"Who are you?" Kylie stared at Hannah, Atlas, and Henry blankly.
I quickly squirmed my way out of the unexpected hug, and rushed over to them.
"These are my friends. They came here with me," I explained quickly.
Kylie nodded. For some reason, I felt as if I knew these people. Almost as if we had these conversations before.. It was so weird!
"Come in, all of you!" Kylie ordered light heartedly.
Hannah hurried her younger siblings in. We all stood just inside while Kylie examined us with her eyes. Her hand seemed to prop her chin up as she stood. None of her muscles moved, only her eyes scanned us.
"You're probably scaring them Ky," The man who I assumed was Joshua said.
"I'm not Joshy!" Kylie pouted.
Joshua rolled his eyes, and turned to the others.
"What's your guy's name and ages?" Joshua gave a friendly smile.
"I'm Hannah, and these are younger siblings Atlas and Henry," Hannah replied, glancing around nervously.
"They all look half starved! Come on now! All of you follow me!" Kylie ordered , grabbing my arm and leading me to what I assumed was a kitchen or dining room.
Hannah and her siblings followed. We came to a dining area. A huge bowl filled with spaghetti sat in the middle of a wooden table. I gaped at it.
"What's that stuff in the bowl?" Atlas squeaked.
"That's spaghetti. Haven't you had it before?" Kylie asked, looking surprised.
"Nope!" Atlas shook her head.
Kylie looked shocked for a moment, before shoving me in a seat. She then proceeded to try to shove everyone else into a seat, which didn't turn out too well. Hannah kept scooting away from her, pulling Atlas and Henry along while eyeing Kylie suspiciously. They finally settled after everyone else had. Once everyone was seated, Kylie scooped out four big plates of spaghetti. She placed one in front of each of us.
"For us?!" Atlas eyed the food excitedly.
"Yes, eat up there's plenty!" Kylie gave her a wide smile.
Atlas attempted to use her fork to eat the food, but when she couldn't figure out how to use it she just dug her hands in. Henry didn't even try to use the fork; he just used his hands.
"Well then, I'm assuming you kiddos are staying the night?" Kylie looked down at us.
"If it's okay with you, miss?" Hannah asked politely.
"It's fine with me," Kylie reassured.
"Ky, why don't you take Annie and Calvin upstairs to clean up their rooms? It's like a herd of cattle were in those rooms," Joshua suggested.
"Alright! Come kiddos, time to clean up!" Kylie exclaimed.
Annie groaned while Calvin crossed his arms. Kylie grabbed each of them by the arm, and dragged them away. Joshua turned to Hannah and I.
"You two aren't going to eat?" Joshua motioned towards the untouched plates of spaghetti.
I quickly grabbed my fork, and began to eat. Hannah mimicked me. Joshua only stared at us intently.
"How long are you planning on staying?" He finally asked.
"I-we don't really know," I mumbled.
"Well nonetheless, one of you is going to have to explain some things," Joshua said.
Hannah and I exchanged a look before looking at Joshua. What type of things? Like.... why we were here? Or even more? Kylie came back after what felt like hours. She whisked us away, and up some stairs. At the top of the stairs she neatly lined us up.
"Ok! First things first, how old are you guys?" Kylie seemed so hyper.
"Hannah and I are both 15, Henry's 2, and Atlas is 6," I said bluntly.
Kylie only looked at me funny.
"Of course I know your age Evelyn! You're my daughter!" She exclaimed after a slight pause.
I almost smacked myself. I was her kid! Why wouldn't she know my age?
"Anywho! Henry can share a room with Calvin for the night. Atlas can share with Annie. Hannah and Evelyn can stay in the guest room," Kylie announced.
Hannah shifted uncomfortably beside me. Kylie glanced at her.
"Is there a problem?" Kylie asked, her voice filled with kindness.
"N-No. I just haven't spent a night away from Atlas or Henry since they were born," Hannah replied nervously.
"That's okay. They'll be just down the hall," Kylie smiled sympathetically.
Hannah nodded, though her eyes still looked troubled.
"Well then! It's time for a nighttime routine!" Kylie cried out happily.
"Nighttime routine?" Atlas repeated, looking confused.
"Haven't you ever had a nighttime routine?" Kylie looked even more confused.
Atlas shook her head.
"Then you're in for a real treat!" Kylie's eyes twinkled a playful evilness.
Kylie seemed to work all night. She bathed Henry and Calvin in record time. She spent about 40 minutes just fixing Henry's matted hair. Kylie changed them both into Calvin's pajamas, and tucked them both in. She did the same with Annie and Atlas, except Atlas's hair took two hours to free of all mats. After they were all bathed and in bed, Kylie came into the guest room. Hannah and I were sitting on the floor, doing nothing much. Hannah had only come in a few minutes prior. She had been watching Kylie intently at everything Kylie did involving Atlas and Henry.
"Hey girls. The little ones are in bed. You both can shower now," Kylie gave us a wary smile.
We already knew they were in bed. In fact, this is the first time Hannah had been parted with them since we arrived.
"Are you sure they're asleep? Maybe I could go stay with one of them?" Hannah suggested.
"They're fine sweetheart. You should go shower," Kylie reassured.
"No I'm fine. I just want to be with them," Hannah looked deeply saddened.
Kylie came over to us, and bent down next to her.
"Look I know you do, but right now they're asleep. And you really need a shower, you both do. Now why don't the both of you scurry into the bathroom? I'll be in to tuck you in later," Kylie said gently.
"Tuck us in? What does that mean?" Hannah looked confused.
"Hadn't anyone ever tucked you in before? Your parents?" Kylie looked even more confused.
Hannah shook her head.
"Well then, I'll just come in to check on you? Make sure you're okay," Kylie said.
We both nodded at her, and stood up. We headed towards the door.
"Brush your hair after you shower!" Kylie called.
Neither of us responded as we made our way to the bathroom. Hannah showered first, then me. It took 5 hours to get our hair combed properly. Mostly because I had to teach Hannah how to use a hair comb and brush. When we were done we made our way to the guest room. Kylie was sitting on the bed waiting for us. Was she waiting here the whole time? I sure hope not! She jumped up when she saw us. Without saying a word, Kylie peeled back the bedsheets. She handed us each a neat set of folded pajamas, and gave us a quick smile before leaving. The door closed behind her. I stared at the pajamas. They were no doubt silk. They were white and so super soft. I glanced at Hannah. Her's were the same way.
"I don't think I can wear these. They seem too nice," Hannah whispered
"I know, but I don't want to hurt her feelings," I whispered back.
"Me neither," Hannah whispered again.
We both slid our pajamas on, and climbed into the bed. My pajamas were so super soft and comfy. The bed seemed to melt around my body.
"Do you like your mom?" Hannah asked suddenly.
"Yeah, I think she's pretty nice. Considering she just met us," I responded.
"You mean she just met Henry, Atlas, and I. She's known you your whole life even if you didn't know it," Hannah said wistfully.
"I guess you're right," I sighed.
Hannah didn't respond. Only quiet snoring answered me. I sighed again, and flipped over. If Kylie knew me my whole life, is that why I felt so close to her?
That next morning we were whisked out of our warm, comfy beds. We were all taken downstairs to be fed scrambled eggs. I ate very little, my stomach still full from dinner the night before. Hannah ate even less than me, but everyone else cleared their whole platefuls. Breakfast went by slowly. Annie told a fascinated Atlas about barbies. Calvin and Henry were arguing about gosh knows what. Kylie and Joshua were having a small, hushed conversation.
"At least Henry and Atlas are making friends," I smiled.
"Yeah, I guess new people are good for them," Hannah shrugged.
After everyone was done eating, Kylie took the little girls upstairs, and Joshua took the boys. Hannah kept switching from room to room, checking on Atlas and Henry until Kylie finally shooed her to the guest room to get ready. Kylie lent us each a pair of pants and a sweater. I put on a pair of black jeans with a light blue sweater. Hannah put on a pair of normal blue jeans with a cute black sweater.
"I guess I don't get all these nice clothes," Hannah muttered as she examined herself in a mirror.
"What do you mean? Don't you like these clothes?" I asked, slightly confused.
"Of course I like them! They're just so nice! Why would anyone need something this nice? Especially just to wear for a day!" Hannah scoffed.
I shrugged, and brushed my long hair quickly. It felt really nice to be clean again. I helped Hannah brush her hair. Kylie poked her head in the room.
"You both almost done? We're going to a store," Kylie said, not giving anything away.
We both nodded, and exited the room. We went into the mud room, which was right in front of the front door. Kylie handed us each a pair of black slip on shoes. We slid them on. Kylie handed us each a jacket. Me a black one, and Hannah a red one. I could help but wonder about where she got all these clothes.
Kylie led us outside the house. Joshua and all the little kids were waiting for us.
"There's a clothing shop just down the road. We're going there," Kylie announced.
"Why a clothing shop?" Atlas asked.
"What clothing shop?" Henry piped up.
"You don't know what clothing shop?" Calvin stared at Henry in disbelief.
"Some people know different things Calvin. A clothing shop is somewhere where people buy clothes. We're going there to buy you guys some clothes," Kylie explained.
"Y-You don't have to buy us anything!" Hannah stuttered.
"I want to. You both can't wear my clothes this whole time!" Kylie laughed.
Hannah shook her head worriedly. We began to walk to the clothing shop. It was surprisingly less than half a mile away from the house.
Once we were inside the shop, Kylie turned to Joshua.
"Josh, take the little kiddos," Kylie ordered.
"No way! You can take them!" Joshua stared at her in disbelief.
"No way Joshy!" Kylie huffed, whisking Hannah and I away.
As we were walking to the women's section, Hannah kept glancing worried looks over her shoulder.
"You okay?" Kylie asked, stopping.
"Yeah! I'm fine!" Hannah exclaimed, plastering on a fake smile.
"Sweetheart, they'll be okay. Joshua will take care of them. He may seem like he won't, but he will. He'll keep them behaving just fine. They'll be safe with Joshua," Kylie reassured sympathetically, obviously catching on.
Hannah only shrugged. Kylie sighed, and continued walking. We soon reached the women's section where all heck broke loose. I never knew Kylie would be such a shopper! She made Hannah and I try on so much clothes! Everything from shoes to jackets! We modeled over 100 different items before Kylie finally decided we had tried on enough. In the end, I had 4 T-Shirts, 3 sweaters, 2 pairs of blue jeans, a pair of black leggings, a pair of black jeans, a pair of black and gold tennis shoes, a pair of black boots, a dark gray jacket, a white jacket, underclothes, a pair of gray sweatpants, a matching gray sweatshirt, and 3 pairs of pajama bottoms each with a matching top. Hannah had 3 T-Shirts, 4 sweaters, a pair of blue jeans, a pair of dark gray leggings, a pair of black leggings, a pair of white jeans, a pair of white and gray tennis shoes, a pair of light gray boots, a black jacket, a light gray jacket, underclothes, a pair of red sweatpants, a matching red sweatshirt, and 3 pairs of pajama bottoms with a match shirt each.
"This is too much. I can't accept it," Hannah said, grabbing a few of her items to put back.
"It is not! You need the basics! And we haven't even gotten to the beauty section yet!" Kylie exclaimed loudly, while pushing the cart away.
In the beauty section, we each got the basic hygiene products, a fancy shampoo, a fancy conditioner, soap, a nice smelling perfume, a lipgloss, some eyeshadow, and a hairbrush. After that miny shopping spree, we met up front with the others. Joshua stood waiting for us. Each kid had a toy, and the cart was packed full of clothes. Kylie sighed, and shook her head. Hannah flashed a relieved look at the sight of her siblings. They paid and we all headed home, our arms full with bags. Once inside, everyone dropped their bags. The kids ran upstairs. Hannah and I gently placed our bags down, and turned to go upstairs.
"Not so close you two!" Joshua warned.
We both froze, and exchanged a glance. Have we done something wrong? Were we about to get in trouble, or even kicked out?
"We need to talk about some stuff. Come to the living room," Kylie looked at us sternly.
They walked ahead. Hannah and I shuffled behind them, dreading what was about to happen.
Kylie and Joshua sat down in what I could assume was a living room. The walls were a welcoming honey yellow. There was a little wooden tv stand which held a small flat screen tv. Two light gray couches and a light gray chair were also in the room. It felt so nice and calm. Kylie and Joshua were sitting on one of the couches. They motioned for us to sit on the other. Kylie looked at us regretfully.
"Listen, Hannah, Evelyn, I know it might seem too soon, but Joshua and I need to know the story," She said gently.
"The story?" Hannah only stared at them.
"Why you're here," Joshua explained.
"Oh," We both said at the exact same time.
The story? What is there to tell? Actually probably a lot, but what would we start with?
"We'll start with you Evelyn," Kylie and Joshua both turned to look at me.
Me? What do they want me to say?
"Um, I lived with Caroline and Aiden?" I shrugged.
Joshua sighed. I knew this wasn't good enough, but what else was I supposed to say?
"What was your house and neighborhood like?" Kylie prompted.
"Oh! My neighborhood was pretty nice. It was pretty fancy too. A lot of mansions. I lived with Aiden, Caroline, Amelia, Emerson, and Finley. I had my own room. It was pretty big and cool! Emerson and Finley shared a room right down the hall! And Amelia had the next room over. Caroline and Aiden also had an upstairs room. It was a really good house and neighborhood!" I rambled.
"What about school? Did you go to public school? Were you homeschooled? Explain your friends," Joshua said.
What was this? An interview?
"I went to a public school. I had straight A's. Oh! And I had two best friends! They're names are Mia and Lily. I have known them both since second grade," I rambled a bit more.
Mia and Lily! I forgot about them! Oh gosh, I miss them now!
"Good, good," Joshua mumbled.
"What happened to make you come find us? Or more importantly how did you meet Hannah and her siblings?" Kylie insisted.
I took a deep inhale, and began to explain. I told them about the school project, the attic, finding the laptop, that last morning, and finally the woods. They listened through the whole thing, and even nodded along at a few parts. When I was finally done, Joshua smiled kindly at me.
"I'm sorry that happened kiddo," Joshua blinked sympathetically.
Kylie gave my shoulder a comforting rub.
They stared at me for a moment before turning to Hannah.
"What about you kiddo? Who did you live with? How was your house and neighborhood?" Joshua watched Hannah ever so closely, almost as if she was an imposter.
"Well uhh, I guess I lived with Atlas, Henry, and my granny? We didn't really live in a house. It was more like a shack thing, but it was still home. Atlas, Henry, and I all shared a room while Granny had her own room. Then there was the main room with a kitchen and tv area. That's basically it. Our neighborhood, as you would call it, had a bunch of houses like ours, some nicer some worse," Hannah shrugged as if this didn't matter much.
Kylie and Joshua looked slightly shocked.
"What about education? You surely went to a school, didn't you?" Kylie persisted.
Hannah shook her head, "I never went to a school before. Though, one of my neighbors taught me some spelling, grammar, math, and history."
"What about your parents? Couldn't they give you a good schooling?" Kylie looked confused.
"No. Atlas and I went to live with Granny years ago. Our parents got busted by the police. They had Henry a year into jail," Hannah looked unconcerned.
"What about your granny? Surely she's worried?" Joshua motioned something with his hands.
Hannah suddenly looked depressed .
"Granny died. That's why we're here," Hannah said sorrowfully.
Kylie wrapped her arm around Hannah tightly. Hannah looked slightly taken aback, and tried to pull away. Kylie didn't let go, or even loosen her grip. Hannah soon gave up, and just kinda sat there awkwardly. Joshua stood up.
"Come on Ev. Let's leave them alone," Joshua smiled at me.
Ev? Was that like a nickname? Aiden never believed in nicknames. He thought if we were to be called something, it would have been our name that was given to us at birth. I stood up. Hannah looked at me. Her eyes begged me not to leave. I only shook my head, and followed Joshua to the kitchen. In the kitchen, Joshua poured me a glass of lemonade. Even though it was literally winter...
"How was life with Aiden and Caroline? Did they treat you like a daughter?" Joshua asked suddenly.
"Yeah, they did. Aiden treated me the exact same as his own kids. Caroline seemed to favor me more though... She always seemed super protective.." My voice trailed.
"She probably just didn't want you to find out," Joshua shrugged, pouring his own glass.
"I guess so," I shrugged back.
We drank our lemonade in silence for a split second.
"Joshua?" I suddenly blurted out.
"Yes?" Joshua looked at me.
"What happened? Why did you give me up? Why didn't you come see me?" I questioned.
Joshua sighed, and looked at me.
"I guess you deserve to know?"
I nodded, and he told me. He told me everything. Memories of before and after I was born. Memories of meeting me. He told me all the fun we had. He explained the financial troubles they soon had. How he and Kylie both lost their jobs. He told me all about the contract. All about my adoption. All about the last time they saw me. By the end, I was heartbroken. That's how I was separated from them?! I seethed with anger. How could Aiden and Caroline? How could they? Joshua gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Calm down Ev. It's all over. We're a family again," Joshua soothed.
A family? Did he really mean that? I tried to shrug him off. It didn't work.
"Ev? Why don't you go check on the little kiddos? They've been awfully quiet, and that's never a good sign," Joshua suggested.
"Ok," I nodded, walking towards the stairs.
I turned my head to look at Joshua. He smiled at me. I smiled back. It seemed so memorable. Father and daughter.. The moment soon broke. I quickly turned around, and headed upstairs to check on the small kids.