Notes from Protarn: Congratulation, you're now reading chapter nine. You either made it this far or you're one of those guys who skip chapters. No good luck for those who skip. Those who skip would get lost on the steps and lose track where they travel. Give credit to my friend Nick for being the co-author in spite of the fact he was the one who made the idea of the Bolt. Those who support this story gets a good luck.

Extra note: Can anyone please review this story. It gets really haunting without anyone criticizing me. By the way, sorry for the hiatus, I've been sick.

Earlier: the main hero basically stayed in one building and some of the officers finally arrived as reinforcements. Now he's just waiting for his friend to wake up. . . And in this chapter we're going back in time. . . In a perspective that's not in our hero. . .

This afternoon everyone was watching a marathon of Dexter's Laboratory, until a staff member made an announcement to everyone of two new arriving orphans. We were gathered in our playroom to be introduced. There was a boy and a girl, both siblings. The old staff member, Miss Luna began to talk about being nice and showing respect to them at all times. She told us their names were Nick and Elizabeth Parker. Everyone were looking at them, until Miss Luna had us introduce ourselves to them. I said hello and then told them I'm Olivia. They didn't say anything back to anyone, they spent of their time looking at their shoes, as if those were more important. Miss Luna continue to smile and act formal as if she wasn't affected by the kids' sadness. She and some of the staff members soon left Nick and Elizabeth with us. The two just sat by the floor and didn't bother do anything else. But before Miss Luna can leave the room, she gestured me to follow her.

'In spite of the troubles you had caused in the past, I will place a trust in you.' She said to me. 'Though you don't want to be adopted, I will instead reward you for a special dinner. I will give you the job to be friends with those two.' Glancing at the two new orphans.

'Why?'

'Because those kids need friends and you seem to share great care to other people.'

I wasn't so sure if I should accept it or not. There's something about them that creeps me out. Anytime they could scream out of nowhere and start choking me like in a horror movie. Yet I feel bad seeing them sad. I'll just accept it. Miss Luna is good with her treats.

'Okay.'

'Good.'

This shouldn't be too bad. I'll just have them watch Power Rangers. I have a VHS in the cabinet. They're going to love it. I wonder if they watch it. It'll be great to see their reaction. I honestly want to become one when I grow up. Being a superhero fighting bad guys. I just had to wait until it's my turn to have control over the T.V. Time like that is my favorite time of the day.

I made my way to the new arrivals after looking at them for minutes. They were still standing, still looking afraid and numb. Or they're just too shy to enjoy the life of freedom. I called them out. Some of my roommates were looking at me. Apparently they seem to got infected by the sadness disease. This chance would show I'm beyond brave. I said hello to the sister. She didn't bother look at me, nor say anything as if I didn't exist. I started poking her head, this should get her attention. No reaction. What kind of person she is? Is she even alive? Maybe if I poke her more it'll work.

It did work. She glared at me for a moment then jumped on top of me just to pull my hair. I tried to push her away but she has a strong grip on my hair. I was screaming from the pain she was causing. The feeling went on forever. An adult finally came to end the fight. I never felt so glad for an adult to show up. They usually give me goosebumps. But what was that crazy girl thinking? I was only trying to be a friend to her. If only she just said anything to me, this wouldn't happened. Now me and her were sent to the councilor's office. It was only under an hour since they arrive, and already one of them got in trouble. It's what happened if Miss Luna gave me responsibility.

Mr. Sky sat in his messy office with papers all over the place and trash bins overflowing with trash. There's a bunch of food and cups on his desk. As we both entered, he didn't look up at us nor even say anything. He's too busy being immersed from reading some papers and talking to someone on the phone. It sounds like he's talking about his niece. Why is he even the councilor, he doesn't care about us, all he wants is money? Miss Luna would bother notice me, unlike him. Me and the new girl had to seat for a while until he finished reading. Nobody said anything. The new girl was looking at her shoes as if she never attacked me. I got witnesses everywhere, everyone saw what she did to me. I'm actually excited. I was trying to be nice but she treated me unfairly.

Then he finally put them his papers and drank some coffee from one of his cups. As soon he said goodbye on the phone, he became surprised to see us in his office.

'When did you two get in here? Nah. That doesn't matter. Why are you two in here?'

Now it's my chance, 'She was pulling my head.'

'What did you do this time, Olivia?'

'What?'

'You probably did something that caused her to attack you.'

'But I didn't do anything.'

He began to sigh and rub his face. He muttered to himself, 'So that's what she's talking about. What did she say again? Oh right, the poking.' He went back looking at us, 'She was provoked because of you.'

'I wasn't trying to provoke her.

'I didn't do anything. I was trying to be nice with her.'

'How comes you were poking her?'

'She was ignoring me.'

'So you provoked her because you want her attention. Do you not realize that she's not in a mood?'

'What do you mean?'

'You really don''t know? Of course you don't know. She lost her parents.'

'So?'

'Her parents are dead. So please, be nice with her because she's heartbroken. She needs time to adjust. Especially her brother. For now, I suggest you give them space.'

'But-'

'I don't want to hear anymore excuses. All I want too hear is 'yes'. Do you understand?'

'. . . Yes. . .'

'Good.'

How unfair. He didn't even made her talk. She's probably excused all because she's new and she lost something. What does having parents makes anyone special? They take anyone away from my home. I already lost some of my friends because of them.

Before we could leave, Mr. Sky walked out of his seat to make an announcement to everyone, 'Don't forget everyone. Olivia is forbidden to watch T.V for the day. Anyone who caught her can get an extra dessert for dinner.'

'What!? That's not fair.'

'It is fair.'

'What about her?' I pointed at the new girl. I'm not the only one who should be punished.

'She already got enough punishment?'

'How?'

'We're not going to make anymore discussion.'

'But-'

'Like I said: no more discussions.'

He's making me feel embarrassed. Why does he have to say it so loud? I hate when adults do that, as if they could do whatever they want because they're adults, and they don't care how we feel. Now my roommates can humiliate me again, which is really annoying. It's all thanks to Miss Luna and her treatment of a special dinner. I'm thinking of eating a bunch of large fries, but I instead got in trouble. Something tells me that me and that new girl are going to be great enemies. And the new boy, probably his name was Nick, since they're both related, they're going to be the same and I'm not going to like him. So what am I suppose to do now. The T.V is the only thing I got now. Not even my friends can save me. I can't allow them to tell me what happened in the T.V. It'll be really upsetting just because I didn't get to see it myself. They're like spoilers and it ruins the experience. I really hate a feeling that everyone watches it ahead of me. I'm starting to imagine of everyone watching Dexter's Laboratory marathon. Old episodes coming back. It'll be over by nighttime. By then I had to wait. Time would had gone faster if they allowed me to take naps. At least I was still allowed to play with my power rangers action figures.

I played with it and had them fight several times but then it got really boring. Everyone else are watching T.V and none of them are in a mood to play in the playroom. It's more fun to do it with more people. Though the two are still here, still standing and had nothing better to do. Probably their parents neglected them and lied about their death. But after several minutes, everything felt silent. The two were still standing and it's making everything awkward. It's so hard to focus on the toys. I kept on glancing at them. I noticed that the boy was looking at me for a short while but immediately looked away from me. I don't know whether I should leave or stay. Things are starting to feel weird, and a bit creepy, more creepier than being alone and everything was quiet. Where was the staff who's suppose to keep an eye on us? I don't see him anywhere. For a while, I occupied myself by talking to myself and humming, yet it still felt the same. The two didn't bother make a respond. I don't even want to move or stand up. Honestly I wanted to be angry and just yell at them. Maybe it'll make things less weird. Although, I'll risk the fact of the new girl pulling my hair again, and her brother might do worse.

I couldn't take it anymore, I called out to them. Only the brother looked up at me. He was looking quiet and scared, and he didn't say anything. What am I suppose to say next? I might provoke them and I'll get into more trouble with Mr. Sky. This time it'll be no T.V for one week. Well, I already made it this far. I told the brother to come over, and he followed, though he didn't bother say anything. Now he stands over me and staring over his shoes. Not thinking through, I handed him one of my power ranger action figures. He was hesitant, all the same, he we was able to grab hold of it. I let him sit right next to me. I thought I made everything seem worse. If I made a single wrong move, he might attack me and do something worse. The action figure was precious to me and I regretted giving it to him. Miss Luna was strict about buying toys though she still buys us some, and some of my roommates would fight over the toys. I tried with all my best to protect them. They were the only ones who stayed with me when most of my friends got adopted. I asked him if he has ever heard of power rangers. For a short moment he was fiddling with my action figure, then he nodded without saying any words.

I looked over his sister, she was only staring at us. Eventually she joined in. I handed her the pink ranger. She was looking skeptical at me, but at least she doesn't look angry at me this time. I'm basically the only one talking in the group. Things still felt weird, they were like strangers to me just touching something I loved. Yet I went on with it so that I could avoid trouble. I didn't think what's going to happen next, of any chance of a consequence after just getting in trouble minutes ago. Right now, what mattered most was playing with the new kids, and it's starting to feel nice. Maybe they won't be my enemies after all.

*2 years later*

During those two years, I had a great time with those two. I started to call them Nick and Liz, which is short for Nicholas and Elizabeth. Nick later started to call me Kitten ever since I started to like cats more than ever. I was really glad they didn't got adopted like my other friends, they were the ones who stick by me. We did made a promise in the past that none of us would get ourselves adopted so we could be together forever. At times we argued and got into fights, yet in the end, things went well like how friendship went. This is the time I'm not going to forget. They're like best friends to me now. But I am getting a feeling I'm getting to close with Nick. There's something adorable about him being so shy and nice at the same time. It's so fun to tease him. And hopefully, nothing is going to tear us apart.

Over time they became more open to me, except for Nick, he's still shy as ever. Liz told me about their parents before they died and how much they missed them. Their parents died in a car accident. Me on the other hand, I surprised them, I told them my parents abandoned me at a one age, I never get to know them. Nick had a hard time actually believing that why would a parent abandon its own child. Hearing them talk so much about their parents made me a little jealous, I spend most of my life living here and being raised by the same staff members for years. They were the reason why I would imagine what my life would look like if I have parents. My life would probably be better.

We eventually got into classes where we learn about reading and counting. Nick was the best among three of us in both reading and counting. I kinda rivaled with Liz in reading but she beats me in counting. Learning was really boring. My friends were the only ones making things fun, and they help me keep on going.

This night, it's just the three of us watching Courage the Cowardly Dog. The show was very funny, yet at the same time,c could be horrifying like that episode of a cursed slab. We were waiting for the popcorn to cook up in the kitchen. A staff member named Leto was cooking the popcorn for us. I was really glad that Miss Luna allowed us to stay up at night in Saturday while everyone else goes to the movies.

'Hey Nick!'

'Yeah?'

'Is the popcorn ready yet?'

'Just wait for a sec. It'll be ready when Mr. Leto calls us.'

'But it's taking so long. Courage is already starting. I thought you were my friend, Nick. Why would you neglect me like that.'

'Wait a bit longer. It just has few minutes left.' Liz said.

'I'm suffering so much, Liz. Can't you see the pain I'm in. Ohhhh. The pain. So much pain going in my stomach.'

Nick tries to hand me over a piece of bread, 'Why not eat this?'

'You don't understand, Nick. Bread has no power over the pain. Only popcorn can save me. There is no saving in me when I'm not eating popcorn while watching Courage. And Miss Luna wouldn't allow any of us to eat chips. Not even oreos or cookies. She's such a villain who likes to torture us.'

'Enjoy the show already Olive.' Liz said, 'I can barely understand what's going on.'

'Okay fine, I'll wait. But next time, I won't help you out when you're hungry.'

'I can handle it anyway. Unlike you, I'm a tough girl.'

'Is that a challenge you're asking?'

'Just quiet down or I'll eat all of the popcorn.'

'You win this round, Liz.'

'Don't take the popcorn from her, sis.' Nick said in my defense.

'He's right, Liz. Everyone has to share their popcorn.'

'You do realize you usually eat most of it.' Liz said.

'That's mainly because Nick let me. And for that he deserves more hugs. So Nick. Would you like another hug, or something more?'

'What. . ?

Liz was starting to get annoyed. 'Don't tease Nick like that. You know you won't do that to him.'

'Or am I? You never know until it actually happens.' I began laughing while Nick was blushing and Liz went back to focus on the show.

The popcorn was finally ready. While Liz stayed on the couch, me and Nick ran our way to the kitchen. Mr. Leto had the popcorn readied in a bowl and had them buttered. He gave us three bottles of water in case we get thirsty. And we began to enjoy watching the show. Once for a while, we would often laugh and make fun of the show of how scared the dog, and he screams way too much. Then things started to become more fun. Out of nowhere, Liz threw popcorn at me. She was smiling, 'That's what you get for distracting me.' She started a popcorn war with me. The three of us went against each other, since Nick was looking confuse of whose side he should be. Later we got in trouble for causing a mess, instead of grounding us or putting us future chores to work on, he made us clean up the mess on the floor. If we cleaned it up in time before Miss Luna arrives, then we can continue to watch the T.V. Even cleaning was fun when it comes to friends, we all competed who can collect the most popcorn and throw it in the trash first.

*Six months later*

The three of us were told that Nick and Liz were chosen to be adopted by a rich guy. I was upset about the news. But we're not going to let this adoption let us tear us apart. We made a pact to stay and stand together. At five o'clock the rick guy is going to visit us. This should be the perfect opportunity to change his mind.

The best idea to make parents think that adopting was a horrible idea was to act like wild animals. Nobody likes to have wild animals in their homes. This is how I kept myself from getting adopted. So hours later, he finally arrived. I imagined differently; I thought he'll look fat and old. Instead, he's a cute looking. Very muscular and young. I keep on forgetting that I was staring at him. Then I remembered, I was suppose to convince him to dislike Nick and Liz. I had to keep our friendship together. Nick and Liz were looking nervous.

'Don't worry guys. I'm not going to let this guy take you away.'

'You sure?' Liz ask.

'That's what friends are for. We stick until the end. Just remember: do what I do. I don't think a rich guy like him would like animals in their homes.'

The rich guy walk towards Nick and Liz while everyone else were either watching T.V or doing other activities. Nick and Liz began to scream and ran around as they both throw stuffs all over the place. Unfortunately, the rich guy remained stoic and calm, as if he wasn't bothered. Miss Luna was looking disappointed and she is prepared to yell at them. That should be a good sign. It works all the time. Though it comes with a price, but it's better than being taken. The staff finally caught them and have them seated on the sit. Miss Luna began to apologize. Ironically, the guy didn't look angry nor disgusted. His eyes were inspecting all over the place, and when he began speaking, he was calm.

Miss Luna had the guy follow her to Mr. Sky's office to have a further discussion. Since I'm not in trouble, I spend my time staring at the door's office, waiting for the door to opened up. I could hear my heart beating and my stomach twisting itself. The plan should work. No parent would like to adopt rude children. When the door opened up, the rich guy was shaking hands Miss Luna's. She was smiling and I think there were tears in her eyes, as if she was happy about something. Did he accept to adopt them or not? Before he could leave, I heard something in the conversation, something about repairs and improving the place.

Later in the evening, Nick and Liz were call to Mr. Sky's office. About minutes later, they left the office with sad expression on their faces. 'So was it accepted?' I asked. Nick didn't respond. Liz only nodded. The news was shocking. Did she nodded as in yes? I asked again and again. All her answers were nods until she finally said yes to me. I didn't want to believe what she said. It has to be a dream or a lie. I asked if they refused. Liz said they didn't have a choice, they were offered a better life. Does that mean they accepted the adoption? Why would they accept it, we made a promise that nothing would go between us?

'I really want to say no.' Liz said, 'I don't know what to do. He sound like we don't have a choice. The things he said of how nice our lives would be. I'm sorry Olivia.'

'You should've said no. It's just easy It's only one word. One word. How can it be hard? Do you guys hate me?'

'What no.'

'I'm sorry, Kitten.' Nick said.

I can't believe what I'm hearing. They could've chosen to refuse. How could they be so selfish? 'We made a promise. And you guys broke it.'

'We're going to visit you everyday.' Liz said, 'We Promise.'

'It's not going to be the same.'

I ran away from those traitors. They really betrayed me after being together for years. Now I'm going to be alone here again. I'm losing friends again. Nick and Liz were the longest friends I ever had. I went to bed and skip dinner. Nobody bothered me at that time, not even Miss Luna.

Few days later, Nick and Liz were getting ready to leave. Their things were already packed. Some kind of an old butler waiting by the day. I stayed at the living room, I didn't want to see them, after what they had done to me. The friendship we had for years had been all a lie. I felt used and now they're going to live in a wealthy life. Of course they chose money over me. Who needs friendship when money can buy everything?

Then things finally became quiet. I stopped hearing their voices. I checked by the door to see the butler was gone. Are they really gone? I asked Miss Luna if they left. I thought she might start laughing or at least smile. She said to me in a sad voice, 'yes'. She left me standing by the door. For a while I stared at the door, processing what happened. I ask myself if they're gone. Then Miss Luna came back to me with a chocolate-chip cookie on her hand. As she gave it to me, she said, 'Don't worry. They'll come to visit you.'

My memory suddenly struck me. It was the last thing one of them said to me before they left, 'Goodbye, Kitten.'