The life I live, Margaret [free romance novels .txt] 📗

was still stuck to the patches of crass that bored over the leaves. Emily sighed to herself. Even if she started walking, she didn't have the slightest clue as to where she was. For as far as she knew, she would be going in the exact opposite direction of her house. Yet still, walking was better than staying one place.

So Emily stood up, and started walking in the direction she'd been running the day before. Emily liked silence, but this forest silence was different. It had a creepy appeal to it, and the occasional chirp from a bird made Emily feel not so lonely. She found herself slowing down, taking time to look around. She saw the woods in a different view then she would have normally. She heard things differently as well. Each ruffle that the leaves made was louder then she would have normally heard them. As she got further in to the forest, she soon became aware of the sound of cars going at least 60miles per hour.

"Oh god, it's a high way!" Emily said to herself, sounding so relived and happy about her discovery. She ran towards the highway, a smile on her face. All she had to do was tell somebody who she was, and perhaps they would have known her from some lost person add. Even though she hadn't been 'missing' for over 48 hours, surely the police were looking for her. She reached the edge of the forest, and her smiling face turned in to a frown. It was an old highway. Barren, and well not as bumper to bumper traffic she would have preferred.

It was one of those highways that used to be used; now it was one of those highways that gets used once a year or so. Emily snorted, this was getting annoying. The universe was giving her false hope, and it was cruel. She kicked the dirt with all her might, stirring up a dust storms worth of dirt, and rocks. Once she was done with her mild temper tantrum, she started walking on the side of the high way. She glared at everything while she stopped her feet in the dirt as she walked. She looked for exits on the highway, but she must have walked at least a good mile with no hope of seeing one.

The sun was rising, and it was rather hot outside. Emily would have taken the thunderstorm over this. She came across an exit, and the road. It had a billboard that looked like it was from the sixties. The advertising wasn't half as attractive as most billboards would be. There was a huge animated baby in diapers crawling, smiling, and holding a rattle. The letters fun looking, but still it was an odd print for a billboard.

Child Orphanage

Walk-in's welcome

3-14 only

Emily scowled. Walk-in's welcome? Emily tried not to think about the fact that a mother or father could just drop off a three year old by the curb. Then again, not every parent loves their kids to death. Emily decided that even if this was a real place then there must be real people, either that or vampires. She did a quick sprint to the curb, and she saw a one story building. It was old, and shaky, and it looked like it had held up for 50 years, and would hold up for 50 more, or die trying.

There were kids out side. Emily blinked and gawked at them. The girls were all in dresses, something that Emily's mother would have to hold her down to put on. The Maryjane's they were wearing kicked up dust as the kids ran around giggling, and smiling. The boys were all in short pants, with knee high socks, and varying about the boy, was different colored ties around his white collared shirt. Emily instantly thought "Privet school field trip." That was the only reason for the kids to be dressed so formally.

Emily looked down at herself; she was so dirty right now. Dried mud was on her pants, and splattered around her shirt. Not exactly the best first impression she would aim for normally. It was either walk in and look dirty, and have a chance at getting home, or be self conches, and keep on walking only to die of starvation, or dehydration. Emily was no genius but she was pretty decent at multiple choice answers. She started walking up to the kids, praying that they would speak English. She tapped one of the girls on the shoulder.

"Um, hi, yea, um, can you like, help me?" Emily asked. The girl smiled reviling the little dimples on her face. Her hair was was red, like really, really red, and cut short. Her two front teeth were missing, so Emily guessed that she was in the first maybe second grade. "Yea! Sure I can! My names Ellie, what's yours?" Ellie said happily. Emily gave the girl a pity smile. "I'm Emily," Emily said, preparing her next question.

"Um, Ellie, who's in charge here?" Emily asked, scanning over the playground worth of kids. ", but she likes to be called ." Ellie answered. "So are these all the kids that are here, I mean are there more?" Emily asked. How many kids cold this small house contain. "Oh lots more." Ellie answered. "Um, Ellie, can I talk to , I need to talk to her." Emily said, not as urgently as she imagines she would. Ellie nodded and grabbed Emily's hand, and ushered her in to the house.

Emily looked over the three dozen kids that were in the house. Some were sitting down, and others were running around. "!" Ellie called; still dragging Emily along. They finally reached a woman, who was delivered a platter of bananas to a little 3 year old. The women turned around, and it was obvious she was , well only because Ellie had said she was. was a slim, very pretty in that fact. Her curly brown hair was to her mid back, and her hazel green eyes shimmered when even the slightest of light hit them.

She clearly wasn't wearing makeup, being in the middle of no man's land she had no real reason. "Ellie, please don't shout." said a bit of sternness in her voice. "Sowwie, . I found somebody walking in hear, and she asked who was in charge." Ellie said a little less happily as she would have normally. nodded and smiled. "I know, Ellie, I saw her coming thru the window." Ellie smiled back at . "Then can I go back outside and play?" Ellie asked eagerly. nodded, but before she let the little girl run off the play, she gave her a hug, and kissed her cheek. Ellie squirmed, and managed to skimpier away.

"So, what is your name?" asked with a smile. "My name is Emily." She said rather quickly. "I need some help, I got lost, um err, kidnapped, and I ran away from the dude who kidnapped me, and I spent a night in the woods, and then I found this place. What exactly is this place?" Emily asked hopefully. "Can't you read dear? The sigh in the front clearly says child orphanage." said briskly. "Yea I know, ages 3 to 14 only." Emily retorted. This woman wasn't focusing on her kidnapped problem. "Indeed, and how old are you?" said plainly. "13." Emily said starting to get annoyed.

"Oh good! That means you can stay!" clapped her hands together. "Whoa! Wait! Noooo, I need to get back home!" Emily shirked, but was already leading her into a room. The room was lined with bunk beds wall to wall, some side by side. There was one girl in the room; she had black hair that dangled lazily past her shoulders. Her bangs were slightly long, nearly covering her eyes. She was thin, perhaps too thin. Her skin was pale, really, really, pale. She didn't have any freckles, not on her face or on her arms.

She looked depressing, and slightly scary. She was sitting on the bottom bunk of one of the many bunk beds in the room. "That's Rachel." introduced. She left the room, and left the two girls alone. Emily bit her lip. "Hi?" she asked seeing if the girl would take any interest in her. Rachel looked sharply in Emily's direction.

It was a cold hard stare that was an unwelcoming look. Emily swallowed hard. "So, um how old are you?" Emily asked walking a bit closer to Rachel. "Nine." Rachel said, sounding annoyed. "Okay, what's your deal? I haven't even done anything yet." Emily said, just as annoyed. She didn't like being judged before that person had a reason to judge. Rachel shrugged, clearly focused on something more important than Emily.

Emily glared at Rachel. "You still haven't answered my question." Emily said lifelessly. Rachel snorted. "Who said I had to?" "I did." Emily challenged. "And since when do I take orders from you?" Rachel asked. Emily shrugged. "Just trying to be friendly." Rachel rolled her eyes. "I have enough friends, oh, and just to let you know, trying to make somebody answer a redickuliouse question is not a good way to make friends." Emily smiled. "You do mean your imaginary friends, right?" Rachel looked hurt, but tried her best to not let it show. "Yea, my imagery friends think you've got mantel issues."

Chapter 4

Great minds think alike, they just don't always get the right answer.

Emily was a bit disappointed in not getting help when she wanted or rather needed it most. These people were so laid back it was insane. At Emily's house; at dinner time everyone was clean, and nice smelling, and everyone acted very pleasant. Her realty check was far over due. The kids hear climbed across the table to get different kinds of food, and it was louderthan 500 cafeteria put together! LOUDER! Emily didn't think that it was possible, but the universe had once again proven her wrong, as it had done so many times before. Oh so very, very wrong indeed.

didn't seem to even care. She was too fixated on holding a novel in one hand, and her fork with the other. Emily sided on trying to enjoy herself, maybe one of the kids would even remotely be found of her. They ALL loved her. Then again this was mostly six year olds, not exactly eighth graders; these kids didn't even take a second glance to point out her flaws. They looked at her once and accepted who she was, inside and out. Emily thought she must have been abducted by aliens, or maybe she had been knocked out, and this was all a dream.

She certainly hoped this was real, their might actually be hope for humanity with kids like these entering the world with such good and pure hearts. Most little kids did have wonderful hearts; most would kiss a Rottweiler that looked blood thirsty, only because they thought that there was nothing bad in the world. Then the routwiller bit them, and they were ruined for life. Not only were they scared for life, but they would learn the hard and painful way that not everybody in the world was nice. It was a good lesson, but people take 'the road less traveled by' for a reason these days. Emily made small talk with her little friend Ellie who seemed to LOVE to talk. The only bad thing was that the kid only knew the world behind the highway, maybe not even that far.

Than anoucend that it was bed time. Emily immediately wanted to take a shower before going to bed in this place. She didn't like to be dirty, well only at her own