Soul Searcher by D.M. Richardson (novel24 .TXT) 📕

for the first time the glow in the dark stars on the ceiling. The crib was replaced by an adorable dark pink child’s bed with princess covers. All of the baby stuff had been removed and replaced by things fitting Kristi’s age. The closet door was open and I could see several knew outfits mixed in with her old one’s. Her suitcases were no where to be seen. Kristi squealed with delight and hopped up on the bed. I turned to Sara.

“This looks great. How did you get it done so soon?” she turned from smiling at Kristi.

“Well it was easy. I didn’t have anything else to distract me, and I wanted it to be done by tonight so she can sleep in her own room. That way you could get your private space back and you wouldn’t have to worry about her anymore.” I heard the unspoken message between her words. I would never have to worry about whether or not Kristi was taken care of. That she had everything she needed or wanted here.

We left Kristi to go through all of her new toys and Sara followed me into my room.

“I think you should wear something nice tonight.” she said tentatively.

“Why? It’s just dinner.”

“Well I think it would be a nice gesture. Plus it might impress Zeke a little.”

“Why would I want to impress Zeke?”

“Oh like you don’t find him attractive.” She accused but smiled to soften it. “I’ve seen you look him over when he wasn’t looking.”

“That doesn’t mean he wants to be impressed by me. And just because I don’t find him hideous doesn’t mean I’m interested.”

“I see him look at you as well. The attraction isn’t one sided. I really think you should wear that purple shirt. You haven’t worn it yet. I think it would look great with a pair of your black jeans and your boots.” I sighed I was defeated before I had even begun to fight. Sometimes she reminded me of some of my rare friend’s older sisters.

“Okay”

“And I think you should wear your hair differently.”

“I don’t know how to wear it any other way.”

“Well then wear it down.” I nodded and she left to go give Kristi a bath and get her dressed. I took that as my cue to start getting ready. I changed into the outfit that Sara wanted me to wear then slowly unbraided my hair. I brushed it out, but slipped a couple ponytail holders into my pocket just in case.

When I came out of my room Sara was already dressed in a sundress that popped with color and showed her best features. Kristi was dressed in an adorable dress that hung from her shoulders with wide straps and a bow tide around her waist. It was a dark blue and the bow was black. Her hair was up in a half pony tail and was braided. We all walked downstairs just as Koner came in the door. He looked up at us and his mouth dropped open.

“My god. I’m the luckiest man in the state. Not one but three gorgeous girls on my arm? I can die a happy man.” Sara laughed as she reached him and gave him a kiss. Kristi ran up and hugged his legs. I stayed to the back but I couldn’t quite smiling. He smiled back at me over Sara’s shoulder. He disengaged himself to go change and he put his hand on my shoulder giving me a light squeeze as he went by.

I couldn’t help fidgeting with my hair as we waited. I wasn’t used to it being down and it was constantly in my way. I kept tucking it behind my ears and pushing it back over my shoulders, but nothing worked. Finally Koner was done and we all walked outside.

Their house was so close that we all just walked. Kristi walked between Sara and Koner holding on to both their hands. That left me following behind them watching the ground so I didn’t fall from walking in three inch heels I wasn’t used to.

I made it to the front door without incident, and it opened just as we reached it. I was more worried about the steps. There were only three of them, but the ground was uneven. I was late to almost all of my classes the last time I wore my boots.

Rob greeted us with enthusiasm that Sara and Koner returned. They went inside and I waited until they were all the way in before I attempted to follow. I put one foot on the first step and was about to take my leap of faith when a hand appeared in front of me. Rob was leaning down slightly and was offering to help me up. I smiled gratefully and took his hand. With his help I made it inside safely without any problems.

I looked up when the door closed. The house looked almost identical to Sara’s and Koner’s but a mirror image. The living room was to the right and the kitchen to the left. The stairs were on the opposite side of the hallway, and the rooms in the back were on the opposite wall.

Everyone had gathered in the kitchen and I vaguely heard Sara introducing Kristi. The note of pride in her voice when she called Kristi her daughter made me smile. I noticed Zeke keeping to back and watching with slight amusement. I turned into the living room to continue looking around.

There were pictures hanging on the right wall. There was Rob about twelve years younger than he was now. He was a very handsome man once upon a time. Now he looked tired with graying temples. There was a young woman with him. She was beautiful. She had long black hair and bright green eyes. There was always a smile on her face. And not one of those fake pose smiles. She was truly happy. I moved down the wall to see pictures of Zeke from the time he was born until he was about five. After that all of the pictures stopped. Not even a school photo.

I turned to look at the rest of the room, and saw a grand piano in the corner. I walked over to it to see an old piece of music sitting on it. I didn’t recognize the piece, but I tried a few of the piano keys anyway. It was kept in tune even though I could see traces of dust on the back. I felt someone behind me and turned my head. Zeke was standing there staring at my fingers still lingering over the keys.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to overstep.” I said quickly pulling my hand back. He shook his head.

“Do you play?” he asked quietly. I shrugged.

“A little. It’s been a while though.”

“What do you remember?”

“The notes are easy enough, but I never really played anything that would be considered classic. It infuriated my piano tutor.” I said with a rare fondness for a memory of my own.

“Could you play something now?” I looked over the keys and thought back to see if there was a shred of a song I could play. I remembered my favorite song to play back then. ‘Drops of Jupiter’ by Aerosmith. I sat down carefully and closed my eyes. I played a few more keys to get the feel of it and began. I felt the music flow from my mind to my hands and I flowed with it. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed making music. Not just singing with a group, but making music out of nothing by myself. I kept my eyes closed so I wouldn’t be distracted by Zeke standing behind me. I let the music fill me and I felt like I was floating high above myself. For those few moments I wasn’t just a girl in foster care that couldn’t find a true home. I wasn’t abandoned. I wasn’t a freak that could delve into peoples minds and come out with more information than I ever wanted to know. I was me.

I came back down to earth as the last note hung in the air. I took a deep breath and felt my shoulders sag a little. My mental vacation was over and I was back to reality. I looked up to see Zeke standing next to me instead of behind me like he was. My hair had fallen over my right shoulder and he had been staring at my profile. I was about to ask him what he was staring at when I heard quiet applause from the doorway. I stood and pushed my hair back.

All four of them were standing just barely in the room clapping. Kristi ran to me and jumped into my arms. Sara and Koner were smiling at me and Rob looked almost sad. I was about to apologize when Sara interrupted me.

“I didn’t know you could play.” I shrugged.

“Only a little.”

“Do you know any Mozart?” Koner asked. I shook my head.

“No I really only play more modern songs.” the last thing I ever wanted was to do anything from the past. I had enough of that on a day to day basis.

Rob suggested we go ahead and eat, and I shot him a grateful smile. We all went into the dining room and served ourselves. I ate quietly sitting with Kristi on one side of me and Zeke on the other. Sara and Koner sat on the other side of the table with Rob sitting across from me. Rob kept asking me about school, but I always gave straight forward answers. It made it difficult for any of them to strike up a conversation with me.

“So Rayne you’ve been here for about a month have you made any good friends?” Rob asked in another attempt to engage me in conversation. I shrugged and swallowed the bite I had been chewing.

“Not really.”

“Why not?”

“People don’t usually like me very much. I’ve been told I have an attitude problem.”

“Frank and Will like you.” Zeke put in. I would have glared at him if it hadn’t been considered rude.

“They’re nice enough, but I only talk to them every once in a while.” he let out a whoosh of breath that he had apparently been holding. I turned back to my food effectively forgotten again. I zoned out for a few minutes and came back to hear Sara talking about how she wanted them to learn how to ballroom dance. She looked at me. I guess it was her turn to try to get me to join in.

“What about you Rayne? Wouldn’t you like to learn how to ballroom dance?” I blinked a couple times at her.

“You don’t know how? I could teach you if you want.” I offered with a slight shrug. I took another bite and looked up to see all of them staring at me.

“When did you learn how to dance?” Zeke asked in a mix of awe and frustration.

“About the same time I learned how to play piano.” I answered.

“Which was when?” Koner asked softly.

“When I was twelve.”

“Were you interested in it?” Sara asked with pure curiosity.

“Not until I started really learning how.”

“So someone made you?” Rob asked as he took a drink of water.

“Yeah”

“Why?” Zeke asked this time.

“To keep up appearances.” They all stared at me expectantly. I sighed softly and put my fork down. “When I was twelve I was placed with a wealthy family. I think the husband played the stock market or something. They had a couple kids of their own, but they always wanted a newer version or something. None of the kids lasted long in their house. They took a kid in and made them learn everything about living in a higher society. They made me take dance lessons, piano lessons, tennis lessons, etiquette lessons, equestrian lessons, even made me enter a pageant once. Plus they had a separate tutor to make sure I got top grades in school. As soon as the kid is good