It's Time |A.I|

10

Chapter Ten

Flashback

I stared in disgust at the old, dusty boxes around me. The smell of mold invaded my nostrils one second after another. The basement was my least favorite place of the house. It was cold, wet, and dingy. I looked around carefully, trying to locate what I needed without having to touch anything. Half of me was lazy and the other half of me wasn't in the mood to touch anything that would possibly make me cringe in disgust.

I had no such luck finding the box labeled "Adelaide's things" from the previous move. Which means I had to touch things. I inwardly cringed as I removed a brown, muddy box labeled 'Christmas decorations' from its spot on the floor to the other side of the walkway so I could get deeper into the storage area. "oh, gross." I sighed as I noticed my hands now had mud latched onto my skin. I hastily wiped my hands across my blue jeans as I scanned the surrounding boxes. 'Halloween decorations', 'China plates', 'Adelaide's adoption'." What? My adoption?

My eyebrows rose with every step I took. This was a joke, right? It had to be, I wasn't adopted. They would have told me. I gingerly grabbed the damp box that was now breaking due to being introduced to water weeks prior. Inside were papers, a certificate, judges order, applications, and legal fees. What the fuck, who were my real parents? I took out one of the judges order forms from the box and read it as tears formed in my eyes. "I hereby grant Mr. and Mrs. Banks sole custody of Adelaide Hemmings. She will remain in the Banks care until age eighteen, until then she may not have any communication with Liz or Andrew Hemmings." I threw the sheet of paper back in the box and put the cover back on top, covering the secrets that my family has kept from me for nineteen years.

I gingerly walked up the stairs, the newly found information buzzing in my brain like bees wanting to get out of their beehive to attack whatever insane individual decided to disrupt their home. Adopted. I was adopted. Liz and Andrew Hemmings were my real parents. I wasn't sure who I was anymore. In a thirty minute time span I have turned into someone completely different, someone I didn't even know.

"Mom?" My voice cracked as tears threaten to spill from my eye sockets.

She looked up from her computer, clearly busy and stressed from the insane work load her boss laid on her twenty-four hours prior. "Yes, Adelaide is everything okay?" Her voice held nothing but concern as she looked up at noticed my heart stricken state.

"I... You never told me I was adopted." My heart sunk and my stomach twisted. The tears fell down my face in silent streams.

Her face contorted into realization and then fear. "How'd you find out?" She got up from her previous position and steadily walked towards me. With each step she took, I took a step back. I didn't know who this woman was anymore.

"The boxes in the basement."

She sighed, and put her body against the kitchens  island table. "I'm so sorry we didn't tell you. We just thought it was best you didn't know since you couldn't contact them even if you wanted to. It was a closed adoption. You were our child, not theirs!"

"That's thing, mom, you decided it was best for me. You didn't give me a chance to have feelings about it you just took that away from me!"

"Adelaide, I'm sorry." She came forward, putting out her arms for a hug.

"They said I couldn't contact them until I turned eighteen. I'm nineteen now and you still didn't bother telling me. Don't hug me." I gritted my teeth, anger surging through me. This woman lied to me. My mother, my hero, lied to me. Same with my father. I ran through the hallway and up the stairs to my room, ignoring my mothers pleads for me to stay and talk. I don't talk to liars.

Adelaide: "Ashton I need you to come pick me up. Emergency!"

Ashton: "Sure thing. Is everything ok?"

Adelaide: "no."

Ashton: "omw."

It wasn't long before I heard a car pull into the driveway. Once I heard the shrill beep from Ashton's car I grabbed a black fleece jacket and ran as fast as I could out the door without hearing a single word from my mother. "Are you okay?" Ashton asked, noticing my red, puffy eyes and hostile behavior putting my seatbelt on.

"I just found out I'm adopted." The words escaped my mouth in one breath, and somehow, the reality of it all sent me into waves of laughter. He didn't say anything as he drove. We sat in silence the whole car ride. I didn't know where we were going and I didn't care to ask.

"This is my buddy, Calum's house. I wouldn't have taken you back here, but we were doing band practice. I hope that's alright with you?"

I just nodded my head. I didn't want to meet new people, but I also didn't want to be stuck in that house either. So I sucked it up and followed Ashton inside. "Hey guys!" Ashton's accent rang out as we made our way into his friends garage. Three guys sat on a couch in the corner of the room conversing lightly. Their conversation halted as their eyes met mine. "This is Adelaide! The girl I was telling you about." They all stood, their smiles welcoming and I immediately grew to liking them. Three attractive male boys all in my general area, who wouldn't like them.

"Hi, my name is Michael." A lad with green hair smiled at me and stuck out his hand. I shook it.

"I'm Calum." A boy with dark, brown hair waved.

"And I'm Luke." Blue, piercing eyes met my blue piercing ones. I was blown away by the way our eyes looked so similar.

I choked out a hi as my blood began pumping again and I regained my mental stability. "Right, well, continue practicing then, shall we?" Ashton said, leading me over to the couch they all were previously sat on.

•Edited•

*1,052 words*