DESTINY

CHAPER TWELVE

  CHAPTER TWELVE

 I heard the noises coming from upstairs for a long time, but I tried not to think about it. Rats that big would be too scary to even be alive. But then I remember something very important; the attic at home is not what's above me. Opening my eyes, I see the little room three girls and I share. I'm the only one left asleep in here. Footsteps sound above me, and that tells me everyone must be up there- again.

 Sighing, I get out of bed and stretch. I wonder what time it is? Lazily looking around and shuffling on the floor like a zombie, I notice there's no cabinets or dressers or anything. Am I supposed to just walk around in PJ's all day? I bet it wouldn't hurt just to walk out and see what everyone else i- hearing a strange noise outside, I walk to the window. Crazy none of us girls thought to open the blinds of the window in our room. We would have seen that there is a large pool and patio right below us and at least five acres of woods behind it.

 The strange noise comes around the corner of the house. A guy- a very good looking guy with no shirt on- pushes a lawn mower. My mouth drops when I see him. I lean in to the glass to get a better look at him and am shocked when I figure out who it is. It's Val!

 Dang. He looks real good without a shirt on. I sort of want to wave at him or get his attention to say hello, but then again, I don't want him to think I am stalking him. So I turn away from the window and walk out the door of the bedroom. This place is actually a very extraordinary home. When I walk out and go down the long hallway, the sun shines through from the first floor. Stopping in awe at the stairs at the middle part of the hallway, (right in front of Mrs. Annalee's room), I take a moment to look at the morning beauty. There are huge windows that I never noticed before going up right from where the door is and goes all the way to the ceiling. It lets in such amount of light, and the warmth from it gives me goose bumps.

 A scream of laughter comes from a girl as a door is opened from the opposite end of the hallway. She runs out as a guy catches her and pulls her back into the room. Another door just a few rooms away opens and a guy and girl walk out, talking. Glancing at the steps that lead up to the third floor, I go up them just to see what's going on. People are just hanging around talking or sitting in a circle playing games with cards and little chips. Now that game, I think with wonder, I have never seen before. And I thought States knew everything.

 Going back down to the second floor, I bump right into Annalee. "Good morning!" she says brightly. Smiling and nodding my head, I say it back. "Did you have fun last night?"

 "Oh yea." I try to say convincingly.

 "Good! I wish I could have played, I love that game, but I'm afraid I wouldn't get to do much without harming the baby." She rubs her big belly. I shift my eyes down to look at it when she says, "Eight months. Should be coming soon!"

 Looking back up, I say, "Awesome." She then walks on past me as we make our separate ways. When I get back to the second floor, I start walking to the left in search for Ginger or Romi. I'm pretty sure they'd be together. As I'm walking, a door opens and a guy pokes his head out. I see a flash or Romi's hair as he takes my hand and jostles me into the room. Guys and girls sit on the floor or on the bed, talking naturally. Now if I had a boy over- never would have happened, I hated them all- but if I did, sitting on the bed together would have been against the rules in my house. Even if it was just talking. Ginger pats the floor beside her and I take a seat. We have our backs against the wall. Romi comes and sits next to me.

 "So Annalee said we'd get a tour today." a girl throws the sentence out for all to hear. I guess that's what they've been doing in here, not just talking in little groups like upstairs but talking all together. I notice a lot of people from the game last night.