Forever, Foster (A Sokeefe Story)

The Monster

Beep beep beep beep

Sophie woke to her alarm going off. She groaned and quickly snoozed it, deciding she deserved an extra ten minutes to sleep. Snuggling back into her pillows, Sophie fell asleep, hoping her rest would last for as long as possible.

Beep beep beep beep

"Sophie!" A voice yelled from the right of her, "Sophie, your alarm has gone off twice already. Your first class starts in forty-five minutes. I really think you should get up and get ready."

"Fine," Sophie responded angrily. "Don't you have to get ready?" She pulled her pillow off of her eyes and let them adjust to the light. Her friend and the source of the voice came into view.

When Sophie was twelve years old, her parents and only sister were killed in a fire that ruined their house. Sophie was at a friend's house and fortunately didn't suffer the same horrible fate as the rest of her family. Sometimes, though, when Sophie's life wasn't going well, more specifically the first two years after her parents and sister died, she wished she had died as well. If she had died, she wouldn't have had to suffer and mourn and cry herself to sleep.

Sophie didn't have any close family that wanted to take in a nerdy, slightly depressed twelve year old, so she was sent to a nearby orphanage. Generally, the only kids that were adopted were babies and toddlers. As a result, Sophie was stuck in the orphanage year after year, until finally, she was eighteen and old enough to go out on her own.

In her time in the orphanage, she had met a boy the same age as her, named Dexter Dizznee. His parents had suffered a similar fate to Sophie's, but in her opinion, his sob story was even more tragic. Dex's grandmother had agreed to take in his three younger siblings, but sadly, wanted nothing to do with Dex. Why?- No one knew. There were times when Sophie found herself selfishly happy that Dex was in the orphanage with her because he had become her closest friend, albeit her only friend, but a shoulder to lean on either way. The two of them had become extremely close and were practically siblings.

They wanted to go to college together and were both good students, so there was no struggle in weaving their sad stories into college essays and talking about their friendships and connections. With two overly dramatic essays, they had both gotten full scholarships to the college of their dreams.

"Dex," Sophie began again, "Doesn't your first class start soon as well?"

"Yeah," Dex replied hesitantly

"Hah!" Sophie shouted and stuck her tongue out, "Hypocrite!"

"Real mature, Sophie. C'mon, you only have a half-hour now."

"What?!" Sophie asked in dismay. She threw her blanket off and scrambled out of bed. Falling onto the floor in the process. Dex laughed as he helped Sophie up, and then respectively moved out of sight so she could change.

Sophie pulled on a flowy ice blue top and black leggings. If she was going to wake up early for a class, she was going to be comfortable, not to mention she felt drawn to the blue top in a way she couldn't describe. Dex made breakfast while Sophie pulled on and laced her boots. Yawning, Sophie walked over to the window and pulled open the blinds. Outside, the trees were covered in snow, as well as the other buildings and ground.

"Dex! The first snow, come see!" Dex left the food he was making on the stove and walked to join her at the window.

"Wow," He whispered. Childish delight shined in his eyes. It was a winter wonderland outside, the world was a pure white cloud- just waiting to be enjoyed.

All of a sudden, the ground shook ferociously. Sophie and Dex fell to the floor, screaming. "Omigod!" Sophie yelped, "It's an earthquake! Take cover by the table!" The two of them scrambled over to the kitchen table and covered the back of their heads with their hands.

They heard a small crash from the kitchen causing Dex to gasp.

"Sophie," He began. Sophie could feel him shaking beside her. "I think I left a bottle of oil by the stove."

"Okay..." She responded hesitantly, "Why are you telling me this?"

Dex gritted his teeth together as the floor shook again, this time more rapidly. "I think the oil crashed into the stove that was on." He pointed up to the ceiling where smoke was wafting through the air.

"Oh, no," Sophie responded gravely. As if on sea legs, both of them stumbled out from under the table. They turned to face the stove and saw a sight that brought back tragic memories for Sophie. The entire back of the kitchen was on fire. And the fire was spreading. "Come on! We have to tell someone!"

They ran towards the door. Dex yanked it open and ran through it, into the hallway. Sophie followed close behind, but as another tremor shook the ground she fell over, and the door slammed closed, bending the lock so that it couldn't be opened.

Sophie screamed out Dex's name, she could hear his voice from the other side of the door, but with all of the commotion outside from other students running around, she couldn't make out what he was saying. Sophie yelled again, at the top of her lungs, hoping, pleading, that someone could hear her. She didn't think Dex was outside anymore and assumed it was because he had gone to find help. He wouldn't have selfishly abandoned her, would he?

She cried out again, but the smoke was coming close and every time she opened her mouth she began to cough. "Help!" She rasped again as the smoke came closer still.

In the fire, Sophie saw the faces of her family and their screams of pain. She saw the distant relatives that refused to take her in, and the sympathetic faces of the families that refused to adopt her. She saw six years of being restlessly bullied by older kids who suffered the same fate as she did. Sophie felt the hope that got relinquished every time a couple left the orphanage empty-handed. And yet, she felt the hope that blossomed every time a new couple walked in.

In the fire, she saw the monster that killed her loving family. The monster that ripped them apart and ruined her life.

When they were first killed, Sophie would wish that she had been killed as well. If she was gone then she wouldn't have missed them. And although her life was better now, she still missed them dearly. Could this be her chance to join them?

Sophie hesitantly reached out toward the fire. The fire danced around her pointer finger, nipping and biting as it burned her. Sophie felt numb and immune to the pain, all she could remember was the kind policewoman that had explained the dilemma to twelve-year-old Sophie.

Another tremor shook the ground and Sophie was sent tumbling into the flames. She shrieked in agony as fire covered her, licking across her whole body. She screamed again and again, each time gathering more smoke in her lungs and ending up in a deeper coughing fit.

She thrashed and kicked, wishing she hadn't teased the fire by reaching her fingers into the flame. She had reawoken her fear, but there was nothing she could do. Because the monster was back for her. It was there to finish the job that it had sent out to do six years before.

Tada!

That was the first chapter with them as humans, I hope you liked it!