Sweet Dreams, Eli

I Mean, Seriously?

Hi, everyone!

If you read A Home For Zoe before the chapters were marked (Edited) or (In Editing), there are a few important changes...

Mason's name has been changed to Cason.

Carter's name has been changed to Tyler.

Amanda's name has been changed to Alanna.

John's name has been changed to Bridger.

These changes will apply in this sequel.

Thank you for reading!

Here it is, the first chapter in the sequel to A Home for Zoe. I hope you like it!

The picture above is of Eli.

More than 23,000 kids age out
of foster care every year.

Eli

I hear a door bang open somewhere in the house and I flinch, the loud noise ringing in my ears. I stare determinedly at the wall in front of me. Trying to ignore this new foster mother stupid upbeat chatter, like I give a shit about her life, this stupid house or her bratty kids. Speaking of which, the twin little girls, I forget their names, are chewing there food obnoxiously at the counter. Clearly this blocking everything out isn't working very well.

Three teens join us in this unfamiliar kitchen. They look excited. Geez, how many kids can possibly live in this house, anyway?

The cheerful lady is talking again, "Hey, you're home, I'm so glad. Chloe, Cason, Zoe, I want you to meet Eli." They wave at me, I ignore them. Seriously, Chloe, Cason and Zoe, they sound like a cartoon family with rhyming names. It makes me sick.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see that none of them are fazed at all. Huh? I guess they're used to rude people showing up randomly in their kitchen.

Maybe getting out of this house will be more of a challenge than I thought. Pulling into the driveway I almost started laughing out loud, a flower garden, a fucking lake, I didn't think I'd last five minutes. Now I think I was wrong. Crap.

"Eli...Eli...ELI!" Oh, looks like someone's tired of me ignoring her. Score.

"What," I snap.

"Mrs. Anderson is leaving. Don't you want to say goodbye?" asks the foster lady, she sounds less peppy now, I might have spoke to soon.

"Bye," I mutter, glancing in Mrs. Anderson's direction, I see her shoulders slump, and feel a momentary stab of guilt, she's never given up on finding me a home even though I get my self kicked out ever couple of months. But I push it down, a few more months I'll age out and her responsibility will be over and she'll stop caring just like everyone else.

"Goodbye, Eli," she says gently before smiling at everyone else.

I frown when I notice her pause next to one of the teen girls. The girl smiles at her and they talk briefly before Mrs. Anderson leaves. What's that about? How would a girl like her possibly know a social worker? Then I decide I don't care.

"Can I see my room already?" I ask.

"Yes, about that, we are going to have to move some things around tonight after dinner. Zoe, Chloe, I was thinking you could share Zoe's room upstairs so Eli can be in the basement with the other boys."

The girls look at each other, I brace myself for these spoiled girls to whine about having to give up having their own rooms, but instead they smile, "Sure, Mom." Says the older of the two, then she turns to her sister, "We're going to have so much fun, roomy." The younger girl giggles and gives her sister a side hug.

"Right. My room?" I say again

"I'll show you now, but you'll have to ignore my stuff." She looks me up and down, "I'm pretty sure it's not your style"

"Whatever" I mutter as I follow the girl down stairs. When we get to the bottom of the stairs I ask, "So which one are you, Zoe or Chloe?

"Chloe." She points to the second door in the hall to the right of the stairs, "That'll be your room. My brother's room is that other one."

Did she say "my brother's" on purpose to rub in that I don't belong here or... never mind, there is no or she totally did it on purpose, bio kids suck. I turn the handle on the door, she was right it's defiantly not my style, but it's not my room either. The walls are white, but the bedding is light blue and sparkly. How old is this girl? Five? "How old are you anyway?" I ask.

"I'm fourteen"

"Well, by the looks of this room, you're about five."

She frowns at me, "I picked out this bedding when I first came to live here, it has sentimental value"

Oh, defensive. One more point in my favor.

I am totally winning. But wait, did she say when I came to live here?

"When you came to live here?" I blurt. "Like you moved?"

"Um, no, when Cason and I were placed here, I was eight."

"Placed?"

"Fostered. Whatever you want to call it." she says, then looks at me funny, "Did no one tell you we were adopted?"

I shrug, someone probably mentioned that, but I wasn't listening.

"Right, listen, I'll get all my stuff out of here after dinner, if that's okay?

"Whatever."

"Right... um ... do you like want a tour of the house, or something?"

"What I'd like is to be left alone, Chloe"

"Okay!" She says brightly, "She you later!"

Dang it, I thought for sure that'd get to her. I guess I'll just have to try harder. Because, I seriously can not stay here. I mean, really, who the hell lives on a fucking lake?