Blow Us All Away

Chapter Two

Hazel's POV

I look up at the man I ran into. He has dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, and he's wearing a shirt that reads, "Hamilton; an American Musical". I stare at him with wide eyes. No way. That's Lin Manuel Miranda! It takes all my willpower not to scream.

"I'm so sorry!" He says, putting his hand out to help me up. I grab it shakily, "Are you okay?" He asks, obviously worried.

"You're Lin Manuel Miranda," I say in awe.

"I'm Lin Manuel Miranda," he says, "At least, the last time I checked."

I stand still for a moment, contemplating what I did to deserve meeting Lin. After a moment, I begin contemplating why he is still standing in front of me.

"Were you going to steal that food?" He questions me. I look down at it, now strewn across the cement.

After a moments hesitation, I reply with a small and somewhat confused, "Yes?"

He sighs, "Why?"

"Well..." I trail off. He won't care about my past, will he? It's not like he'll do anything about it. He has so much other stuff to worry about. But I can't just tell him it was because. He'll think I'm a bad person. So why not? "I live in a foster home, and... my foster parents don't feed me very often. But it's fine, I can get by."

He looks horrified, "They don't feed you very often?"

I nod, "Really, though, I'm fine."

"No," he responds, "You're not. Come on. I'm taking you to the theater."

"I really should be getting home-"

I am cut off by Lin grabbing my hand and pulling me down the sidewalk. I freeze for a second at the violent move, but then let him pull me along.

We turn a corner and he drags me through a set of doors. "I'm back!" He yells. I hear an overemphasized groan, and someone begins to sing you'll be back very obnoxiously. The action makes me smile.

Through another set of doors he drags me, and now we're in the theater. I gasp. When my parents were alive, I was never really into singing and theater, so I've never been inside one before.

Lin looks down at me, "I know. I can't believe it either."

There are about ten people sitting on the stage, eating sandwiches and salads. "Hey Lin," a man I recognize as Anthony says.

"Hey, guys," Lin says, "I want you to meet... uh, what is your name, actually?"

"Hazel," I say quietly. I can't believe I'm standing in front of the Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton.

"Hazel," Lin repeats so everyone can hear.

"Um, not to be rude or anything, because you're really cute," Renee starts, "but why are you here?"

"Well..." Lin trails off, looking down at me. "Do you want me to tell them?" He whispers.

I just shrug. I think if I tried to speak it would come out more as a squeak.

Lin takes a deep breath before speaking, "I found her by the Olive Garden. She was... she was going to steal food because her foster parents don't feed her very often."

Nearly everyone in the theater gasps. "Oh my gosh, how do you even... live?" Phillipa exclaims.

I just shrug again. Someone shoves half of a sandwich into my face. I push it away, and find it was Anthony. "I don't need it." I say.

"Um, yes you do!" He replies. I sigh and take the sandwich from him. Lin hops onto the stage, and now everyone is looking at me. I dramatically take a bite of Anthony's sandwich and chew it slowly. I swallow and everyone is still looking at me. I make sure my face doesn't give away how awesome it is to eat something.

"Sooo...," I begin, "I should probably get going."

"No way!" Lin exclaims. "I am not letting you go back to that house if they don't even feed you that much."

"Well, I'm going to a new family soon anyway," I say. "They'll probably be even worse," I mutter under my breath.

"We are not letting you go back to that house," Phillipa says.

"Well, then where am I going?" I ask.

Silence falls across the stage where everyone is sitting. After several seconds of silence, Thayne speaks, "A valid question."