THREE MONTHS LATER...
~HARPER~
"Harper Blake. Five years old, suffering from amnesia and post-traumatic stress disorder. So far, she's been to six foster homes. Her recent family didn't last 24 hours before they called us to take Harper away because she was causing all kinds of ruckus. She giggles to herself and seems to talk to her 'imaginary' friend. As a professional who has dealt with many children who have experienced a tragedy as she has, my opinion is that it's going to be a lot harder for her to blend into a new family. I don't know if you'd understand, but families in these parts want a...well...normal child."
I moved away from the door and walked over to the bed Dolly had given me to sleep on. I climbed onto the pink sheets and pulled the blankets over my head.
"Sad."
I twiddled with my fingers, the bandages on them only a reminder of the trouble I'd gotten into yet again. Very sad...
I was sad. Very sad, and my imaginary friend knew it. She understood me. Could feel me. She'd been there since the day I woke up in this place.
Three months ago, my family was killed. Mommy, Daddy, and Brother were dead, and now I was an orphan. We had no other family, and I had nowhere else to go to.
Dolly and Sam were my "temporary parents," and I was supposed to be put into a new home. I didn't want to go anywhere else. Everywhere I went, the families were mean or did things my wolf and I didn't like.
Family number one was too happy. Whenever the "agents" who were helping me find a new family were around, the family would have wide smiles and would be so kind to me. But the first night spent there, I slept in the basement on the cold floor and got called a doggy.
My imaginary friend didn't like that, and she told me to get out of there. I broke the window and ran away. I don't know how I ended up back at Dolly and Sam's house, but I did, and they were surprised.
Family number two was plain mean. One look at me and it was a "get out you mutt." I didn't know exactly what a mutt was, but my imaginary friend didn't like them either. We broke their vase which made me happy, but I did feel bad because I knew it wasn't nice to break things.
Family three and four didn't last long either. Two weeks for each of them and again, I was back at Dolly and Sam's after having a tantrum at family three's place and having nightmares every night in family four's place.
Family five was the longest I'd lasted--a month with them. It could have been because I was left alone in their basement while they went on vacation. I tried to be good, to obey the rules they set out for me, but being home alone was scary, and my imaginary friend told me to cry loudly all night long.
I did just that, and a friendly police officer found me and brought me back to Dolly and Sam's. He even gave me a lollipop and told me if I ever had trouble again to find a phone and dial the number on the card he gave me.
His name was Officer O’Neil. He was best friends with Sam and said he'd keep an eye on me. I told him about my imaginary friend, and he didn't think I was crazy like the doctors and agents thought I was. He was kind like Dolly and Sam.
That was why when I reached family six, I called him. It wasn't because I was trapped or anything. The mommy was nice, and they didn't have any other kids. I was supposed to be their first, and the mommy made me cookies and did my hair.
The problem was the man. He wasn't a good dad. He wanted me to do strange things, and my imaginary friend told me not to. I trusted my friend more than a strange man who wanted me to take baths with him. Just because I couldn't remember much about my family didn't mean I was stupid. If my friend told me it wasn't supposed to be that way, it wasn't, until someone I trusted said otherwise. I didn't have many people I trusted now.
During my two week stay there, I met a kitty. She was super tiny, but I liked her. She was super active and loved to run around and play with me. I called her Muffin.
This man wanted to take Muffin from me. He said dogs and cats didn't get along. I didn't understand. We didn't have a dog, and Muffin and I loved each other already. Even my friend loved her. If I didn't do what he asked, he'd cut Muffin's neck with the kitchen knife. I didn't think that was nice. Muffin must have been like me, staying with that family for food and water, but they didn't love her as I did. I couldn't let them kill her.
But what the man wanted me to do was scary. I didn't want to do it. When the man was getting the bath ready, I took the wireless phone, Muffin, and some cookies from the cookie jar, and I ran away.
It was raining and really cold out, but I didn't care. I kept Muffin in a blanket I took and found a box to hide in and called Officer O'Neil. I didn't know the place properly, but there was a pizza store opposite my box, and that was how he found me.
That was right before a dog of some kind tried to attack me and Muffin. I fought back though, using my fingers to claw at it, and my imaginary friend helped too. Officer O'Neil came just in time when the dog tried to jump on me after I'd thrown it against the wall.
He shot something at it and it limped away. I hoped to never see it again because it was scary. Officer O'Neil said it was a wolf, or that's what he said as he spoke on the phone to someone.
He brought me and Muffin back here to Dolly and Sam's, and now the man was in jail. The agents said they would try again to find me a family, but I was tired. I didn't want a new family anymore. I wanted my mom, dad, and brother back.
The agent tried to talk to me, but I shouted at them. Why did I need a new family? Why couldn't I stay here? Here was safe. Dolly was nice to me. Sam was nice to me.
I wanted to meet the little boy too. We hadn't gotten to meet yet, but he'd bring me cookies when Dolly and Sam weren't looking. We never got to introduce ourselves, but I liked him. My imaginary friend liked him too. He was good.
Dolly, Sam, and Officer O'Neil were talking now, and I was supposed to rest. I couldn't sleep though. I didn't want to go to another family. Everyone was mean. Why would I want to go again and be called mean things or have to do weird things like taking a bath with an old man?
I heard small scratching noises against the door. I moved out from under the blanket and walked to the door after I fixed my pink dress.
"Muffin. Don't scratch the door. She'll know I'm here."
I opened the door and my teal eyes locked onto a pair of silver ones. The boy was slightly taller than me, which meant I had to look up just a bit to meet his shocked gaze. He blinked those silver eyes and his face began to turn red.
What always stood out about him was his green hair. Not really dark green like grass or light green like lettuce. It was like my eyes, a mixture of blue and green, but I didn't know the nicer name for it. Either way, it really made him stand out to have such a hair color, and his silver eyes always caught my attention.
Another thing that caught my attention was the mark on his neck. It was pretty, having different swirls on it, but I didn't know what it meant. Either way, it made him look cool.
He wore a grey t-shirt and Batman pajama pants, and he held a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Muffin moved to my feet, sat down, and looked up at me.
"Meow."
From the moment I met her, her tiny meowing made me happy. She was so tiny, and her black fur was so soft. She had pretty eyes, one of gold and one of blue. The man didn't like the cat because he called her weird. To me, her eyes were different and were what made her even more beautiful.
I crouched down and began to pet Muffin, prompting a low purr to escape her. I looked back up at the boy with my big eyes and smiled.
"I like cookies."
"Me...too," he whispered shyly.
There was a loud noise that came from the living room, making both of us jump. I picked up Muffin and the boy slid inside the room. I closed the door until only a bit of space was left. We both listened in.
"Find her another family."
My imaginary friend growled in my head. She hated this man. He was called Rogan, and he didn't like me. My imaginary friend and I didn't know why, but he only thought of us as trouble and he wanted us away from this place.
"Rogan, this is getting ridiculous," Sam argued.
"You four can tell me your decision in the morning. I will be leaving." That statement came from a woman’s voice. There was a quick exchange of thanks before the sound of the door closing reached my ears.
"We're adopting her."
My heart skipped a beat at Dolly's words, and I slowly turned to the boy whose face lit up with joy.
"Adopt...me?" I asked him.
He turned to look at me and nodded. "Dolly would take care of you so you don't have to go to scary families anymore."
"But..." I trailed off when Rogan began shouting.
"You are NOT fucking adopting that child! She's trouble. Look at the chaos she created in six different families. You want that THING on the property?"
My shoulders sank at the hurtful words, the happiness I once felt disappearing. My imaginary friend felt my sadness, and I didn't want to make her sad, but I couldn't help it. I missed home. I wanted to be with my family. Couldn't I just die, so I can meet them in heaven?
The boy reached for my hand and clenched it firmly, which brought me out of my depressing thoughts. I lifted my head to see determination in his eyes. "You're staying."
"But...you don't know me. I don't even know you. No one likes me...or my imaginary friend. Everyone doesn't want me here," I whispered.
"I want you here!" the boy declared. "And I'm Ian Chestwood! You're Harper, right?"
"Yes. Harper...Blake," I mumbled, needing a second to remember my last name. The incident had done some damage to my brain and I couldn't remember a lot of things. I didn't even know exactly what my parents and brother looked like, but the single picture I had of them helped.
Ian nodded and looked at the door. "You're going to stay here. I won't let Rogan win."
With his rather loud declaration, he squeezed my hand and opened the door, tugging me along while I carried Muffin in my right hand. I couldn't react until we were in the living room; four pairs of eyes landed on us as we entered.
I shyly moved to stand behind Ian, not liking all the sudden attention. That and Rogan's scary orange eyes were my main reasons.
"Ian?! The adults are talking right now," Sam pointed out.
"Harper is staying! I won't let anyone hurt her!" Ian announced. I peeked a look at everyone but Rogan. Officer O’Neil and Sam appeared a little taken aback, while Dolly had a small smile on her lips that made me a little happy.
"She's NOT staying, Ian. You stay out of this," Rogan snapped.
"No, YOU stay out of this! This is Dolly and Sam's house. You're just a mean bully! Harper is my friend. She's staying! You can't take her away from me! Muffin is staying too!" Ian pointed at Rogan and then crossed his arms over his chest.
"Me too?"
I leaned in and whispered in his ear. "Can my imaginary friend stay too?"
Ian turned his head to meet my desperate eyes, and fear started to settle inside me at the thought of my imaginary friend not being allowed to stay. Ian smiled and nodded his head quickly. "Yes!"
He turned to face the adults again. "And Harper's imaginary friend gets to stay too!"
Officer O'Neil chuckled, walking over to where we stood. He knelt down and patted my head. "You're very protective of your imaginary friend, huh?"
"She protects me. She told me the man was going to do bad things if I didn't get help," I replied earnestly. I noticed the sadness in Officer O'Neil's blue eyes, and Dolly looked like she was about to cry at my words.
Sam seemed upset, but it didn't feel like it was towards me, and Ian looked worried.
"Man? Who was going to do bad things to you, Harper?" Ian asked.
I turned my head to him and answered before anyone else could say anything. "The sixth Dad wanted me to bathe with him and do weird things. My imaginary friend told me to take Muffin and run away. I took the phone and blanket and called Officer O'Neil for help. He came and helped me. I...I don't want any more families," I confessed and swallowed the lump in my throat.
"I want to stay here. Here is safe. Dolly is nice. Sam is nice. Rogan’s a meanie," I admitted and heard Rogan grumble something, but Sam cut him off.
I kept going anyways. "Officer O'Neil helped me. He's busy, but he helped me. No one wants to listen to me. Everyone says something is wrong with me. I'm a dog or mutt or something. They call me mean things and lock me in the basement and don't give me food."
I turned my head to the adults, noticing their troubled expression. "Ian gives me cookies. Dolly feeds me when I come back here. Sam holds me when I have scary nightmares. Even Wolfie is nice to me."
"Wolfie?" Officer O'Neil asked.
"Wolfie! He's the one who saved me in the forest. He has nice fur and I like cuddling him," I said happily. The others exchanged looks, but I noticed Ian had a super wide smile on his face. I guess he was happy that Wolfie was my friend too.
"If...if I can't stay, can I die too?" I asked.
The room was silent, and Ian moved to stand in front of me. "No, no, Harper. You can't die! Dying is bad!"
"Is it? But...Mommy, Daddy, and Brother are dead. If I can't find a family, can't I die so I can be with them? No one likes me. No one likes my imaginary friend. They say I'm crazy and a problem. I'm a disgusting mutt. If I die, no one will mind. I won't bother anyone if I die. Mommy can read me stories again. Daddy can teach me and my brother cool things. Brother would play with me...and I...I'd be happy. I don't think I'm happy, Ian. I want to be, but...I'm sad. Really sad," I explained, tears rolling down my cheeks.
Ian blinked a few times, his silver eyes pooling with tears. He lifted his arms and pulled me into a hug. "Don't be sad, Harper. I care. I'll make you happy. If...if no one will take you, we'll live together. You and me! I have a tree house! We can live there...uh. I'll ask Dolly to make our food and um...work around the house to make money! We'll live in the tree house and Muffin can come, and your imaginary friend and Wolfie will visit, and...and you can meet my friends."
Ian moved back and tried not to sob. "Don't be sad, Harper, or I'll be sad. You're my friend. You can't die...or I'll cry. Wolfie will be sad. We'll all be sad."
"But..." I whimpered, and Muffin snuggled against me. "I'm lonely. I want...I want to be loved again. I don't want to be a burden. Everyone says I'm a burden. The families all say the same."
Officer O'Neil reached out to stroke my head and I looked at him, noticing how watery his eyes were.
"Harper, you are not a burden. Don't be sad. Let me talk with Dolly and Sam and figure things out. If they can't take you in, how about you come to stay with me?"
Rogan gasped. "You're not serious."
Officer O'Neil glared in Rogan's direction, making him close his open mouth, and turned to look at me. "How does that sound?"
I looked at Ian. "Can Ian visit? And Wolfie? And can Muffin and my imaginary friend come?"
"Yes. All of them can come and visit whenever they like."
"Really?" I said with hopeful eyes. Ian let me go and took Muffin from me so that I could give Officer O'Neil a hug. He lifted me up and held me tightly.
"Really. I wouldn't mind having a smart kid like you. You'd be my little deputy on duty. Now, the adults need to talk, but I don't want you shedding any more tears. That clear, Officer Blake?"
I pulled back to see the single tear roll down his cheek, and I reached out to wipe it away. "Yes, Officer O'Neil! I'll be good and happy!" I agreed happily.
"Me too! Officer, officer!"
"And my imaginary friend too!" I added.
"Oh! Can I be an officer too? Please?!" Ian asked, hopping up and down with Muffin in his hold.
"Meow."
"And Muffin!" I pointed to her. "She can be our sidekick!"
Officer O'Neil chuckled. "I guess we'll have a mini team of officers. That includes Wolfie, huh?"
Ian nodded. "Yes! He'd love to join!"
Officer O'Neil nodded. "Alright. Why don't you two go and play in Harper's room until we're done talking? You can eat the cookies Ian took."
Ian blushed, looking at Dolly who raised an eyebrow at him. "I was wondering who kept taking my cookies."
"Run away!" Ian declared, running to the hall with Muffin.
"Wait for me!" I replied, giving Officer O'Neil another hug before he lowered me to the floor. I looked at Dolly and Sam and ran up to them.
"Say thank you?"
"Um...thank you for everything. Sorry if I'm a burden." I bowed my head slightly before I turned around and ran after Ian, not bothering to look at Rogan.
I reached my room and entered it. Ian slowly closed the door, but we caught Dolly's statement. "We're adopting her. It's final."
Ian and I stared at each other's eyes, and I reached out to hug him. "Ian. Thank you for being my friend."
"You're welcome, Harper. Thank you for being my friend too. I don't have many friends."
"Me too! We can keep each other company!" I exclaimed.
He nodded his head with a wide grin. "And eat cookies!"
We giggled and ran over to our plate of cookies. We sat on the floor to eat them while Muffin walked around. Ian grabbed both of my pillows and we relaxed on the floor and talked.
"Ian? I'm sleepy, but I'm scared to sleep."
"Why? Scary dreams?" Ian asked.
"Ya..."
"I'll protect you!" Ian announced.
I turned to look at him and he patted his pillow. "Come here."
"Why?"
"I'll hug you!"
"Why?"
"Dolly always hugs me when I have a nightmare. It keeps the bad dreams away! If I hug you, no nightmares."
"Oh. That's cool. I like hugs," I admitted and crawled to his side.
He hugged me, and Muffin ran over to snuggle on top of us, which made us laugh before I yawned and closed my eyes.
"Ian?"
"Yes, Harper?"
"Can we be friends forever?"
"Forever and ever. Your imaginary friend can be my friend too."
"That makes me happy," I mumbled.
"I'll always make you happy, Harper. I promise."
That made me smile, and it wasn't long before I fell asleep.
That night, I had not even one nightmare.