Chapter 8: Young And Beautiful

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I lick the edge of my finger to turn the page of my book. I can faintly hear Molly, Carina and Penelope playing in the background with their dolls and stuffed animals, but I've gotten pretty good at blocking them out just enough so that I can read but also hear if any of them start fighting or somehow get hurt.

It will probably be fighting, and it will probably be started by Molly.

The four-year-old has been much more rambunctious since Ed left. I don't blame her. She's only four, and now both her mommy and her daddy are gone. And we have no idea when we might get her father back. She misses him, and it doesn't surprise me.

Usually the orphaned kids have a few activities that they can do after the jobs they do after school (gardening or helping with the animals) that help them feel more accepted. Usually the activities are playing games or watching a movie when Janine allows them to use the power to do so.

But Molly never went to these activities, since after preschool and getting to feed the chickens she went to see Ed in his little mechanics shop, so she's not used to this. It's not a part of her routine. The first few weeks were absolute torture since I was the one who was first called when she had a meltdown. Why was I the one called? Because besides Ed, Molly spends most of her time with Penelope, and who does Penelope spend most of her time with? Me.

She's gotten better, but she craves one on one time with someone. She craves attention, and if it isn't Penelope's attention, it's mine. And since Carina is also with us today, I fear the little brunette may get jealous since Carina and Penelope are closer in age.

But for right now, everything is going alright, so I continue reading. The story itself isn't too captivating, since I've read this book before and know how it ends, but the dialogue still makes me laugh. The sassiness of the protagonist is something that makes me smile, and the author breaks the fourth wall in the most hilarious ways.

But there's one thing I truly do like about this book, and that's the ending. Most books, like this one, has a happy ending. Characters die, characters go through hard times, they get sad and they cry, but there's still a happy ending. Almost every book does, unless it's one of those messed up books where everyone dies in the end, but those are really rare. But that's the good thing about books-you almost always know that there's going to be a happy ending.

Wish it was the same with real life.

I do wish that. I wish we had some sort of assurance that we will find our people. I wish I had some way of knowing that Caleb is still alive-that he's alright, but I don't. We've been ordered to follow any and every lead we find, no matter how stupid or unlikely it may sound. But so far we've found absolutely nothing.

And the worst part is... I'm not even surprised.

I sigh and set the book down, instead opting to watch Penelope run her Barbie over with a truck. Carina screams, or her doll does, and she makes a super dramatic scene, yelling "Why" and making crying sounds. I'm sure if acting was still in business, she would have a very successful career.

Tony walks into the room, with Amelia and Summer following right behind him. He doesn't appear too happy, but the two don't seem to notice. But I don't think Summer is here with the two. She's probably here for Ellington-one of the younger orphans she's in charge of watching when she has no runs to do.

Seeing that the Arabic girl isn't in this room, Summer starts to head off into the next, but not before I notice that she's barefoot, and... she's missing the pinky toe on her left foot.

My eyes widen.

Shit.

"What happened?" I question, and the tan skinned woman jumps, muttering out a curse.

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