We sat in the car for hours without talking. It was ok with me. I was able to look out the window and think. I thought about the life I left behind and what was to come. I hoped the new family liked me. If not, I would have to move again. 

       I was so sick of going from home to home in hopes of staying, only to have them crushed while I’m packing up my things. I stopped thinking that each home I went to would be permanent. I started telling myself that each place I went to was just an experiment. The only thing I had hoped for was me being able to find my parents. Once I turned 18, I was going to leave and go on my own to find them. I had always wondered where they were and if they thought about me sometimes. I had always wondered if they would send me postcards or come for me one day. I would sit by the window and watch the door, but nobody came. 

       We arrived at my new home. It was a big home that looked to be about two or three stories. There were two cars parked outside of two garages. The front lawn was cut neatly and gave off a scent of fresh grass. The time was fall so there were leaves all spread out on the lawn as well. The house was white but faded brown in some places. I saw that the mailbox read Johnson. We both got out of the car and walked towards the house. Ms. Reynolds rang the doorbell and we waited.

       I heard footsteps from somewhere inside the house. The door opened to reveal a middle-age woman. She looked at us tiredly before her face lit up.

      “You must be the social worker! Hi, I’m Hayley Johnson. Come in.” She stepped back to let us both in.

       It was warm inside the house. There were pictures on the walls, animal skins on the floors, and things hanging from the ceiling in other rooms. We walked into the living room as soon as we came into the house. We kept walking through the house and went to the kitchen, which was right next to the living room, only separated by a wall. The kitchen led to the backyard and had a door that looked like it led to a basement.

       “We’ve been waiting for you. What’s your name?” Hayley asked me.

       I stared at her for a moment deciding if I should answer. Ms. Reynolds shot me a glare but I didn’t flinch. She didn’t know how much I wanted to go back to living with Alice.

       “I’m Kassey.” I said quietly.

       “Well, Kassey, You are going to like it here. It’s kind of crowded. There are four other kids, not including you. Two girls and two boys. I’m sure you’ll get along.” Hayley explained.

       I nodded and left them as I went to observe the house. I held my bag tightly by my side. It was all I had of myself. All I had to show that I had lived. I owned nothing else. I found my way upstairs and slowly walked down the hall while looking into each room as I passed. I saw bunk beds, master beds, and twin beds. There didn’t seem to be anyone here that was younger than 7 years old. I heard a noise behind me and I stopped. Slowly turning around, I looked to see a boy looking at me with a face of curiosity. 

       “You're the new kid, right?” His voice had a small deep undertone. I figured he must be the oldest here.

       I nodded. The boy was kinda cute. He was of medium height but still taller than my 5’2. He wore basic clothing: Blue pants and a watercolor shirt. His brown eyes surveyed my dark ones as he waited for me to say something.

       “Well, we’ve been waiting for you to come. We all wanted to know what you were like. Hayley couldn’t tell us. I’m Jason.” He said while extending a hand. 

       I looked at it for a while before he lowered it. “You don’t talk much, do you?” 

       I gave him a little smile. “Not really. They didn’t say anything about me leaving until the day of.” 

       “Well, do you want a tour?” Jason asked.

       I nodded and he took me around the house. It was bigger on the inside than the outside. There were 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, a playroom, living room, kitchen, backyard, basement, garage, and a few open spaces with only carpet or wood. The place was a mansion. How did I get here? Why would anyone want to adopt or foster children if they lived here?

       Jason stopped by my room. “No one has a roommate, so you’ll be free to do whatever you want. Hayley doesn’t hover and we all like our privacy.”

       “Thanks.” I walked into my room and looked around. It was kind of bare. There was a dresser that had a mirror attached. The bed was a twin size with a wooden headboard. I leaned closer to see engravings of waves and birds on it. There was a little nightstand by my bed that had a black and white lamp on it. I shook my head and started to unpack my things. Jason waited until I was finished before suggesting that I meet the others.

       Walking out to the backyard, I saw the younger kids playing, while the older kid was off to the side reading or on his phone. Jason and I walked outside and the playing stopped. Everyone looked at us and I felt uneasy by all of the attention. I didn’t like being stared at. 

       “Guys, this is Kassey. She just got here.” Jason introduced me.

       “Nice to meet you.” One of the little girls said. I looked to her. She looked to be the youngest.

       “That’s Aliyah, Cameron, and Jade. Aliyah is 7, Jade is 9, and Cameron is 16. We are going to be nice, right?” Jason asked them.

       No one said anything. Aliyah ran to me and hugged my legs. I stood there not knowing what to do. She smiled up at me. 

       “I’ll be nice to you, Kassey.” Aliyah said.

       Jason laughed while looking at my face. “She’s very passionate. Just a heads up.” 

       “T-thanks...” I still didn't move. Aliyah seemed to sense my discomfort and she backed up with a hurt expression. 

       “Dinner’s ready!” Hayley appeared in the screen door. I could smell the aroma of food coming from the kitchen and my stomach turned to knots. I didn’t have an appetite to eat just yet. 

       Everyone went inside with me following after them. They all sat in seats at the table and I chose the only empty one that was between Aliyah and Jason. Hayley brought out several dishes of food and placed them in front of us.

       “Baked chicken and mack n’ cheese. You guy’s favorite. Kassey, you like that, right?” Hayley asked suddenly.

       Everyone turned to look at me. I cleared my throat. “I don’t really eat meat.” 

       They all looked at me shocked. “Oh, well, what do you eat? I can make you something really quick.” Hayley quickly suggested. 

       “Um, I don’t really eat dinner. I’m fine.” 

       “That’s not good, Kassey.” Jason said.

       “Explains why you are so small.” Cameron muttered.

       Jason shot his brother a quick look but he didn’t notice. Hayley began serving everyone their food. “Are you sure you’re not hungry? I can find you something.” Jason asked as he got his food.

       “I’m fine, Jason. I’m not hungry. Eating anything I normally wouldn’t usually makes me sick.” I responded truthfully.

       I couldn’t remember a time when I ate dinner. All of the homes I inhabited had diminished my appetite little by little until I ate like a mouse. I was quite contempt on the little bits of food I took for myself from time to time. Plus, eating more than I do now made me sick, so I preferred not to change my schedule. 

       “Kassey, tell us something about you. When were you born?” Hayley asked me.

       “Um, I was born on February 20, 1997. I don’t know where.” 

       “February. Too bad that already passed.” Aliyah said sadly. 

       “That doesn’t mean we still can’t do something.” Jason said.

       “I’m fine with nothing. Birthday’s don’t really mean anything to me.” I shrugged.

       “You are a very hard person to please.” Cameron said, shaking his head. I raised an eyebrow.

       “When were your parent’s born?” Jade asked.

       “My dad was born November 19, 1973 and my mom was born July 5, 1976.” I answered offhandedly.

       The rest of the dinner seemed to revolve around me but I tried steering it in a different direction. I didn’t like talking about myself. It made me depressed because I didn’t really have anything to talk about. 

       After dinner, Everyone cleaned up the kitchen. I tried to go my own way, but everyone, except Cameron and Jason, seemed to follow me. They asked me many questions and told me so many things that my head was spinning by the time I got to my room. I fell onto my bed and closed my eyes. Today was a very overwhelming day. I wasn’t sure if I was happy about the change or not. I heard a knock on my door and saw Cameron standing in the doorway looking at me with cautious eyes. 

       I sat up and beaconed for him to come in. Cameron walked slowly as if he wasn’t sure about why he was here. He stopped not very far from the door. There was a chair at my dresser and he took it.

       “How are you liking your first day?” He asked softly.

       I inhaled sharply. “Um, it was definitely something I won’t forget.”

       He didn’t seem to like my answer. “Why are you here?”

       “What?”

       “Didn’t you have a home before this? Why didn’t you stay there?” 

       His comment stung but I didn’t flinch. “I never had a stable home. They packed me up and took me here. It wasn’t my choice.”

       “Well, tell them to take you back! This place is crowded enough without another kid coming in.”

       My blood began to boil. “Who do you think you're talking to?” My hands started shaking

       “A child. We didn’t ask for you to come here.” 

       “Well, I didn’t ask to be here either! It’s not my fault they wanted to move me again! It’s not your place to kick me out!” I screamed.

       Jason’s face appeared in the door. “I heard yelling. Everything ok?” He looked back and forth between me and Cameron. 

       “Yeah, we were just talking. I think we understand each other.” Cameron smiled at me and left the room.

       Jason looked at me. “Can I come in?”

       I slowly nodded and he sat in the same seat Cameron had taken. “What was that about?”

       “He doesn’t like me.” I said bluntly.

       “Cameron doesn’t like anyone. What happened?” He searched my face and I lowered my head so he couldn’t read me. 

       “He told me that I should’ve never come here and that I wasn’t welcome. That’s basically what everyone says when I move. There’s always one person who dislikes a new kid coming in.” I spoke seeing my past display in front of me.

       “Well, Cam has no authority to kick you out. You're here to stay as long as Hayley wants. She already likes you.” Jason tried to reassure me.

       I didn’t say anything. I knew this would happen and it was part of the reason why I didn't want to leave. I was never going to be adopted. I was never going to stop moving. It seemed to be that I would never have a home to stay in. 

       Jason hugged me and stepped out. I slid to the floor and crawled to a corner of the room. I curled up against the wall and tried to hide myself from the world.