( this story is in progress, I may eben make it it's own story here on wattpad cause it's so long )

Landon sighed, gripping the handle of his suit case tightly.

He didn't want to be here.

As nice as this family was for taking him in, he was sure they didn't want him here either. He continued to stare up at the ranch-style house for a few more moments, admiring the chipped white paint and broken shutters. It wasn't exactly the nicest house, but the rustic vibe was rather charming.

Taking a deep breath, the raven finally made his way up the creaking, wooden porch steps and into the house.

Before he even opened the door, Landon could hear a woman singing along to a radio inside, her voice loud and rising even above the laughter and shouts of children throughout the house. As he stepped inside, the smell of something cooking filling his nose. It was pleasant, but he couldn't exactly place what kind of food it was.

The door squeaked as he opened it, and the singing stopped, a rather plump woman looking up from her work at the stove. He didn't realize the kitchen was so close.

She grinned at the sight of him, showing off the gap between her teeth.

" oh, you must be Landon! " She wiped her hands on her apron and sauntered over, pulling him into a tight hug. The male stiffened at the touch, but didn't push her away.

He wasn't sure he had the strength to, anyway.

" sorry I couldn't pick you up at the airport, I've been up to my ears in kids and housework for the last two weeks!" She laughed, a loud booming sound that made Landon's chest vibrate.

She finally pulled away, though her hands remained on his shoulders and she gave him a once over.

" Look at you, doll, you're so tall now, " she smiled warmly, squeezing his shoulders gently, " last time I saw you, you were just a baby.."

There was a brief moment where she looked as if she were recalling a good memory, but the woman shook her head and let go of him, grabbing his suitcase. He almost protested, but she had already started down the hall, telling him to follow her.

" let me show you your room, then you can freshen up before dinner," she headed up the staircase at the end of the hall, kicking at toys and shoes that sat in her way.

Landon followed close behind, simply avoiding the stray items altogether. He guessed that this woman was Mrs. Harper, his dad's old buddy. He hadn't expected her to have so many kids, or to be so kind. His dad was always telling stories about his old friends, and he'd heard some crazy ones about Mrs. Harper. Now that he'd actually met her, he wasn't sure which reality to believe.

" Maybe after dinner you can get Jesse to show you 'round the farm, " she began, pulling Landon from his thoughts, " he's about your age, maybe a couple of months older"

She continued to talk about the rest of her children, though Landon only really caught bits and pieces. They finally stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall, Mrs. Harper pulling out a key and unlocking it for him.

She handed Landon the key, before making her way inside and setting his suitcase by the bed.

Landon followed her into the room, glancing around as she continued to speak.

" make yourself at home, honey. Dinner is at six or so, " she began out the door, giving him a little wave before closing it behind her. He listened as she headed downstairs, waiting a few moments before he actually moved.

It was cleaner than the rest of the house. At least, cleaner than the parts of the house he'd seen already.

The bed was pushed against the wall under the window, and had been fitted with clean, white sheets and a nice quilt. The only other pieces of furniture in the room were a desk and a dresser, both of which were bare, except for a small lamp they'd placed on the desk.

It wasn't particularly small, but he could tell it only seemed bigger because of the lack of furniture and how clean it was. Landon didn't mind, of course, he was just thankful that he didn't have to share a room with anyone. As many children as there were in this house, he wouldn't be surprised if more than two slept in a room together. Landon picked his suitcase up and set it on the bed, unzipping it and starting to unpack.

When his dad had told him that he'd be living with a couple of his friends, he hadn't expected them to be this inviting. He'd been even more surprised to find out that they lived on a small farm. They lived so far out from the city, he wondered if they had really been friends with his dad. After all, all the other people he'd met that were involved with his dad were gang members, drug addicts, and prostitutes. The fact that the Harper family was so normal was surreal.

The raven got over his initial shock pretty easily, began putting his clothes away. He'd only really brought enough for two weeks and two or three pairs of pajamas, all of which he put into the bare dresser. The only other thong he'd brought aside from clothes and his toiletries was his spiral notebook. It already had several pages that were filled with conversations, the last few being between him and his taxi driver, as well as a flight attendant.

One was from barely a week ago, between him and his father. Another on the same page was between him and a police officer, just minutes after his dad's arrest.

Some pages were torn out, he'd probably burned them back home in an attempt to destroy those memories he didn't want anymore.

This journal was one of many, the rest of them filling a bookshelf back in his old room. He'd destroyed nearly half of them in some kind of rageful fit a couple of years ago, but had desperately tried to restore them after.

Otherwise he’d forget.

CH. 2 -

Landon was a lot like his dad.

They both liked to tell stories, whether to each other or to their friends.

However, Landon had stopped speaking sometime around the age of nine, back when his parents had still lived together. Nearly a year later, his father took him and moved the both of them as far away as possible.

No doctor could get him to speak again, no amount of medication able to treat him fully. His dad took him to a therapist at some point, but he’d quit going after  while, they couldn’t afford it for very long.

They needed that money for his dad’s ‘business’.

The same business that had put him in jail.

His dad had been found with illegal drugs that he’d been planning to sell, though he was clean. He’d never liked using the merchandise for himself, after all.

Landon didn’t know how long he’d be locked up, but he hoped it wasn’t long. He just wanted to go home at this point, it was too quiet out here in the country.

The raven-haired male was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by a knock, the sound making him jump.

He rushed to get up and answer it, opening the door with a bit of hesitation.

A boy stood on the other side, looking to be about his age despite being quite a bit shorter. He looked a lot like Mrs. Harper, though his skin was a bit lighter and his eyes were a lighter brown. His hair, however, was very similar. It was just as unruly as Mrs. Harper’s, the brown curls falling a little over his ears and eyes. He had very faint freckles as well, barely noticeable in the dim light.

“ you Landon?” The boy asked, his soft southern drawl coming out as he continued, “ dinner’s ready, mom said to come get ya”

Landon nodded, but grabbed his notepad and a pen from his bag before following the male downstairs. He guessed that this was Jesse, judging by his looks.

The dining room and kitchen were connected, but the Harper family had managed to cram two tables into the room, as well as twelve chairs, including one for Landon. He was surprised that there was any spare room at all, really. Everyone was already sitting down, passing the food around and filling their plates. Landon took a seat and filled his plates with what was left over, he wasn’t all that picky. He was stopped, however, by Mrs. Harper suddenly shouting for everyone to settle down. They did immediately, even the youngest of the children going silent.

 “ now, who would like to say Grace?” she asked, glancing around the table. Her gaze stopped on Jesse, who had taken the seat next to Landon. He was quick to refuse, and one of the other children called out before Mrs. Harper could chastise him, “ Landon should! He’s the guest!”

The raven stopped, paling a bit. He glanced at Mrs. Harper. Surely she knew that he couldn’t, right?

Said woman just scoffed, “ well, Georgia, since you decided to volunteer Landon, you can do it.