Rock Prodigy

Prologue

 This is the beginning of the spin off from Playing Evelyn! This part is pretty serious but it gets lighter later on. Let me know what you think :)

Prologue

I used to dream about finding a family to adopt me. Every night, I would wake up with a smile on my face that would slowly fade as I took in my surroundings, seeing the twin beds with plain metal frames and frayed sheets. I would squeeze my eyes shut, trying to hold onto the sweet images that usually had something to do with rolling fields and flowers and sunshine. I rarely remembered my dreams though so eventually, I would sigh in defeat and open my eyes to face the real world.

The orphanage wasn’t all bad. I had friends there and because I was a pretty quiet kid, I didn’t have any enemies. Sometimes the food wasn’t very good or we didn’t have a new movie to watch during entertainment hour but I felt happy most of the time.

Or at least, I thought I felt happy until a young couple started showing an interest in adopting me. At nine, I was one of the older kids in the home and I remember being very surprised that they kept coming back to see me. It wasn’t until all the paperwork went through and I was in their car with my small bag of clothes that it became real to me. I waved good-bye to my friends as a wide smile stretched across my face. I’d been adopted! It had actually happened!

I turned in my seat to face my new parents. They’d told me that I could call them mom and dad but if I felt uncomfortable, I could call them Ben and Sarah. I had never called anyone mom and dad that I could remember so I settled on using their given names.

From that moment on, I loved Ben and Sarah Keen with all my heart. To my young mind, no one could compare to them. No one was more beautiful than Sarah with her long blonde hair that had a slight curl and her somewhat pudgy arms that gave the best hugs. Her warm green eyes looked at me with such caring and devotion that each time she spoke to me, it sounded like music.

Then there was Ben who must have been a foot taller than Sarah who wasn’t really that much taller than me. He was the most handsome and strongest man I had ever met. He would lift me over his head with ease, making me squeal in delight before he brought me down and tickled me until I was exhausted. His hair was short and light brown and his eyes were the colour of chocolate. To me, my new parents were completely perfect.

After a few months there, I got the sense that something was wrong. I would see the two of them arguing sometimes and Sarah would unconsciously stroke her belly but as soon as they spotted me, they gave me broad smiles and my unease disappeared.

I was at the park one day with the group of kids I played with after school. I walked off by myself, feeling a little sick to my stomach from going too high on the swings. I lay down in the grass, letting the cool blades sift between my fingers as I looked up at the sun’s rays through the branches of a tree. The sun warmed my face and the feel of the cool grass helped calm my stomach. I felt my eyes drift closed and this time when I dreamed of a family, I dreamed of the one I had.

When I woke up, everyone else was gone. The park was empty and the light in the sky was fading. Panicking, I shot to my feet, running quickly to the fence and searching down the street to see if Mrs. Green, the daycare operator, was anywhere in sight.

I tried to calm my racing heart as I wandered down the darkening street. There weren’t many people out anymore but the few that I passed gave me curious looks. I was pretty sure I knew my way home so I hurried along, ignoring everyone else.

I turned a corner and saw a boy around my age, maybe a bit younger with a can of spray paint in his hand. He was drawing smooth lines on the blank wall in front of him, using a vibrant red paint that was impossible to miss. “Hey!” I shouted. The startled boy dropped the can in his hand and took a step away from me. I took a couple steps and bent to pick up the can he’d dropped. “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to inject a tone of disappointment into my voice. I’d given lectures on good behaviour to the younger ones at the orphanage before so I knew how to mimic the sound of authority.