Chapter 3

Alistair's sleek sports car purred to a halt in front of Dolores' foster home, the stark contrast to Grimstone's gothic architecture almost comical. As Dolores reached for the door handle, Alistair leaned across the passenger seat, a reassuring smile playing on his lips. "Don't sweat today, Dolores," he said, his voice warm. "Tomorrow will be brighter. No coffee stains, I promise."

Dolores offered a hesitant smile, a flicker of hope battling the weariness in her eyes. "Thanks, Alistair," she mumbled, stepping out of the car. She waved as his taillights disappeared into the twilight, the silence settling around her like a heavy cloak.

With a sigh that carried the weight of the day, Dolores pushed open the creaking front door. The familiar, almost comfortable disarray greeted her – scattered toys, unwashed dishes overflowing in the sink, the stale scent of neglect clinging to the air. This was her reality, a reality she shared with two younger foster siblings, Melissa, a fourteen-year-old whirlwind of adolescent angst, and Brian, a rambunctious six-year-old with a boundless energy that often bordered on chaos.

Their foster parents, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, were a study in misfortune. Mr. Johnson was a chronic drunk, fueled by a bitterness that manifested in a perpetual scowl and the occasional drunken tirade. He only tolerated the foster children for the meager income they brought in. Mrs. Johnson, a perpetually bruised woman who worked long hours at a convenience store, tried in vain to hold the fragile family unit together. Though the bruises were blamed on clumsy falls, Dolores knew better. The woman's quiet strength and forced smiles evoked nothing but pity in her.

Despite the dysfunction, Dolores played the role of surrogate older sister to perfection. Melissa, though prone to teenage rebellion and barbed pronouncements, had a soft spot for Dolores. For Brian, Dolores was a hero, a protector, a source of unwavering affection.

The house seemed strangely quiet as Dolores started towards the stairs. Halfway up, a voice, filled with a weariness that mirrored her own, echoed from the living room. It was Mrs. Johnson.

Dolores turned, her gaze falling on the woman's bruised face, the harsh reality of her home life momentarily eclipsing the chaos of Grimstone.

"Dolores, honey," Mrs. Johnson whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "You're back."

Dolores' heart ached for the woman. "Just got home, Mrs. Johnson," she said gently. "Is everything alright?"

Mrs. Johnson strained attempt at a smile tugging at the corners of her bruised lips, "How was Grimstone?"

"It was… something," Dolores replied, her voice devoid of emotion.

Mrs. Johnson reached out, her hand trembling slightly. "Is everything alright? Did you settle in at the new school?"

Dolores hesitated, torn between the need to confide and the desire to protect Mrs. Johnson from her own troubles. "It's… different," she finally managed, unable to bring herself to share the details of the coffee or restroom incident.

"Different can be good," Mrs. Johnson offered, her voice laced with a hope that seemed to surprise even her. "Maybe this is a fresh start for you, Dolores. A chance to be whoever you want to be."

Dolores stared at her foster mother, the woman's words resonating in the silence. A chance to be whoever you want to be. The idea, once whispered as a fantasy, now felt like a possibility hanging in the air. Grimstone, with all its strangeness, might just offer an escape from the predictable misery of her home life.

"Where are Melissa and Brian?" Dolores asked, changing the subject.

Mrs. Johnson sighed, a sound that seemed to hold the weight of a thousand unspoken worries. "Brian wandered off with Mrs. Smith and her son for ice cream. Said he couldn't resist the offer of double chocolate chip," she said with a hint of a smile, a flicker of normalcy breaking through the tension. "Melissa, well, your sister is probably locked away in her room. Teen angst tends to manifest in slammed doors these days."

Her gaze then drifted to the telltale coffee stain on Dolores' uniform. "What happened there, dear?" she asked gently, her voice laced with concern.

Dolores self-consciously reached out and brushed her fingers against the damp stain. "Just a little accident," she mumbled, the day's events flashing before her eyes.

Mrs. Johnson's gaze held hers, a silent question lingering in the air. Dolores knew the woman deserved better than fabricated stories. "It's a long one," she finally admitted, a hint of exhaustion creeping into her voice.

"Well, long stories are best told over a clean uniform," Mrs. Johnson said, a hint of her usual optimism peeking through. "I'm just about to start laundry. Mind if I throw that in for you?"

She offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it, Mrs. Johnson. I'll wash it later. Besides, I have a spare uniform for tomorrow."

A small smile played on Mrs. Johnson's lips. "Alright, dear. But if you change your mind, the washing machine is yours to use."

With a nod of thanks, Dolores continued her climb up the creaking stairs, the echo of her footsteps mingling with the distant sounds of a city preparing for nightfall.

Dolores stopped in front of Melissa's door, the thumping music vibrating through the thin wood. She sighed, then knocked loudly. "Melissa?" she called over the music.

The door flung open, revealing a scowling Melissa. "What?" she snapped, arms crossed defensively.

Dolores glanced past her into the messy haven that was Melissa's room. Clothes lay strewn across the floor, a tell-tale sign of a teenage rebellion against tidiness. A large boombox, the one Dolores had painstakingly saved for and gifted Melissa with her bowling alley earnings, sat on the dresser, blasting music that could wake the dead. But it was the object on Melissa's bed that truly caught Dolores' attention. Mrs. Johnson's prized makeup kit, its shiny silver exterior gleaming under the harsh room lighting, lay open, an array of colorful cosmetics spilled across the bedspread.

"Can you turn that down a bit?" Dolores asked, forcing her voice to remain calm. Melissa rolled her eyes, sauntering over to the radio and reluctantly turning down the volume.

Dolores stepped inside, her eyes drawn back to the makeup kit. "Melissa," she started, her voice firm, "Why is Mrs. Johnson's makeup kit in here?"

Melissa shrugged, a defiant glint in her eyes. "Borrowed it," she mumbled, flopping down dramatically on her bed.

Dolores frowned. "Borrowed? Did Mrs. Johnson say you could take it?"

"No," Melissa mumbled, picking at a loose thread on her jeans. "But who cares? It's not like she uses it much anyway."

Dolores felt a surge of frustration. "That doesn't mean you just take things, Melissa. That's stealing."

Melissa let out a frustrated sigh. "Stealing? It's not like she'll miss it. Besides, I needed something to do. This place is so boring. "

"Mel," Dolores said, her voice gentle but firm.

Melissa slumped back onto her bed, her bravado fading. She fiddled with a stray strand of hair, avoiding eye contact. "I was just bored, okay?" she mumbled finally. "Sick of everything. They were at it again."

Dolores' heart sank. Melissa's words hit a raw nerve, a reminder of the dysfunction that permeated their home life. She sat down on the edge of Melissa's bed, a heavy silence settling between them.

Melissa's voice softened just a touch. "Lucky you. You get to go to some fancy high school miles away from this dump, while I'm stuck at that overcrowded middle school where everyone seems to be itching to shove me into a locker."

Dolores let out a long sigh, the weight of Melissa's words pressing down on her. "Grimstone isn't exactly heaven, Melissa," she said, her voice low. "It's… different. And besides, I'm the scholarship kid in a school full of rich snobs. Trust me, I don't exactly feel like I belong there."

Melissa pursed her lips, a flicker of understanding crossing her features. "Yeah, well, at least it's not here," she mumbled, staring down at her worn-out sneakers.

Melissa, ever the master of pushing buttons, couldn't resist a playful jab. After a comfortable silence, she broke the lull, her voice laced with a hint of hidden excitement. "So, spill the tea, Dolores. Did you make any new friends at your fancy school? Preferably male friends?" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Dolores snorted, a laugh escaping her lips. "Friends, yes. Male friends, not exactly a priority," she replied, a hint of amusement dancing in her eyes.

Melissa made a face. "Oh, come on, Dolores. Don't tell me you didn't meet any cute guys at a school overflowing with rich snobs. Is Grimstone a nunnery disguised as a school?"

Dolores rolled her eyes. "Melissa, Grimstone isn't exactly a breeding ground for romance novels. Besides, the only male friend I have is Alistair, and trust me, he's hardly the swooning hero type."

"Alistair? The dipshit with the fancy car?" Melissa scoffed.

"Hey!" Dolores exclaimed, her voice laced with mock offense. "That's not nice. Alistair's been a good friend, always looking out for me."

Melissa slumped back on the bed, her face a picture of mock disappointment. "Ugh, boring. I thought maybe you'd snag yourself a hot Grimstone hunk on your first day. You know, someone to whisk you away from this misery."

Dolores pushed herself off the bed. "I'm going to freshen up," she announced.

Melissa snorted. "Alright, fancy pants," she teased, a hint of her earlier playfulness returning.

Dolores offered a weak smile. Stepping out of the room, she closed the door softly behind her and made her way to her room.

The room was small, the walls plastered with remnants of a different life. Drawings, testaments to a childhood dream, hung proudly, each one a splash of color against the beige monotony. Dolores traced a finger along one of the earlier pieces, a wobbly stick figure house with a lopsided sun beaming down. A pang of nostalgia shot through her. It was a gift, a birthday surprise from her parents when she was eight, along with a box of crayons that held every color imaginable. The joy of creation, the boundless belief that anything was possible, it all seemed so distant now.

'I am going to be an artist,'she whispered, words she'd always tell her parents, the words echoing hollowly in the silence. A wave of guilt washed over her, a familiar ache in her chest. If only things had been different. If only she hadn't insisted on going to the park that day, if only she'd listened to her parents when they said they'd all go tomorrow. Maybe, just maybe, the laughter and warmth wouldn't be just faded memories clinging to these drawings.

Dolores sank down on her chair, pulling the worn sketchbook towards her. It was the same one her parents had given her, its pages filled with the evolution of her skill, a testament to a dream that refused to die. As she flipped through the pages, stick figures morphed into detailed portraits, landscapes bloomed with vibrant colors, and emotions poured out from every stroke of her pencil. Here, in this small room, within these worn pages, Dolores found a flicker of solace, a reminder of who she was, not just a scholarship kid or a foster child, but Dolores Torres, the girl who dreamt in colors.