The Orb of "Unlimited" Power Ch. 4

Chapter 4

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! I jerked awake.

“Lainy! Mom says you need to wake up or you won’t get breakfast!”

I squirmed around in my covers and moaned.

“LAINY!” The door knob jiggled. “I’m coming in!”

I threw the covers over my head as the door opened. Someone started pulling on the covers. “Go away, Hunter!”

“Lainy, it’s time for school! We need to go!” The covers ripped off.

“GO AWAY!” I screamed into the pillow. He grabbed both of my ankles and pulled me off of the bed. I fell to the floor with a thud. “Ow! Hunter!” I scrabbled up and tried to grab him.

He dodged my hands and ran from my room. I tore after him and we bolted down the stairs.

“Mom! Lainy’s chasing me again!” He ran into the kitchen where mom was.

She stood by the stove, on the phone. “Yes, I know Harriet, but tomorrow doesn’t work for me. How about next week?”

Hunter ran behind her and peaked around her side. I grabbed a plastic fork from the counter and pointed it at him. “Mom! She’s going to hurt me!”

Mom put the phone on her shoulder. “Hunter, please!” She glared at me. “Alaine put that fork down, right now!”

I ignored her and continued walking toward Hunter. She picked up the phone and put it to her ear. “Harriet? Sorry. Can you hold on for a minute? Harriet? Are you there?”

“Mom, she’s going to get me!” Hunter squealed.

“Stop waking me up and pulling me off my bed!” I shouted. I charged, but mom grabbed my wrist in a single motion and pushed Hunter to the side.

“Both of you stop it! Hunter, go to your room! Alaine put that fork down NOW!”

Hunter ran off. Mom still held my wrist. Her grip tightened.

“Mom, you’re hurt my wrist,” I complained. The fork fell from my hand and clanked to the white tiles.

Mom still had the phone to her ear. “Harriet? Harriet, you there? What was that noise? Harriet, answer me!”

“Mom, my wrist!” I cried.

She let go and grabbed my shoulder. “Sorry, sweetie. Please go to your dad’s study.”

Her voice was shaking.

I ran from the room as she continued to call Harriet’s name. Harriet was Matthew’s mom. She was nice. She always had mints whenever I came over to play with Matthew. I slid the door to dad’s study open and closed it behind me, but left a crack open just enough to hear mom.

“Hello? Who is this? Where’s Harriet?” Her shoes clinked against the floor. “What?! Are you sure? Where are you? Okay, thank you.” The phone beeped. “Stephan!” Her voice trailed off to the basement. A minute later I heard them both come up. “Look, I need you to watch your brothers and sister for a little while, okay?”

“Why mom?” Stephan whined.

“Something’s come up. I’ll call your dad and see if he can come home early. Just don’t let anyone leave the house? Do you understand?”

“Yes, mom.”

“Okay, thank you. I’ll be back soon.” Keys jiggled and the front door opened and closed with a bang.

I opened the sliding door and came out into the kitchen. “Where did mom go?”

He shrugged as he opened the fridge. “I dunno know. Why are you up so early?”

“Don’t we have school?”

Stephan raised his red eyebrows. “It’s Saturday.”

My fists tightened. “I hate Hunter so much.”

“Yeah, we all do. Are you hungry?”

I crossed my arms. “No. I’m going back to bed.”

“I’ll be downstairs, and hey, if you wake up before mom or dad come home, don’t leave the house. Okay?”

“Okay,” I said. I walked back upstairs to my room and shut the door behind me. I collapsed into my bed and tried to block out Stephan shouting around the house for Charlie.

•••

When I woke up, the shadows in my room had changed places. The covers were still on the floor and the door was still closed. At first I didn’t hear anything, but then after a few seconds I heard very faintly someone crying downstairs. I got out of bed and slowly opened the door. The crying grew louder. I softly stepped out into the hallway and saw Stephan, Hunter, and Charlie kneeling near the top of the stairs.

“What’s happening? Who’s crying?” I asked while I rubbed my eyes.

All three of my brother’s put their finger to their lips and shushed me. Stephan held his hand out to me and I took it. He led my right to him and I sat on his lap.

He wrapped his arms around me. “You have to be quiet, okay?”

“What’s happening?” I whispered.

“Mom’s crying.”

“Why?”

“Matthew’s mom died.”

Died? “Why did she die?”

“I think she got in a car accident.”

We sat in silence as we listened to mom cry. No one wanted to go downstairs. I understood what death was. I remembered a squirrel lying on the ground in the park. I thought it was sleeping and so I brought it home so it would be more comfortable. Mom wasn’t very happy when she found the squirrel tucked in my bed. She told me it was dead, and then explained to me what death was. She said it was like if everyone had a candle burning in them keeping them alive, but if someone or something came along and blew out their candle, they wouldn’t be alive anymore. And so, the squirrel’s candle blew out. Mom said it was very sad when someone died and that we should try to comfort the people closest to the person who had died. I’m sure dad was already comforting mom, but who was comforting Matthew and his dad? I squirmed out of Stephan’s arms and climbed downstairs. Charlie and Hunter hissed at me to come back, but I ignored them and snuck out of the house.

I found myself standing in front of Matthew’s house. I’ve been here so many times I memorized each and every twist and turn on how to get here. It’s wasn’t far from where we lived. Just three streets down. There were two police cars parked on the street. Their lights weren’t on, which was disappointing because I liked the blinking red and blue lights; the siren wasn’t very nice, though. The front door was opened. I went in. The living room was crowded with tall men in black police uniforms. I saw Mr. Hart on his couch. A woman, Matthew’s aunt, sat next to him, rubbing his back as he cried into his hands. No one seemed to notice me as I made my way across the house to the back. Matthew wouldn’t be in his room. He didn’t have a door. His dad liked to building stuff in the backyard and so he would use any wood around the house that his mom didn’t think was “house structure essential,” or something like that.

I went out the backdoor, avoided the scattered nails and wood dust piles on the yellow grass with my bare feet, and hopped over to the oddly shaped wooden structure that Mr. Hart said was a clubhouse. I pulled the two blue tarps apart and went in. Matthew sat in the far corner, hugging his knees. His face was red and there were tears running down his cheeks. He was scratching a small piece of wood and staring at the wall.

“Hi,” I whispered.

He stayed silent. He didn’t even look up at me with his usual smile.

I folded my hands behind my back as I made my way over to him. He continued to scratch at the wood. Small pieces fell onto his bare feet. I knelt down next to him, wrapped my arms around him, and rested my chin on his shoulder. I wonder how long it takes to comfort someone. Mom didn’t say. Well, it didn’t matter how long. I’d comfort Matthew until he felt comforted.

•••

“Oh, there you are!”

We jerked awake.

“I’ve been so worried. Oh, hi, Alaine. I didn’t know you were here.” Matthew’s aunt crawled into the clubhouse. “Your mom called and asked if you were over here. About an hour ago. She sounded worried. I think you should head home. I’ll call her and tell her you’re on your way, okay?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t leave Matthew. He needed me. “I want to stay,” my voice cracked.

“You two must’ve been out here for a long time. Are you hungry? Why not come inside and get some food?” She reached her hand out to me.

I removed my arm from around Matthew’s neck and took his hand. Food sounded good.

“Come on. I’m hungry.”

Again, he didn’t say anything, but he let me drag him outside, and we all went into the house. The policemen were gone. Mr. Hart was in the kitchen putting something into the microwave. When he turned around I gasped. His face was red also, and when his head tilted I could see old tear tracks on his cheeks. His eyes were so sad and his mouth looked as if it hadn’t smiled in a really long time.

Mr. Hart seemed to try to smile when he saw me, but it looked like his lips didn’t want to work. “Oh, Alaine. When did you get here?”

I shrugged.

“You probably heard then from your mom?” He cleared his throat. “About my wife?”

I nodded. “I came to comfort Matthew.”

The corner of Mr. Hart’s mouth slightly turned up. “That’s very sweet of you. Thank you. Would you like something to eat?”

At that moment, my stomach growled softly. “Yes, please.”

“Alright. I’ll heat up some frozen mac-and-cheese for you. How about you Matthew?”

I looked at Matthew. He was different. Normally, he’d be loud and excited all the time. It was weird how quiet he was. “I can feed him, Mr. Hart.”

The other corner of his mouth turned up. “Thank you, Alaine.”

Matthew’s aunt had gone into the living room. We could hear her talk on her phone. “Hi, Evelyn? This is Jackie. I found Alaine. She and Matthew were in the clubhouse. She’s fine. . . Okay, we’ll see you soon then. Bye.”

I led Matthew to the kitchen table and we sat down. His aunt came into the kitchen and set her phone on the counter. “Alaine, your mom’s coming to pick you up soon. So, I don’t think you’ll have time to eat.”

“Oh, leave them alone, Jackie,” Mr. Hart said. “She can have supper with us. And Evelyn can stay too if she wants.”

“Dennis, I don’t think you and Matthew should have company right now. I think you two should go get some rest.”

Mr. Hart stuck a frozen container of mac-and-cheese into the microwave. “I’m not tired.”

He pressed a button and the microwave started humming.

Matthew’s aunt walked over to Mr. Hart. “Dennis, please. It’s been a long day. I just think¬¬-”

Mr. Hart put his hand up. “No. I just want to have supper with my son and his friend. You can either join us or go home. Your choice.” The microwave beeped, making me jump. Mr. Hart dished up a couple of plates for Matthew and me, and then he joined us at the table. Matthew was still staring at the ground.

I took his fort and struck it into a noodle and held the fork close to his mouth. “Look, I won’t eat unless you eat, and you should know that I haven’t eaten all day and I’m really hungry. So, please eat so I won’t starve.”

His head lifted up and he stared at me with his sad blue eyes. He opened his mouth and I softly stuck the fork in. He took the fork from me and started eating on his own, and I started on my own food.

The living room clock ticked on and on. The forks clicked against the glass plates and Matthew’s aunt kept pressing buttons on her phone. I felt like I should say something, but I wasn’t sure what to say. Then the doorbell rang. Matthew’s aunt left and came back with mom.

“Dennis.” Her face was red as well.

Mr. Hart stood up, and he and mom hugged.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered as a single tear fell from her eye. They pulled apart and Mr. Hart nodded. Mom glanced at me. “Alaine, I think it’s time for us to go.” She looked really tired. I probably shouldn’t try to argue with her.

I looked over at Matthew again. He was back at staring at the floor. “I have to go,” I told him. “But I can come back tomorrow.” He didn’t seem to notice that I was talking to him. Whoever this person was next to me wasn’t Matthew. Where did my best friend go?

“Come on, Alaine,” mom urged. I got out of my seat and took her hand. “Dennis, if you and Matthew need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. We’re here for you.”

“Thank you, Evelyn.” Mr. Hart knelt down and took my hand. “And thank you for coming to see us, Lainy. Although, Matthew isn’t saying anything right now, I’m sure I can speak for him and say he really appreciates your friendship.”

I nodded my head. “Goodbye, Mr. Hart. Bye Matthew.”

Mom and I left their house, which to me seemed really sad. The house kind of looked like it was wilting like a dead rose or a newspaper left out in the rain. We got into the car and I strapped myself in my car seat. Mom was quiet the whole ride back home. I waiting for her to yell at me for leaving the house without telling her, but she didn’t. She pulled into our driveway and I got out. Dad was at the door waiting for us.

“Hey, sweetie,” he greeted me. He kissed mom on the cheek and closed the door behind us.

“I’m feeling a little tired, honey,” mom told dad. “I think I’ll go to bed.”

“Wait,” he grabbed her wrist. “Do you want to do it tomorrow then or should we just plan on another day?”

Mom glanced at me for a moment. “Yeah, let’s do it tomorrow morning. Maybe before the boys are up.”

“Alright.” He let go. “Sleep well. I love you.”

She nodded her head and tried to smile. I could see her tears filling up in her eyes. She slowly walked up the stairs and disappeared around the corner.

“You hungry, sweetie?” dad asked.

I shook my head. “I think I’ll go to bed, too.”

“Really? It’s,” he glanced at his wrist watch, “only four o’clock. Did you have breakfast this morning?”

I shook my head.

“Lunch?”

Again, I shook my head.

He sighed. “Come on let’s get some food in you. Then you can go to bed.”

I followed him to the kitchen and he fixed me a sandwich, but I wasn’t hungry; the mac-and-cheese filled me up. “Where’s Stephan?” I asked.

Dad stood at the sink washing dishes. “I think him and the boys when to the park.”

“Oh.” I stared at my sandwich with the lettuce and turkey poking out.

“Dad?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m not hungry.”

He turned around. “How about you eat half of that sandwich?”

“Okay.” I took two bites and ran upstairs to my room before he had time to notice. I pulled my covers back onto my bed and fell in. I shut my eyes as tight as I could and wished that this was all a dream and that this day never happened because never in my whole life have I ever see Matthew so sad.

•••

“Sweetie, wake up.”

My eyes cracked open. Someone was rubbing my back. Mom. I rolled over.

“Morning.” She smiled as she kissed my forehead. “Sorry to wake you up so early, but dad and I need to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“Why don’t you come downstairs into the study?”

“Okay,” I moaned. I dragged myself out of bed and followed her downstairs. She seemed a little less sad today. Dad sat at his desk chair staring at his computer. He turned off the screen as mom and I came in and sat on the leather, squishy couch.

“Morning, Lainy,” dad smiled. I gave him a small smile. My eyes kept drooping. I glanced out at the only window in the room. The sky was a light shade of pink.

“Look, Lainy, your mom and I need to tell you something that’s really important.”

“What is it?” I yawned.

Mom took my hand. “Sweetie, do you know what adoption means?”

I shook my head. The word sounded familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I heard it.

“Okay. Remember when your aunt Becky had that really big tummy? She was growing a baby inside of her. But with you, I never had you in my tummy.”

Huh? “Where did I come from?” I asked.

She placed her arm around me. “You came from your birth mom’s tummy.”

“But you’re my mom.”

“I’m not your birth mom, the woman who gave birth to you.”

“So, where’s my birth mom?” Mom glanced at dad.

“We don’t know, Lainy,” dad answered. “We don’t know where your birth dad is either.”

“Then where did I come from?”

Mom took in a deep breath. “You know how Matthew’s mom works,” she paused, “worked with all of those children? She actually works for an adoption agency. Some parents aren’t able to take care of their children or their parents die, and so the children are taken and sent to live with a new family, sometimes forever. That’s what happened with you. We adopted you.”

I frowned, not really understanding what she was saying. “So my birth mom and dad are dead?”

Mom was about to answer, but dad cut in. “We don’t know. The agency doesn’t know either. Where you originally come from is a mystery. They found you-”

“Honey,” mom interrupted.

“Evelyn, she should know. Do you want to get the blanket?”

Mom sighed and then nodded. She left the room.

Dad got up from his chair and came and sat beside me. “Lainy, someone left you outside the adoption center downtown. Luckily, there was someone inside who found you. Matthew’s mom was called in, and later she called us. She actually emailed a picture of you to us and we wanted you immediately.”

Mom returned with a white blanket tucked under her arm. She sat on the opposite side of me and handed me the blanket. “You were only wearing this when they found you.”

The blanket felt really soft, but on one side of it there were burnt marks.

“What happened to the blanket?” I asked.

“Here,” mom unfolded the blanket out and laid it across me. The blanket had two sides: one was really soft and fuzzy, and the other side wasn’t fuzzy. If felt kind of smooth, but a little rough in some places.

“These are letters. Do you recognize the name? A-L-A-I-N-E.”

I squinted at the letters. Mom had only just started to teach me how to read and write a few weeks ago, but the first thing she taught me was how to write my name. “It’s me!” I beamed.

Dad laughed. “Yes, that’s your name.”

I ran a finger across each letter. “This doesn’t feel like my normal blankets.”

“You’re right,” mom said. “I think this blanket was made from a horse. Maybe your parents kept horses or worked on a ranch.”

An image of my birth parents started forming in my head, but their faces were fuzzy. My birth dad wore a cowboy hat and outfit and my birth mom wore a long, pink and white checkered dress. Her hair was split into two braids. “Why did they give me away?”

“We don’t know,” dad answered. “Maybe they couldn’t take care of you. Sometimes parents give their children away because they think they have a better chance at living a good life than the one they could offer.”

Mom rubbed my back as dad watched me continue to run my hand across the horse fur. “Can I go back to bed?”

“Really?” he seemed surprised. “We thought you would have more questions. Stephan and the boys sure did.”

“What?”

“Well, your brothers are adopted, too.”

“Really? Just like me?”

“Well, their situations were different. Stephan’s birth mom carried him when she was really young. She really wanted to go to school and keep working, but she also wanted to keep him. But eventually, she realized that he would be better off in a more stable home. So, she gave him to us. Do you remember that red-headed woman Leslie who comes to Stephan’s birthday parties and once she came here for Christmas? That’s his birth mom.”

“Really? What about Hunter and Charlie?"

“We don’t know where their birth dad is,” mom said, “but their mom died when they were a year old. And the police found them.”

“But,” I frowned, “why did you want us? Why didn’t you want to carry a baby in your tummy?”

Mom bit her bottom lip and so dad answered for her. “Your mom and I can’t have our own babies. We tried, but something was wrong with us. But it doesn’t matter because we were blessed with the four of you. And we couldn’t be happier. We love you all so much.”

I’ve never felt a horse before. I wonder what the horse’s name was.

“Sweetie?” Mom ran her fingers through my short hair. “If you have any questions don’t be afraid to ask.”

I lay down and rested my head on mom’s lap. She helped place the horse blanket over me. It felt funny against my bear arms. “What were they called?”

She continued to run her fingers through my hair. It felt nice. “I don’t know. They’re a mystery.”

A mystery. “Well, maybe they’ll come here and say they can take care of me.”

“Sweetie, I don’t think they know where you are.”

“Can we go look for them?”

She didn’t answer.

“Mom?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m tired.”

“Okay.” She took the blanket off and folded it up for me. It wasn’t a huge blanket. It was maybe as tall as me. She gave me the horse blanket and I went back to my room. I took the covers off and replaced them with the horse blanket and crawled underneath. But I couldn’t go back to sleep. I tried to picture my birth parents, but it was like when I got to try Charlie’s glasses. Everything was really fuzzy and mom and dad kept jumping into my head. So I just lay on my bed and imaged the three of us living on a farm with white horses.