Another Broken Family

ROUGH COPY / JULY.2016

Sincerely, Astrid Favel

"I'm only seventeen, are you asking me to take care of a boy I have never met?!"

"We have been trying to help this boy for the past year, you cannot seriously be turning him down!"

"I'm not turning him down, I am just saying, I don't know him very well."

"He is a very well-behaved young boy. His name is Noah Alexander Favel. He constantly begs me to find his only sister. Please, you're his last hope of a real family." After really considering this for a moment, I come to a decision.

"Where is he?" This brought a smile to her face.

"He is living in a foster home about two hours from here."

"But I have work at five, then school at 8:30..."

"Can I borrow your phone?"

"Sure, here." I handed her my black iPhone 5s

"What is your work number." I gave it to her and she called Lowes.

"Hello, I work for DHS. Aphrodite won't be able to make it to work today, we have found her younger orphaned brother and we are leaving to go get him... okay, I would appreciate that very much... thank you... good-bye."

"Well?"

"You are on paid leave." I thanked her, put my hair in a ponytail and we left for Yukon, Oklahoma. We drove on in silence until we reached Hilltop Mansion. She told me to look for a three story house with a flower garden in the front yard. We found the house and pulled in the driveway. Ms. Seymour looked at me.

"Well are you going to go in?"

"But it's 6:00 in the morning..."

"Someone is going to be awake, I promise..." Somewhat satisfied with her answer, I opened the car door, got out and quietly shut the door behind me. As I approached the front door, I took deep, nervous breaths. I got to the door and knocked three times. A boy that appeared to be no more than two years older than me opened the door.

He looked amazing... he had black hair just barely covering his eyes. His face had very little acne, his eyes, or what little of them you could see, were a crystal brown and red rimmed, he had obviously been crying. I looked all over his body admiring him. My eyes stopped at his arms, which were crisscrossed in scars. Some old, some new. when I managed to snap out of my trance, I said,

"Hi, my name is Aphrodite..." I was still dazed by his good looks and scar-covered arms. He nodded towards me. "I'm here for Noah..." he motioned for me to come in. "If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong?"

"Actually, I do mind." with that, he made his way to Noah's room. "Noah, she's here."

"Who?" I heard a child, Noah's voice, ask.

"Aphrodite."

"Really?" the strange boy nodded and Noah poked his head out the door way to see if he was telling the truth. I smiled at Noah and he ran to give me a hug. "Where is your mommy?"

"She died when I was your age... Hey, why don't you go wait out in the car, I will be there in a minute, okay?"

"Okay!" he ran towards the front door and outside.

"Why didn't you go with him? I never said you could stay." Ignoring his rude comment, I said,

"Look, I know I don't know you, but here," I wrote my phone number down on a piece of paper "I really wanna talk some time... please?" with that, I followed after Noah and we all left. Halfway through the ride, Ms. Seymour ask me for my phone again. She found my schools number in my phone and called them, after a few moments, she began talking.