Sarah's POV:

   I am glad Grandpa watched me while Mom and Dad were on a date. I could tell they needed some alone time. It is good for adults to have this.  Anyway, at some point, Grandpa got a text saying they were back at Mom's, so Grandpa took me home.

  I  unlocked the door with my key and entered the living room. I  saw Mom crying while Dad was talking to her. I don't know what the conversation was about but  I could tell Dad felt sad. I could tell Mom was upset as well. Somehow, I think their sadness was from different things.

   "Mom and Dad, I am sure -whatever it is you two can work it out," I said.  I hoped they could anyway because they both deserve the best.

  I was not sure what all, Mom had gone through before she found me, but I do know that we are all better off now that Jeff is dead. I can tell, because Mom smiles more. Nathaniel has a way of bringing that out in people. Grandpa agrees that he has been good for us all. 

    I finished my speech, looking mostly at Dad, who I wish were my father, and went to my room. I felt they needed more alone time. I am not sure how I knew this, but I did. I had a way of noticing things most people my age didn't. Is that why the kids at the orphanage used to pick on me?  Was that it or was it because I could heal people, or was there more to it than that?

      I sat on my bed and pulled out my headphones given to me by Grandpa. He said they were an early birthday present. I put them on and attached them to the small MP3 player Dad had given me for music. I already had six songs downloaded to it. Maybe, I could add more songs to it later, but for now, I would enjoy the ones I already had by Owl City, Casting Crowns, and The Big Daddy Weave band.  Yes, the songs were assorted with a few from each group. I could not decide which ones I liked best.

      Right now, I selected the song "Fireflies" by Owl City. It was rather cool. As I listened I hummed along with the music, pulled out a drawing pad and some colored pencils, and began to draw. I drew a picture of Mom's sad face. Then, drew one of her when she looked stressed out.

    I wondered, "Why was Mom so stressed tonight? Did not the date go well?" I secretly hoped it wasn't an argument about me, oh, I hated, the idea of their arguing over me.

I felt a headache coming on which could mean only one thing, I was about to have a flashback to my past.

   "Flashback..."

     "Sarah, fasten up your seatbelt, now."  I heard him say.

    "Yes, Father," I said and did as I was told.

    Mother came out to the car next carrying two bags. She put them in the truck, closed it, and got in on the passenger side. I was unsure why my father was driving, but I did not bother to ask her.  I had noticed she had been doing less driving lately. I thought that was odd.

         "Where are we going?" I asked. "To the mountains, it is going to be so great! You will love it there and we will visit your Aunt Melanie, Uncle Pete, and your cousins, the twins, Lola and Lani."  Mother answered.  "Yes, your Aunt, Uncle, and cousins thought it was about time we came to visit. It has been years since the last visit and you have grown so much. Why you are so less scrawny than the last time we were there which is good because you look healthy."  Father said.

     I smiled. I was glad to be on a journey with my parents to see my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. It sounded like excitement. This was good since it had been years. I did not understand why.

       I played quietly with my teddy bear, the one Mother gave me for my birthday last year, and the small toy truck my father's brother, my Uncle Jed had given me.  Those were my only toys because my Mother and Father couldn't afford anymore, but that was okay.  I knew they loved me and that is all that mattered.

        I did not see the tractor-trailer sideswip us. Had I known, I would have screamed. I didn't, and it was the day I lost what mattered to me. It was the day, the car caught fire, the day I barely escaped, along with my Teddy Bear, and the day that I lost what mattered. It was the day my Mother died because of the impact of the car hitting us, the day my sibling in the back seat next to me died, because some stinking log fell off the tractor-trailer, and went through the back glass and hit her on the head.  It was the day, my Father died too, because when he tried to stop the car, he let go of the wheel and his head banged against the windshield. Ironically enough he was the only one not wearing a seatbelt.

     I heard sirens, and that is when I looked up and realized the coughing noise was my own. I looked at my sister and saw all the blood. It was then I knew she was dead. No one had to tell me, I already knew. I yanked off my seatbelt, grabbed my teddy bear, and tried to open my door. It was stuck.

  Some man came to the door and pulled it apart with these funny-looking pliers. I got out, with my bear, and hugged him.

      I screamed after the car exploded. I knew my parents never got out of the car, but  I did not realize they were already dead at the time the firefighter got me out.

   "Mom, Dad, Sissy, no!" I screamed.

    The firefighter scooped me and my toy up and took me to the fire truck. I got to ride on it. That was cool, but the losses were far greater than I could manage.

   I was taken to an orphanage while the police filled- out the accident report. He wrote down three dead, and two alive on the scene. The two alive were me and the driver of the tractor trailer the same one who took my family from me.

    I sobbed the whole way there, but even more when they took me inside. They left me there to vend for myself. I was only seven when I got there, but I ran away at age eleven.

    Yes, I spent four miserable years of my life there. Four years I would never get back. I sobbed and sobbed.  

"End of Flashback..."

  "Ah, no don't make me go back! Please, no!" I screamed.

  I felt myself start to panic. What was the matter with me?

     I screamed more. I had already removed the headphones and put them and the MP3 Player away.  I lay on my bed sobbing and screaming. I felt afraid.

   I heard footsteps approach and I looked up. Chole, who I wished to be my real mom, and Nathaniel, who I wanted to be my real Dad stood there. They took one look at me and they both approached my bed at the same time.

     I saw them sit on each side of me and they both held me close.

    "Sarah, it is okay, we are here, We will not let anyone take you back to that dreadful place, you are safe, you are safe," Mom (Chole) said.

      "Little bee, I came as soon as I heard your tears and yelling.  Is everything all right?" Dad (Nathaniel) asked.

  Find out more in Chapter 41

Until then,

bye-bye,

little owlets!

Summer out!

*Author's note: Wow, 40 Chapters already, and here I thought it was only going to have like 12 chapters at the most, ha, ha. It has gotten longer that is for sure.

       How do you like how Chole and Nathaniel entered Sarah's room when they heard her being upset? They are almost like parents to her because of how gentle and understanding they are with her.

Chapter Edited 6-2-2024