A Myth Life (Chapter 1)

Staring at the empty pizza tray stood Riana.
“It’s all gone” I muttered
I had just learnt never to tie your shoe before grabbing a slice of pizza.

I am Riana Foggler, long-time foster child, short-time realiser. Twelve and a half years old and counting. I have been in foster care ever since I was five, my parents thought it was a nicer way of abandoning me then leaving on the side of a freeway.

Grabbing the leftover chunks of warm Hawaiian ham slipped down my throat.
“Eww gross!” I spat out the pineapple. Don’t start an argument about how nice pineapple is everyone has a different attitude to everything and it wasn’t that long ago I learnt that lesson.

A carer walked passed “Oh dear, I should of ordered more, Riana sweet help your self to a sandwich” and continued walking.

I walked to the counter and got my self a sandwich

I have just got back from three months with an old couple up in Dargo that’s about four hours away from Seymour. It’s been a while since being back at the old grind. First of all the number of girls has exploded from 11 to 16. Second, most of these girls are boyfriend obsessing make up drenched psychopaths and finally my only friend Sarah just got adopted. So there goes a perfectly good six-year friendship out the door. Nah, I’m kidding I still talk to her on the phone we just don’t stay in contact as much as we use to.

One cheese and vegemite sandwich later I sat in the hall waiting to use the phone.
Waiting, waiting and waiting some more. Surprisingly when I checked the clock, it had only been twenty minutes.
“Hurry up Lesley, I need to use the phone!” I demanded
“Shut up loser!” She snapped not focusing on me and continued with her phone conversation “Oh no, I love you babe so what do you say about Saturday?”
I rolled her eyes and silently started mimicking Lesley to kill off time. It caught Lesley’s attention and she took her shoe off and threw it at me, fortunately I ducked and left shoe print on the wall. That will be handy in two week’s time when the carers finally realise it and hopelessly try to find the culprit.

Five minutes later Lesley’s conversation had come nowhere near an end. I finally got the nerve to steal the phone from Lesley and hang up.
“Great! Your done, my turn” I surged and picked up the phone
“Uh no it’s not” Lesley protested stealing the phone back.
“You’ve spent all day talking to your boyfriend, now let me call me brother, its urgent”
“So, is staying in love Riana”
“Tough love” I said sternly dialling the number.
Sarah picked up the phone within two rings
“Hello?” whispered Sarah
“Hey” I said cheerfully
“Oh my god! What took so long? Sarah’s tone suddenly rose.
“Certain people were busy.” I frowned at Lesley watching me with a stern face before looking away.
“There’s a crazy reality show on about people stranded in a foreign city” Sarah added
“Really isn’t that called… Ahh!!!!” I found relaxed and cheery before suddenly screaming to Lesley pulling on my brown hair. Sarah was listening to the catfight of an argument on the other side of the line.
“Stop yanking my hair, your psycho!” I yelled.
“At least I have friends!”
“Go put on a full mask of make up! It’s thicker then the Twilight books!”
Lesley jumped on my back and hung up the phone. Sarah listened to the phone dial.
“Uh… Hello?” Sarah asked before hanging up.

Lesley slammed me against the wall holding me by my shirt.
“What are you doing? Why are you doing this?” I pleaded.
“… Don’t go all book smart one my you useless cow!” Lesley snapped.
“I simply wanted to use the phone, and not become part of your circus, Now take a chill pill, let it go I don’t wanna make you look vilified or anything!”
Lesley let go of my shirt and just slowly walked away. I was pleased with myself, forget guns and violence, long words were the ultimate weapon to victory. As soon as Lesley left and I called again.
“Hello” it was Sarah again.
“Back, Sorry technical difficulties”
“From who, Lesley”
“Uh, is that a trick question”
Sarah laughed.
“So, hows the adoption” I asked
“It’s a lot better then that shack, I got a phone for a welcoming gift”
“Lucky!”
“You’ll find a family, there’s a lot of people out there looking for a child to call their own”
My tone dropped. Bringing up this subject was always the best way to suck all the joy out of me.
“Look I gotta go I have homework due tomorrow”
“Ok c’ya” she said joyfully.
“Bye” I hung up the phone.

There was no homework due tomorrow; there was no homework at all.
I finished it all yesterday. Homework was my solitary time; everything would disappear as soon as I dipped my mind into a big pile of calculus sums.

Maybe it was time some TV and after that an early night. Whatever to stop the anger and animosity the better.