Back at Starla's home, Rebecca decided that it was she, who would show little Alexandr around the house. There wasn't much to show around, actually. It was more of a two up, two down apartment-like build. The outside was coated with a Karoo land colour, with a red plum roof and gutters. Many shrubs, in the order of dark green, followed by lime greens, with a hollyhock in between each of the shrubs. The inside, wasn't so wonderful either. A three bedroom, two and half bathroom house, with much updated furniture as possible.

While Rebecca showed Alexandr his room, Conrad showed Starla hers. "Starla, I know we met at the wrong foot, and that I was a terrible foster father for you, but the reason we stayed so much out, and were absent in the three years of your life..." Conrad took the door handle and opened it, to reveal purple and pink wall colours, with a white comforter, accompanied by a white oak dresser and dressing table, along with a unicorn-lamp on the side table. "Was because we were busy with this project of ours. A new fully renovated room for you and then one for your new sibling also." Starla didn't hesitate to give her foster dad a hug, which caught Conrad slightly off-guard.

"Thank you, dad. You're the best!"

Conrad's face muscles pulled all together to create a smile, with many wrinkles by his eyes. "You're welcome sweetheart." He loosened Starla's grip around him, and said. "Lunch will be ready around three, also please try to help your brother get used to his surroundings, because somethings are a bit tricky here."

Starla nodded, and before her dad exited her room, she added. "Thank you." Conrad winked, and went on to the lower part of the house.

<>|<>

After three days, Alexandr was finally able to settle in, and he knew exactly where everything was, and in which room. When Rebecca asked, how he got the house's route in his mind, Alexandr replied. "Mrs. Rebecca, I'm a fast learner, and I have a photogenic mind, so, I can remember everything in detail." All Rebecca done after that reply was a nod and a smile, which indicated that she had no other replies for the smart little man.

That same morning, Alexandr was riding cloud number nine. With a bloody mouth he exclaimed. "Mr. Conrad and Mrs. Rebecca, I just pulled my front tooth!" Starla sat and looked at the spectacle, while she ate her bowl of Rice Crispies.

Rebecca and Conrad hurried over to the kitchen, and took part in the celebration. "That's great, Alexandr!" Rebecca said, as she clapped her hands together.

"Now all you have to do, is to place that tooth in one of your shoes, so that the Tooth Fairy can take it." Conrad said, taking Alexandr by his free hand.

Alexandr made a face of confusion. "What is the Tooth Fairy?"

Conrad gasped, and Rebecca put her hands over her mouth. "That's a story for tonight, a nice bedtime story." Conrad said as he let go of his son's hand. "Go and wash your mouth, we don't want blood on the laminated flooring." With that, Alexandr took off to ground floor's bathroom, where he usually brushed his teeth before bedtime.

Rebecca took the house keys out of her crocodile handback. "Well, we're off."

"Where are you going to?" Starla asked, dropping her spoon in the bowl full of warm milk, as she narrowed her eyes.

Conrad swung the Volvo's car keys around his finger. "We won't be long." He said as he turned to face the door. "There are snacks in the fridge, as well as movies for you to watch. If you want to play outside, the swings and tree house is done, remember, that safety is still your first priority before having fun."

"Come on, Conrad!" Rebecca yelled from outside.

"Bye Starla, and tell Alexandr that we went out to buy stuff." Conrad left the house with the door closing, as it trapped his words in the kitchen and lounge area.

"I knew it!" Starla said, as she pounded on the table, causing the warm milk to spill over the bare wood. She just stared at the milk as if it came from outer-space or something, when Alexandr returned with a shoe in hand, containing his pulled tooth.

He looked around the kitchen area, and saw his sister crying, with the milk running over the table's edge. "Why are you crying?" He said, placing the shoe on the ground, and taking the napkin, from the napkin-holder on the table, to wipe up the mess.

"They left... leave the mess." Starla grabbed the napkin from his hands and threw it in the bin.

"But that can be washed..."

"I don't care." Starla stood up, and started towards the sliding door. "Do you want to watch movies, or do you want to go outside?"

"Outside will be fun?" He replied in a question, and tailed after his sister. When they were outside, the ten o'clock sun, felt warm and Starla had to put on her sunglasses, because her eyes were heavily sensitive for direct bright light. They took a seat under a huge shady tree. "Who did you refer to, when you said: 'They left'?"

"Can't we have this discussion on another day?" Starla said, as she looked at two white and grey doves making out.

"I think this period in time is very suitable for that."

"Can you talk like a ten year old, and not a one hundred and ten year old?"

"Why?"

"Because those sentences coming out of your mouth." Starla pointed towards his mouth. "Sounds a lot like a fifteen year old."

"Well, sorry, but why are you so negative?"

"I'm not negative, I'm just..." A tear started to fell from her cheek, but she wiped it away before her brother could see it.

"You don't have to tell me, but who had left you?"

"Our parents." She said short, looking down.

"Mr. Conrad and Mrs. Rebecca? They'll never leave us."

A grunt escaped Starla's throat. "Reality check, they left us for ten hours again. I thought they had changed once they adopted you, but turns out they stayed the same!" Starla picked up a small pebble and threw it towards the two doves, making them scatter in different directions.

Alexandr decided to stay quiet, about not hurting nature's creatures, and decided to ask. "Ten hours, is that a code or something?"

"I wish. Ten hours, are ten hours." Starla said as she stood up and took her seat on one of the swings. Alexandr followed her, and did the same. "Before you came, they had done the same thing. The only thing that differs from the old, is that I stayed in the basement for three years..."

"The basement? Why?"

Starla began to swing herself, and she tried to gather her thoughts, while still concentrating on the movement of the swing. "Wish I knew, but the answer dad gave, was that mom couldn't fall pregnant to bring a child in the world, and that's why they adopted me. I don't believe that one second."

"Is that what makes you so negative?" Her brother asked, as he propelled himself forward to begin the swinging process.

Starla remained silent about the fact that she suffered many days without food, and not to mention the loss of sunlight in the summer vacations. "No." She said, and decided to delve deeper in her past, to tell her brother the truth. Mrs. Andrews usually used the technique of giving her homework, one of which was that she must tell others of her terrible past, which would create stronger bonds, and of course, let her overcome the huge grudge of emotions against her dad, and what he had done. "I never told mom and dad this, and swear that you won't tell them."

"Swear isn't the word I'd... sure, I swear." Alexandr said, crossing his heart.

Starla took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, to gather all of those bad memories, which she would spill out once again. "You see Alex, before I went to Madam Dew and got adopted by these people, I grew up in a twisted and sick home. My father was a mess, he quit his work and began to drink alcohol. My mother saw what he was capable of, when he was under the influence..." The tears started to pile up on her eye lids, deciding whether to fall or not to fall. "So she decided to get a restraining order, which stated that when he was under the influence, he should stay ten feet away from me, but it didn't work. My father thought my mother was bluffing, and he kept on... he kept... raping me!" the tears decided to fall and hit the soft ground, as she stopped the swing.

"Oh my..." was all Alexandr could get out. He took his sister's hand, and rubbed it gently. "I'm sorry, Starla."

She sniffed. "Don't be. When the order didn't work, my mother started to lay charges, and it still didn't work. He told me that he loved me, and then he used me... he used me. I was his daughter!" she stayed silent after the outburst, sniffing and drying her eyes. "I started going into silence, it's almost like the silent treatment, but I truly felt sick, and the trauma caused it also. I skipped school and lost my honour roll... I also started to avoid my male friends when I decided to go to school. I suffered, hard." She let go of Alexandr's hand and began to swing again. "Every time I looked in the mirror... hell, I still do it today even though it was seven years ago... I hate how I look. I hate my natural red-brown curled hair, you can put a coin through my slot between my front teeth, and I got scratch marks. A gift from my dad. To cut a long story short, my dad got arrested and went to jail because of the several charges. My mother couldn't cope with me and she put me up for adoption. That's practically the whole story." Starla nodded, and stood up.

"Where are you going now?" Her brother asked, amazed that she still had the courage to live, his past wasn't as traumatic as hers, and yet there she stood, as if everything was normal.

"Going inside. You want to come?"

He nodded and ran to her side. "What are we going to do when we get inside?"

"Why are you asking those questions? And if you are wondering, we're going to watch some movies, until our parents come back... hopefully."

The last word, made a shrill run down Alexandr's spine, and not in a good way. "I'm acting like a ten year old, isn't that what you wanted?" He smiled.

"Yeah, but right now, I regret that decision." She joked and laughed.

When they entered the house, and picked the movie – A Monster in Paris – a noise further down the house, caught her off-guard. "What is it?" Alexandr said as his sister paused the movie.

"Didn't you hear that noise?" He shook his head. Starla stood up, and looked around the corner of the television room – But the noise was coming from the kitchen area – but she could see the full picture of the kitchen, except for one angle. With a slow pace, she crept towards the opening, and froze.

"Who is it?" A voice asked from behind making her jump.

"Alex!" She whispered, holding her forefinger to her lips. "Shhh..."

"Sorry..."

The noise played off again, and Starla turned around. "Mom, dad?" She said.

"Hi honey, how was your day?" Rebecca asked, unpacking pieces of fabric from a cardboard box.

"It was good, Alexandr and I was just about to watch one of the videos dad put on the coffee table." She explained. "What are those?"

"This?" Rebecca laughed. "This are Alexandr's new clothes, or at least it will be, after Laetitia takes them under her wings." Starla nodded, the thought of the weird, old lady, who lived alone on the island part of the town, known as Rocky Island, made her smile. Although she looked like a witch, she sure baked good cookies and brownies, when Starla visited her, during the early stages of the three years.

"Well, don't let us hold you up with your movie, you can go. We got this." Conrad said, as he placed another box on the kitchen counter.

"Okay... see you guys then." They both nodded, and started to unpack the other pieces of clothing.

One thought was still unclear with her, because she sure thought that they would stay away for a long time. – Did they really change?