped open, as she heard the familiar whining voice of one of her fellow orphans, Sammy, she thought, not needing to turn around to recognize the tiny brunette girl. "Close that window would you! I'm freezing my Florida-bred ass off here!"
Ru sighed, and grudgingly shut the squeaky window. Taking one last breath of clean ocean air, she turned to face her accuser.
"Sor' Sam." She mumbled, grabbing her blue, boot cut jeans from the floor under her bunk.
"S'alright, hurry down ta' breakfast though Ru. Marenda gotta' surprise fer us!" her exuberant friend squealed in delight, as she followed the other girls crashing down the wooden stairs like an unruly heard of elephants.
Ru sighed for the third time that morning, pulling her other leg into the confines of the denim pants. She stuffed on a reasonably clean black T-shirt, and quickly ran a brush through her waist-length, golden locks, which had their ends tipped in black.
Her eyes resembled the color of a storm tossed sea, blue-gray, with a hint of green. Ru stuffed her hair in to an unruly ponytail, and threw her white sheets over her bunk in a vain attempt to make it look neat. She watched the feather soft sheet float down to the mattress like a fallen angel's wing, and observed that, like usual, she was the last girl left in the room.
Ru finished dressing by shoving gray-sock covered feet into a pair of worn, leather-brown hiking boots, and made her way over to the great pine door with determined strides.
She sent disapproving glances at the still unmade beds of the other nine girls whom occupied this room. Their bunks all laid out in rows, she was sure they could look like a military camp if they wanted to. But then again, who would want to?
Ru's ears filled with the familiar clamor of breakfast for twenty people, as she made her way down the many spiral stairs, and in to the dining room.
Girls of every age and color were all running around the room. Many had on outfits resembling her own. Ru was almost knocked off her feet as a seven-year-old red head dashed past her, apparently being chased by an older girl who had a murderous look in her eyes. On reflex, Ru caught the collar of the girl, noticing that it was one of the girls who lived in the room above her. What was her name? Oh yes, "Darlene?" she asked in surprise. The girl looked up at her with anger and a little fear in her brown eyes. Ru had the advantage of being frighteningly tall for her age. Being five feet, seven inches at thirteen had made life hard on teasing, and easy on revenge. This resulting in the tendency for smaller kids to be afraid of this blonde giant.
"Aye, Ru?" she gulped.
"an' what do you think yer doin'?" she asked, smiling. Darlene was encouraged by the smile.
"Jus' playin whit da' lil' t'ing Ru no need to be 'larmed."
"aye, but she didna' think you were playing I dare say, ease off on the little 'uns Dar." Darlene nodded but still shot angry glances at the small red head.
Ru sighed at her peers, and gave a glance around the crowded room as she made her way to the kitchen doors. Heavy wooden paneling covered the walls in this room, and a sturdy mahogany table stood at the center. Miss-matched plates and glasses covered the table, as the girls began to find their seats in the jumble of different chairs.
The older girls were bringing in the heaping plates of scrambled eggs and sausage, as she reached the doors to help.
The kitchen was hot, and humid when she walked in, nearly knocking her back, with all the steam in the air. The clanging of pots and pans filled the air with noise, as the girls picked dishes of food off the wooden counter, to bring out to the hungry tables.
Ray heaved a heavy plate of sausage in one hand, and a pitcher of orange juice in the other, as she used her hip to push her way in to the crowded breakfast hall.
She set the platter down on an empty place on the table, setting the pitcher beside it, and went back for another load.
When she entered the kitchen, there was but a basket of rolls left on the wooden counter. So Ru was the last girl to leave the kitchen, and she struggled to find a place to sit when she reentered the dining hall, finally settling on seat beside her friend Sammy, who was grinning like a mad woman at all the chaos in the room.
Ru found herself staring at a white plate, with a dark blue circle on the perimeter of the dish. She carefully dragged a finger over her plastic cup, as Marenda made her way out of the kitchen, and to the head of the table.
Marenda was a plump woman, with harsh brown hair, and caring chocolate eyes. She had on a powder blue dress, with a white apron draped over the front, her masses of brown hair stuffed into a plastic hair net.
"Good morning girls", she laughed, her brown eyes sparkling with a youthful light.
"Good morning Marenda!" the room said in unison. All used her first name, because the plump woman claimed that she was 'too young to be a Ms. yet.'
Marenda laughed in delight, before sitting down at the head of the wooden table. She cast a smile around at the waiting girls before continuing. "I have good news! Today, there will be a couple, coming from England!"
Immediately, excited whispering broke out around the table. Ru smiled wide at Sammy, who was blathering on about something. Ru looked happy enough, but that was just an appearance.
Different thoughts raced around in her mind, as they always did when a couple came to look at the different girls. Then a different thought raced threw her head, 'why was a couple coming to Scotland, if they lived in England?' surely there were many orphanages in London, and such that were much closer to home. Ru was puzzled, but when she voiced her question to Sammy, the hyper girl dismissed it.
"Who cares? The point is that they're coming."
Ru had to agree with her, and tried to banish the thought from her mind. When it refused to be pushed away, Ru decided to ignore it and be happy.
"Yes! Yes!" Marenda called the attention back to the head of the table, and a hush immediately settled on the group, only broken occasionally with a stifled giggle or two.
"Well, I expect all of you to be on your best behavior! No jokes while the people are here, so all of you hear me correctly? Loud and clear?" she met each of the girls' eyes, and they all nodded. "Well! Then what are we waiting for? Eat! Eat!" she made shooing motions with her hands, while each girl picked up there fork and knife earnestly.
Ru piled sausage onto her plate, and passed it on. Thoughts still buzzing around in her head like impatient bees. And the lingering question that always jumped out when there was a new couple for the orphanage. "If I wasn't good enough for my real parents, why should I be good enough for them?" Ru shushed the thought away, assuring herself there was nothing that she could do about her real mom or dad. She would just be pretty, and adoptable-looking when the couple got here, and maybe she would have a home.
Ru piled more eggs on to her plate, thinking she would need the strength.
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A couple hours later, the entire orphanage was found, standing up against the 'living room' wall. All the girls called this place the show room though, because this is where they were always placed for visitors. Ru wore clean blue jeans and a white blouse with balloon sleeves, the black dye rinsed from her hair and the palest bit of make up could be found on her eyes.
The couple who came to look at the children seemed nice enough. There was a tall man with short dusty brown hair. He wore a brown suite, and a pair of wire-rimmed eyeglasses. He had twinkling blue eyes, and looked like it didn't take much to make him laugh.
His wife was a thin woman, slightly taller than Ru, who had black hair that bounced around in little ringlets. The woman's dark eyes sparkled playfully, and she wore a dark brown blouse, with her denim skirt. Over all, they seemed like they would laugh a lot, scold very little, and even now, they were smiling.
Marenda showed them in to the lily carpeted room where the girls were standing, and the two seemed to smile wider.
"Children, I would like to introduce you to Mr. and Mrs. Clendas", the woman gave a little wave, and turned her delightful smile to the children.
"Hello Mr. and Mrs. Clendas!" the room said in unison, with a formal voice. Ru liked this couple, they seemed like they would never beat their children, or each other, they seemed to like children well enough, and the smiles they wore were definitely not fakes.
"Please, let me introduce you to the children", Marenda said graciously, and the couple nodded eagerly.
"This is Charlie, she's seven", Marenda told the woman who kneeled to the nervous little girl.
"Hello Charlie", the woman's voice rang like little bells, "my name's Gretchen, it's nice to meet you".
Charlie nodded to the woman, and Marenda turned them to the next girl.
They made their way down the line, and Ru found out that the man's name was Henry, and that she liked them more with every person.
Finally, Marenda led them to her. "This is Ru, she's thirteen", Henry looked down at her and smiled. For some reason she was compelled to smile back.
"My! Aren't you tall!" exclaimed Gretchen's bell like voice. Ru felt a bit of heat coloring her face and she turned it towards the floor.
"Yes mam, I guess I am." She replied nervously, feeling quite like a painting being looked at for sale. But then she felt a small finger beneath her chin, and she lifted her face to Gretchen's smiling one. From the minute her eyes locked on theirs, she knew that more than anything (short from finding her real parents) she wanted to go home with these people. And before her mind could react, her mouth spat out a question, "if you live in England, why are you looking in Scotland for a kid?" Ru slapped a hand over her mouth, but the couple laughed.
"Henry has a job in Scotland, we plan to move to England because he's being transferred. We thought we'd take a kid with us." Gretchen's eyes still sparkled from laughing, and Ru felt herself blush again.
"I-I'm sorry mam, 'tis none of my business, I-" but she was cut off when they laughed again.
"Think nothing of it Ru, 'tis none of our right to be looking at you all like cattle at a fair. But here we are, are we not? I think we're even." Ru blushed for the third time, and started to open her mouth to speak, but Marenda had already swept the couple to the next person.
Ru could feel the other girls' eyes glued to her, and she heard one mutter, 'wonder who they take, huh?'
Ru smiled, thinking of going to live with this sweet woman, and her quiet husband. She crossed her fingers behind her back, and mentally prayed they would pick her.
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The orphanage waved the couple out the door after two hours. Ru was sorry to see them go. She really wanted to go with them in their little blue car, but knew every other girl in the orphanage was thinking the exact same thing.
Marenda was already busy in the kitchen, making up lunch, so the girls had enough time to change back in to every day clothes before they ate.
Ru ran up the wooden stares with the rest of her companions, and kicked off her soft leather loafers as soon as she was inside the door.
"So how did you like them?" Sammy asked her when she had reached her bunk. Ru pulled off her white blouse and answered as she slipped on the black T-shirt. "They were great! I don't know about you, but if they had asked, I would have pushed that little car to England if they'd let me stay with them." Sammy laughed, and Ru joined in, pulling on an old pair of jeans again.
"What about you?" she asked in response, now pulling on her gray woolen socks.
"I liked them," Sammy looked uneasy, "I don't know, it's just that…well… there just seem too…" she hesitated.
"Spit it out!" said Ru from the floor, working her feet in to her leather-hiking boots.
"Well they just seem too happy." Sammy finally admitted.
Ru-now finished pulling on her boots- considered it for a moment. "They were really cheerful…but…I don't know… I like them." Ru finally finished, trying to remake her un-tidy bunk.
Sammy sighed, giving Ru a look that clearly said, "you are so naïve." Ru chose to ignore it, and gave one final tuck to the white sheets on her now neat bunk.
"Come on Sam, we'll be late for lunch." Convinced she was in a good mood, Ru ran down the lighthouse stairs, determined not to loose this new, and rare happiness. So what if they're not what they seem? She thought defensively, who is these days?
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Lunch went well for Ru. She ate a full plate of Caesar salad, and stared out the dining room window. She was eager when clean up was finally over, and the girls were given free time on the beach.
Ru almost ran over a couple of 10-year-olds, making her way out the door to the shoreline. She quickly stripped off her socks and shoes, standing in front of the ocean, willing the tide to come to her.
She sighed, as the cool waters flowed across her feet, and she felt the gentle tug as the tide retreated back to the vast water. Taking grains of sand with it in to the depths.
Ru started to walk along the amount of beach the lighthouse actually owned, savoring each moment by the raging waters.
Ru imagined what it would be like to live in a big city. Lights, and millions of cars, people, swearing, shops, everything! She could walk among the little shops in London, maybe even go to New York City some day. She would have a mum and dad walking beside her, they would love her, and everything would be perfect.
Well, what if they came back? I mean… 'He'. Ru had learned when she was two that it had been her father who had dropped her off to the orphanage. We could be a family, go on trips, see places, go to movies, live together, fight about silly little things, get dating restric- Ru stopped herself mid thought. Thoroughly disgusted with herself, she started her way back to where she had left her boots, and socks. Come now Ru, you know he's not coming back. You've been here 10 years, and you still think you could have something like that? I thought I was more mature.
Ru pulled her socks out from the leather confines of her hiking boots, pulling them on to her feet, and starting on the boots.
"I need to get out more," Ru muttered to herself violently. "I'm starting to think I'm normal." Ru shook her head in disgust. If there was one thing that she never wanted to be, it was 'normal'.
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Number Five, Privet Drive, was in an uproar. Uncle Vernon, who had finally seemed to have enough of owls floating around his house at all hours, was screaming at a pale, black-haired boy, who sat, unconcerned, on a chair at the kitchen table.
"I'll keep that animal in if it's the last thing I do!" screamed Harry's uncle, who had turned incredibly purple in the face.
"She needs to get out more! She can't be caged up!" yelled the boy-Harry Potter- back at him. Vernon now looked like he was a giant plum, that had some how managed to grow a mustache.
"I am in charge in this house, and you will listen to me young man!" Harry, who had been fuming for over an hour now, tried desperately to calm himself. He wants a reaction, he told himself, trying to calm down.
"Are you listening to me?" screamed Uncle Vernon at the top of his lungs.
"Yes," Harry said, gritting his teeth and telling himself to remain calm. He wants a rise out of me! Well, Harry thought savagely, I'm afraid he's going to be very disappointed!
"Yes sir, I am listening," Harry said in a chilly voice. Unfortunately, this only caused the older man to get angrier. His face swelled, and for a moment, Harry was truly afraid his uncle's head was about to burst.
"Go to your room", his uncle whispered so quietly, no one could hear him.
"Pardon?" asked Harry politely.
"Get out!" yelled Vernon Dursley, grabbing Harry by the scruff of the neck, and threw him out of the kitchen.
Harry landed with a, "thud", on the stairs. Glaring at the kitchen door, he managed to pull himself to his feet, rubbing his side that now throbbed painfully, Harry slowly started the assent to his bedroom.
He clutched the pain in his side with a claw-like grip, grabbing for the door handle of his room as soon as he could reach it. The knob gave way to the room inside, and Harry threw himself in to the space, quickly shutting the door behind him.
The dark haired boy collapsed on to his bed, seething with rage. One of these days… Harry started the thought for what must have been the thousandth time that year. Though nothing he thought made much of a difference in the Dursley household, the torturous thoughts Harry was considering certainly helped him sleep better.
Slowly getting to his feet, Harry pulled out an old Sharpie, making another 'X' on his homemade calendar.
"Only a month and three days to go". He said wistfully, looking at the highlighter-circled September 1 with longing.
His owl, Hedwig, gave a little hoot from her cage, as if agreeing with him, and he half-limped over to stroke the top of her feathered head.
"Don't worry Hedwig, I'll figure something out." Harry sighed. Well, all he could do now was lay down and sleep. And hope that tomorrow brought better news.
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Dinner went all right for Ru, nothing terrible happened, (unless you count the meat being rock hard a terrible incident). Over all, Ru was pretty much happy to know that she would be going to bed in a couple minutes, and that the stairs were making their nice, familiar creaking sound beneath her boot shod feet.
Ru's eyelids drooped over her blue-gray eyes, and her thoughts began to wander up to her nice warm bed. Her nice soft sheets, her nice down pillow, and her warm down comforter… Ru let out a massive yawn. Smiling slightly as she trotted up the stairs.
"Ru! Ru! Wait a moment dear!" Ru heard Marenda's voice behind her, and she turned.
"Hmmm?" she asked drowsily.
"May I have a word with you, in my office?" Ru nodded. She hadn't done anything wrong lately-at least nothing she had been caught for- so there were no worries in Ru's mind. Ru followed the retreating back of Marenda, down a hallway, and into a cozy little office.
A pine desk stood on the back wall. Papers were scattered across the top of it. Pictures drawn by the younger students littered her walls, along with a well-done charcoal of Marenda herself that Ru was proud to say had been done by none other than Ru. Marenda took a seat behind the piece of pine furniture, motioning for Ru to take the cozy chair across from her.
Ru slumped over to it, practically collapsing in to it. Her eyes turned sleepily to Marenda, and she waited.
"Um…well...Ru, you know I've never been one for subtly…so…I'll just say it!" Marenda took a deep breath, and she seemed to be preparing for Ru's reaction to what she was about to say. "Ru, you've been adopted." Marenda cringed, waiting for how Ru would react.
Ru blinked. Surely she hadn't just heard Marenda say what she thought she said. Ru blinked at her again. She now felt very much awake. Her mind broke out in to a buzz of questions, but the only thing she could manage pass her tight throat was, "oh".
Marenda stared at her, but quickly went back to what she was saying. "The couple who came in today claimed that they loved you. They want you to leave first thing in the morning with them, they're traveling to England the day after, and they say that they'll take good care of you." Marenda finished, smiling at the stunned girl.
Ru-still in a state of shock- simply repeated, "oh".
Marenda seemed to be a bit nervous by Ru's lack of emotion. "So… I think it would be a good idea for you to go pack, and tell the other girls!"
Ru, who was starting to awaken from her daze, recognized this as a dismissal. "Well… um… thank you? Marenda". Ru walked to the door, hesitated, then walked threw it.
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Ru didn't even remember walking up the stairs, but before she knew it, she was in the girls' bunkroom on the second floor, and the girls immediately crowded around her. Pelting her with questions about what Marenda had wanted.
Sammy finally managed to quiet the crowd a bit to ask Ru, "why did she want to see you?"
Ru turned her head to her friend, and quietly, almost so quiet no one could hear, she whispered, "I'm adopted," she coughed, clearing her throat, "I've been adopted my the Clendas couple."
All was silent for a moment, and then the entire room burst out in talk. They all congratulated her, patting her on the back, saying how lucky she was, and what a wonderful couple the Clendas people were.
Ru's eyes suddenly widened. The force of what had just happened finally hitting her. She felt that saying it out loud made it real, but then again, it was something she wanted to hide away in her heart. To treasure forever. A little glow of happiness seeped threw her; she had a family, a real family. And she was going to live with them in England. She was going to have parents. She was going to be loved.
Ru let out a loud whoop of joy, and the girls laughed at their companion's silly behavior.
"Well, I've got to pack, so you lot get some sleep", she said sternly to them, and they obliged. Each passing her and giving her a last pat on the back or an encouraging word.
Ru felt that if she smiled any wider, her face might brake, and she practically skipped to her bunk at the end of the room.
She pulled out an old brown leather suite case under her bed, and opened the lid to reveal the purple-clothed inside. Turning to her old wooden dresser, Ru began to pack.
She folded her T-shirts, and blouses, placing them carefully into the bag, starting on her two pairs of jeans, and a couple shorts, her socks, under things, and a hairbrush went in next. Ru stuffed all her possessions from the dresser into the suite case, until it was full, and her drawers were empty.
Ru zipped up the suite case and thought of anything she was forgetting. When it hit her, she felt like a complete idiot. Ducking down, Ru reached her hands under her bunk, unearthing what appeared to be a very shabby, black trunk. The leather straps on it had broken, and the once beautiful silver buckles were tarnished, but she didn't care. For it didn't matter what was on the outside, inside were the wonders.
Ru opened the lid to the small trunk, letting the top fall back on its hinges to rest on the bed. Illuminated in the moonlight, a small brown folder, a stack of heavy yellowish paper, and a leather bag rested in the trunk, along with a silver bracelet, and little wooden wolf figurine.
Ru pulled out the brown folder, opening it up, and dumping its contents on to he bed next to the trunk. About twenty charcoal drawings peeked up at her from where they lay, and she started to urgently go threw them, she needed one to leave for Sammy.
Ru finally came upon a sketch of a seagull, flying low over the water, and decided to give it to her in the morning (she could hear Sammy's snoring next to her already.) Ru piled the rest of her drawings back into the portfolio, glancing around the room to see anything she had missed.
Seeing nothing, Ru lifted the suitcase off her bed, onto the floor, and started to put away her sketches, when she caught site of her window.
Outside the rusty pane of glass, there was a full moon glaring light into the room. Without thinking about it, Ru reached her hand into the trunk, brought out the leather bag, and unzipped it.
She pulled a new piece of paper from the trunk as well, setting it against her portfolio, and pulling a short piece of charcoal out of the bag, Ru began to sketch the moon. She felt as if someone had possessed her hand, moving it for her across the paper. Slowly, the window appeared, and then the bright orb itself, and the shading of the sphere, and the light on the walls around her window, and eventually, sitting on her lap, was a drawing of the beautiful full moon.
Ru slipped her charcoal back in the bag, the sketch inside her portfolio, and slipped them both back into her trunk.
Sleep was finally catching up with her, after fighting off its influence for hours, keeping dreams at bay; she surrendered to its pull. Drifting in to a deep sleep, Ru thought longingly of tomorrow.
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Ru felt the sun's first light peak over the horizon. The warm glow stretched across the oceans vast expanse, and crept threw the second story room like a cat. Everything the light touched was turned to a pale gold, it seemed as if the morning had the Midas touch.
Ru's eyelids fluttered, as she tried to awaken from her fitful slumber. She had slept lightly last night, waiting desperately for morning to come. Now that is was here, she was scared. What if they don't like me after all? What if Marenda made another mistakes, and they wanted someone else? I mean, there was that one about them living in England…what if- what if the sky falls and your hands fall off! Her ever-defiant conscious yelled at her.
Ru lifted her feet to the floor, savoring the slight bite of cold that emitted form the hard wood. She slowly sat up. Stretching lazily, she spread her arms out and gave a roaring yawn. I feel like a spoiled cat she laughed at herself, and picked out some clothes from her leather suite case.
Ru quickly slipped into her clean clothes, and began to make her bed.
She was finishing arranging her pillow, when she felt a slight tap on the shoulder. Turning, Ru was met with a site that no one in the orphanage had seen before. There was Sammy, with tears streaming down her freckled face.
Ru was speechless, not sure what to do to comfort her friend; she asked her, "what's wrong Sammy?"
Sam sniffed, "y-you're leaving! I-I-I'll…m-miss you!" Sammy broke into to sobs, and Ru hugged her.
"Oh! Stop that! It's only me! I promise to write you once a week, and tell you all about everything. Hey! Maybe I'll even get you something form London!" Ru tried to smile encouragingly, as Sammy sniffed again- her sobs now gone-.
Suddenly thinking of something, Ru dived for a spot beside her bed. "Here!" she said, waving the piece of paper around in front of Sam's face, "this is for you Sam."
Sammy took the picture with trembling fingers, and smiled. "Thanks Ru". And she walked over to her own bunk, propping the picture up on her dresser. Ru smiled to herself, this is the last time I'll ever make my bed. She picked up her suite case in one hand and the trunk under her other arm, and started towards the wooden door. This is the last time I'll get ready for the day in this room. She pulled on the heavy knob, and clanked out to the stairs in her boots. This is the last time I'll walk down these stairs. Ru savored each step down the stairs, like a thousand mile journey threw the wilderness, to reach the safety of a town. This is the last time I'll walk down this hallway. Ru made her way down the dark-wooden passage, and to the show room, where she assumed the couple would be waiting. This is the last time I'll look at the lily colored carpet. Ru took a deep breath, clutched at the door handle, this is the last time I'll be totally alone .she turned the knob, and walked in to the pale room, greeted by the smiling Clendas couple, who were standing beside Marenda.
"Hello Ru!" Henry said to her cheerfully, "are you ready to go dear?" Ru smiled back at him, and nodded.
Gretchen's eyes were shimmering with happy tears, and Marenda was smiling just as broadly as anyone was.
"If you'll follow me, I'll have the proper paper work filled out, and then you can be on your way". Marenda informed them cheerfully, and began to walk out of the room towards her office.
Henry and Gretchen began to follow, and they walked beside Ru as they made their way down to Marenda's domain.
"So…how have you been?" Gretchen asked nervously.
"Fine, thank you. You?" Ru replied politely.
"Fine, fine…" Henry said, nodding. There was an odd silence, and they had reached the door to Marenda's office. The plump woman held it open for them and ushered the three inside.
Marenda opened a drawer in her desk, and took out a packet of white papers, and a pen.
"This is the official paper work, that says you are her legal guardian, we check up on her for the first six months, you understand, you mistreat her, blah-dy-blah-dy-blah, technical rubbish. And she's adopted!" Marenda said cheerfully, and the couple laughed.
"Well, I think I shall skim the technical rubbish quickly," said Gretchen, with a slight twinkle in her eye.
Marenda held out the pen to Henry and pointed to a spot on the page. "Please sign here", when he did, she had Gretchen sign too, and then flipped the page, "and here", they signed", and here". And it went on like this for about ten pages, and Gretchen skimmed over the 'technical rubbish' before they both put the pen down, and the papers.
"Well, Ru," said Marenda turning to her, "you are now officially, Ru Clendas." Ru smiled wide. Ru Clendas, Ru Clendas, Ru Clendas… the name kept repeating in her head, and she felt like floating, or flying, or laughing, or maybe even screaming.
"Welcome to the family Ru", Said Gretchen warmly, and Henry smiled at the girl again.
"Um… thanks." Ru said, suddenly feeling very stupid. But they laughed. They laugh a lot, she observed.
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Ru never imagined going away could be quite so fun. Almost all the girls from the lighthouse crowded around her, waving, and saying their good byes.
"Don't forget us Ru," Sam told her quietly, as Ru slipped out the door with her new parents. Ru nodded solemnly, "I don't think I ever could," this is the last time I'll talk to her, this is the last time I'll see her, or any of them. As she piled into the couple's little blue car, she thought this is the last time I'll see the light house, and as she was gazing back at it. No tears came to her eyes, and she turned from the car's back window. That was her past, now she had a future.
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A/N: Sooooo! How'd you like it? Huh? Huh? Review please!