Adopted by Katie Mcgrath

Chapter 2

I sat on my bed listening to music trying to drown out the sounds of the other kids arguing at the breakfast table before heading off to school. I'm sorry I never introduced myself, I'm Clemmie and I'm 15-years-old, I'm around 5ft and I'm unfortunately the youngest kid in the care home. There's about fourteen of us living at Ravenswood, the oldest few being 18 and the youngest being 15, not that big of an age gap, but we still manage to find our differences. I usually stay in my room most days, unless if the weather's nice, then I go to Hyde Park and draw. Mr Kenner says I need to make friends more at school, but that's hard when you're the orphan kid at a gifted school for performing arts, most of the kids are a bit snobby.

I didn't have much planned today seeing as it was the Summer break, I forgot to tell you the care home's in London. I got changed out of my pyjamas and put on a pair of jeans and a black hoodie. I put on my grey and blue sketchers and grabbed my sketchbook and my satchel. I ran downstairs, grabbed an apple and left a note for Mr Kenner on the counter since he was at the market and everyone else was at school still. I started my route to Hyde Park, I love going to the park especially on nice days, it calms me and somehow it makes me feel normal. It takes me away from everything else. As I entered the park and walked to the Serpentine I saw a woman sitting on the bench I usually sit at reading a book, so I decided to sit next to her. 

The woman was wearing a pair of jeans, a brown t-shirt, a pair of grey boots and a dark grey scarf. She looked quite tall maybe in her 30's and had long dark hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail and was wearing sunglasses. It was the woman that I bumped into on the street yesterday. I pulled out my sketchbook and started flicking through the pages of landscapes and celebrities faces.

"You do sketching?" She asked, it kind of startled me.

"Uh- Yeah I sketch a lot, it calms me and takes my focus away from everything that's happening in the world around me," I said, starting to add to my Supergirl sketch, don't judge me I just sketch the actors and actresses from my favourite shows and movies and the landscapes are just to do when I'm bored.

"You're pretty good at drawing," She said, looking at my sketch.

"Thanks," I said taking out my pencils, I don't use colouring pencil as I personally think they don't look as good, plus they're quite expensive to get good ones.

"Do you mind if I have a look?" She asked

"Sure," I said as I handed over the book, she started flipping through the pages and stopped at a picture of Lena Luthor. I love the actress who portrays her, Katie Mcgrath, she was the person who inspired me to get involved with performing arts.

"You're really good," She tells me.

"Thanks, I draw most days, well I try to," I told her.

"I'm sorry, I never got your name," she said closing the book, and handed it back to me.

"It's Clemence, but everyone calls me Clemmie," I said placing the book back in my satchel.

"Hi Clemmie, I'm Katie," she said and putting ou her hand

"Nice to meet you," I said shaking her hand.

"Where are your parents?" she asked looking around, probably wondering 'Why is this girl on her own?'  

'Well," I sighed looking at my feet," Both my parents died when I was a baby and my brother left me seven years ago."

"I'm Sorry," Katie replied

"Don't be sorry it wasn't your fault, I don't even remember them," I said buckling up my satchel.

"What foster home are you at?" Katie asked.

"Ravenswood, it's just the other side of the park" I explained.

"Is it a good place?" She asked.

"Yeah it's alright, I mean it's better than living on the streets. I'm the youngest there." I said

"How old are you?" Katie asked

"Fifteen, my brother Luke is twenty-five, he was meant to come and pick me up when he had found a job but he hasn't come, I've just presumed that he doesn't want me, and I don't need him. So, I've just pretended that he's dead too..." Oh god, I can feel myself welling up, "Um- well it was nice to meet you, Katie," I said as I got up, I wiped my eyes.

"It was nice to meet you too, Clemmie," I picked up my satchel "Maybe we could meet up sometime." She said handing me a piece of paper with a load of numbers on

"Sure, that would be great," I said and with that, I walked away. I was happy, I had finally made a friend, sure she was older. but she was still a friend, the first one in years. My friend.