Ascending (Chapter 1)

”I can’t believe we finally get to leave!” Ash yelped, skipping past Luna and Volt and putting her kit of yarn into her bag. “Well.. at least we won’t have to listen to Felix running and screaming through the house at the crack of dawn,” Luna said, less enthusiastically. “And Ryder leaving all his toy cars everywhere,” Volt offered while he put some of his favorite books into his bag. Luna nodded wholeheartedly. “They aren’t too bad,” Ash objected, but her stifled yawn said otherwise. They continued to pack their things into their bags in silence.

The warm breeze lifted a few strands of Ash’s hair as they walked out the front door and down the stairs. A woman in a casual t-shirt and jeans stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting impatiently. As Ash, Luna, and Volt approached, her hand shot out and firmly shook theirs in greeting before she announced, “Hi, I’m Scarlett, and I’m going to be driving you guys to your new foster home and making sure everything is all set up okay.” Scarlett walked over to a small car parked next to the sidewalk. Ash, Luna, and Volt just stood there. Luna muttered, “Why aren’t our foster parents driving us?” At the same time, Volt worried, “How long will the drive be?” Ash giggled, “I guess we’ll find out!”, before bounding after Scarlett. Volt sighed. “Oh well. I guess we’re going…” Luna nodded, and they both trailed behind Ash.

“OK, we’re here!” Scarlett announced, pulling up to one of the small houses lined up on the street. It was a plain beige color, unlike the light blue and green houses sitting beside it. Well, it seems like a very cozy place, Ash thought optimistically. “Come on, let’s go!” Ash hopped out of the car, yanking her bag with her. Luna and Volt followed suit, making comments quietly to each other, as usual. Ash bounded up the steps, grinning excitedly, and raised her hand to knock. The door swung open right before her knuckles touched the wood, and a stout middle-aged man loomed in the doorway. Ash felt her smile slip. The man’s clothes were rumpled, and the very faint odor of cigarettes and beer hung around him. Oh no. That’s not a good sign. He looked down at her disdainfully, his lips pulled back in a sneer. “Hello, you must be Jason!” Scarlett moved beside Ash and stuck out her hand that wasn’t holding a clipboard. Jason turned to her and shook her outstretched hand, the sneer disappearing and an oily smile replacing it. “Yes, I am. And you guys must be Ash, Luna, and Volt.” Jason slurred slightly. Is he drunk? I have a bad feeling about this. Ash backed up until she felt Luna’s cool hand grasp hers and squeeze comfortingly. Volt spoke up, “Hi. We’re really excited to meet you.” His voice was flat and so unlike Volt that Ash peeked at him out of the corner of her eye to make sure that the person talking was actually Volt. From the outside, he looked relaxed and friendly, but after years of being around Volt, Ash could tell from the way he held himself that Volt was as on edge as she was. Maybe we could go back to the orphanage. Ash thought. “I’ve heard so much about you three. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve planned for each of you.” Jason gushed. Ash felt like throwing up. Luna shuddered next to her. “Ok well, how about you give a tour of the house? That way, Ash, Luna, and Volt will be more familiar with everything, and I can perform the mandatory inspection.” Scarlett shrugged as if saying I have to do it. “Oh yeah. Come on in.” Jason waved them through the door. Inside, the smell of smoke and alcohol only got worse. Ash gagged. Beside her, Luna wrinkled her nose. I know, right? Ash mouthed. “OK, so on the first floor is the kitchen and living room. All the bedrooms and the bathroom are on the second floor. My kids Adam, Scott, and Rowan are at school, and my wife is at work right now, but I can introduce you to them when they come back. Laura and I also set up your rooms already, so how ‘bout we go look at them?” Jason asked. Scarlett nodded along. “You guys go ahead. I need to check everything downstairs first.” Scarlett held up her clipboard in explanation and waved them away.

The floorboards creaked under Ash’s feet as they made their way upstairs. The hallway was as bland as everything else in the house. Jason motioned to the far end of the hallway. “We only have two extra rooms, so Ash will be bunking with Luna. Volt will have a separate room.” Jason threw open the doors. “This one on the left is for Ash and Luna. The other one’s for you, Volt.” Ash peeked her head into her’s and Luna’s room. Beige walls, beige carpet, beige blankets. A small window brought in the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass. Ash surreptitiously inhaled as much of it as she could, trying to get rid of the stale smell from her lungs. “It’s great,” Luna said, her voice strained. Ash rushed over to Volt’s room. For a moment, she experienced a feeling of déjà vu. His room looked exactly the same as her’s and Luna’s. SSSSOOOOO plain! Jason stood in the hallway, watching her expectantly. What does he want me to say?! Thankfully, Scarlett arrived at that moment. “All is good downstairs. Is everyone ok with their rooms?” she asked, looking into the rooms herself. Ash managed a feeble nod. “I will also need to see the bathroom.” “We’ll come with you!” Ash eagerly jumped at the opportunity. “Yeah!” Volt grabbed Luna’s hand and dragged her along.

Turns out literally EVERYTHING in the house is either beige or brown. As everyone walked back downstairs, Ash watched as Scarlett checked off a few more things on her clipboard. “I just need everyone to sign here, and it’s official,” Scarlett pushed the clipboard towards them. “Can we discuss it first?” Volt asked, gesturing toward Ash and Luna. “Sure.” Volt guided both of them into the living room. “I think we should stay here,” Luna posed as Ash decided, “We should go back.” “Ash, this could be a permanent place for you. It’s not the best, but it’s somewhere that’s stable. You haven’t had a stable home for 10 years.” Luna worried. “Luna,” Ash emphasized, “Something’s off about this place. I can just feel it. We could go back, and…” “And what? We have nothing back there,” Luna countered. “How about we stay here, but we’ll be very careful, okay?” Volt chimed in. Ash sighed in defeat. She couldn’t ever win an argument when Volt sided with Luna. But she COULD feel it. The nauseous feeling she gets right after she see something gory. Ash’s stomach churned, and she took a deep breath, resisting the urge to empty her stomach right there. If Luna and Volt couldn’t feel anything, it should be ok. “Let’s do it, then” Ash shuffled back to where Jason was signing his name. “Are you guys ready?” Scarlett turned to them with a reassuring smile. Volt nodded, took the pen she offered him, and scribbled his name in the box under Jason’s. Luna took the pen from Volt and did the same thing. The only person left to sign was Ash. Looking down at the paper, Ash paused. She looked at Luna and saw the plea in her gaze. Ash heaved another deep breath and slowly wrote her name. Ash Campbell. Handing the clipboard back, Ash spared a glance at Jason. He was smiling gleefully at the signatures. Ash suddenly regretted signing. What had they just gotten themselves into? “Thanks! Have a great day!” Scarlett waved goodbye and walked outside. Ash itched to run after her. The door slammed closed. It felt like the key turning in the lock of a jail cell. Trapping them inside.