For Norlia every night, and day, was scary. At least it had been for the past five years. |
A Living Nightly Scare Maybe I'll just go away. It wouldn’t matter to anyone if I did. Nobody loves me, and no one wants me. No one has wanted me for the last five years. It’s been that long since my family got killed. Sometimes I wish I would have gotten killed too. For the past five years I have been passed around by one new family after another. I have been with twelve second families since my real family died. Norlia thought to herself a lot. Especially over the last five years. Here I sit waiting for my Temporary Guardian. I practically have been living with him for the past five years. He has seen me more than some of my second families. Thoim has also been nicer than most of them too. Sometimes I wished her could be my second family, but I know he can’t. He’s not a family man. Norlia sat on the front steps of her latest second family residence. She had her head in her hands and her elbows on her knees. Every time a Transport went by she lifted her head up to watch it go by. Five Years Ago It all started five years ago when my parents went for an Adults Only couple of nights. I couldn’t go with them. I’m not sure exactly why I couldn’t go too. After all, I was barely eight then. All I knew was that I couldn’t go. I didn’t even want to go with them, but I didn’t want to spend the next few days with my mother’s brother either. That’s the last time I saw my parents alive. I didn’t even get the chance to give them a Final Goodbye. The hovercraft they were on got destroyed by an airship that tried to land almost on top of them. They didn’t have a chance. No one on that hovercraft or airship did. About three hundred died that day. It’s the day I became A Kid without a Family. Four Years Ago I wanted to stay with Viccar, but I couldn’t because he’s not a family man either. So I ended up with three families that year. Two of them weren’t too bad. Except that they didn’t want me for one reason or another. The third one however was very bad. They physically hurt me on a daily basis. If that was the only time that happened I wouldn’t have been so bad, but it’s been going on for the last four months. Pollie was the worse, but Gornam did it too. They punched me until I was one big bruise. It’s a good thing on Juttan every family is responsible for the education of their young or someone who could have helped me. Finally, I had enough pain and I contacted Thoim. Three Years Ago The next year I only had two second families. Both of them were bad, but they weren’t too good either. I really thought that I going to be happy living with either one for the rest of my young life. The only problem is they already had families of their own, and they pretty much ignored me. Norlia really wanted to play with the other kids in the family, but she wasn’t allowed to do it When I went down their one night to eat my second parents asked me who I was I knew I needed to contact Thoim. He came by to pick me up a few hours later. Two Years Ago Just after my twelfth year of my birth was the worse year of my life. I had four second families that year, and the worst was the last one. There were three older males plus the parents living there. The males were fourteen, sixteen and seventeen – and they were physical with me. I’ve heard that there are planets out there where this kind of thing was illegal. I wished Juttan was one of them, but it’s not. Not even for adults. When my new second father decided to join us I knew I needed to contact Thoim One Year Ago This last year there were three second families who took me into their residence. Only they did it for the same reason. They were only interested in it for the Credits the got for taking me in. None of them really wanted me. All they cared about was the Credits. It’s not like they were all that bad. When it comes to second families they are pretty good. I got to be an almost normal young female. They let me eat with the family and I was allowed to go out and play. Things like that. The food I ate was good, and was allowed to make some friends in that part of Juttan. All I didn’t get was the Credits that was supposed to be used for me. Some of it was, but most wasn’t. Back to the present Norlia paced up and down the rock walkway in front of her latest second family residence. It’s not like Thoim to be this late in picking me up. The darkness is almost upon us. Maybe he doesn’t want to be with me anymore either. I can’t really blame him for that. After all, I have caused him a lot of trouble the last five years. Because of me he has had to stop helping other kids with a family. That’s got to be it. It’s the only reason I can think of as to why he hasn’t gotten there yet. Walking around that residence to the back of it Norlia looked back toward the street as two more Transports went by. If that’s the way Thoim wants it that’s okay with me. I’m old enough to live on my own. The adults might not think that I am, but after what I have gone through the last few years I know I am. Maybe I'll just go away. |