Two hours later Eric found himself seated in the front seat of Roth’s car, a smile threatening to form. After accepting the kind offer, he was anxious to leave Mrs. Laje and the orphanage behind. In fact, he was ready to turn over a new leaf and start fresh. He saw the address of his new home on one of the forms he needed to sign, and knew he’d be changing schools; that meant no more summer school.

A second chance.

Relief flooded Eric. No one was likely to know him or his shitty, rumor-made personality.

Roth wasn’t like the others. He couldn’t pinpoint the exact difference, only that he was upfront and forthcoming about his intentions. There weren’t any false smiles or calculating looks flashed his way when Roth looked at him. He sounded genuine, like he meant every word he said.

It was part of the reason behind his decision to say yes. He thought he was a good judge of character based off the hell he experienced growing up. Roth was far from the evil, twisted people he lived with for six years. There was something about him that caused Eric to feel a sense of peace within himself. The emotions inside were always raging, like a severe thunderstorm. He was trapped, with no escape.

Roth was like the sunlight breaking the storm. Calm, serene, and full of the promise that things would be okay. He felt all that from one conversation. If he could feel that way living with him and his family, then he thought, maybe, just maybe, he could fix the broken pieces inside him.

Eric could see himself growing to lov—no. Too soon. He trusted that family within days, and ended up trapped with no escape. It took noticeable abuse before police did anything.

He heaved a sigh. Now wasn’t the time. He didn’t want to sour his new life with thoughts of them.

Eric was excited to start his new life. He’d be an adult soon. If things didn’t work out with Roth, he had options to choose from, unlike when he was thirteen.

Mrs. Laje, of course, made a huge deal about him leaving and insisted he take a photo with all the caretakers. He relented because it meant leaving faster. He had nothing to be sad about. The caretakers had their hands full with the kids most of the time. The only person he saw on a regular basis was Mrs. Laje, and she was far from a motherly figure to him, as much as she tried to be.

The black cloud hanging over his head got a little lighter when he walked out those doors for the last time.

He dodged the caretakers, and Mrs. Laje, on his way to slide into Roth’s car. He didn’t want to endure another second at this place. He felt like none of them enjoyed having him around. Their well-wishes meant nothing.

He never felt like Mrs. Laje gave him the chance to explain himself fully whenever he got in trouble. She heard his side of the story without asking how it affected him. He might have nicer thoughts about her if she had taken a moment to check in and see how he was doing. As it was, no love was lost between them on his end.

Eric watched as Roth finished up his conversations. He couldn’t believe he was actually leaving this place for good. He leaned back in his seat, smiling as the summer sun shone down on him through the open car window.

“The city needs to stop growing. I swear, one blink and it grows five miles.” Roth chuckled, easing the car into traffic, his good mood reflected by the carefree smile on his face. “Our home is about forty minutes away. Unfortunately, you’ll have to change schools. The new year starts in late August or early September. I don’t remember the date. I’ll check after dinner. Should be enough time for you to settle down and check out the neighborhood.”

Eric kept quiet as he looked out at Castlebrooke flashing before his eyes. He didn’t mean to be silent or act like he was ignoring Roth. It was just, this was the first time he’d seen so much of the city beyond the bus ride to and from school. He never realized how much nature was incorporated into Castlebrooke.

From the towering trees surrounding houses to the natural wildflowers growing along the roads, it made for a beautiful sight. The sidewalks looked more like they belonged in a park. And there were so many people out walking. Eric found it hard to keep his eyes on one thing.

He would have shared this with Roth if he didn’t feel so embarrassed.

He often heard his classmates talking about all the places they’d been to in the city, which restaurants had the best burgers, and the best parks to play basketball. He’d never been allowed anywhere in Castlebrooke besides home and school, or the orphanage and school. His lack of knowledge about his hometown was embarrassing.

He was hopeful, based off what Roth said, that he’d be able to explore more over the summer and not be confined to the house. It would be more than he expected, anyways.

Eric didn’t mind the news about school. He didn’t have any friends at his old one, so he wasn’t bothered moving to a different one. He’d be leaving behind his undeserved reputation, unless a former classmate somehow ended up in the same high school on the opposite side of the city.

All the high schools Mrs. Laje managed to enroll him in were always on the same side of the city as the orphanage, or in the same school district. Most of the students were friends with other students from different schools, which made it hard for Eric to start over after he was expelled. Again, something Mrs. Laje failed to believe him about when he tried explaining why he was struggling to make friends.

The last four years were nothing but chaos.

He understood why Mrs. Laje got angry when he stopped helping the caretakers. He decided to be selfish for once and try fixing all the stuff he thought was broken inside him. He couldn’t do that while chasing down four-year-olds or cleaning up the toy room whenever the kids forgot.

After many nights of lectures and arguments, Eric started ignoring everyone, even the children. He snuck up to the attic to think, started going on walks around the block to get some alone time, and even skipped the bus after school to take the route back by foot and enjoy the bit of Castlebrooke he was allowed to see.

Mrs. Laje eventually stopped yelling at him for that.

Now, tucked away in a nice-smelling car with the promise of brighter days, Eric felt relaxed for the first time in years. He unconsciously smiled.

Roth didn’t seem to mind the lack of communication and let him be for the remainder of the drive. Roth turned on the radio and tapped out a beat on the steering wheel.

Forty minutes later, Eric felt his mouth drop open as they headed down a long driveway and came to a stop in front of a three-story house…well, what seemed to be three stories. The third floor looked to be a smidgen smaller. The house was huge and beautiful. There was a wide, open yard that stretched on for a few acres before merging with the surrounding woods.

Before Roth exited the car, he met Eric’s awestruck gaze. “Your bedroom is on the third floor. My son’s office and bedroom are also up there. On days he’s working at home, you won’t be able to blast music from your room. Feel free to do that anywhere else in the house should you wish.”

Eric let out a startled laugh when he realized Roth was trying to jest. “Okay…you have a beautiful home, sir.”

“Thank you,” Roth smiled. “Susan and I don’t have a list of rules to follow. Help out around the house when needed and let us know if you plan to be out late with friends. I’ll be a listening ear if you ever need one, free of charge. And call me Roth. Sir makes me feel old.” He chuckled, getting out of the car.

Eric followed suit, somewhat taken aback at the lack of house rules. He hadn’t expected freedom. It was so different from the orphanage—a privilege he didn’t want to take for granted.

He was surprised that the inside of the house looked normal. It didn’t scream wealth. The carpet looked like any brown carpet and the cream walls were decorated with family pictures and a variety of other house necessities. Children’s toys were scattered along the hallway, and he could hear giggling from somewhere nearby.

He could imagine living here.

“The living room, kitchen, dining room, game room, my room, two guest rooms, laundry room, and bathroom are all on the first floor.” Roth explained after closing and locking the front door. “The girls’ rooms are on the second. We also have two other rooms being saved for two siblings from Florida. The adoption process for that is a bit lengthy and they’re only five, so by the time they arrive, it’ll be a nice age gap for my girls. There’s also a bathroom on the second floor. The third floor has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a large office.”

Eric looked at him in shock. “Why…?”

An amused laugh softened Roth’s expression. “We’ve always wanted a big family. But the two siblings from Florida will be the last we adopt. Their story is a bit complicated.”

He gave a fond sigh as he continued, “As much as we want to, we don’t have the ability to give homes to all the children in the world. However, my son is determined to adopt as many unwanted children as he possibly can. He’ll take time to look at their files to see how long they’ve been in the system before finding a loving family to match them to.”

“Where does he keep his adopted children?” Eric asked, following Roth to the living room, half his attention on the conversation and the other half awed by the house and his unexpected freedom.

Roth gave a booming laugh, settling down on one of the couches. “He hasn’t adopted yet. I explained how he’d never be able to take care of every unwanted child. So, he took it upon himself to start up a for-profit to generate revenue to fund his nonprofit organization, Wanted. He finds unwanted children and puts them in homes where they’ll be loved. I’m extremely proud of him.”

Eric nodded and sat down on the couch. Roth’s son must feel very strongly about orphanages and unadopted children to end up making a business out of it.

He could never do something like that.

“Susan also took it upon herself to buy you a new wardrobe. That’s why I asked about your size for clothes and shoes earlier. She said you can exchange anything you don’t like. She’d be happy to take you shopping later if you need to replace any of the clothes you have.” Roth glanced at his watch. “The rest of the family should be arriving any second.”

As if on cue, two little girls ran into the living room, giggling. The smaller of the two seemed shy in comparison to the bright grin on the taller girl’s face.  

“Angela is the oldest at eight. Sam is five,” Roth said in a stage whisper.

Angela had beautiful, dark skin and eyes to match; there was a seemingly never-ending sparkle in them. Her black hair was long and curly, her smile bright.

Despite his anger at life, Eric couldn’t help but smile when he met her excited eyes. “Hello,” he greeted, surprised at how soft and gentle his voice became.

“Hi!” Angela gushed, grabbing one of Eric’s hands in both of hers and shaking it. “I can’t believe I have another brother. Kay is always so busy! But you aren’t an adult yet, so we can have tea parties and sing.”

Eric stared at her with wide eyes, nodding along even though he didn’t view himself as part of the family.

Sam had light brown eyes framed with gorgeous, dark lashes. Her black hair was long and thick, curling nicely at the ends and accentuating her olive complexion. She was dressed in a cat onesie and hiding behind her older sister.

She only offered him a shy smile before she dashed away with Angela giggling after her.

“They never stay still for long.”

“Right you are, dear,” a sweet voice replied.

Eric looked over and saw an elegant looking woman leaning against the door frame. He could tell she was around her husband’s age. She had chocolate brown hair and bright blue eyes. She was a little pale but it wasn’t off-putting. If anything, it made her seem more motherly despite the fact she was dressed in jeans and a shirt three times her size.

“Hello, I’m Susan. You must be Eric.” She held out her hand and Eric was quick to shake it.

“It’s nice to meet you.” he muttered.

Susan smiled. Before she could say anything, another person walked through the door.

He was over six feet tall with inky black hair. He had a complexion similar to Susan, but those eyes… Eric had clung to those so strongly from his memories that they became part of him. One piercing blue, cold like ice; and the other a vibrant emerald. Those eyes had chased away so many bad dreams, so many nightmares. Eric had never thought he’d see the face of his childhood friend again.

“Kayden, meet Eric, the newest addition to our family.”