Chapter 3

Maia sat in a chair, picking at her fingernails. Her hands were still slightly bruised in some areas but the doctor said she was healing nicely. Physically, anyway.

“Are you sure you want me to cut this? Your hair is just beautiful, Maia.” Mrs. Belvour asked, holding a pair of hair-cutting scissors and a comb.

“Yes ma’am,” Maia answered. She loved her long hair now that it was detangled and washed. But she needed it cut. She needed to be someone new. Start fresh.

“Okay, dear. If you’re sure..” she started slowly combing through Maia’s long hair that went past her elbows and slowly started snipping it up to her shoulders, being careful to make it even. After about an hour of Maia anticipating her new look, and Mrs. Belvour adding layers and trying to style it, it was done. The first step to her recovery was finished.

“All done, honey bun.” Mrs. Belvour smiled, satisfied with her work. With a sigh, Maia stood up from the chair and made her way to the bathroom mirror. She looked completely different but she loved it. A smile grew on her face as she ran her fingers through her new style.

Suddenly, a wave of depression swept over her and she remembered her father combing his hands through her hair right before he’d use it to hold her down.

Even with her father dead, and the efforts made to move on, he would always haunt her every move. Every decision. Every dream.

Despite the feelings of fear and depression coming back, Maia did her best to swallow them down and come out of the bathroom.

“I love it. Thank you, Mrs. Belvour.” She couldn’t thank her enough for taking her in like she did and caring for her this much. It was more than she could have ever asked for.

“Anytime, honeybun.” She returned with a smile and started cleaning the mess. “Now y’all gon do whatever until suppers are ready.” She scolded as she swept up the hair into a pile.

The two girls ran off back to their bedroom to hang out for a bit. Maia sat on the floor with her knees to her chest while Jasmine got up on her bunk.

“What are you doing?” She laughed, noticing Maia in a ball. “Are you okay?” She asked, growing more concerned.

“Yeah, I’m just sitting here,” Maia said without moving.

“Don’t you have like, I don’t know, like a book to read or something?” Jasmine asked as she pulled out her journal.

“A book?”

“Yeah, you know, a book.” She held up her journal in confusion. “You DO know how to read, don’t you?” There was sadness in her words as she realized that Maia most likely couldn’t read.

Maia slowly shook her head no, fear starting to rise in her chest again.

“Well, we can’t have that. Come up here, I got a book I think you’ll like.” She pulled out a small children’s book as Maia slowly climbed into Jasmine’s bunk. “This was mine as a child. My mom would always read it to me before bed.” Jasmine looked at the book longingly and then turned to Maia. “I’m going to teach you how to read and write.″ She sat up nice and tall and Maia did the same.

“First, do you know your ABCs?” Jasmine felt she had to ask. Maia had been kept from everything as a child, so nothing would be out of the ordinary at this point.

“No, what’s that?” Maia was getting excited. The book looked interesting and she wanted to read it herself, but the letters just looked like scribbles to her.

Jasmine began singing the ABCs to Maia, going over them multiple times slowly and making her recite them. It took up until supper, but Maia finally learned her ABCs.

“Next, we’re gonna work on how the letters sound.” Jasmine was excited that Maia was a fast learner.

The knock came at the door, signaling it was time for supper. The girls made their way down and to their seats at the dining room table.

The girls stayed up late practicing and Maia caught on quickly. Eventually, however, the tiredness overtook them both and they went to their bunks and fell asleep.

The next morning was rough.

“Girls, I have an announcement.” Mrs. Belvour exclaimed after they all gathered around her.

“Two of you are going to be adopted today.” The girls buzzed with excitement. Who were the two? Were they going together? Who adopted them? Their minds rushed with questions.

“Vanessa, you have been adopted by Mrs. Vanns.” Vanessa’s face lit up with excitement as she jumped up.

“Wait, there’s one more. And then you two can go pack your stuff.” Vanessa sat back down, waiting for the other girl to be announced.

“The next one is Maia! You’ve been adopted by a Mr. Sween.” Maia’s eyes lit up but then were replaced by fear.

Who was Mr. Sween? Why did he want her? Does this mean she and Jasmine can’t be friends anymore? Maia started shaking with worry as she stood up and Jasmine gave her a big hug, confusing Maia. She had never been hugged before, but she liked it.

“Now girls, go pack your stuff and say your goodbyes. They will be here in a few hours to get you.” Mrs. Belvour explained as the girls ran off to get ready. Jasmine took Maia’s hand and the two ran up the stairs and into the room.

“Maia!!” She exclaimed with a mix of excitement and sadness. “Let me help you pack.” She brought out a suitcase that was under the bunk beds with Maia’s name on it and opened it up. Maia mostly stood and watched as Jasmine packed her blankets and what few clothes they had been able to provide her. She was even able to fit the pillow inside. “Now you just wait one second.” She climbed up to her bunk and ripped a page out of her journal, scribbling something down on it.

Climbing back down, she handed it to Maia.

The words meant nothing to Maia as she had just learned the alphabet, but she appreciated the gift.

“That’s the address here. Send a letter as soon as you get to your new home and we can stay in touch!!” She told her. “If you need help, just ask. I’m sure your new family won’t mind.” She hugged her again, this time tighter and longer.

Jasmine took a deep breath. “I’m gonna miss you.” She said as tears filled her eyes. “I’ve been here for three years and you’re the only one who wants to be friends with me. You made it less lonely.” She said as the tears began to fall.

Maia stood there blankly, unsure of how to react. She still held the paper and she carefully folded it.

“I’m gonna miss you too.” She repeated, not knowing what the words truly meant. Maia had a very limited vocabulary and missing someone wasn’t a part of it. But she knew one thing. It was going to be very lonely without Jasmine.

She felt tears come to her eyes as she remembered being all alone in the attic. She was terrified that it was going to happen again.

“I don’t want to go.” She simply stated, looking down at her packed bags. “I want to stay.”

Jasmine looked at Maia with confusion. “What? This is great news! You should be excited!” Jasmine gently grabbed her shoulders, causing Maia to flinch back. Jasmine’s face dropped.

“You didn’t come from a normal home, did you?” What was a normal home? Maia didn’t know so she just shrugged.

“Did they ever...like hit you or anything?” She almost whispered, knowing it was a sensitive topic.

Maia just slowly nodded her head as images flashed through her mind, causing her to shake.

Jasmine slowly walked over and brought Maia into a hug.

“Don’t worry. This will be different. They chose you, they’re gonna take good care of you. And if they don’t, you let me know. I’ll report them.” Jasmine looked Maia in the eyes as she stated the last part. Maia gave her a slight nod, still scared.

“Girls! Come on down and meet your new parents!” They heard Mrs. Belvour call.

“You’re going to be okay. I promise. Just don’t forget to write me!” Jasmine gave Maia one last hug as Maia picked up her suitcase and slowly headed down the stairs, her legs weak.

Two people stood in what would be a living room if this were a typical house. It had a nice couch, a brick fireplace, a light brown rug, white coffee table complete with various items like books and a tissue box.

The first person she saw was the woman. She had her hair curled and her makeup was done to perfection. She wore a simple but expensive outfit and a pair of simple black high heels. Her pearl bracelet was worth more than Maia could imagine. Then she saw Mr. Sween.

He was an average-height black man. His hair was cut super short and she wore a simple shirt and jeans with some beat-up running shoes. He had kind, brown eyes, and rough-looking hands. It was clear Mr. Sween was a hard worker and a kind man.

But he was still a man.

And Maia was terrified of him.

She started backing up as he slowly reached out and called her name. She stopped and tears started falling down her face as she dropped her suitcase.

“I-I’m sorry!” She sobbed as she scrambled to pick it up.

“It’s okay, dear. Let me carry it.” Mr. Sween slowly walked over and picked the case up. It was much lighter than he expected, but he wasn’t surprised. He knew all about Maia.

They were given files of each child to look over when they first said they were looking to adopt. Mr. Sween picked up Maia’s file first and read it thoroughly. He knew where she came from and the state she had once been in. What she had to go through. He chose her instantly, wanting to give her a good life.

“My name’s Mr. Daniel Sween, but my friends call me Danny. You can call me whatever you’re most comfortable with, although I would prefer Danny since I consider us friends.” He held out his hand for her to shake but she just looked up at him confused. She had calmed down for the most part, once she realized she wasn’t going to be punished for dropping the suitcase.

“Why don’t you come along with me? I was gonna go home and do some more work and you are more than welcome to join me.” He smiled. His teeth were a little crooked but it was the kindest smile Maia had ever seen. She nodded in agreement and slowly followed him out the door.

He helped her into the little silver car he owned and made sure she was buckled in. Once he was in the driver’s seat, he decided some conversation may ease her nerves.

“So tell me, Maia, have you ever seen a castle before?”

“No, sir.” She stared straight ahead, so tense she could barely breathe.

“Well, you’re about to. See, I’m a gardener for King Carter. I’m kind of his favorite gardener if I do say so myself so if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“I want to learn how to read and write, please. I need to write a letter.” She begged, still gripping the paper Jasmine had given her in her hands.

“Of course, my dear. I will pay for you to have lessons immediately.”