┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
We walked the roads for days, I would go into detail each day, but nothing was different. We would sleep beneath a bridge or empty barn, we'd search the trash for food, we'd head back out on the road. I can't even remember how many days we spent wandering the streets like little rats.
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
The two of us were sitting on a curb in the scorching sun, thankfully a small breeze was keeping us somewhat cool. I was too tired to question how it had gotten so hot despite it being nearly freezing just days before. Sweat dripped down my nose and onto my bloody and blistered feet, they stung terribly and the dirt road did them no comfort. I raised my head slightly when I heard the sound of a car pulling up down the road, I fixed my vision on to it; it was a deep blue car, as it neared I saw it had a giant wind-up key on the back of it that was spinning as if it was actually making the vehicle move. This surprised me, I shot up wide eyed and shook Fe's arm to get her attention, I was sure I got her attention when she slipped out a quiet, "What the..." I stared at the odd sight as it closed in, it slowed down and stopped only a few feet away. The door opened and a short, plump bean stepped out, "Why are you two out here all by yourselves? Goodness, look at you! The both of you are filthy!" She walked up to us and held out her arms, "You two come with me and I'll clean you up." I was hesitant but Fe stood and willingly went with the woman, seeing she wasn't scared I puffed my chest out slightly and stood. I followed her to her car where Fe and I sat in the back seat, she entered and began to drive down the path. "Once I bring you two to my house I'll call up your parents to let you know you’re all right and that I just let you both clean up." I couldn't tell if she were going to say anything else but I spoke up, "We don't have parents-" I began but she cut me short. "Really? Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't realize, how rude of me... I shouldn't just assume these things. Well, new plan then, I'll bring you two by the place I work. There you two can wash up and even get your own rooms-" This time she was cut short by Fe, "Can we share a room? I don't want to leave Reya..." The woman let out a little chuckle as she answered, "Why of course dearie! I want you two to feel at home before you are given a home." The car was silent for a moment as I processed what she said. "Wait... Given a home?" It must have come out somewhat worried because she answered as if trying to reassure me, "Why yes! We will care for you until you are adopted out by a loving family. Don't worry honey, I know for a fact the people who will take you in will love you dearly." I couldn't help but feel worried about the whole situation, my eyes shifted towards Fe, she had a small smile on her face, one I hadn't seen in a while, the sight of this released some tension from my shoulders and I eased up a bit. I kept my hand firmly placed on hers for the whole ride, I didn't look out the window but once. The time I did, thousands of golden flowers surrounded the dirt path, their golden petals shining brightly in the sun.
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
By the time the car reached a stop my butt and thighs were sore from sitting for so long. I shifted my weight onto my left hip and looked outside, it was dark now and we seemed to have driven into a city like area, the dim street lamps didn't help me make anything out so I just assumed behind the cloak of darkness were houses. Only did I realize the woman had gotten out of the car was when she called to us from the other side of the car doors. "Are you two going to get out? I have a nice room open for the two of you. I’m certain it’s a lot more comfortable then that old ragged bench they call a car seat." I couldn't help but laugh at what she said, I felt a little at ease around her presence. I exited the vehicle with my backpack and took Fe's guitar as I helped her out. I inched my way over to the woman, her face was shrouded in darkness but her smile shone brightly like a crescent moon on a cloudless night. She opened up the large doors of the building and gestured us in kindly before shutting them. "Follow me and I'll show you to your room." I nodded not looking at her, I was too busy gawking at the interior to pay attention to anything else. She brought Fe and I down a large hallway full of portraits and paintings of numerous different beans, I felt oddly queasy looking at them so I turned away and grabbed Fe's hand tightly. The woman stopped and opened up a door further down the hall, "Here we are!" She smiled, "I hope you two get comfortable, I'll help you settle in once morning comes." With this, I walked into the dark room and tossed my backpack on the floor, Fe followed. I closed the door without saying thank you and plopped down on the plush mattress, "Fe. We're leaving soon as the sun rises." I said sleepily, my voice stern and rough. When she didn't answer I sat up and looked at her, she was lying on the bed across from me. I stood and scuttled over to her, I peered over her shoulder and saw her eyes were closed. I sighed and gave a small smile, I brushed my fingers through her short hair and laid on the bed beside her. "I guess we can stay..." I said sleepily as I snuggled up close to her. My heart was beating rapidly as I looked at the bed I was sitting on just moments before, I couldn't shake my mind free of all the horrid thoughts that flowed through it; what if this was a trap? What if we never get adopted into the life our parents wanted? I sat up as one thought lingered loudly over the rest; What if we get separated? Tears filled my eyes, I flopped myself down besides Fe and wrapped my arms around her. I buried my face in her back and cried silently but quickly stopped, I was to stay strong for her. "Don't worry, Fe." I whispered almost inaudibly, "I won't let anyone take you away from me."
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
I woke up the next morning to Fe gone and the smell of sweet dough, I didn't hesitate getting out of bed and followed the smell down the hall. I peered into a large open door frame in search for Fe and the mouthwatering scent. The room was filled with many wooden tables with long benches, I was surprised to see Fe sitting at one of them with the woman from last night. Slipping in, I made my way to them, my gut wrenching from hidden anxiety. I sat silently besides my sister without daring to make eye contact with the woman across from us. I wiped my mouth of drool as I saw Fe's plate; eggs and sweet bread stared mockingly back at me, a glass of orange juice on the side. "Good morning Reya!" The woman finally spoke, "I'll go fetch you some breakfast before I tell you the good news." With this she left with a smile, curious I looked towards Fe. "Good news? What good news?" I growled, my insides twisting from how mean I sounded. She looked at me with a mouth full of food and smiled not saying a word. My lips grew a frown as I realized she wanted to keep it secret, trying to appear as upset as possible I turned away and waited for the woman's arrival. No longer than five minutes later she returned with a steaming plate and a glass, I hurriedly took it and began to scarf down the hot meal, I ate it so fast that I could only taste the warmness of the food touching my tongue. "I'm glad you like your food! Oh, before I forget to tell you, your sister told me your name." I hadn't realized until then that she knew my name, not bothered by this I looked at her with a mouth full of eggs waiting for this 'good news'. The woman smiled, "The good news!" She looked over my shoulder, I assume at Fe, then back at me. "I have already found a family that is willing to adopt you! They'll be here this afternoon to spend the day with you before they undergo the full adoption process. Isn't it wonderful? You'll be going home with an extremely nice family, they have an adopted son who I bet you'll love." I was in shock, we hadn't even been at the orphanage a full day and someone was already willing to take us in. My heart was skipping beats in mere excitement but I couldn't help but frown. The feeling of dread filled my mind and made my fingers numb. I was scared and I knew it. Fe grabbed on to me and squealed, "Isn't it just awesome Reya! I can't wait to meet them. Ooh! I hope they like baking, I want to show off my baking skills, I-" She paused, I could tell she saw the sorrow in my eyes as tears glazed them over. "What's wrong?" She asked as she lessened her grip on me. "Are you... are you scared?" My eyes widened with horror, she was realizing my pathetic attempts at staying strong were fading, I nodded with guilt as I hugged her. "I'm afraid they won't like us... or treat us kindly or... or they'll just keep you and send me away." The last words were choked out as I tried to keep back tears, "I don't want to lose you." I cried loudly as I sunk my head on her chest. A small pat comforted me as she spoke, "I bet they'll love us, the both of us. Didn't you hear they have an adopted son? I bet he adores them! I bet they pamper him like an angel! This is what mama and papa wanted Reya, they want us to be happy. I know I am, I just wish you were too... I have a good feeling about these people." I looked up at her eyes with a slight smile, she was right. I shouldn't be afraid, this is what mama and papa wanted, I wiped the tears from my cheeks and sat up. "Yeah. I bet they'll love us. Yeah." Fe smiled as she jumped up from her seat, "Come on Reya! Ms. bought us some new clothes! Let's try them on." I hopped up from the seat as well, I was in desperate need of clean clothes and was willing to try on just about anything. The woman guided us to a nice room with a large mirror in it, there was a small bench with clothes folded neatly upon it, sticky notes indicated which belonged to who. The woman said something and left, closing the door behind her. We both undressed and put on the new attire; mine was tan t-shirt with waist high pants and a band that wrapped around my mid-section. Fe wore a light purple shirt with a dolphin stitched onto the front with a cute pair of tan cargo shorts.
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
We spent a good deal of time giggling in the room before we heard a knock on the door. "Girls, are you ready? The family is waiting for you in the lobby." I froze, I looked at Fe, she was smiling widely. She grabbed my hand and pushed open the door, dragging me behind her. She scurried down the hall and over to the main lobby where she stopped to wait for the woman. The woman walked past us and over to the family where she began talking to a lady a lot taller than herself. There were three beans, they all looked extremely different from each other, two of them were men and then there was the lady. The shorter of the men was soot grey with large, beautifully blue eyes, he wore a large jacket and had sparkling jewels tied around his twisty, ram-like horns. The woman was taller then he and was red-orange with a green tint on her underside, she wore a baby blue long-sleeve shirt with dark grey pants. What stood out most about her to me was that she was covered in green and orange spots with little specs of white. The third bean was the second of the men, he was tall and skinny and had long flopped over ears similar to mine, he was white with a black, blue and grey dairy cow pattern. His eyes were an amazing mix of pink, purple, and blue that to me resembled bubble liquid, the pupils in his eyes were slanted like a goats and helped perfect his already goat-like appearance. I stood close to Fe as I eyed them, the lady was smiling widely with a twinkle in her eye. "Come on over girls, they are going to take you to their house for the day so they can get to know you." The woman said coaxing us out of the hall. I was jerked forward as Fe ran excitedly over to the group, my hand still in hers. She released me to give them all hugs before hugging me, I didn't let any of my happiness show, instead I gave an uninterested look. "Let me introduce you two to your potential family, this is Tape," she said gesturing her hand to the short, grey bean. He smiled, "Sup little ones." Fe giggled at this but the woman continued, "This is Cora," She gestured towards the lady. She smiled brightly, "Hello darlings." "And this is Mimbzy." The woman finished, gesturing towards the tall male bean. He smiled and gave Fe and I both a hug, "Hello! It is the nicest to meet you, yes." Fe squealed and gave him a hug back, before I could stop myself I hugged him as well.
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
Once we got outside and into Cora's car, Cora started it up and began to drive down the dusty street, "I have a present for each of you waiting at Tape's house, er, well pirate ship." She said and my eyes widened, "Pirate ship! You’re a pirate!" I screamed not able to contain my excitement, a laugh came from the front of the car. "Yup, I'm the captain and who knows, maybe you can sail the seas in search for treasure with me sometime." My entire face turned into a smile I felt like I was grinning so hard. Maybe this was the family for me, they seemed nice and they lived on a pirate ship. I turned towards Fe and squealed, she squealed too and began bouncing in our seats like jumping beans, Mimbzy joined us. We bounced and giggled in the car for a good two hours before the vehicle parked on a dock besides a huge, wooden pirate ship. Right then, every bad thought, every bad feeling drained out of me. I felt like myself again, I wasn't even worried by the fact I felt at home around these beans. Fe was right, there was nothing to worry about, they are the family Mama and Papa wanted for us.
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
Cora held Fe and I's hands as she brought us up the ramp and into the boat, Tape and Mimbzy each grabbed one of our bags and brought them in after us. Once inside Cora let go of us and showed us around. The ship looked like a house on the inside, it was beautiful and full of treasures and trinkets. Then she showed us to our room. It was an average sized room with two beds inside, one on each side wall when you entered. A box waited on each bed, "The bed on the right is yours, Reya. The bed on the left is yours Fe, but feel free to switch if you'd like! I want the both of you to be as comfortable as possible. Oh! Before you open your gifts, I'd like to say I hope you like them, I was given suggestions from the kind lady at the orphanage and really thought the two of you might enjoy them. I'll be in the kitchen making some tea if you need me. I'll be making more than enough for everyone, so if you'd like any feel free to come and have some." With this she gave me a kiss on the forehead, I assume she gave Fe one too before she left the room, but I was too busy processing everything to pay attention. The sound of rustling snapped me back into attention and I spun around, Fe was opening her present happily. I jumped onto my bed and began opening mine. "Reya! Reya! Reya! Reya! Reya!" Fe screamed and I looked up, she was slipping off her clothes and putting on a salsa dancer dress, the one she always wanted. "What did you get!" She asked to excited to sit still. I slipped my gift from the box and smiled brightly, it was a frilly shirt with waist high pants, a wooden sword lay beneath it. I struggled out of my clothes and put my new ones on, I grabbed Fe by the arm and ran out the room and to the kitchen with my wooden sword. I clung to Cora tightly, Fe as well and I said, "Thank you so much Ms. Cora! I love it!" "I love mine a lot a lot a lot! I've always wanted a dress like this, thank you!" Fe squealed, and Cora wrapped her arms around us, "I am so glad you two like it. I am glad i could make you happy." Her voice was calming, she let us go and handed us each a cup of tea. "Why don't you both join Mimbzy, Tape and I on deck for some tea, the boys were thinking of playing a game of badminton if you'd like to join them." Fe and I looked at each other and smiled, I ran as carefully as possible over to the stairs with my tea trying not to drop it, once I got up to the dock I sat down beside Tape and quietly sipped my tea. Fe and Cora sat down with us a little later and we all talked about Tape's ship, which turned into a conversation about Cora's cat, Harper, which became a conversation about when Cora adopted Mimbzy with Tape's help eight years earlier. During the conversation I learned that Cora and Tape are not married but are actually best friends who live together, Tape is more of an uncle figure to Mimbzy since he is not Cora's mate. I found it to be really interesting, once Mimbzy offered up a game of badminton my heart felt as though I had known these beans forever, I had learned so much about them that I felt I already belonged there.
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
The game of badminton was split into two teams, Tape and I on one team, and Mimbzy and Fe on the other. My team was dubbed the "Pirate Team", while Fe's team was dubbed the "Dancing team". I would go into detail of how the game went but I don't know how to describe it. I can say that we got up to three points for the "Pirate Team" and five points for the "Dancing Team" before we all began to act a fool. Mimbzy and Fe began to practice their passes, Tape went to go talk to Cora, who was the scorekeeper, and I took his racket. As the two of them passed I ran up beneath one of their passes and began screeching like a warrior as I swatted the air aimlessly under the birdy. Because of this, they tried to keep the birdy as high in the air as possible so I wouldn't hit it, which ended up turning into an intense game of monkey in the middle with rackets and a whole lot a screaming and laughter.
We played until the sun went down, Mimbzy packed up all the rackets, tied up the net and put the birdy away. Cora brought Fe and I inside and over to a large rocking chair beside a small, makeshift fireplace. Our bags were waiting there, leaning up against the wall. She sat in the chair as Fe and I sat on the floor, she talked to us for hours about the littlest things, mostly questions about what we liked, "What's your favorite color?" and "Do you girls like noodles?" are two I can remember and had to smile at since they were so simple. But as she talked, I began to feel homesick and remembered the package mama put in my bag. I quietly slipped the package from my bag and opened it, a sudden jolt of surprise shot through me. It was a new copy of the book I loved so much but could never finish. My hands shook with anticipation as I flipped the pages over to line I could never finish, I drowned out every other sound around me as I read the lines in my head.
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
"She put the glass to her lips and took a sip, as she lowered the glass she faced her sister with fear, "Sister..." She spoke shakily. "The grapes, they taste of poison, sister... I am sorry." With this she dropped her glass and it shattered into a hundred pieces. She sister cried as she held her in her arms, "No! Sister don't die. The grapes may be of poison, but the wish. Maybe the heavens will spare you in return for not giving you thy wish. The tallest of the sisters smiled and put her hand on her sister's face, "Sister, stay strong for me." her eyes closed as she waited for death to take her. The smaller sister stood and rode her ox to the fountain were she dismounted and began to plead, "Oh heavens! Take me instead of my sister, what has happened was of no fault of hers, I will take the blame of what happened so long as you spare her!" A light shown on the girl and a golden petal landed on her forehead, she took this as a sign of forgiveness and ran back to her sister where she saw her clothed in white silk. "Sister, come with me. All our wishes will be granted where we are to be sent." She spoke, her voice as soft as a true angel. The smaller sister was unsure and was confused, "Where are we to be sent sister? Who is sending us away?" The tallest grabbed the smaller's hand and she too was then cloaked in white silk by her touch. "Our parents, they put the fountain in the garden to start our journey, they want us a better life. A fair life with hard work and no means of pamper. Sister, they are sending us away." The smaller sister's eyes were opened and she agreed, the two of them mounted the ox and road it down the fountain and to the heavens where they wandered into an open door. "Sister." The tallest one said. "Do not be afraid. For we are only heading home."
┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅┅
My throat was tense as I finished the book. I couldn't help but feel as though the book were meant for Fe and I. Our adventure just seemed so... similar. I hadn't realized Cora was talking to me until Fe nudged me in the shoulder. "Are you alright Reya?" I nodded as I slipped the book back into my bag. She continued to talk but I only pretended to listen, I was too busy thinking over the book to really pay much attention. After a while, Fe fell into a deep slumber and Cora carried her to our room and tucked her in bed. I lied and said I was tired as well and that I too was going bed. I crawled onto my matress and snuggled under the warm covers. Cora tucked me in as well and gave me a kiss on the temple. "Reya?" She asked, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but, what brought you here to America? I heard you came from Spain and I was wondering, what all did you have to do to get here? And once you were here, how long did you travel?" My stomach churned from these questions. I didn't want to tell her the truth, not now. I didn't want to say a thing, I wanted her to think Fe and I just showed up. I choked up a lie as I thought of what mama had told me after handing me the package,
"I can't remember."
▓ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ㊝ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▓
