Goodbye, I love you

The beginning

"M-mom? m-m-mom!" My voice broke off as I cried. "Avery, you have to get-" she coughed. "out of here." The air was suffocating, scorching, and I couldn't see anything.

"No, I can't leave you here." I sobbed. "Avery,you have to go. . There isn't much time." A piece of burning wood dropped a foot away. I turned my gaze to dad who laid unconscious. I turned to my mom who held my hand and nodded before her eyes closed. Then I stood up and made my way out of the burning house covering my nose. When I got outside one of the firemen helped me and covered me with a blanket. "It's okay, kiddo." He said. But it wasn't. Tears fell uncontrollably from my eyes at the thought that I just lost both my parents in a fire.

***

"Mom, where did you put my master Yoda doll?" I asked her while running around the house. "I don't know honey, just check the living room." She said. We had just come back from church that morning. Pastor Jonathan taught us about thanksgiving and being willing to help people in any way we can no matter our circumstances. You must be surprised; my mom usually doesn't let me go to the nursery to sing songs and play games. She says I have to learn while I'm still a child, it's easier. I found my master Yoda doll on the couch and I smiled at its sight. "Avery, orange juice!" She called. "Okay, mom." I carried my doll to the kitchen and overlooked a faulty wire that connected to the TV. I ran back to the living room spilling the beverage. "Don't spill a single drop." She yelled. As I sat and enjoyed the refreshing beverage unaware that some of it had spilled on the faulty wire and sparks generated gradually. I started that fire, and even though it was an accident; I still blamed myself for it.

***

"Avery McAllister." One of the sisters from the orphanage called snapping me out of the flashback. I looked up at her and she smiled and gestured to me to follow her . We walked to a hallway with doors on both sides, and we stopped at one of the doors written 'oak'.

She opened the door to a room with two bunk beds but no one was inside. "Don't worry, your roommates will arrive shortly." She assured me with a smile. I looked up at her silently. The sister seemed nice but I didn't want to live here. I wanted my parents. Tears began rolling down my rose red cheeks. The sister gave me a pat on the head and left. I went and buried my head in a pillow and began crying. After a while, sobs turned into sleep, and sounds of kids laughing woke me up.

"Hey, we have a new member in our room." One of them with nutty brown hair said, "Hello!" She greeted me, "I'm Pamela but you can call me Pam. What's your name?" She said, I stared at them. "Move over!" I heard a voice coming from the back of the other kids behind Pamela. A girl with blonde pigtails made her way to the front.

"That's the new kid?" She asked, "What's her name?". "I don't know. She won't talk." She replied, the girl scoffed "She's probably just like you losers anyway." "Shut up, Neesha." Pam said annoyed. Neesha had already made her way out of the room. "Don't listen to her new girl." A strange looking girl said. Her hair was black and cut short. I stared at her closely trying to study her. "Oh, I know what you're thinking." Pam said.

"Jason was brought here by mistake. Sister Anne said she'll work on his transfer. Everyone else calls him an outcast cause he's in an all-girls orphanage." She explained. "You know, how did you wind up here Jace?"

"I don't know. I just. . .I just remember growing up here." "The rest is just a blur."

"Never mind that. How did you wind up in this room?" Another girl said. "I'm Monica."

"The only one that hasn't told us their name is you." Pam said, and they stared at me. Compelling me with their eyes. "Avery." I finally said and Pam smiled, "Nice to meet you Avery and welcome to the oak house." She told me. And I looked confused "Oh, there are different houses in the orphanage and in each a leader is placed. Ours is Pamela and Neesha is the leader of the Cedar house." Monica explained.