Sometimes We Build Walls

Chapter Two

 Dark grey limestone, four stories high, this place almost looked like some sort of castle. Four soaring white columns held up a huge balcony in the front. Twenty or thirty uniform windows stared back at me. Wide steps led to the entrance; the two double doors were giant, plants on either side. The landscaping around the front of the house looked professional, almost imaginary. Behind the house, I wasn't surprised to see more trees, more woods.

Lionel parked the car in the circle drive out front. He opened the car door, my duffel bag already in his hand. He led the way up the stairs; I counted fifteen of them, and then he struggled to pull back one of the huge double doors. Clearly, they were heavy.

He let me walk in first, so I did, and I was in what looked like the foyer of the house. Everything was so bright, so open, and so large. The walls were an off-white color, the floor ceramic tile. Two giant curving staircases dominated the sides of the already massive room. Crown molding and a table in the center, I heard people talking, coming closer.

When the people walked in, silence fell in the room. The silence did not discourage me, nor did it scare me, this would not defeat my confidence. I'd been through this before.

A small smile appeared on the man's face. This man was big,not overweight, but broad shoulders and an extremely solid build; he looked powerful. The tall, preppy brunette woman standing next to him had a smile that would put Miss. America's to shame. She could've easily passed as a 25 year old, with long brown hair, striking dark, almost black eyes, and the tiniest waist. She was wearing a skirt, a black shawl around her shoulders. She was going to be like my new mother; who looked more like every little boy's hot, dream babysitter than anything else. A boy my age, maybe a little younger, was standing behind the woman.

The man, George, stepped forward. "Charlotte, it's so great to have you here. I'm George Bennett."

"And I'm Adeline!" The woman took a few steps forward, wrapping her arms around me. I was trapped in a tight, lung-crushing hug. I was hot, I could almost feel the blood coming to my cheeks, I had no idea why. I felt lightheaded; maybe it was the nerves, but for whatever reason, I felt like I'd burned myself on a hot stovetop.

"Donovan, get over here!" Adeline waved for her son to come over. As the boy came closer, I noticed that he was skinny and short; a petite figure, just like his mom. "This is my son, Donovan."

"Hi." I said. He had the same dark eyes and the same color of hair as Adeline; both hands were in the pockets of his jeans.

"Hey." Donovan nodded his head once at me, causing his brown locks of hair to fall over the bored look on his face.

"Isn't it cool? You finally have a sister!" Adeline ran a hand through his hair, messing it up. He took one hand out of his pocket to start swatting his mom away from touching his short and curly locks of hair.

Sister. Oh God, I remembered feeling sick to my stomach when I heard this. I was now a sibling, after being an only child for seventeen years. I felt like gagging on the spot.

 "I have another son; he's here, somewhere..." Adeline's voice trailed off, looking up the stairs. "He's not been feeling too well lately."

"When is he ever feeling well?" Donovan made a face.

 Adeline ignored him and said, "We've got other boys around here, too; friends of Donovan's. They're not ours, though. They don't even live here, but they're always around."

"How was your flight? Lionel, thanks so much for picking her up, we've got a huge welcoming dinner tonight and had a lot of work to do." George said.

 It was the most talking I'd ever heard, coming into a foster home; it made my head ache. The greetings usually consisted of a few exchanged words, they'd show me where I'd be sleeping, and gradually, the conversations would grow.