Chapter 5

The next day, Mai brought me some clothes to leave the hospital in: a pair of underwear, jeans, a t shirt, and shoes. The underwear surprisingly fit well but the shirt, pants and shoes were a little big. The nurse had me sign discharge papers then I got into the front seat of a red car.

We rode in silence. I stared out the window as unfamiliar sights passed by. I remembered us driving for a very long time when I was taken but it was dark so I couldn't tell where we were going.

I watched Mai out of the corner of my eye. No matter what happens I'm not letting my guard down. I did that once and looked where that got me. My hand rested on the bump that was forming.

"Mai, where are we?"

"We're in Stanford, Georgia."

"Georgia." I said slowly.

Could this be where I'm from? Why can't I remember?

We took a left and passed a green sign that said Outbrooks. It was a neighborhood with houses that all looked similar. We past a park and a pool before we turned into a paved drive way that led down to the backyard. A red sports car was already parked there. The house was white with green shutters. A wooden fence separated the house from its neighboring lots and the road.

"Good morning, Mrs. Adames!" A voice rang out from across the street.

The voice belonged to a guy that looked to be about my age. He was wearing shorts and a t shirt. The t-shirt was taught against his biceps. The white of his shirt looked brighter against his darker skin. He had dark brown hair that was cut short. He was cute.

"Good morning, Jordan! How's your mom and sisters?"

"They're doing good!"

"Good! Tell them I said hi."

"Sure will." He said as he walked back inti the house.

She turned back to me. "Well, this is home. It's nothing really special but.." she trailed off and shrugged. "My daughter and husband can't wait to meet you."

"You have a daughter?"

"Yes. Her name is Claire and she's the same age as you." Mai explained as she led me inside.

Two things happened as I walked through the door. First I was suddenly bombarded by a dog. It was small with black and fur. One of its eyes was an icy blue while the other was a muddy brown. It sniffed my feet curiously.

The second was tanned arms wrapped around me and squeezed. My eyes widened as I gasped from the pain.

"Claire Hollyn Adames! Stop it, you're hurting her." An older man was standing by a set of stairs. He was dark skinned with brown eyes. He was tall and muscled. Not the bulky muscles though but you could tell he worked out on a regular. He had on track pants and a dark tshirt. He gave me a small smile.

"Oops!" Claire exclaimed as she hastily let me go. Her hands flew to my stomach. "Is the baby okay? Did I hurt it."

"No, I was just surprised. That's all."

"Sorry about her. She can be excitable," the man's voice was warm. "Welcome to our home. My name is James. And this," he gestured to the ball of fluff that was still sniffing me. "Is Bailey."

"Hi," my voice barely a whisper. I scratched Bailey behind her ears as her tail wagged. Her fur was soft on my fingers. It was probably the softest thing I've ever touched.

Claire grabbed my hand. "Come on. I'll show you around."

I nervously looked back at Mai, who gave me a smile of encouragement. I allowed Claire to lead me away, the dog quickly on our heels.

"That's the living room over there." She pointed towards a room that had a couch, a coffee table, a bookshelf, and a flat screen tv mounted on the wall. Dog toys littered the floor.

Next room she showed me was the kitchen. The appliances were stainless steel with marble counters. An island sat in the middle of the room with chairs around it.

I followed Claire up the stairs and into a room with pink walls. Posters of boy bands I've never heard of were tacked up. Clothes and shoes littered the floor. A desk in the corner of the room was cluttered with makeup and textbooks. Her bed was pink and brown and had a matching pink rug in the center of her room.

"This is my room. The upstairs bathroom is across the hall. Mom and Daddy's room is next to the bathroom. Next to my room is the laundry room. And this-" she stopped in front of a door at the end of the hall. "Is your room."

I slowly walked into the room. My eyes wide in awe. The room was big, had its own bathroom and a walk in closet. A large bed sat against the back wall in the middle of the room. A dresser sat on either side of the bed. A tv sat on a tv stand in front of the foot of the bed. In the corner of the room sat a mini nursery with a crib and a changing table. A mobile hung over the crib. It had moons and stars.

"I'm actually kind of jealous. Mom and dad switched rooms so you'd have space for both yourself and the baby." Claire said as she followed me into the room.

"You can decorate it anyway you want."

I turned to find Mai standing in front of the door way, watching me.

"I just got my license last month. We can go to the store tomorrow to get whatever you want to decorate your room with. We also have to get you some clothes. Maternity clothes for now then after you have the baby we can get you more. If Mom lets me borrow the car." She looked at Mai hopefully.

"Why don't we all go." Mai suggested.

"But can I still drive?" Claire smiled sweetly.

Mai chuckled. "We'll see. Dinner will here soon. We're having chinese. Is that okay with you Rebel?"

I nodded. At this point, I'd eat anything as long as its not that hospital food.

"Okay, great!" She started to leave before coming back. "Oh I almost forgot. Here you go, Rebel."

She pulled something out of her back pocket and handed it to me. It was shiny pink and rectangular. A logo of what looked like an apple with a bite taken out of it was in white on the back

"Its an iPhone. I already programmed Claire's, James's and my own phone number into it. You can also download games and music too."

At the thought of music my face lit up. When I was taken music was my only friend. I would make up songs when I was bored. Singing brought me warmth to a cold and desolate world. As my body was being violated in the worst way possible, I would stare at the ceiling and sing quietly to myself until they were finished. Then I'd cry myself to sleep. Until it was time to do it all over again.

"Thank you."

"Claire, lets give Rebel some time to settle in okay?"

"Okay," Claire said stressing each syllable as she reluctantly left my side.

After they were gone, I walked over to the bed and ran my hand along the satin comforter. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I looked around the room, my new phone clutched tightly in my hand. My own room with a honest to goodness bed. It took me awhile but I successfully climbed onto the bed. It felt good to be in a real bed again. Judging by the movement in my stomach, I'm pretty sure she felt the same way.

The sound of a bell pulled me away from my thoughts. Soon after, I was joined by a panting Bailey. She walked over to me and layed her head on my stomach her mismatched eyes staring at me. I rubbed her head which she gratefully nudged her head against my hand signaling not to stop. Her warm fur against my tired body lulled me into a thankfully dreamless sleep.