The Orb of "Unlimited" Power Ch. 1- Ch. 2

Chapter 1 - September 15, 1997

The day finally came. Evelyn Turner woke up before the sun had a chance to peak over the eastern horizon. She quickly showered, slapped on her makeup, put on her new dress, slipped on her favorite pair of black heels, and preceded downstairs into the kitchen to start breakfast. Today was the day. After two years of endless of paperwork and patience, it had finally come to an end. Her family would get to take their new adopted daughter home.

Evelyn couldn’t stop smiling as she stirred the watery eggs in the frying pan. If only noon would hurry up and get here. Two, large arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her gently back. She felt a peck on her cheek.

“Morning, honey,” her husband James whispered in her ear. He grabbed the half carton of eggs and returned them to the fridge.

“Morning,” she answered back. “Did you sleep well?”

James leaned up against the fridge. “Probably better than you did. How many times did you wake up last night?”

Evelyn reached for the nob on the stove and turned the heat up. “Only once.”

“Evie.”

“Alright, seven times,” she confessed.

James sighed. “You would think by the fourth time you’d be less anxious.”

“I’m not anxious,” Evelyn snapped.

“Evie.”

She sprinkled some salt and pepper into the pan. “Fine. I’m a little anxious. And technically,” she pointed the plastic spatula at him, “it’s the third time we’ve adoptive. Don’t forget we adopted Charlie and Hunter at the same time.”

“Right.”

The eggs had solidified and Evelyn transferred them over to a large glass plate. “Would you mind getting the hash browns and bacon out from the freezer please?” she asked as she scraped the leftover egg bits from the pan.

“Your wish is my command.” James retrieved two packages from the freezer and set them by the stone.

“My hero,” Evelyn smiled. “Now, breakfast should be ready in fifteen minutes. I just have to finish cooking these, and then I’ll cut up some fruit. Why not go wake up the boys?”

James glanced at his wrist watch. “I think you can take your time. It’s not even six thirty. You can always reheat the food in a couple of hours.”

Evelyn tore open the package of hash browns and dumped the contents into the frying pan. “I just want to make sure we’re all ready by noon.”

“We have plenty of time, Evie. How about this? I’ll wake up the boys in an hour, and let’s assume fifteen minutes for breakfast, then I’ll send the first one off for their shower, and by the time the rest of us have gotten ready, it’ll probably been around ten, which gives us plenty of time to take a deep breath and relax.”

Evelyn’s fore finger tapped the hilt of the spatula. Her left foot repeatedly scratched the back of her right ankle. She felt James’ arms around her waist again.

“What are you thinking?”

“Of all the things that could go wrong. Of everything that could keep us from her.” Or someone.

“Like what? A meteor crashing into town? A third world war starting? Aliens landing on top of the court house?”

She sighed in frustration. “I was thinking more of her father or mother suddenly showing up. Or a relative. Or the judge might cancel or our attorney calls and tells us something went wrong with the paper work and she now belongs to another family. You know realistic reasons as to why our new baby can’t join our family.”

James stepped back and leaned against the opposite counter. “She’s not a baby anymore. And if she’s sees you like this, she’s probably going to think something’s wrong.”

Evelyn turned around. “She’s two. She’s not going to notice if I’m anxious.”

“Just please promise me you won’t be glancing at the door every minute or people will think you’re going to make a run for it.

She laughed. “Fine. I promise I’ll calm down. Now, go shower, Mr. Turner or no breakfast for you.”

James lightly laughed as he left the kitchen and made his way upstairs. The hash browns had now turned a light, crispy shade of brown. Evelyn got out another large plate and emptied the pan. She sideway glanced at her own wrist watch; a small golden chain with a flower shaped clock face; a gift from James when they had started dating. It was now six thirty. James was right. She needed to relax. But why was this time more unnerving? With Stephan, his birth mom had been there, she was very happy to give Stephan a better home than the one she could offer him, as long as she could still see him. Evelyn had no problem with that. And she liked Leslie. Though, to have a kid at seventeen, she couldn’t imagine. With the identical twins, there was no mother. The father disappeared when they were born. The mother died of starvation. Apparently, she did everything she could to keep her sons alive. Evelyn would’ve loved to have met her. From what the mother’s neighbors said about her, she was a very independent “I can do it myself; I don’t need any help” type of woman. Sometimes, Evelyn imaged herself in that broken down apartment the police had found the twins in. She imagined herself holding the twin’s mother’s hand as she slowly passed away and telling her that she would take care of her children and give them all the love in the world. It was a silly fantasy, according to James, but Evelyn still would’ve liked to have met the woman.

But now this new girl, she was surrounded in mystery. The poor girl was left at the doorstep of the adoption center downtown. After being taken into the hospital, the nurses said that she might’ve been born that very night or even that very day. No one knew where the mother or father was. The only thing they knew about the girl was her name. Alaine. Someone, maybe one of her parents, had burned her name into the horse hide that was wrapped around her. Horse hide! There were no ranches in or outside of town. And if there were, who in their right mind would skin a horse? Even looking at rabbit fur or deer hide in a store made Evelyn uneasy. How could anyone skin such a beautiful creature? Evelyn shook her head and tried to think of something else. She laid the bacon out on the pan and in a matter of second the smell of bacon spread throughout the house.

Stephan was the first of the three to appear. He yawned his way to the table, scratching his unruly, red hair. He was tall for a seven-year-old. Leslie said he would take after his father, who absolutely wanted nothing to do with the boy. Evelyn couldn’t help, but agreed. Anyone boyfriend who abandoned his girlfriend when she was in labor was not welcomed in this house. And besides, James was a far better father figure than that young boy.

“Good morning, Stephan,” Evelyn called over.

There was no reply. She glanced over and slowly smiled. Stephan had his head resting on his plate, snoring softly. “Stephan?” she called again.

Stephan jolted awake and blinked rapidly. He stretched his arms. “Hi, mom.”

“Do you want something to drink?”

“Hmm . . . sure. Juice.” He laid his head back down on the table.

Evelyn turned each bacon strip over, and then went to the fridge and brought out the orange juice. She filled a glass for Stephan and set it beside him. She kissed the top of his head and returned to the stove.

At seven, the five-year-old twins had made their way downstairs. The morning breakfast aromas had completely awoken their appetites. Stephan was nearly done with his food when James came back down. He wore a nice, tan shirt and black dress pants and black shoes. His dark, wet hair had been combed nicely back. James sat with the three boys and dished up his plate.

“Looks wonderful, honey.” He gave her a wink. Evelyn stood behind the counter watching all four of her boys eat and jokingly poke each other with their forks. Just think; Alaine would be sitting at this very table tomorrow, if everything went according to plan. And it better.

The boys finished their meal and James sent Stephan off to take his shower and put on his nice clothes. The twins wanted to play, and so they went out into the small backyard and chased each other around. James cleaned up the dishes and Evelyn started putting the food away.

“Did you even eat?” James asked.

She shook her head.

“Evie.”

“I’m not hungry. I’ll eat this afternoon. There’ll be plenty of food at the party.”

“Right. I’m glad you brought that up. Your mom called and said that her and dad would leave right after and come here to set up.”

Evelyn grabbed a dry dish cloth and began drying the wet dishes. “Oh, they don’t need to do that.”

“She insisted. And you know how scary your mother can be when she wants her way. She said she wanted everything to be ready by the time we came home, instead of everyone arriving at the same time and the house isn’t ready.”

“Oh, fine. I just hate it when she rearranges my kitchen.” They finished cleaning the rest of the dishes and kitchen by seven thirty.

For the next hour, James had to chase down the twins and get them both into the bathroom upstairs. Evelyn spent most of the time trying to brush Stephan’s hair flat, but it would not budge. By nine forty-five everyone was looking their best. James suggested a movie downstairs in the basement, and it helped to pass the time quickly, even though Evelyn kept glancing at her watch every five minutes. By eleven, Evelyn was pacing the short hallway from the kitchen to the front door. James recommended a short walk in the park just down the street. Evelyn liked the idea. Fresh air and the twins would be able to get out some of their energy.

James kept an eye on Charlie and Hunter, chasing each of them away from the playground so they wouldn’t get their clothes and themselves dirty. Stephan and Evelyn held hands and laughed as they watch the other three running around. The family walked fifteen minutes one way, and then headed back to the house, and finally they all piled into their white van and drove to the courthouse.

Everyone the Turners had invited showed up on time. And then the ceremony began. The Turner’s attorney introduced the family to the court, and then proceeded to ask Evelyn and James a few questions about their family. Once that was done, the judge spoke, first saying how much he enjoyed adoption ceremonies, and then he gave the name Turner to Alaine and pounded his gavel. The entire Turner family went up to the stand and pictures were taken of the family and their new addition. Everyone exited the courthouse and Evelyn exhaled. James held Alaine in his arms and came up to her.

“You okay?”

“I am now,” she smiled. She reached for Alaine and James placed the little girl in her arms. “Hey, sweetie, you hungry?”

Alaine rested her head on Evelyn’s shoulder and sucked on her thumb. She nodded into Evelyn’s shoulder.

“Okay, we’ll go home.”

Everyone drove to the Turner’s and enjoyed a potluck lunch and celebrated Alaine into the Turner family.

Chapter 2 - July 20, 1998

Today was Alaine’s third birthday. The Turner’s threw a princess themed party and invited a few close friends with their children, grandparents, and neighbors over to their house. The children spent the majority of the time in the backyard, pretending that the small jungle gym was a castle and all the boys attacked it with their foam swords while all the girls screamed and tried to run and hide. After a while they got tired of playing in the backyard and so they had a tea party out in the front yard. The boys, however, save for one, thought a tea party was too girly and refused to join in. Since it was Alaine’s birthday, she was the hostess and served all the other girls and the only boy their pretend tea, bowing gracefully with her pinky out. The children were having a blast as the grownups stood by the front window and watched from inside the house.

Most of the adults went back to the kitchen for food, but Evelyn and her friend Harriet stayed by the window. “Wow, I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since she’s lived with you guys. Does she like it?” asked Harriet.

Evelyn nodded. “Yes. I think she does. She’s seems happy at least. All three of our boys have taken her under their protection. Especially Stephan. He absolutely loves her.” Evelyn moved the drapes to the side and watched as her daughter took a sip from her plastic tea cup. Her silver, plastic tiara glittered in the sunlight.

“Does she understand where she came from? Have you told her, yet?”

“I think she does a little, but I’m not sure. We’re planning on telling her when she’s five.” She exhaled. “I’m kind of scared. I’m not sure how she’ll take it.”

Harriet placed her hand on Evelyn’s shoulder. “It’ll be fine. It will go as well as it did with your boys.”

Evelyn nodded. She once again looked out at the tea party, and then laughed. Alaine was scolding her friend Matthew as he was picking up his fallen tea cup off the ground.

“Evelyn, do you see that man?”

She glanced at Harriet. “What man?”

Harriet pointed to across the street. “See? In between those two houses. Do you recognize him?”

Evelyn spotted a man wearing a brown trench coat standing in a driveway directly across from the house. “No, I don’t. Maybe he’s a relative of theirs.”

“Maybe, but what’s he looking at?”

Evelyn tried to follow his line of sight. The man stood perfectly still, his fists clenched, as he watched the children. To Evelyn, he almost seemed wistful. “Hmm. I think it’s time we brought the children in. I don’t like the look of him.” Harriet agreed. Right as they were about to head to the front door, the man slowly began walking down the driveway, but then he stopped, still staring at the children. Evelyn quickly went to the front door and called the kids to come in. All of them whined at once. Evelyn looked back at where the man was, but he was gone. “Harriet,” Evelyn called behind her, “did you see where he went?”

Harriet came to the door. “No, I didn’t. Maybe he went inside.” She stepped out onto the concrete porch and held her hand out to the young boy. The boy moaned and dragged his feet across the concrete pathway. “Matthew, stop whining. Now, come inside.”

The rest of the girl held their heads down as they made their way inside. Alaine was the last. She pulled on her mom’s apron. “Mommy, why do we have to go inside?”

Evelyn knelt down and tried to come up with an excuse. “It’s just too hot out, sweetie. Aren’t you hot inside your pink dress?”

Alaine scrunched her nose. “No.”

“How about we continue the tea party inside? Would that be all right?”

Her face softened. “Okay,” Alaine sighed. She went inside and Evelyn went to collect the items off the small, plastic tea table.

“Excuse me, ma’am.”

Evelyn looked up. It was the man in the trench coat. “Can I help you?”

The man ran his fingers through his dark, shaggy hair. His clothes, mostly his trench coat, were tattered and worn. He looked to be in his mid or late-twenties. “Your daughter, the one who just went inside, what’s her name?”

Evelyn frowned. “Why do you want to know her name? Who are you?”

The front door opened and James popped his head out. “Honey, Alaine wants to open her presents now.” James suddenly noticed the man. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt. Hello. Do I know you?”

Evelyn noticed a faint smile on the man’s lips as he stared at the ground. He suddenly looked up at James. “No, you don’t. Sorry to bother you. Uh, could you please tell me in which direction the nearest,” the man furrowed his brow, “what do you call them? It starts with a B. Those big white cars that transport people all over.” He scratched the side of his head.

“Are you looking for the bus stop?” James frowned.

The man beamed. “Yes, bus! That was the word! Yes, the bus stop. Which way do I go?”

James slightly frowned as he pointed down the street. “At the corner make a left and go two blocks and you’ll reach one. Can’t miss it.”

“Thank you very much. Have a pleasant day!” The man turned and quickly walked down the sidewalk, glancing back a couple of times.

James came over and picked up the table. He then noticed Evelyn’s grave expression. “Is something the matter?”

“He was watching the children earlier.”

“So?”

“He wanted to know Alaine’s name.”

“Why?” he asked as they went inside.

“I don’t know. But he seemed happy when you said her name. James,” Evelyn pulled at his arm, “you don’t think that was her birth father, do you?”

James set the table down. The sound of screaming children running around the house drowned out their voices. “No, of course not. He looks nothing like her. But . . .” James glanced back at the closed front door. “It’ll be fine, Evelyn. No one is going to take her away from our family. She’s ours. And if they do, we will fight for her. All right?”

Evelyn nodded, though not entirely convinced. “All right.”