Splinters: Part One

Part One | 1

Greg drove us back to St. Anne's. Melissa began to occupy the silence by speaking about her and Greg's five daughters.

All of their names started with vowels, I noticed.

The youngest was Annetta. They called her Net for short. She was six years old. From the way Melissa described her, she resembled Greg more than she did Melissa. Annetta supposedly adored the princess, Aurora. It was a defining character trait apparently. 

Next was Edaline who was eight. They called her Eda. Edaline was deaf in one ear, but never lived a day without a smile. Melissa and Greg have tried learning hand-sign language for her, but instead chose to give Eda special lip-reading training in which Edaline tries her best to excel in.

Isabeau was the third oldest at ten years old. She was the light of the five. The family called her Beau and sometimes Iz, but never by her full name. Isabeau was, according to Melissa, the absolute sunshine. 

Odera was the second oldest. She was the only one they addressed full name. Odera was claimed to be the grouchiest one, but only in the mornings. She's a total daddy's girl, but happens to be the least girly out of the five.

In my opinion, I found Odera to be the most creative. At age thirteen, Melissa said that Odera was the only one in the family who enjoyed... darker things. She loved horror films and punk music. It intrigued me, and I was starting to meet her, to meet all of them.

Lastly, Ursanne was the oldest. Fourteen. She attended the high school I would be attending. That is, if I were to agree on living with Greg and Melissa. Melissa went on and on about Ursanne's artistic abilities. She said that Ursanne enjoyed collaging and sometimes painting.

She asked if I'd noticed any of the art works around the house when I was there. I lied and said yes, and she said that Ursanne had created them.

I came to the conclusion that Melissa is a very humble and creative woman, just like all her daughters, and that she most likely came up with all of their names, but shock struck me when I asked about it. She said she named only one girl, and that was Ursanne.

She said that Greg chose all the other names.

They told me that they didn't want to have daughters with normal regular every-day names. They wanted to be known as the different family. Their names resembled their five daughters, that by their unique names, in return, they would be unique, and indeed they were.

"I hope next time you can meet the girls." Melissa said once I left their car and stood at her car window, clutching my bag of clothes.

...

"Change the channel, Jo." I whined.

"No."

"I don't like this episode."

"Too bad."

I sighed. "You aren't even watching it."

"Am too."

Currently, Josephine was painting her toe nails on the sofa next to me.

"Jo, please?"

She frustratedly grasped the remote from her left side with the hand she wasn't painting with and threw it at me.

"Thank you." I mumbled.

I lifted the remote and aimed it towards the DirecTV box. Pressing guide, I pressed the right arrow and read the information.

"We'll watch the next one."

"What's the next one?"

"When Appa gets taken."

"Is that the one where they all enter that library with the big bird and everything?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

I scrolled through the channels, not finding anything that seemed really good until I stumbled across Criminal Minds. I pressed OK on the episode and frowned when I realized it was one I'd already seen and it was a little too personal. Josephine didn't even do so much as a glance towards the screen which made me sigh in relief as I changed the channel.

"So how was the day with your family?"

"Just like every other one."

"So you're not going to be living with them?"

"They asked me if I wanted to."

"What'd you say?"

I didn't reply to Josephine. She'd understand my silence and she'd hear what I had unspokenly told Melissa and Greg. Josephine was thirteen, a girl who had gone from house to house with multiple foster families. There was a time when Josephine had a breakdown and told me that she had been abused by her last foster father which sadly brought her to St. Anne's and the man to prison. I don't ask her about it. Why would I? It was one of her Splinters.

"Do they have kids?"

"Five daughters."

"Really?" The shock in her voice was easily heard, but I didn't look at her reaction.

"Yeah."

"I bet it'd be awkward being the only boy."

I shrugged.

Josephine shifted on the couch, making the cushions move slightly. She crossed her legs and turned to me.

"Hey, Bray?"

"What?"

"Do you want to live with them?"

I looked at Josephine, her face showing genuine curiosity.

"I'm not sure."

"Why aren't you sure?"

"You know the drill, Jo. You live with them for only a short time and then they send you back and never call. It's simple as that."

"I think you should try it out."

"I already know what's going to happen"

"You're lucky you're even being offered, Brayden. You never know when the last time you'll get an opportunity to have a family again."