Shadows And Light

     I'm on my way to meet the foster family that decided they want me. After a long drive, we finally arrive at the house. I must say, the house is huge! It’s a white, two-story building.

"It looks like this house belongs to a billionaire," I mutter to myself.

The driver parks the car, and we step out. We’re greeted by a man and a woman who are expensively dressed. As we approach, the woman rushes to me.

"Oh my god! You're so pretty," she exclaims, hitting me with her enthusiasm.

"Um, thanks," I say, gently pushing her away.

"Where are my manners? I'm Mrs. Roseline Russo and this is my husband, Mr. Jefferson Russo. We’ll be your new parents."

"Okay," I reply, feeling overwhelmed.

"The boys aren’t home right now, so you’ll meet them at dinner," Roseline continues.

"How many sons do you have?" I ask, curious.

"We have six sons. One is in college, four are in high school, and the youngest is still in elementary school," Roseline explains.

"Oh, okay," I say, trying to absorb all the information.

"This is your room," Roseline says as she opens the door.

"The room on the left belongs to Nathan, the one beside it to Rylan. Opposite yours is Hugo’s, the one on the left belongs to Drew, next to his is Dylan’s, and Ryder’s room is the furthest down because he likes his privacy. Let’s take a look inside."

As the door opens, I’m speechless. The room is white with black heart accents. A queen-sized bed with white covers sits in the middle, a desk with a laptop in the corner, a bookshelf by the bedside, a walk-in closet, and a private bathroom. There's even a flat-screen TV.

"Wow, it’s so beautiful. Thank you very much," I say.

"From now on, no thank you or sorry because we’re family now, okay? I’ll leave you to settle in. Let me know if you need anything," Roseline says warmly.

"Okay," I reply.

After she leaves, I place my backpack on the bed and unpack my clothes: a couple of hoodies, sweatpants, a picture of my mom and dad, my toiletries, and my diary. I put my clothes in the closet, arrange my toiletries, and sit on the bed, falling asleep almost immediately.

THREE HOURS LATER -6:30 PM-

Mrs. Roseline wakes me up by knocking on my door."It’s time for dinner, and the boys are back, so freshen up and come down," she says.

"Okay, Roseline," I correct myself quickly.

"Oh God, they’re all here. What if they don’t like me or, worse, find out about my past and decide they want a normal child, not someone with mental and physical problems, and send me away for good?"

I muster all the courage I have and go downstairs. As I arrive at the dining area, all eyes are on me, so I head straight to the kitchen where I find Mrs. Roseline plating the food.