Secret Of The Moon's Daughter: Daughter of Artemis Sequel

3-Goodbye

Chapter 3:

~Goodbye~

I don't know what brings me to agree. The words didn't feel like my own. I was about to say, 'In your dreams would I ever accompany you on this so called quest with a bunch of strangers!' but somehow all that came out was, "Yes." Why? Ellee stares at me like I've lost my mind. She gapes at the boys. "You mean just leave everything I've ever known and take off with a group of... boys?" she asks skeptically, with a hint of disbelief sweeping into her voice. As if she doesn't think any of this is happening. As if we weren't orphans, we weren't fired, and we weren't sure of what we ever wanted to do with our lives. She tends to do that a lot. Just curl into a corner and pretend nothing's wrong. It's a side affect to her ADHD. Sometimes she gets these panic attacks. I feel bad for her. She's staring at me for backup then I feel the words coming up again, "What? It'll be fun! A new adventure!" I want to take of back as soon as I've said it. I want to say, 'No! Don't listen to me Ellee! Don't go!' What is wrong with me today? I can't seem to think or say what's really crossing my mind. "Whatever. I've got nothing else going for me." She gives in. I mentally crumble inside. Why is my brain putting up walls? Although I do find it exciting thinking of leaving San Fran. It's night and very dark. The boat docks and we all make our way off the boat onto the dock. "Where to?" I ask. "Do you have anything you'd like to grab at your house?" Jason asks. I nod along with Ellee. "Just a quick stop!" I yell over the commotion of the harbor.

We quickly run into the orphanage and I hear Ellee commanding the boys to "Stay!" There's a night parade going on right now celebrating the 4th of July. I hear the boom of the fireworks and the cheers of the crowd. But something still doesn't feel right. I chalk it up to nerves but I feel a sort of tension in the air, I feel like something bad is going to happen. I slide my ID card down the wall scanner and Ellee yells, "Viola, we're home!" Viola is the main orphanage caretaker other than the owner, Lady Corren. Viola's a nice, caring, tall woman in her 30's with dark hair and hazel eyes. She's the only caretaker out of 8 that stays all the time and lives in the attic. She's the only one that cares about us. We run up to our room and grab bags. Mine is a small faded olive green colored backpack with a dozen pins stabbed through the strong fabric. The pins represent all my adventures. The circus, visiting Alcatraz, the beach, my first flight, one even shows my first birthday. Everywhere I go I collect a pin or a key chain to connect to my backpack. Then I grab a few extra outfits and spare clothes, undergarments, toiletries, and I stuff all of my savings into a ziploc. There are many hundreds of dollars in there. Then I grab all kinds of ID(Which was very hard to get seeing as I'm not registered as existing. I have a makeshift birth certificate and unknown parents.) I take a pair of flip flops and stuff them in the bag just incase I need spare shoes and I don't know where we're going but it might get hot because its summer. I grab a few photos of Ellee and I and weigh my backpack. A little heavy but not enough to weigh me down. I quickly change into comfy jeans, an 'I ❤ San Francisco' T-shirt, pull on a comfy blue hoodie that's light and slightly airy, and some very comfy, light, and fashionable converse. I look around and it dawns on me: I have no idea what I'm doing or if I'll ever see this room again. I reach up to touch my necklace. The only remembrance of my parents, my mother. I never met her but I always have this necklace with me, ever since I was a baby. It reminds me that she did exist and that I was meant to be born. I have a memory of when I was a baby. I don't even know it it's real, but I remember a soft and powerful silver glow, a radiant and beautiful ghostly silver deer in a forest and a voice. My mothers voice calling my name. It's all I have. My necklace is a moon shaped trinket with silvery blue stones embedded within the precious metal and the silhouette of a deer overlapping the side of the moon. Where the eyes of the deer should be, tiny yellowish gems stare back at me every time I look in the mirror. I don't know what kind of metal it is, but I'm sure even a chain link from it would be priceless. I would never sell it though. No matter what. I grab my favorite book from my shelf and zip it into my pack. I probably won't have time to read it and I know it will be difficult because of my dyslexia but I'm glad I have it. I end up putting my iPod Touch and phone in my pocket. "Do you think we'll need food?" I jump. Ellee asks startling me out of my reverie. I kinda forgot she was still there. I think about it, "Yah, we'll steal some from the kitchens then sneak out the back. It's night all the cooks are out. "Ready?" I ask. "Yah" she says grabbing the last of her stuff. I sigh and look around. It never felt like home but it always was. "Lets go!" Ellee says excitedly and I grab a flashlight.