T H R E E: We have a pool?!

Kara's POV.

"Hi" I say shyly. I Dont think I've very been this nervous in my life. Even when I kidnapped Dylan, I wasn't this nervous (maybe because I was intoxicated ;)

The little boy looked at the girl, then looked at me and then he ran up to me and hugged me.

I smiled goofily and hugged him back. Then after the girl uprooted the little boy from me, she gave me a lazy smile.

"Hey..I'm Mona..sorry about him..he's Casper by the way..he doesn't talk much..Damien is- Sorry! I hope I Dont creep you out" She rambled

Then Casper goes to hide behind Mona and smiles a bit showing me that his two front teeth are missing.

"Its okay..Mona..I'm Kara" I say trying my best to be polite and friendly

She smiles then takes a hold of my hand as Casper scrambled off.

"C'mon let me give you a grand tour!" She says

She didn't even ask. Well I'm not complaining, I actually don't mind. I just wouldn't have asked.

We head up a spiral of stairs which lead to the next floor.

"So this is the second floor? Of our ..house. Sorry I've never been a tour guide before"

I shrug "I've never been a tourist before" I say and she chuckles.

We walk through the hallways and she fills me in on ..our..family details.

"So what about Damien? Millie wouldn't stop talking about you guys and she mentioned Damien. Our supposed older brother? Sorry for prying" I ask. There are a million and one questions I can ask. One at a time, I wouldn't want to scare her off.

"Oh don't be ridiculous! Your not prying, we're your family now" She says

"Soo..Damien?"

"Well...he's in his room..and he doesn't like disturbance" She said. She obviously doesn't want to talk about it so I don't ask again.

Along the way, I learn a lot about my new..family. I can never get used to that.

So Mona is 18 like me and in her final year like me. Only she goes to a public school, and I've been home schooled my whole life. She said school resumes in a few weeks' time and the thought scares me. It's always been me, Lenny, Hannah and our textbooks.

Casper is four turning five, he never speaks, and the loudest noise they've ever heard him make is a giggle. Some shy boy he is.

And Damien.. Well..he's Mona's older brother. That's all she told me about him. I wonder when I'm going to meet him. He sounds...intriguing.

We come to a halt. "And this is what I like to call, our 'chill zone'. Its just for us kids, mom and dad get the living room and all that formal stuff. Its really nice and cozy here. We all used to hang out here until Damien shut me out. Well all of us..ever since Deborah ruined his life. She prefers 'Debby' but there's no way in hell that I'd ever call her that" She says as we both take a seat on the lazy boy recliners.

"I hope I'm not talking too much. I'm just so really excited. I finally have a sister! Do you know how it is, living with a nineteen year old boy who shuts me out and a little four year old who hardly talks either?! I bet you don't" She admits and I pity her. But only a bit though.

I chuckle "Well at least you didn't ever have to worry about money or the creepy old sound that comes from your bed or the weird whistling in the night or eating cold food and taking cold showers. Lucky you"

"Oh my God I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it that way! I just-"

"Its fine. Can we just move to my room already?" I say not wanting to fight her cause she didn't say it on purpose.

She still looks guilty but then she sprung up "Okay then! We've been to the library, the study, the ball room, dad's office, the home theater, the kitchen, the game room and the chill zone. Now to the bedrooms!" She said as she grabbed my arm and we walked up to another set of stairs.

I was getting tired but I didn't say anything. She must have noticed "There's an elevator. We can take that instead" She said giving me a knowing smile.

We walk to the elevator and get inside. Mona presses the button for the third floor. And from the map in here, that's where all the rooms are. And then I see a pool on there too.

"We have a pool?!" I blurt out almost in shock.

"Yeah..we could check it out later if you'd like" She said.

"I would" I said and I smiled

"You swim?"

"Actually, yeah" I've always been a great swimmer. When grandpa and I would go fishing, I'd somehow always end up in the water to retrieve one thing or the other and from time to time, I learned.

My heart ached at the thought of grandpa. Then I clutched my amulet. Mona gave me a weird look but before she could say anything, the elevator made a 'ding' noise, telling us we had reached our destination.

We step out and I stare in awe. It all still feels surreal.

She chuckled lightly then started pointing to whose room is whose.

"That's mom and dad's, the first door there, then there's Casper's opposite them and then there's mine across Damien's and yours is at the end of the hallway" She said

That's five doors. But their still two left. Mona notices my confusion "Those are guest rooms. Their are one more each one the other floors. Anna and Kristie stay in them" she said.

I would have asked who they were, but I'm too tired. I need some sleep.

We moved to her room because she said she had a gift for me.

Her room was pretty much what I guessed it to be.

She glanced around the room a bit, apparently looking for something and then her eyes light up as she reaches for it.

Its a tiffany box. And I only know because of the movies.

She gives it to me shyly and we both seat on her neatly layed bed.

I open the box with a goofy grin on my face and my expression quickly changes from happy to exquisite!

Its a charm bracelet and as far as charm bracelets go, its the best ever ever seen. (Not like I've seen much anyway)

"Mona..its..its..thank you!" I say and hug her. I can't believe I'm crying.

She smiles "Its a little gift. I'll give you a new bracelet on your birthday every year" She said

"Now I feel bad. I didn't get you anything.. I promise I will" I say after pulling out of the hug.

"Go on. Put it on" She encourages and so I wear it.

"Thank you" I say as I stand up, not being able to take my eyes off my wrist. There's a little red stone on it that I just noticed.

I look at her and she shrugged. Oh well, to my room.

===

My room is...

It's not exactly how I'd have loved my room to look like but its still better than my room back at the foster agency so its perfect.

I settle on the bed and before I know it, I drift off into dream land.

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