Blow Us All Away

Chapter Eight

When I wake up the next morning in my new room I glance out the window through the white curtains. The city spans below me in an array of colors.

I sit up and climb down the ladder of my loft bed. I get dressed, brush my hair, and steal some cereal from Lin's dressing room. I finish the cereal fast so I can paint another set of triangles onto the wall mural. Then, because the paint is dry on the walls we did yesterday, I move my loft into a corner so I can see right out the window. I dust inside the closet and put in the clothes I got with Pippa, Renée, and Jazzy the other day. I make the bed, which is covered in a blue and pink comforter and set of pillows we got yesterday, then sit at the desk underneath to play a game on my phone. I play a few rounds of color switch, but then my phone screen suddenly turns black.

"Crap," I say. My phone died. I will get my charger today when I get the rest of my stuff, but as of right now I have nothing to do. I decide to go downstairs and explore the theater.

I walk by lots of dressing rooms, costume sewing rooms, and rehearsal spaces. I eventually come across a dressing room that has a few shelves of books. Recognizing the costumes inside as Renée's, I decide she probably won't mind if a borrow a few books. I take The Fault in Our Stars, Les Misérables, and If I Stay up to my room and start reading The Fault in Our Stars.

When I am about thirty pages in, someone knocks on the door. It creaks open because it wasn't fully shut. Lin's face appears behind it.

"Ready to go?" He asks.

"Yep," I respond. Forgetting I am at the desk, I stand up. My head slams against the underside of the loft bed.

"Ow," I say, my hand automatically finding the back of my head.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay?" Lin rushes up to me.

"I'm fine," I nod, though my head is sort of throbbing.

We walk out to Lin's car and I hop in the passenger seat. The drive to my old house doesn't take very long, and I kind of cringe when we get there.

"You good?" Lin questions, looking a little concerned. I nod.

We walk up and Lin knocks on the door to the house. Melissa answers. She looks really tired, and there are circles under her eyes.

"Hi, you must be Melissa," Lin says, holding out his hand. She shakes it and nods.

"So you're adopting Hazel?" Melissa asks Lin.

"Hopefully," he answers, smiling at me. I beam.

"I'm glad she found a family that can support her. She's a nice girl," Melissa replies. "So you're here to pick up her things?"

"Yes," Lin replies.

"Just up the stairs. Hazel can show you, I'm sure," Melissa says. I nod and lead Lin up the stairs. The fifth one creaks, just as I remember. It is hard to believe this is the last time I will ever be in this house.

We enter my room. I pack my clothes into a few plastic bags, and Lin gathers up the few belongings I have sitting out. I notice him picking up the picture of my family.

"Is this... Your parents?" He asks.

I nod, my lip quivering. He walks over to me and pulls me into a hug. It is something I haven't experienced for a long time, and I melt into his embrace. "I'm so sorry," he whispers. A single tear drops down my cheek. I swipe it away. Lin pulls back, still holding my shoulders. "You're a strong girl. You'll be okay," he says. I nod. We continue packing my stuff until the plain room is empty. We head back down the stairs. After saying goodbye to Melissa, we hop back into Lin's car and drive back to the theater.