A Freshman Sky

Be Here

The rest of the drive was short and spent with decidedly different conversation topics. When they arrived at their destination thirty minutes later, Alauna was relieved. There was only so long she could spend debating anime theme songs before it got repetitive. She loved her foster parents, and was glad they had a favorite TV genre, but their enthusiasm could power a city.

Their destination was a two story, brick house situated on the out skirts of the small, down town area. It was ten minutes from Wardington High and perfectly placed to overlook the overgrown city park. Other brick buildings and houses surrounded it. Some were in obvious disrepair while others at least looked somewhat maintained. Personally, Alauna thought their new house was one of the better ones.

Both stories had a porch with old wooden railings and rotting floor boards. The door was painted deep blue. Its knob and lock were only loosely attached and badly tarnished. The windows were framed by the remnants of white shutters and had obviously seen better days. Several windows had been cracked and all were covered by sheets from the inside. The grass was dead and brown on the ground. The weeds surged up around the house in a mockery of a garden and were several feet high in some places. Alauna didn't want to know what the inside looked like.

She turned to her foster parents.

"You guys got duped." Alauna stated flatly. George winced a bit from the front seat and Ellen shifted slightly.

"Its not that bad sweet heart. Once we fix it up a little, it'll be good as new!" Ellen said. "Now come on, I'm sure you'll just love your new room. You can even pick out a color for it."  The red head cheerfully unbuckled and jumped from the vehicle. George turned to five Alauna a sheepish smile.

"You know how Ellen gets when she sees a project. She's completely infatuated with this house." George said, before he too, exited the car.  For a moment, Alauna just let herself sit there in shock. They were going to live here?  Numbly, Alauna reached forward to tug the keys from the car and pocket them. The situation would be even worse if someone grabbed the car while George and Ellen were viewing the house again. Then she opened her door and stepped out. She felt as though she were in some sort of dream as she stared up at the dilapidated house. It didn't seem real. Hesitantly, Alauna followed her foster parent's footsteps up onto the porch and through the front door.

Inside the house wasn't as bad as the outside, but it wasn't good either. The wooden floors were stained, the ugly floral wall paper was peeling, and from what she could tell?

No electricity.

Was not even wired for electricity.

Alauna placed her head in her hands and gave a groan.

"Oh, Alauna! How do you like the house? Gorgeous right? I can't believe it was so cheap!" Ellen sashayed up to the teen happily as she blabbered. "The electrician will be here in a few days to start setting up the power. We'll have to peel the wall paper off by then and make sure the floor hasn't been rotting or eaten by termites-Oh! I almost forgot to call the exterminator to come spray! I'll be right back dear!" Ellen practically sang as she danced away. Alauna was left staring after the women in wide eyed shock. Ellen was often very joyful about life but normally she was at least grounded enough to hold a stable conversation. Alauna found herself stuck between happiness for her mother figure and horror at the state of the house.

Alauna shook her head before glancing around again. Beyond the outward appearance of the stained floor and wall paper, the house didn't seem to have any major problems like she feared. The floor seemed sturdy despite its mottled coloring and the walls didn't have any mold or water damage. The ceiling also checked out. It didn't have any cracks or peeling so Alauna felt it was safe to assume the roof didn't leak. The actual front room was a parlor like space with old, sheet covered furniture placed in the middle and an open archway leading to what appeared to be the kitchen. Thankfully, the presence of a sink reassured Alauna that, yes, the house already had indoor plumbing.