We drove four three hours. I wasn't even sure we were in the same state anymore. Ms. Greener rambled on about where I was going to be staying, but I didn't pay attention, so it's still a mystery. After about an گھنٹہ of mindless talking, Ms. Greener seemed to realize that I did not want to have a conversation; so she finally shut up. The rest of the car ride was pretty much silent, except for Ms. Greener occasionally pointing out beautiful landmarks.

We pulled up to a small little house, that looked like a ranch home. It was somewhere out in the country; nowhere near where I was used to growing up.

"Well, here we are!" Ms. Greener کہا cheerfully. I glared at the back of her head as she got out to get my stuff. I got out as well, and stood there, looking over the house. A big German Shepherd came out from the back of the house, and bared its teeth at me. I'd never had a dog, and this one looked mean. It ran at me, and I gasped and opened the car door again, jumping in and slamming the door behind me. The dog stopped a few feet away from the house, barking and growling at me. Only then did I notice the chain around the dog's neck, attached to the house. I sighed and got out slowly and carefully, careful to keep out of the dog's reach.

A woman came out, with short wavy gray hair. She was a little pudgy, and wore a گلابی tshirt and denim pants. She laughed, and I was pretty sure she was laughing at me.

"Oh, Sky doesn't bite!" she chuckled. "She's friendly." I gulped. "Hello, Allison!" the woman کہا to Ms. Greener. I heard Ms. Greener giggle and soon she was standing اگلے to me and the woman, with my bag on the ground.

"How are you, Gail?" she asked. Gail smiled. Apparently they were long time friends. Uh. I never thought a woman as evil as Ms. Greener could have friends.

"So, is this little miss Karley?" Gail asked, putting her hand on my shoulder. I shied away from her touch.

"Um, it's Harley," I corrected. She laughed.

"Of course it is... I was just foolin' with ya!" she giggled. I raised my eyebrows at her. "Here, I'll take your bags. C'mon now!" she said, grabbing my bag and waving her hand to the house. Ms. Greener and I followed behind, and I stayed close behind Gail as Sky lowered his head and growled menacingly at me. Inside, the place was very bright and welcoming... maybe a little too welcoming. She led me down a hallway, until she entered a room at the end of the hallway.

"You'll be sharing a room with Scout," Gail said. The room was painted a faded blue, and there were two beds in there. The one closest to the door was obviously occupied, so I assumed the one سے طرف کی the window would be mine. I sighed. So much for being alone...

Ms. Greener and Gail went back out to the kitchen, and sat at the میز, جدول and talked. They asked each other how the other had been, and what was new.

"Feel free to explore, Harmony," Gail said. I rolled my eyes, and didn't even bother to correct her. I walked back down the hallway, peeking in to the other rooms. One other room had two beds as well, but no one was there. There was a room with one bed, and it was maturely decorated, so I assumed it was Gail's room. Then the bathroom, and a room with a پالنے, پالنا in it. I stopped and looked in a little more. I heard a baby moan. I looked behind me, and I could still hear Ms. Greener's voice from the kitchen. I stepped into the room, and peeked over the crib. Inside was a little baby, with short, thin blond hair. It had a گلابی headband around its head, so I assumed it was a girl. The baby was laying on her back, holding her feet in the air. She smiled when I looked at her, but I only stared back. She let out a loud squeal, and I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one was coming. No one did, and I looked back down at the baby. She smiled a very big toothless grin, and held her hand out at me. After a while the baby squealed at me again, as if she wanted me to take her hand.

I slowly put my hand into the crib, close to the baby's hand. She grabbed my finger, in a quite tight grip. She let out a quiet squeal again, as if content. I smiled. The baby brought my hand up to her face, and held my finger against her face. She smiled again, and giggled.

"That's Bride," Gail said. I gasped and turned around, not even hearing her come in. She stood right behind me, with Ms. Greener in the doorway.

"Huh?" I asked.

"Her name is Bride... Found her on my doorstep one morning; only hours old." Whoa. That sucks. This baby has barely began life and she was already an orphan. I looked back at Bride, who still had a death grip on my finger. She giggled again.

"Well, I'd better be going," Ms. Greener announced. "Good luck, Harley!" she grinned. Gail raised her eyebrows, like Oh, that's her name? Ms. Greener walked herself out, leaving me alone with Gail and Bride.

"You wanna help me with Bride?" Gail asked. She walked around me, took Bride out of the پالنے, پالنا (after she let go of my finger), and walked out of the room back to the kitchen. She set Bride in a high chair, and grabbed a tiny little jar out of the pantry. She grabbed a tiny little spoon, and handed them to me. "Do آپ mind feeding her while I get رات کے کھانے, شام کا کھانا ready?" I'd never fed a baby, but how hard could it be?I unscrewed the jar labeled "mashed peas." I gagged when the odor hit me, how could she eat this stuff?!

Bride proved feeding babies to be very hard.

She kept on refusing to it, I didn't blame her, and when I finally got the stuff into her mouth, she'd spit it back out. Gail told me to "just scoop it back into her mouth with the spoon." I felt really bad for the kid; it was obvious that she did not like mashed peas. Finally, she choked down the whole jar; I had to congratulate her on that. Gail thanked me, and then set me free to do whatever I wanted.

"Dinner's in an hour," she said. I nodded and went back down the hallway to my room. I still didn't see anyone else; but there had to be others here, right? I shrugged and sat on my new bed. It was weird being in an actual بستر instead of sleeping on a futon. I pulled my suitcase onto my بستر with me, and pulled out my ipod. Nikolai had gotten it for me for my thirteenth birthday; he'd saved up for a long time too. I put it in my ears, and blasted my music. I looked around the room, thinking.

I zoned out for a while, and was only brought back to reality سے طرف کی someone opening the bedroom door. I jumped, and ripped out the earbuds. A girl walked in, maybe about my age, with long wavy blond hair. She wore white shorts, and a flowy red top. She looked shocked when she saw me.

"Oops! Sorry! آپ must be the new girl..." she said. I stared at her, with my mouth wide open. She looked around the room awkwardly, then smiled again. "Uh, I'm Scout," she crossed the room and held out her hand. I closed my mouth and stared at it, then back up at her. She smiled encouragingly. I slowly took her hand, and shook it, then quickly took my hand back. "What's your name?" Scout asked.

"Harley," I کہا slowly. Maybe she'd actually remember my name, unlike someone else. Scout smiled.

"That's a pretty name," she complimented.

"Thanks..." I کہا dully.

"Dinner's ready!" Gail called from down the hall.

"C'mon!" Scout کہا cheerfully, leaving the room. I put my آئی پوڈ, ipod under my pillow, and went back to the kitchen. Scout was already seated, and the only other available نشست was اگلے to her. I took my seat, across from another girl who looked maybe nine years old. She had on a grey sweatshirt, with shoulder length dark brown hair that was darker than mine. She stared at me, with a soft smile on her face. I averted my eyes to my plate; we were having hamburgers.

Another girl sat اگلے to her, who was probably six. She had medium length red hair, with freckles all over her face and pale blue eyes. She stared at me as well, but I tried not to notice.

"Well, everyone," Gail started. "We have a new family member!" Really. "Her name is Hermione." I sighed.

"I thought her name was Harley...?" Scout asked, looking at me.

"It it," I grumbled.

"Oh, that's right!" Gail laughed.

"Like a motorcycle?" the girl with dark hair asked. I sighed and nodded. I hadn't heard that one before...

"Well, I'm guessing آپ met Scout," Gail said. She pointed to the dark haired little girl. "This is Aspen," اگلے to the red head, "this is Jezebel, and you've met Bride." I nodded.

"Hello!" Jezebel shouted. I winced from the loud noise.

"Hi," I muttered. Everyone began eating, and I remained silent while everyone else talked about their day. Soon we were finished and I went back to my room. Scout came in a little while later, and sat on her bed.

"Do آپ like it here?" she asked. I shrugged. "Well, we're all glad to have آپ here."

"Thanks," I کہا quietly. "Is there anyone else here?" I asked after a while. Scout shook her head.

"Nope. Just us." I nodded. All girls. This would be a new experience; I'd grown up in an all-guy household practically my whole life.

"Do آپ come from a big family?" Scout asked. "Or... Do آپ not know...?" she amended. Only here would someone think to say that, I thought. I guess it was a way of being polite though.

"It was just me and my three brothers," I told her. She nodded.

"Oh, that's nice," she smiled big. "I used to live with my grandmother before she died," she said. She didn't seem bothered سے طرف کی the thought of her grandmother dying... "I was seven," she added. "I've been here ever since." Still, she was all smiles. I nodded.

"I was six when my mom died," I said, noticing the closeness in age when we lost someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "I can't imagine what that must be like... I never knew my mother. She died in a car crash along with my dad. If آپ don't mind me asking, how'd your mother die?" I looked down at the comforter, and fiddled with my fingers.

"She killed herself," I کہا quietly.

"Oh..." Scout said. "I'm so, so sorry..." I shrugged, and wiped away a tear; hopefully she didn't see. I didn't want her to think I was some kind of wuss یا something.

"Movie time!!" Jezebel cried, sticking her head into the room. I jumped when she shouted, but no one noticed. "C'mon Scout! C'mon Harley! It's movie time!" she ran away still screaming. Scout laughed.

"C'mon," she کہا softly. I followed her out of the room, past the kitchen, to a room with a big سوفی, لٹانا and a TV. Aspen was laying on her stomach on the floor, and Jezebel sat اگلے to her. Scout sat in the middle of the couch, and I took a نشست اگلے to her. The movie that we were going to watch was Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. I'd never seen it before, but Jezebel assured me it was a good movie. Gail walked in from the kitchen, holding Bride and a bowl of popcorn. She handed it to me, and took a نشست on the other side of Scout. Sky the German Shepherd curled up اگلے to Aspen on the floor, without so much as a سیکنڈ glance at me.

"Take as much as آپ want. Just be sure to pass it around," she کہا as she started the movie. I took a small handful, and passed the bowl to Scout.

After the movie was over, and it was a pretty good movie, Gail کہا it was time for bed. Scout changed into her pajamas in the bathroom, while I changed stayed in the bedroom. I didn't have pajamas, so I just kicked off my socks and zipped up my sweatshirt کے, سویاٹشارٹ and crawled into bed. Scout came back a little while later, and got into her own bed.

"Goodnight, Harley," she کہا as she turned out the light.

"Goodnight..." I said. I turned over and stared at the moon out the window. I wonder what Nikolai and Carmine were doing? Were they still up? Was Reed? I hoped he was ok. All the other times he'd gotten arrested we'd bailed him out the same day. He'd never spent the night in jail. I wondered if he was scared. I didn't know if I was scared anymore. I felt welcome, but I was still scared that I'd never see my brothers again. I closed my eyes, and actually had a peaceful night's sleep.