She leads me into her car, and we drive for about twenty minutes before we end up at a large house, like three of mine. The white fence looks sturdy, not like the broken-down one at my house. Even the lawn is trimmed. Her family must be very rich.
We step out of the car, and I freeze as the door shuts, suddenly aware of my bare feet and stained shirt.
Jess starts up the driveway and turns to me. “Come on. What are you waiting for?”
I ignore my own thoughts and follow her inside the house. As soon as we enter, the smell of food, something vegetably, drifts up my nose, and my hunger is all I can think about.
Inside, voices grow loud and two teenagers pass us by, saying hi to Jess while they give me curious glances. Are they her siblings?
As we walk into the living room, I notice three more teenagers sprawled across couches, while a few older people hover to the left. Two heads turn when we make our way into the kitchen, an older man and a younger one. Their eyes take me in, like they’re curious about me.
Goose bumps spread over my arms. I should go. I don’t know what the hell this place is…
“Who’s this?” the older man—maybe Dad’s age—asks. He’s got kinder eyes, like the color of the ocean.
“Found her outside,” Jess explains. “She was hungry.”
He holds her stare before he nods thoughtfully. “What’s your name, kid? I’m Barrett, and this is my house.”
“You have a lot of kids.” My mouth thins.
He laughs as he moves toward the stove, pouring what looks like chicken noodle soup into a bowl. When he places the bowl in front of me and hands me a spoon, my eyes grow.
“Eat,” he tells me.
You don’t have to tell me twice…
Hopping on the chair at the counter, I taste the soup and almost groan. It’s really good, and I don’t even like soup.
“So, what’s your name?” Barrett asks, sitting across from me.
“I’m Eden.”
“Nice to meet you, Eden. You live close?”
Swallowing down the broth, I tell him where I live without giving him my actual address. He might be a killer or something. A killer who makes good soup.
“Got parents?”
I nod, staring down at the soup.
“Ah, got it. That’s alright, kid. My parents were shit too. It’s why I told myself that when I got older, I was going to build a place for kids like me. Kids who don’t have much, kids who need a family to depend on. And that’s what we have here: a family.”
“That sounds nice.”
He grins, folding his arms over his chest. “Look, we’ve got space for you if you want it. So if you ever find yourself in need of food or a bed to sleep on, just call Jess and she’ll get you.”
Emotions clog up my throat. “I don’t…I don’t have a phone.”
“That’s no problem. We’ll get you one.”
“For real?” Tears throb behind my eyes.
“Yeah.” His smile makes me feel safe. “Like I said, we’re a family. We take care of our own, and I have a feeling that’s what you’re gonna be too.”
I did become part of their family, even if I didn’t understand what kind of family it was until I was deep in it.
That place wasn’t a home; it just felt like one for a while. They were no more a family than my own, the same devil in a different mask. And like every other time I mistook kindness for safety, it came with a cost I didn’t see until it was too late.
