We finish shopping a little after three thirty, and Finn drives me home. Jace is already at baseball practice, and Jaylin is nowhere to be seen. Leaving the empty house to Finn and me, talk about a nightmare come true.

Don't get me wrong, I like Finn. I like him a lot, but I'm just not ready to be alone with him. In a house at that.

It's just too much, too fast.

This is why when we get 'home' I insist on carrying my many bags to my room all by myself, despite Finn offering to help a dozen times.

Luckily though, he drops it and tells me he'll make us a snack, and plug my phone in for me while I organize my new stuff.

So here I stand, thirty minutes later, in my once empty box that's slowly starting to represent a room.  I've got posters of historical people that I find influential on the wall by my bed. My dresser is filled with my new clothes, with what little makeup I bought sitting on top of it. The black backpack I bought for school lays by my closet door, alongside my other school supplies.

With a last look at the room, I stumble downstairs to see Jaylin and Finn hunched over a phone.

I shrug at the image and grab a red apple from the fruit bowl on the counter.
My eyes wander aimlessly around the room, and I lean against the counter, enjoying the sweet taste of my snack.

Shopping is done. Settling in also done. All that's left to do now is get a job.

No one has asked me to get a job yet, Beatrice even gave me plenty of money to buy everything I could possibly need, but in my experience, it's always good to have extra cash saved up. So with every new foster home, getting a job is my number one priority.

"Whatcha thinking about?"

I look up from my apple and my eyes accidentally meet Finn's awaiting ones. He still sits at the table with Jaylin, but his eyes are only on me. And boy do I hate it, so I turn my head towards the ground slightly—limiting our eye contact in an easy an awkward manner— and nod my head.

"Really?"

His stare continues burning an overwhelming hole in the side of my face until I almost give up and look back at them. Last second I chicken out and mumble a quiet, "Nothing much."

Out of the corner of my left eye, I spy him quirking an eyebrow up, easy going smirk in place. "I find that hard to believe."

You know how they say: curiosity killed the cat? 

"Why?"

I'm that stupid cat.

"I'm not entirely sure about this theory yet, but you don't seem like the type of person to have an empty mind."

True.

I am always thinking about something, wherever it be something about my past or questions about my future, my mind never seems to rest.

I nod my head in angkowlegment, almost as if I'm saying 'good theory'.

"I..ah...want to go job hunting."

Jaylin's head snaps up like a rubber band up at my news. "Like, right now?"

Why not?

After all, don't they say: there's no time like the present? "Sure."

"Great, Mom's car keys are in the drawer to your left." She smiles wide, like really wide. Kinda like the smiles clowns wear, but so much prettier.

I blink a couple of times—not out of disrespect, but doubt— to make sure the sight in front of me is real. It really is.

"Thank you." I return the smile, genuinely happy that she's making an effort to be nicer. "But no thanks."

I don't want to borrow Beatrice's car yet. I've only known the women for a day. What if I somehow manage to ruin her car, and she kicks me out? I'm so unready for parent couple twelve.

"Why not?"

"I'd favor to..um.. not u-use Beatrice's car at this point in time," I say, wishing I could lie and tell her something about not having my licenses or basically anything else.

"You still want to go to your job thingy though?" Finn's voice stops Jaylin from saying anything else.

"Interview, but I can do it another time."

"Eh, I can take you now, if you want?" Though he speaks his words in the form of a question, Finn gets out of his chair, grabs my hand and leads me back to his car, without hearing my answer.

"You don't h-have to do this. I can a-always go another time."

Finn has spent the whole day with me, anyone in their right mind would be tired of me by now. Plus, I kind of feel like he's just sticking around because he thinks I can't handle myself.

That's because you can't. You pass out at the sight of any white guy that you find 'suspicious'.

Ok, so maybe I can't handle myself mentally, but I'm great physically.

Because even with my constant attacks, I've still got everything under control.  You learn to when all you have is yourself. When I fall, I've always picked myself up. And despite what little Jax is hinting at, I don't want that to change because of a guy, I don't want to depend on anyone. Just me. That's all I'll need in the end.

"I know, but I got nothing better to do." Finn unlocks the car with a quiet beep and drags me by the hand—he hasn't let go and I'm too scared of what his reaction might be to let go—passenger's side. "Plus, no time is better than the present, yes?" He gently slips his hand out of mine, then opens the door for me.

"Yea." I get into the small car and watch him slam it shut before returning to the drivers' side under my lashes.

"Where are we going?" He checks his mirrors while waiting for my answer.

"A library in Ellensburg."

The library is a bit far—it's in a whole different city—from Robert and Beatrice's home, but that's no problem for me whatsoever. I bet I'll skip to work every day if I get the job.

"Library?" He glances over at me, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Heat burns in my cheeks as I think of the reason why working as a librarian at this particular library is this important to me. 

"I sense a story." Finn pauses, giving me enough time to interject, but no words leave my lips. "Am I wrong then?"

"No." The blurry city becomes fascinating in the minutes that follow as Finn waits for me to tell my story. A story that's too personal to tell a guy who's basically stranger. He—it seems like—doesn't seem it see it that way as he continues waiting. Finally, when I'm absolutely positive I might lose it if the awkward silence keeps dragging on, I open my mouth to speak. "I only have a few m-memories from my life before I was a foster. One of them happens to be going to the p-public library every weekend with my parents. T-They loved books, and I guess they passed that love down to my little b-brother and I. We used to spend hours upon hours reading at the library in Ellensburg library every week." A smile fights to overtake my mouth at the bittersweet memory, but I don't let it win. I never do when it comes to them.

Finn looks speechless. I know all too way what's probably going on in his mind: Millions of questions that he probably won't ask, and a crap ton of self-pity directed at yours truly.

"That's... wow."

I shrug lightly, fighting hard to stay unaffected. Becoming emotional during the rare times I talk about my family is getting old, and frankly, there's nowhere in my plan for hardcore emotions.

"How old were you when you...umm.." Finn trails, looking like he regrets starting his question like he thinks he went too far. 

"Five."

"Atat de tanar..." The regret look comes back, but he shrugs it off, probably realizing I couldn't understand what he said. "How'd you know how to read at such a young age?"

I take a deep breath in, watching the trees zoom passed us for a second before exhaling slowly and saying, "My parents started teaching my little b-brother and me how to read at young ages. I could read little c-chapter books by four. Nathaniel, my two-year-old b-brother, could read some of the level one Hooked on Phonics books."

"Incredible. When I was two, I'm pretty sure all I did was cry for food."

One of my signature slight laughs exits my lips in a small airy smile. "Crying is an incredible skill to have, believe it or not."

"I don't." He smiles at me one last time before we reach our destination and he locks the car.

My eyes wander all around the familiar area, as my breath clogs in my throat.

Everything looks the same. A row of huge green tree stand in front of the rectangular building. A long pathway made from small, grey concrete squares stretches from the brown wooden door all the way to the huge cement circles that separate the parking lot from the road. Small, pretty pink flowers bloom from the huge circles, making me view that much more magical.

Welcome home, Jackie.

________

Hello, amazing readers. I want to thank you so much for reading this chapter. Please vote, comment, and share if you liked it.

Updates: I published a chapter yesterday, but here's another today. I feel like 30 reads are too small of a number, and that I'm updating to much. What do you think? Should we make the number 40?

AMAZING NEWS: After a couple of month of writing whatever I wanted, I finally figured out the direction I want this book to go in, and couldn't be happier, though I'm kinda worried you guys won't like it and will be disappointed. Stay positive though, don't lower your expectations, and I'll try my best to meet them.

Love you all, Liv~

DF: Aug.20.17
DP: Aug.21.17
DE: Octo.28.17
DRE: Nov.25.17
DRP: Nov.2.17
WC: 1,597