"Is she alive?" "I dunno. Poke her, see what happens." "I don't want to, you do it." I awoke to these two small voices the following morning. The owners gasped when I sat up and looked at them. I knew I wasn't a morning person but this was a bit too much. The two girls, looking not even over the age of ten, fled towards the house next door; their sneakers pounding on the asphalt driveway and their blond ponytails bobbing. Then a door slammed shut, the noise echoing throughout the empty street. I dismissed the strange behavior and yawned. I must have looked like a wreck: my wrinkled and dirty clothes to go along with a mess of hair and assumed bloodshot eyes. After blinking several times, I rested my elbows on my knees and chin in my hand. What an awful way to spend a night, on someone's doorstep. Then, remembering why I had come here in the first place, analized lastnight's events. It wouldn't be too much longer before Nick came looking for me. These thoughts consumed my mind until the sound of a bouncing basketball shattered them. I hatefully looked to my left for the culpret. A boy, atleast I was guessing it was a boy, stood in the drivway next door continuing the confounded sound. He must have been aware that his presense was not welcome but had the nerve to walk over to me anyway. "Hey," he said as he was approaching. I was the type of person who required a certain amount of space in order to be comfortable; this bot was invading it. "Hi," I replied, emphasizing an annoyed tone to make him realize he had rudely interrupted my thinking. Silence. He remained in front of me, tossing the ball back and forth from hand to hand. "Must you do that?" I asked him as politely as I could. He ignored my question and asked me one of his own,"Did you hear about what happened at this house last night?" It seemed kind of hard to avoid it but my lying skills got the best of me,"No, what?" "Some kids broke in here and just about ransacked the whole place. My mom called the cops and two of them were arrested," he said. My God, he's that woman's son I thought. I was automatically entitled to hate him too. "Boy...that's a shame," I told him as if I really cared. "Yeah, but ya know what the stupidest thing is? They ran out of the police station lastnight and never got caught. Must be pretty dumb people," he snorted. "Now, how the hell would you know why they did that? Maybe they had a good reason," I objected and stood up to face him. Damnit Sidney, there you go again. He held up his hands in defense," Ok, sorry. You win, don't bite my head off or anything."
I would have thought of apologizing but the sound of a motherly voice prevented me from doing so,"Taylor! Honey? It's time for breakfast!" "I'm commin mom!" he yelled back to her. She stepped out onto the front doorstep and looked over to us. Her mouth dropped open when she saw me. "Talyor, get inside," she sternly ordered him. I watched him shrug at me and then do as his mother instructed. She watched me for another moment after he had disappeared inside the house. This wasn't good. She knew Nick and I had escaped from police custody and now she had living proof- me.
"Sidney, 500 dollars!" Mr. Phillips raised his voice at me later that afternoon "That's money we could spend in other areas of the household." What household I thought, the house was empty all the time, there was nothing to hold. See, he was just reacting to the amount of money we had been fined since of what I did last night. Mr. and Mrs. Phillips were not my real family, of course. Leagally they were my parents, but to me they were only the people who financially supported me. My last name is Banks. Sidney Banks. Not Sidney Phillips. I like to clear that up for anyone who might question it. These people knew nothing about raising children, let alone a fourteen-year-old girl. I had been adopted two years ago purely for an image to be placed on Mr. Phillips. The company he was trying to get a job with was looking for 'family men' and since Mrs. Phillips can't have children herself, I appeared out of nowhere. Actually, I appeared from Salem, Oregon- my home. The same home where I had been given up for adoption by my teenage mother when I was two. But I wasn't alone, my fraternal twin brother, Jason, was with me. Ask me where he is now and I couldn't tell you; we were split apart when we were seven and sent to live with different families. Of course no one would keep me very long, I was what they like to call a 'problem child'. Obviously the Phillips were desperate enough to want to me as a part of their artificial little family. It's not like I would object to a permanent home with a somewhat stable life. Plus the people were loaded. So, from chilly Salem to sunny Miami I went to leave the past behind me.
[Chapter Three]