The Road Less Traveled

I never have taken much time out to explain myself.  I guess I never saw the need.  So, allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Karoline Melissa Carter.  Just call me Kari.  Most of you know my life with the Carter's and how much trouble I can get myself into.  Yet, you don't know the story of me before I became a Carter.  I mean, that wasn't my name at all three and a half years ago.  Not very many people know my story, but now you will.  Be aware that I will go very fast with this.  I can’t remember everything that happened to me in that time, but I’ll certainly try.  It all started the day of the crash.  The day I lost my family.  We were driving home from a movie when WHAM!  It was over in a second.  I soon woke up in the hospital.

"Doctor, she's awake."  I remember the nurse saying.  Both of them were moving about the room.  I looked around to see I was alone.   I could hear the heart monitor and I saw the i.v. bag.  I followed the tube to find that it went into my arm.  I could barely remember what had happened, but knew enough that I was hurt. 

"What's going on?"  I whispered.  My voice was gone.  The nurse turned and looked at me.

"You and your family were involved in a terrible accident.  A drunk driver hit you head on."  She said softly.  I had to think for a moment.  All I could remember was the bright lights.  I slowly lifted up an arm and felt along my face.  There was a long scratch down my cheek.

"What about my Mom and Dad?  What about Alison and Brigette?"  I asked.  This time, both of them looked at me.  They didn't say word but their actions spoke loudly.

"Karoline, they're......."  The doctor started.  He didn't need to finish.

"Gone.  They're gone and I’m alone."  I said.  I remember crying and that was it.  The second thing I remember is the funeral.  Four white caskets draped with flowers at the front of the church.  Two big ones, two small ones.  I felt like each box held a piece of me.  Especially my sisters.  I guess I have neglected to tell you that I was a triplet.  People would come up to my wheelchair and tell me that they were so sorry.  Of course, they didn’t hug me for fear of causing pain.  Most just patted me on the head.  I didn’t mind, I was actually quite numb.  I then wheeled myself up to the alter to do my last goodbye.  Everyone in the church was crying.  So was I.  I pulled out my notes and cleared my throat.

“There is nothing more painful then losing someone you love.  But it is an even greater tragedy when a whole family is lost.  This is due to the actions of one man and his decision.  There is nothing we can do to turn back the hands of time, but we can move forward.  My parents and sisters would have wanted it that way.  It is my duty to keep their memories alive because I was the only survivor.  I guess that is why I was kept alive in the first place.”  I read.  People began to cry harder.  I then wheeled myself over to the four caskets and kissed one rose on each one.  After that, I when back to the alter.

“Goodbye to you all.  You will be missed until we see one another once more in the next life.  I love you.”

  A few weeks later, I was sent to a boarding house in upper St. Paul.  My other family members just didn't know what to do with a thirteen year old girl.  So, I lived there for a few months.  I was doing great.  My injuries had healed, leaving light scars.  Well, except for the one on my cheek.  That one would take a little more time.  I was happy.  I even had a friend.  Her name was Abigail.

"Which is better, the red or the black?"  She asked me, holding up to shirts.  This weekend was adoption weekend.  People all over would come to see us.  To see who they wanted.  Abby was especially excited about this.  You see, she had been at the home for sometime.  Her parents were killed in a house fire when she was three.  That was the only family she had.  So, she lives here now.  Waiting for the day someone will come and take her.

"Go with the red.  You should be flashier."  I snickered.  She whopped me with a pillow from my bed.  She put the two shirts back into the closet.  This room was my little personal space.  Everyone in the house knew that if you entered without permission, they would pay big time.

"Do you think that this may be it?  That we'll be adopted?"  She asked me.  She asked this every single time.  I didn't mind it at all.

"I don't know Abby.  We'll just have to wait and see."  I answered.  Suddenly, another figure appeared at the door.  This time it was someone who I didn't want to see.

"Now why would anyone want you?  They want someone that is smart, beautiful and clever.  Someone like me!"  She sneered.  Her name was Rose.  I don't care what she says, she isn't any of those.  I have a better grade point average in school, so there!  If you ever meet her, run.  Run as fast as you can.

"What makes you so sure Rose?  I mean, you've been here longer than us."  I said with a hint of sarcasm.  Rose is what you would call a dump off.  Both of her parents were into drugs and all that stuff.

"Shut up!  Did you know that some star is thinking about adopting one of us?  I heard Lori talking about it."  She snapped.  Both of us shook our heads.

"And of course they would pick you o queen of the house!"  I said.

"They are just saving the best for last of course.  It's always beauty before age."  She shot back.  Abby pretended to be hit with something.

"Ooo that really hurt Rose.  I think I am going to cry."  She spat out.  Rose just balled up her fists.

"I'll show you two!  No adult can resist my charm and grace!"  She yelled.  She turned to leave when there was a loud bang.  "Ow!"  Turns out Ms. Grace had run into the wall.  Abby and I stifled back a laugh.  Rose didn't stay anything.  She left my room rubbing her arm.  That’s when we both erupted into laugher.

"You have to be smarter than the door to leave the room!"  I gasped.  This carried on for about a minute before we heard a voice from downstairs.

"Girls!  Lunch!"  That's Petey, the woman of the house hold.  Her real name is Patricia but none of the younger kids could say it well, so it's just Petey.  Both Abby and I ran downstairs and took our place at the table.  Once everyone had arrived, Petey stood up and quieted everyone down.

"Now, I have an important announcement.  I'm sure that all of you have heard rumor of a family of high profile wanting to adopt one of you.  Those rumors are true.  They have been looking at your pictures and profiles on the website and have picked a few.  They cannot make it up here but request that I send a video tape of a select few."  She said.  We all started murmuring softly.

"So it is true!"  Abby whispered to me.  Petey raised up her hand again.

"I have a list that they have sent me and will read it now."  She smiled.  She then cleared her throat.  "Nelly, Kendra, Abigail, Angela, Rebecca, Rose, and Kari."  She read.  Both mine and Abby's jaws dropped.  We couldn't believe it.  We were so shocked that we didn't speak through the rest of lunch.  Of course, Rose was gloating.  Figures.  When everything was finished, Abby and I ran upstairs to my room.

"I can't believe it!  I just can't believe it!"  Abby exclaimed as I closed the door.  I don't think those are the words for it.

"You?  I can't believe they picked someone like Rose!"  I laughed.  I flopped down on my bed and looked up at my posters.  Of course, they were of the Backstreet Boys, my favorite group.

"Kari, do you think they'll take two kids?” she asked.  I continued to stare at my poster.

“We could be best friends and sisters!”  I exclaimed.  This thought was kind of weird, but it could have come true.  I looked into the eyes of every boy on my poster.  Abigail looked up at it and laughed.  She hated the group with a passion.

“Aren’t you a little old to be liking a boy band?”  She laughed.  I threw a stuffed toy at her.  This time I didn’t miss.

“This coming from a girl that is still in love with Taylor Hanson.”  I snickered.  She blushed just a little bit.  I was the only person in the house that knew she still loved Hanson.

“You speak one word about that to anyone and you won’t live to see the day you get adopted.”  She joked half heartedly.  We felt silent for a moment or two.  We were both still in shock that we had been chosen.  Then, the curiosity began to set in.

“You know, do you wonder who these people might be?”  I asked.  She gave a little noise to show she was deep in her thoughts.

“Well, they have to be really weird if they would pick someone like Rose.”  She scoffed.  I guess neither of us could let that go.  I flipped over onto my stomach.

“Trust me Abby, when they see her true side they wouldn’t touch her with a ten foot pole.”  I said as I rolled my eyes.  Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.  There stood a younger girl named Angela.  She had been one of those picked along with her twin sister Rebecca.  She is generally a very nice little girl and likes to hang around with the big kids.

“Hi Angie!  Is there something that you need?”  I asked.  She just shook her head collectively and entered the room.

“I’m just trying to figure out who they are.”  She said softly as she sat on the bed.  Abby came up and sat beside her.

“We have our own theories as well.”  She laughed.  She then looked up to my poster again.  I was expecting her to make an oh they are so creepy statement.  I was very surprised what she really did say.

“Wouldn’t it be strange if it was one their families that wanted one of us?”  She asked.  I was a little taken aback by this question.  I guess I never really thought about it.  Angela gave a little high pitched giggle.

“Yeah right.  Like any of them really needs someone.  They have millions of fans, why would they choose just one?”  She said.  For a little kid, she sure speaks the truth.

“Guys, I think it’s time that we stop talking about this.  It’s only making us crazy.”  I said.  We all nodded.  This was making all of us crazy.  We decided at that point that we should concentrate on the task at hand.  Tomorrow, a bunch of parents were coming to check out the kids and possibly take one of them.  If I wasn’t the one chosen, I might as well have another one in line.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning was kind of a blur.  Everyone was running around like chickens with their heads cut off.  Ew, imagine that visual.  Anyway, Petey was all up in arms about us being on our best behavior.  I think she was mostly talking about me and Abby.  Both of us are pranksters and have pulled a few on the guests.  They were all very funny, but Petey didn’t see the humor in them.

“Terren, where is your red hair ties?  I thought you were going to wear your red hair ties!”  she said in a fluster.  What did I tell you?  She was very up tight about everything on days like this.  There were about twenty girls in the living room at the time.  Everyone, with the exception of Petey, was sitting around talking nervously.

“How much longer?”  whined Lori.  She was one of the older girls at the house.  Although, she never acted like it very much.

“Five minutes and they’ll be looking at us like cattle.”  I answered.  I know, I know.  I really did love those days, but come on!  These people really did look at us more like cattle.  I was surprised that they didn’t check to see if our teeth were good enough.

“Well, all I know is that some rich and famous family will come and take me away.”  Rose said as she flipped her hair with her hand.  At this point, I really wanted to punch her lights out.  I knew I couldn’t, but it’s nice to think about it.  We waited for a little while longer until this huge group of adults entered the room.  There had to be at least thirty families.

“Welcome everyone!  There are some refreshments in the kitchen and you may talk to whom ever you like.”  Petey announced.  I watched as most of them moved toward the younger kids.  It is very hard to be an orphan teenager.  Everyone wants the cute young ones.  I looked over to see Abby talking this older couple.  They seemed pretty nice.  Suddenly, one couple approached me.

“Hello there dear.  What’s your name?”  the woman asked it a high pitched voice.  She kinda creeped me out.

“Karoline.  Everyone here calls me Kari.”  I answered.  They wrote this down on a sheet of paper.

“Kari that is a beautiful name!  How old are you?”  the man asked.

“I’m 13.”  I answered once more.  I looked back over to the woman.  She was wearing caked on makeup and her eyes looked like there were spiders all over them.  Her perfume was really strong and made me want to sneeze.

“Now then, can you tell us about yourself?”  she asked.  That is when her husband tapped her on the shoulder.  She turned around to face him.

“Honey, remember?  You said you only wanted a child under ten.”  He said.  I didn’t know whether to be happy or insulted.

“Alright Dear.  Sorry Kari, you just aren’t what we are looking for.”  The lady said.  The both just walked away from me.  At that moment, I felt like I was nothing.  That is when Abby can over and sat down next to me.

“Those people seemed nice.”  She said.  She was a lot more hyper than she usually is.  I just let out a sigh.

“Yeah, but they wanted someone younger.” I answered.  She didn’t answer to that.  About an hour later, the house emptied out and we all went back to normal.  The girls that were adopted were cheering and hugging each other while the others just returned to their rooms.  I did the same and changed into my everyday clothes.  I heard a knock on the door.  Of course, it was Abby.

“Some of the girls are going to bike down to the lake.  Wanna come?”  she asked.  She already knew my answer was yes.

“Let’s go!”  I said.  We both ran outside and grabbed our bikes and helmets.  Petey was on the porch watching us.

“Be back before dark or I’m calling a search team!”  she yelled.  All of the girls laughed.

“Alright Petey!”  I yelled.  I pushed off from the ground and away we when.  Traveling through the town was kind of tough on weekdays.  The traffic was terrible and the stop lights were endless.  We always swore that the drivers would earn points if they had hit us.

“Do you think he will be down there?”  asked Abby.  I could feel my face turning red as she said that.  Ah, teenage romance.  He is a boy named Andrew.  Everyone else calls him Andy.  He was my very first boyfriend. We had met in school a few months earlier.  We always met down at the park since he wasn’t really allowed at the girl’s home.  Never the less, we liked each other.

“I don’t know!  He goes where he wants to.”  I answered.  I could hear several of the girls making kissy noises at me.

“Kari’s got a boyfriend, Kari’s got a boyfriend!”  Rebecca and Angela chanted.  I turned my head just enough so I could see them.

“You’re too young to understand.”  I said.  Both of them laughed.

“Boys are yucky!  Why would you ever want one?”  Rebecca snickered.  Both of the girls giggled the rest of the way.  We reached the park about a half an hour later.  It isn’t much of a park, but we loved it.  It had the usual playground stuff and tables.  Just a nice hang out place.  We parked our bikes and headed straight for the swings.  Those were always a nice place to talk and play at the same time.

“Man, I hate Minnesota summers!  They are always hot and humid.”  Abby whined.  I just chuckled at her.  She had lived in Alaska for a few years before coming here.  She always hated how hot it got.

“Well, get use to it!”  I yelled back as I got higher and higher.  Suddenly, as I got near the bottom, someone grabbed the side of the swing and I was almost thrown to the ground.

“Hey!  Who did that?”  I screamed.  I turned around to see Andy standing there with his usual wolfish grin.  His light blond hair was a little messy, but decent.  I grinned back at him.

“Hey girlie girl!  Did you miss me?”  he asked as he took my hand.  Abby just rolled her eyes and continued swinging.  I always had to look up at Andy’s eyes because he is about a foot taller than me.  Oh well, it was worth it.

“How can I miss you if you won’t go away?”  I joked.  We both walked over to one of the picnic tables and sat down.  I looked across the park to see Rebecca and Angela going back and forth on the monkey bars.  Andy put his arm around me.

“So how did things go today?”  he asked.  I just shrugged.

“Not as well as I hoped.  I guess I’ll have to wait.”  I answered.  He always loved to hear about how I was doing.  That’s why I liked him so much.

“I could you have not be picked?  You are beautiful!”  he said.  I didn’t know if he really meant it, or was just trying to suck up to me.  Either way, I was very flattered by the compliment.

“Thank you.  That made my day.”  I said.  I suddenly remember something.  “Guess what!”  I almost yelled.  He pretended to be deep in thought.

“Chicken butt?”  he answered.  I smacked him playfully in the arm.

“No!  We just got news yesterday that some star is considering one of the girls at my home.  They chose a few of them to send a video tape of them telling a little more about themselves.  They told me that they wanted me to do it!”  I said with excitement.  I’m not sure if Andy felt the same way but none the less he looked happy.

“That’s wonderful!  I’ve always wanted a girl in the business.”  He said.  That’s my Andy.  Always saying stuff like that.  I kissed him on the cheek and smiled.  Yes, you are allowed to do the aw thing right now.  That is when we both heard someone hook their car horn behind us.  We both turned around to see Andy’s mom sitting in it.  He turned back to me.

“I gotta go now.  My mom is making me go shopping for pants.  I’ll call you later, alright?”  he said as he started to get up.

“Alright, I’ll be sure to chase anyone away from the phone tonight.”  I said.

“Bye.”  He said as he started away.

“Bye!”  I called after him.  After I watched him leave, I returned to the swings where Abby had waited the whole time.

“Dude, you are so going to marry that guy!”  she said as I plopped down in the one next to her.  I just scoffed.

“Yeah right!  Like I really want to plan something like that now!  I’m 13 years old and have a lot of living to do.”  I answered.  We began to swing again until Rebecca and Angela came running up in tears.

“Kari!  Abby!”  they both screamed.  We both got up from our swings as each little girl grabbed us around the waist.  Both of them were hysterical.

“What’s the matter?  Did you two get hurt?”  I asked.  Both of them shook their heads.  They pointed off in the direction that they had come.

“Those bigger kids were being mean!  They pushed us down and called us names and kicked us in the shins!”  Angela said between sobs.  I looked over at Abby.  I could have sworn I saw flames in her eyes.  I wasn’t very happy myself.  Both of us followed the young girls until we saw a group of teenage boys and girls.  I knew who they were at one.  It was a group that Rose hung out with at school.  All of them were very evil, especially to younger kids.  They all sat around laughing.  I don’t think they saw us at the present moment.

“Whoa.  There is no why I’m going near those guys.  I heard that they bent this one kid in half after he tried to get a baseball back from them.  He is still in the hospital trying to get straightened out.”  Abby whispered.  I just rolled my eyes at her.

“And you believe a story like that?  Fine, if you aren’t going to do anything, I am” I declared.  Before anyone could do anything, I marched right up to the group.  None of them acknowledged that I was there.

“Hey!  What do you think you are doing?”  I said with anger.  This got their attention.  They all turned and looked at me like I was the scum of the earth.  Yet I stood my ground and refused to be intimidated.  Then, the oldest boy of the group approached me.

“Who gave you the right to speak to us?”  he spat.  I looked him straight into his eyes and didn’t cut away.

“No one gives me rights.  I just take them.”  I hissed.  I could hear people around us ohing.  We circled around each other once.

“What do you want?”  he asked.  This guy was a little scary, but I kept my position.

“I hear you’ve been picking on a few little girls.  What’s the matter?  To afraid the older ones might fight back?  Or are you just too weak?”  I said with sarcasm.  Everyone around us began to whisper.  The boy held up his hand and they grew quiet.

“Who are you calling weak?”  he snarled.  He circled around me as I followed him with my head.  I never cut away even for a second.

“Well there is no one else in front of me.  So it must be you, you string bean!  Why don’t you just take your little slaves and get out of here.”  I said.  I swear on the holy bible that this guy growled at me.

“You can take her Ricky!  She’s just a little girl!” I heard one of the girls yell.  The whole group began to yell that he should fight me.  I looked over to Abby.  She looked even more scared than any other time.  I turned back to the bully.

“Yeah Ricky.  Punch a little girl.  Who knows if you can even make a bruise mark?”  I yelled.  I think that comment really sent the guy over the edge because he didn’t say anything.

“Don’t be a hero Kari!  It’s not worth it!”  Abby yelled.  I was in to deep now.  There was no turning back.  I put my fists up in the way I learned in karate.

“Wait a minute.  Aren’t you Kari Louis from Rose’s house?”  he asked.  I didn’t even know he had heard of me.

“That’s my name.”  I said.  Suddenly, he lunged at me.  Yet, I was a little bit quicker than him.  I punched him in the eye with my fist.  He backed away in pain.  “Don’t wear it out.”  I said with my sweet voice.  Everyone was stunned.  I am betting no one thought that could come out of me.  I was only about 4’10 at the time, so I am a very short girl.

“Why you little!”  another boy yelled.  He ran up to Ricky and began to tend to the wound.  I turned a started to run back to Abby and the twins.

“We have to go!  Come on and run!”  I said.  We ran right to our bikes and climbed on.  I turned around to see a group was coming up fast.  We started to petal as fast as we could.  Finally, we left them in our dust.  We slowed down a bit to catch our breath.  Abby was not very happy with me at this point in time.

“How can you be so stupid?  Those guys could have ripped you apart!”  she yelled. 

“I stand up for what is right.  They did the wrong thing and I punished them for it.”  I said.  I could hear the twins agree with me.    Abby just sighed in frustration.

“Kari, don’t you know who that was?”  she asked.  I shook my head.

“No.  All I know is that they hang around with Rose.  So they have to be bad news.”  I answered.  I was still fuming after the whole thing.  Plus, my fist kind of hurt.

“That’s not what I meant!  That was Ricky Phelps.  He is the richest kid in school and is a spoiled little brat.  When he hurts people, his parents don’t care.  Yet, when someone hurts him back, they practically make a court case out of it.”  She explained.  I could feel my own eyes go wide.

“That is not good.  Maybe it’s best we don’t go home right now.  I’m afraid they got to Petey first.”  I said.  We stopped off at a small coffee shop just a little ways away from home.  We had to lay low for about two hours.  In that time, the twins were talking non stop about how I was their hero.  Abby was giving me a lecture about how violence was bad.  I just figured that I was defending myself.  At about half past five, we decided it was time to go home.  We grabbed our bikes and headed off.

“Oh man, we are going to be in so much trouble.”  Said Abby.  She worried about things more than I did.  Although, I never thought that would be possible.

“Don’t sweat it.  You guys weren’t involved.”  I said.  As we got near the house, I could see Petey standing out on the porch.  She didn’t look mad, but she also didn’t look happy.  When we reached home, we parked our bikes in the garage and approached the porch.  Petey let out a sigh when she saw me.

“Abby, girls, inside.  Kari, you stay out here.  I’d like a word with you.”  She said with no emotion.  I stopped right where I was.  Now I knew I was in trouble.  The girls looked at me with fear in their eyes.

“Go on.”  I said.  All of them headed for the doorway when Abby turned around.

“It’s been real nice knowing you.”  She whispered.  Petey turned around and actually cracked a smile.

“Get in there Abigail!”  she laughed.  Abby ran in as fast as she could.  I look to the window beside the door to see several pairs of eyes looking at me.

“Kari, you probably already know what this is about.”  Petey said, not noticing the window.  It felt like I had just swallowed a stone.  Why did I fight that boy?  Stupid, stupid!

“I’m really sorry Petey!  He and his buddies were beating up on the twins so I had to do something.  You understand, right?”  I said.  My hands were clinched so tightly, I thought my veins would burst.  Petey just shook her head.

“Look, I know what you did was wrong.  That boys parents called me a few hours ago and said that you were attacking them.”  She explained.  My jaw dropped with shock.

“You didn’t believe them, did you?”  I asked.  There were a few minutes of silence.  I really hated it when she did this.  You never really knew what was going to come out of her mouth next.  You just hoped that it was good.

“Of course not.  You don’t do that kind of things at random.  Just promise me one thing next time.”  She said.  I was so relieved at this point.

“Anything, what is it?”  I asked.  Her smile grew even bigger.

“Just promise me that next time, you won’t punch the guy.  You can insult him all you want, just don’t punch him.”  She said.  I laughed out loud at this.  This wasn’t the usual things that parents teach their kids.  Then again, Petey wasn’t my parent and I wasn’t her kid.  She then began to guide me inside.

“Come on now.  Dinner’s almost ready. And you have to get ready for your interview tomorrow!”  she said in a cheery voice.  I walked inside to a thunderous applause.  Everyone in the house was so happy I wasn’t punished.  Well, with the exception of Rose and her buddies.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day would have to be the most stressful day of my life.  I was to be interviewed on camera for those star people.  I have never been so nervous in my entire life.  The other girls seemed to be feeling the pressure.  Yep, even our little innocent Rose was sweating it out.

“What if they don’t think I’m artichoke enough?”  she said.  I hid a snicker behind my hand.  Unfortunately, she heard it and turned around.  I’ll tell you this much; if looks could kill, I would be dead by now.

“And what is so funny?”  she glared at me.  I couldn’t hold the giggles back.

“The word is articulate, not artichoke.”  I said.  Rose just hated to be corrected on her English.  She just turned away and huffed.  I just rolled my eyes and turned my back on her.  Abby was pacing back and forth across the floor.

“Oh man, oh man, oh man.”  She kept saying as she kept moving.  I swear that she was making a mark from doing it so much.  I grabbed her by the shoulders and made her stop.

“Get a hold of yourself girl!  It’s not like we’re going to be talking with them eye to eye!”  I said.  She continued to move her hands.

“Yes I know, but think about it.  This could be our whole future right now.  Either of us could have a family when all of this is over.  I know it hasn’t been that long for you, but for me it’s been ten years.  I really don’t know.  This might be my time; it might be your time.”  She said. 

“And it might be the other girls that got picked.  We don’t know yet.”  I said.  We all turned to see the door open again.  Nelly, a tall Latino girl, walked out of the room and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.  She then walked over to where I was standing.

“You’re up.”  She said.  I looked over a Abby.  She gave me a thumbs up and began to pace the floor again.  I walked into the room where a middle aged red head man was sitting next to a video camera.  I closed the door behind me and he looked up from his notes.  He motioned to the seat.  I sat down and tried not to be so nervous.

“Hello Kari.  I’m Giles Thornson.  I’m a representive from the family that is interested in you.  Now, I’m going to ask you a few questions and you answer them.  Does that sound good?”  he said.  I nodded with a little apprehension.  He smiled and pressed a button on the camera.  “Now, will you tell us your name and your age?” he asked.  I cleared my throat and moved a bit in my seat.

“I’m Karoline Melissa Louis.  I’m 13, and I’ll be 14 next month.”  I answered.  That was the first time I had spoken my full name since the accident.  I could see him writing something down.

“Now, give a bit of a description of yourself.  What are your interests?” he said.

“Let’s see.  I’m about 4’10 so I am very short.  I have blond hair with blue and silver eyes.  As for interests, well, I’m really into reading right now.  I love going places with my friends and boyfriend here. You know; rollerblading, biking, walking, all that stuff.  I’m also a really big fan of pop music.  Backstreet Boys are my favorite right now.”  I answered with a smile.  I was becoming a bit more comfortable.

“You don’t say.  They are my daughter’s favorite group also.  Now, I’m sorry I have to ask you this but what is the situation to why you are here?”  he said.  This question kind of hit me hard.

“My family was killed in a drunk driving accident.  I’m very lucky that I survived, but that is also the story behind this scar I have on my cheek.”  I said, bringing a finger down the long scar.  Mr. Thornson looked like he felt sorry for me.  I tried not to get to emotional about the subject.  It wasn’t going to make things better.  He wrote down some more in his book.

“Now, will you tell me what you are looking for in a family?”  he said.  I paused for a moment.  I guess I really hadn’t thought about that.  It was quite silly that I hadn’t.

“They have to be really nice and have plenty of love for tons of people.  I kind of would like a big house, but that doesn’t really matter.  It would be just awesome to have siblings to.  I’ve never had any brothers, so I mostly want one of those.  Oh, and they have to have a dog.  I just love dogs.  They have to love to travel to.  I haven’t been all of the states yet, so they have to like taking lots of road trips.  I really hate flying.”  I answered.  I really didn’t know what was coming out of my mouth at that point.  I think I said something stupid, but I’ll never know.

“Very nice Karoline.  One last question.  Is there anything you would like to say to the family before you go?”  he asked.  This time there was no pause.  I knew exactly what I was going to say.  I looked straight into the camera.

“If you decide to bring me into your home as one of your own, you will not regret it.  I haven’t met a family that I didn’t like and I wouldn’t screw up your house if you are afraid of that.  Thanks for giving your time up to see me.  I hope I will be seeing you soon.  For now, I bid you farewell.”  I said.  Mr. Thornson chuckled and turned the camera off.

“Beautiful job Karoline!  Now, if you will send in Abigail Swenson.”  He said.  I was about to open the door, when I turned around again.

“Sir, who are these people?”  I asked.  He just shook his head.

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you that.  They want to keep it private until their selection is made.”  He replied.  There was nothing more I could do.  I walked out and went back to Abby.  Of course, she was still pacing the floor.  I put up a hand to make her stop doing that.

“Oh!  How did it go?”  she asked.

“Not back.  The questions were really basic and guess what.”  I said.  Abby just let out a moan.

“I don’t know what?”  she asked.  I snickered at bit.

“You’re up now.  Go in there and show them the best Abby you can be!” I cheered.  We gave each other a high five before she went into the room.  I began to chat with Nelly and the twins until Rose came up to me once more.

“I really hope you don’t think you have a chance.”  She said with a mean tone.  I was getting really sick of her making comments like that.  I don’t know why she was so mean to me.  Come to think of it, I still don’t know why.

“Rose, what is your problem?  Each of us has the same kind of chance as the other.  What makes you think you are better than the rest of us?”  snapped Nelly.  Never ever mess with that girl.  She is as tough as nails.  Rose glared at her.

“Do you think I was talking to you, chica?  I don’t think so.”  She hissed.  I just shook my head at how stupid all of this was.

“Enough!  Rose, just go away already?  No one wants you around.”  I said.  I guess Rose didn’t really like the last sentence because she gave me her little die-you-little-witch looks.  She just did her little talk to the hand move and walked away.  Nelly just scowled.

“Girl, I don’t know how you can put up with her.  She’s one bad seed.”  She said.  I just shrugged.

“She ignores her most of the time.  It looks like it works.”  Angela said.  I just smiled.

“That’s right Angie.  She is after me, so you guys just steer clear of her.”  I said.  Behind me, I could hear the faint click of the door opening.  I turned around to see Abby coming out of the room.  I was about to ask her how it went when Mr. Thornson appeared.  He put his hands up to silence the group.

“Thank you very much all of you!  All of you were very kind and extremely honest.  I can already tell that this is going to be a very hard decision for my client.”  He said.  Kendra’s hand suddenly shot up from the middle of the crowd.  He just gave a chuckle.  “And no, I can’t tell you who it is.”  Kendra’s hand went back down.  “Now, we will be calling within the next month with the decision.  It’s best that you not think about it until then.”  He said.  Everyone let out a groan.

“A month?  That is practically forever!”  Rebecca whined.  I couldn’t believe it myself.  I didn’t care what he said; I was going to be counting down the days until the decision.  I could tell that this was going to be one slow month.

“Thank god this is the summer time.  We’d never be able to concentrate during the school year!”  Abby whispered into my ear.  I agreed with her.   But I had other things on my mind at the moment.  The first on my list was to call Andy and tell him every single detail.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

4 weeks later

My gosh it was one slow month!  June crept into July and the days seemed like whole weeks at times!  It was now July 18^th, a few days before my 14^th birthday.  The number one thing I wanted to have for my birthday had slipped through my fingers two weeks before.  I really wanted tickets to the Backstreet Boys concert, but they sold out!  I was so mad!  On this day, I was venting in my room.

“Why didn’t we go just a bit earlier?  I mean, there was like a crowd of six hundred out there!  We could have gone the night before.”  I said impatiently.  Abby was sitting in the blow up chair in the corner, enduring the ranting and raving for like the hundredth time.

“Relax Karebear.  Maybe you can go next time.”  She said calmly.  I continued to panic.

“What if there isn’t a next time?  I mean, anything could happen within the next months.  What if one of them gets a new girl?”  I said.  This conversation is now a little ironic.

“That won’t happen!  Although I wish they would drive off of the side of a cliff, I doubt that they will be going anywhere anytime soon.”  She answered with a laugh.  I knew that the last part of what she said had to be true.

“Yeah, maybe I’m being paranoid.  I’m still ticked off about not getting those tickets.  The show was going to be great!  I really wanted to go.”  I bickered.  As you can tell, I don’t let go of things very easily.  You have to get my attention with something else.

“Kari!  Abigail!  Will you guys come down here for a minute?”  Petey called from the bottom of the steps.  I could hear other footsteps outside the door.  I looked over at Abby with confusion.

“Why would she be calling us down now?”  I asked.  Abby shrugged.  We both left my room and headed down the stairs.  Everyone was gathered in the living room.  I guess no one else knew why we were there either.  All of them were chatting and asking questions.  Abby and I sat down next to the twins and this one Korean girl named Tuyet. 

“Hi guys.  What is this all about?”  Abby asked.

“We’re not sure.  Although last time Petey called something like this, it was announce that the boy’s home was going to be visiting the next day.”  Said Rebecca.  I kind of hoped that this was one of those cases.  All of the sudden, I felt a hand clamp down on my shoulder.  I turned around to see Andy standing there.  My jaw dropped.

“Andy, what are you doing here?”  I asked with concern.  He just smiled.

“I’m not sure why either.  Your house leader called me over.  She said it was important that I was here.”  He answered.  I raised my right eyebrow.  Now I was a little scared.

“Did she say what her name was?”  I asked. 

“Yeah, she said her name was Rose.”  He answered.  This time, I was filled with anger.  I looked over at Rose. She looked over at me and gave me a little smile and a wave.  I had no idea why she would do something like this.  That is when Petey came into the room.

“Can I have all of your attention please?”  she yelled.  The room slowly began to quiet down.  There were a few rogue whispers here and there, but it was pretty silent.  Petey cleared her throat.

“Ladies, girls and guests.”  She said, looking over at Andy at the last word.  “I have just received a phone call from Giles Thornson.  He informed me that the family has made their choice.”  She said.  My heart leaped into my throat.  The waiting was over.  I could tell Abby was nervous because her eyes became the same size as a saucer.  Across the room, I could hear Rose laugh.

“You don’t need to tell us Petey!  We all know who they chose.”  She said.  Petey looked back at her.

“You do?  Well, would you like to do the honors?”  she said.  I could tell Petey was just doing this to satisfy Rose.  Rose stepped forward.

“We all know that they chose me!  I’m going to be a star child while all of you losers are stuck here!”  she said.  Petey placed a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry dear.  They didn’t pick you.”  She said.  It looked like Rose’s face had deflated.  It was kind of funny, but pathetic at the same time.

“What?!  Then who else would the chose?  I’m the only one that had the potential!”  she screamed.  Two of her cronies quickly got up and grabbed Rose’s arms to keep her from striking out.  Petey just ignored her and returned to the group.

“Sorry to disappoint you Rose, but there was someone else that caught their eyes.”  She began to walk around the group.  Nelly, Kendra, Abby and twins and I were all holding our hands up as if we were praying.  All of the sudden, I looked up to see her standing in front of me.

“Kic….”  I stuttered.  Petey smiled down at me.

“They picked you my dear.  You leave on your birthday.”  She said.  I felt numb all over with happiness.  The entire place began to cheer.  Even the girls that weren’t picked were cheering.  Andy grabbed we up in the hug.  I began to scream and cry.  I couldn’t believe that I had a family.  A new, real family.

“That’s my girl!”  Andy yelled.  Suddenly, I hear Rose bellow.  Everyone turned around and looked at her.  She was trying to break the grasp of her friends.  She looked as mad as a bull facing the matador. 

“No!   They couldn’t have picked that piece of scum!  I’ve been here longer, I deserve that family!”  she yelled.  Petey ran over to try and calm her down.  Nothing was working.

“Rose, that is how things work in this place.  People come and go!  Your time will come.”  Nelly yelled over.  Rose wasn’t having any of it.

“You should have died you stupid scar face!”  she screamed.  Everyone gasped.

“Rose!”  said Petey.

“You stupid little coward!  You abandoned your family when you didn’t die in that car!  You should have died with them!  You are scum to your family you idiot scar face!”  she said.  Her comment struck me like a toaster in a pillowcase.  I felt the guilt that had taken so long to rid myself of.  I felt like I should have died.  My hand flew up the scar on my cheek.  The memories of the accident came back in a flash.  The sounds of the smashing metal, the screams of bystanders.  Everything hit me.  I broke myself from Andy’s grasp and ran up the stairs to my room.

“Kari, wait!”  Abby called after me.  I didn’t listen to her.  I just went into my room and slammed the door.  I then fell to the bed and sobbed.  I knew I should have felt happy, but I didn’t.  I felt like I was betraying my family.  Betraying my very name and being.  I wasn’t going to be my parent’s daughter anymore; I was going to be someone else’s daughter.

“Why is this happening?”  I said into my pillow.  All the while, my hand stayed on my scar.  There was a knock at my door.

“Kari?  Can we come in?” asked Abby from outside the door.  I didn’t know if I should answer them.  I was a royal mess.  I guess they figured I wouldn’t answer, because Andy and Abby came in anyways.  Abby looked like she was about ready to cry to.  Andy sat down on the bed beside me and took my hand.

“What she said was terrible.”  He said.  I let out a chocked sob and nodded.  He wiped some of the tears from my face.

“She was just jealous that you get to have a family and she doesn’t.”  Abby said softly.  I knew that she was telling the truth, but it didn’t make the hurt go away.

“But why did I live?  Why didn’t I die with them?  Why did I have to leave them behind?”  I asked.  None of the questions had an easy answer.

“You lived because you were still needed here.  You were not taken because you were not through living your life.  The big guy upstairs wanted you to know all of us.  He knew that you are a big part in our lives and didn’t need you in heaven yet.”  Andy said.  This made me feel a bit better. 

“Yeah, you are a huge part of our lives.  Now, you are going onto bigger and better things.  You get something that none of us are probably going to have.”  Abby said.  I looked over at her.

“Yeah, and what’s that?”  I asked.

“You can now change lives more than ever before.  You are going into a family that doesn’t know you yet.  You can help them.”  She said.  That made me feel a whole lot better.  I slowly sat up and wiped my face with my shirt.

“I just wish this scar would go away.  I have to look at it everyday and remember the accident.”  I said.  Andy gave me a hug.

“Pretty soon, it will disappear along with all of the others.  You’ll see.”  He whispered into my ear.  When he let me go, I cracked a small smile.

“What about Rose?  What is going to happen to her?”  I asked.  Andy and Abby both looked at each other with sneers.  “What?”  I asked.

“Before we came up, we heard Petey saying that this was the last straw and that she is going to be moved to another home in Minneapolis.  This would be an even tougher home than it is here, so I wish her the best of luck!”  said Abby.  I couldn’t help but laugh.  This was now the end of Rose.  After that day, I never saw her again.

“Come on, there is a party going on downstairs for you!”  giggled Abby.  She left the room, but Andy stopped me from going.

“Look, I know your birthday is coming up and that you are leaving that day.  Yet, there is another big event happening that day that you can’t miss.”  He said.  I had no idea what he was talking about.  That is, until he handed me an envelope from inside his pocket.

“What’s this?”  I asked, turning the envelope around with my hand.  He laughed at that question.

“You’ll see.  Just open it!”  he urged.  I slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the contents.  I nearly screamed when I saw what they are.

“Front row seats to the Backstreet Boys?  How did you get these?”  I asked.  I was nearly in tears again, but this time they were happy tears.

“Petey helped get them and we both split the cost.  You’ll be going with Abby on your birthday.”  He said.  I couldn’t stop looking at the tickets.

“I don’t know how to thank you for these.”  I said.  Suddenly, something else dawned on me.  “Andy, I was told that I would be leaving on my birthday.”  I said with disappointment.  His smile never fainted once.

“They said that they would pick you up after the concert anyway.  They said that they were going, but couldn’t get as good of seats.  Even with that, they said they didn’t want you to miss out on such great tickets.”  He answered.  All of this was music to my ears.  I thought this was complete heaven.  That is, until he reached into his pocket.  He pulled out a slip of paper.

“Oh yeah, there is something else to.”  He said.  I took the paper from him.

“I.O.U.?  What’s that suppose to mean?”  I asked.  I thought it was another one of his jokes.

“It means that after the concert, you have to go to the security center and get your backstage pass.  Your new family will meet you there.”  He answered.  I have no idea why he knew so much more about this than I did.  Normally, he wasn’t even allowed in the house!

“Now I know you didn’t have that much money for these.”  I said.  In my mind, I thought he had stolen them or something.

“Nah, to expensive.  I think one of your new siblings paid for them.” He said.  I look up at him.

“I have a sibling?”  I said with excitement.  This was all to cool.  I had everything I wanted in life all in one day.  A new family, choice seats to a sold out concert, my worse enemy being sent away, a girl couldn’t have asked for it better!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

4 days later

Ah, the advantages of turning 14.  You’re not a pre-teen; you are actually a full blown teenager!  Petey and the girls held a huge birthday slash going away party for me.  Sure, some of the friends I had made months before were already gone, but it was fun anyway.  All of my bags were packed on the front porch.  My new family would come by and get them while I was at the concert.  Funny, I didn’t even know their name and I already loved them!  I really wish they would say who they are instead of protecting their celebrity status.  Petey first pulled me over for a chat.

“Kari, I just got a call.  Your family is not going to be there.”  She said.  My jaw dropped.

“What?”  I asked.  I was so mad.

“I should have said your whole family isn’t going to be there.  They couldn’t make it.  But, your older brother will be there and you will go to live with him and his roommates for a few months.”  She answered.  I thought about this for a moment.

“Well that doesn’t sound so bad.”  I said.

“Kari!  Think fast!”  Angela yelled.  I turned around just in time to be hit in the face with a big water balloon.  The twins were laughing their heads off and ran away to avoid getting nailed with the few I had.  My hair and face were sopping wet.  Everyone was running around with water guns and somehow Josie ended up with the hose.

“Oh Abby!  You’re looking a little to dry!”  I said with my evil voice.  She screamed as I chased her done and smashed the balloons against the top of her head.

“Oh real good friend you are!”  she smiled. 

“I aim to please.”  I smirked.  The party was getting a little wild when Petey can out with a huge cake.  She called us over and she lit the candles.

“Everything, this is the last night Kari will be staying with us!  So let’s give her the loudest Happy Birthday song that this town has ever heard!”  Petey shouted.  Everyone in the group practically screamed the song to the heavens.  Even Rose’s old cronies sang.  Strange, they looked so helpless after Rose was sent away.

“And many more on channel four and Scooby Doo on channel two and something dirty on channel….” Rebecca started, but Angela quickly covered her mouth with her hand.  Everyone raised their glasses and gave a cheer.  After everyone was done eating, Abby and I raced up to our rooms to get ready for the concert.  Abby was certainly excited, even though she hated the group.

“And that makes you larger than life!”  I sang as I got dressed.  My room was now very empty.  Nothing was left except for the hangers from my clothes and the giant poster I was going to get signed.  It was kind of a sad site.  I left my room for the last time.  My heart felt heavy, but there were other things I had to worry about now.  I met Abby in the living room.

“You all set?”  she asked.  I nodded.  I could barely hold in my excitement.

“I’m gonna meet the Backstreet Boys, I’m gonna meet the Backstreet Boys!”  I sang as we walked toward the door.  Everyone was out on the porch to wish me goodbye.

“Well, this is it my dear.  Only one of you will be coming home tonight.”  Petey said.  It sounded like she was getting a bit chocked up.  “You have a wonderful life Kari.  You have to come back and visit sometime.  All of us will miss you like crazy.”  I looked around at all of the girls.  A few of them had tears in their eyes.  Rebecca and Angela were crying really hard.

“We’ll miss you Kari.  Well write you an e-mail every single day!”  Rebecca cried.  I gave them each a hug.  This was all breaking my heart.  I walked down the stairs where a friend of Petey’s was waiting to drive us to the Target Center.  We both climbed into the backseat and buckled up.  I then rolled the window down and stuck my head out.

“I’ll never forget you guys!  Thanks for the memories!”  I yelled.  Everyone started waved and shouting their goodbyes as the car drove off.  I pulled my head back in.  Tear were flowing down my cheeks.  This all hurt, but there was nothing I could do.  My life in the home was now over and my new life was beginning that night.  I really wish I knew what kind of life I was getting myself into.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

We arrived at the concert to find huge crowds everywhere.  They had just opened the doors to the Target Center so people were flowing in.  Excitement was filling the air as we reached the inside.  We stopped off at the merchandise table so I could buy a few things.  We then made our way to our seats.  They were excellent!  We could reach up and touch the stage.  Yet, we weren’t paying attention to that.  We were looking around to find any celebrities in the audience.

“Could he be in the cheap seats?”  Abby asks.  We looked up in the balcony.

“Don’t you think that he’d be able to afford better seats?”  I asked.  She gave me a bewildered look.

“You know, I never thought of that.”  She said.  She then snapped her fingers. “Maybe he doesn’t want to be seen!”  she exclaimed.  For once, she was making a lot of sense.  We continued to look around until the lights went out.  We thought the show was starting, but it turned out just to be the opening acts.  They weren’t to bad, but they went to long.  Finally, the last song was done and the lights came back up.

“I thought they’d never finish.”  Abby yelled over the crowd.  We began our search of the crowd once more.

“We are so pathetic.”  I shouted.  Both of us started to laugh at each other.  That is when the lights went down once more.  I screamed with anticipation.  I could hear strange music start up and looked around to find my Backstreet Boys.  Suddenly, they began to come down from the ceiling on these cool hover boards.  I looked over to see Abby screaming her head off.  I joined her in suit and was jumping up and down.

“This is awesome!  I screamed.  No one could hear me.  The music started up and they began to singing.  The round stage was so nice because you got to see each of the guys.

“I love you Howie!”  I heard Abby scream.  I couldn’t believe my ears.  I didn’t think she even liked them.  But, I decided to beat her on that.

“I love you Brian!  Marry me!”  I yelled.  Surprisingly, he grabbed my hand right after that.  I thought I would never wash that hand ever again.  Then, as so as it had started, the show ended.  I didn’t want it to end ever.  I wanted the night to last.  As we were leaving the floor, we made our way to the security station.

“Hi.  Kari Louis.”  I told the guard.  I then turned back to Abby.  She had already started crying.

“I have to go now.  I’ll miss you.”  She said.  I gave her a hug.  I was losing my best friend.

“I’ll never forget you my buddy.  Tell Andy that I love him and will write soon.”  I said.  She gave a nod.  This was the last time we ever saw each other face to face.

“Best friends forever.”  She said.  I smiled.

“Best friends forever.”  I answered.  I felt a tap on my shoulder.  I turned around to see that the guard was holding my backstage pass.  I put it around my neck and he let me in.  I turned around and gave Abby a wave.  She waved back and then was gone.

“Where do I go?”  I asked the guard.  He looked through his clipboard.

“Head down this hall and take a right.  There you will find a couch in the hall next to a door.  Have a seat and they will call you in when they are ready.”  He answered.  I thanked him and started off.  On the way, questions went through my head.  What if my new brother didn’t like me?  What if he was some arrogant movie star?  What if his parents were Travoltas?  I shutter to think.  I found the couch and plopped down in it.

“This is nice.”  I said to myself.  It was so busy in the halls.  No one even noticed I was there.  Plus, with every single young guy, I got my hopes up.  Only to have my heart sink to see that it wasn’t who I wanted.  I sat there for about fifteen minutes staring at my pinkies until a shadow covered me.

“Hey kid.  What are you doing here?”  they asked.  I know I had heard that voice before.  I looked up and let out a gasp of shock.

“Oh my god!  You’re Nick Carter!”  I said.  My thoughts about my new brother went out the window.  He could wait.  I was right in front of the Nick Carter.  I couldn’t stop smiling.

“Yep, the last time I checked.  You here to see us?”  he asked.  I let out a loud nervous giggle.

“Yeah, but I’m waiting for someone to meet me.”  I said.  I felt so stupid.

“Oh?  We’ll just tell the guard to meet you inside.”  He said.  He pulled me up from my seat.  I felt like I was going to melt.  He opened the door to the room next to me.  Inside was every single member of the group.  There were no other fans back there.  I felt like I was going to faint.

“Guys, there is someone I would like you to meet.”  He said.  I was suddenly surprised by this action.  He acted like he knew me.

“Hold on Nick!  I can’t get the camera on!”  Kevin yelled.  I could see him dinking with a small video camera.  A little light came on in the front and he gave a thumbs up.

“What’s going on here?”  I asked.  No one answered me.  But the next thing Nick said gave the best indication.

“Everyone, this is Kari.  She’s my new little sister.”  He said.  I’m really not sure what happened next.  I’m pretty sure I passed out at that moment.  I’ll have to ask Kevin for the video tape.  The next thing I remember is opening my eyes again and finding myself flat on my back with five faces looking at me.

“She’s up!”  Brian said.  Kevin and A.j. help me to my feet.  I felt like I was dreaming.  I didn’t really believe what I had heard before I hit the floor.

“Hey, are you o.k.?”  asked Nick.  It was kind of nice having the men I loved for so long helping me out so much.  I bet no other girl can say that.  They helped me over to a seat and sat me down.

“I’m fine.  I just thought you said something to the effect that I was your new sister.”  I laughed.  He handed me a cup of water.

“Hang on.  Your name is Kari Louis from the Upper Ridge girl’s home in St. Paul, right?”  he asked.  I took a sip of the water and set it down.

“That’s my name and my home.”  I said.  I guess I was still in a bit of denial.  I don’t know why, because it was everything I wished for.  He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a picture.  He then held it up to my face.

“Yep, you’re her.  Welcome to the family.”  He smiled.  I thought I was going to faint again from shock, but I didn’t.  Instead I slapped myself on the wrist.  It hurt.

“O.k., so this isn’t a dream.”  I said.  Nick laughed at me.

“Come on, we have to get going.  Come on.”  He said.  He took me by the hand and led me through the crowds of people to the outside.  I felt like I was in a strange fog.

“This is happening.  This is really happening.”  I whispered to myself.  Outside, there were just huge crowds of girls.  In the front, I could see Abby.

“Abby!  Hey Abby!”  I yelled.  She looked over at me.  I swear her jaw dropped about six feet when she saw who had my hand and where I was going.  I waved to her.  This was all in a split second.  Nick pulled me onto their bus.

“Ah, home sweet home.”  He said.  The rest of the guys were there.  The bus was huge!  The bathroom was bigger than my bedroom.  There were bunk beds that lined the walls and a big living area in the back.  Near the front I spotted my bags.  The bus driver must have been the one to go by my house. 

“Hello Kari.  Glad to have you aboard.  The names Charlie.”  The bus driver said.  He shook my hand and then went back to his business.  At the kitchen table was Brian.  He was just starting to eat when me and Nick had come onto the bus.

“Hey, are you alright?  I saw what happened back there.”  He said.  At first I didn’t think he was talking to me.  That was until I looked up into those beautiful blue eyes and saw they were looking right at me.

“Oh, yeah.  Just a little bit of culture shock I guess.”  I answered.  I suddenly felt very shy.  I was out of my own element right now.  Surrounded by people I thought I knew from magazine, but really didn’t.  Brian held his hand out to me.

“My name’s Brian.  I’m pretty sure you already knew that though.” He smiled.  I took his hand and thought I would never let go.  I finally did and Nick led me to the back to meet the others.  They had left before I got a chance to last time.

“Welcome Kari.  It’ll be fun having you here for the next few months.”  Kevin said.  He to shook my hand.  A.j. was a little different.  He got up and gave me a hug.

“How you doing baby girl?  You took a nasty spill back there.”  He said.  I smiled at how concerned they all were about me.

“I’m o.k..  I guess I’ve never had something this big ever happen to me.”  I answered.  Howie got up and hugged me to.  I was beginning to like this a lot.

“That’s great.  Now, how about you tell us about yourself.  Where are you from?”  asked A.j. I sat down right in between Nick and Howie.  Dang, it felt good.

“I’m from Twin Cities.  I’ve never lived anywhere else before my parent died.  It was a beautiful little house.  I had tons of animals to.  But, a few months before the accident, my mom said that she didn’t want anymore in the house.  My new home, at the girl’s house, was a fun time.  I had friends and a boyfriend.”  I answered.  They all listened with a certain wonder.  Like they really wanted to know who I was.

“I’m sorry about what happened to you.”  Nick said.  I guess he was the only one that knew some of my story.

“That’s already.  I’m finally able to talk about it, so I’m trying to move on.  Nothing is going to change the past, so always live for the future.”  I said.  Brian, who was standing in the doorway gave a nod.

“Words to live by.”  He said.  This made me feel very happy.  I was beginning to feel not so shy about myself.  I told them everything about myself for about an hour and a half.  I then looked at my wrist watch and saw that it was past midnight.

“Holy cow.”  I said.  I suddenly felt very tired.  Howie looked at my watch.

“It’s getting late.  We’d better get some sleep.”  He said.  All of them got up.  Nick put a hand on my shoulder and took me through the bunks.  He pointed to one in the middle.

“That’s where you’ll be sleeping.  I’m in the top one and Brian is in the bottom one.”  He said.  I gave a nod and went to my bags.  I pulled out some clothes to sleep in and crawled into my bunk.  I didn’t feel like changing in front of a bunch of grown men.  What a second, I don’t to that.

“Goodnight!”  someone yelled.  I crawled under the covers and looked around.  Someone had set it up nicely for me.  My pictures were around the little t.v. and they even put up a few of my mini BSB posters by my head.  I think that was a joke.  Funny though, I felt right at home.  I clicked of my light and looked out of the window.  I guess I would have to get use to looking at the world go by.

“Maybe this won’t be so bad.”  I whispered as I shut my eyes.  A few hours later, I woke up in the darkness.  At first, I didn’t remember where I was until I clicked my light on.  Then it all came rushing back to me.  I opened my curtain and slowly got out.  Somebody was snoring a few bunks away.  I walked to the kitchen area where there was a clock.

“Wow.  It’s four o’ clock.”  I laughed to myself.  I looked around in the cabinets until I found some cups.  I got myself a cup of water and walked to the back area.  The bus was eerily quiet.

“So this is home.”  I said.  I all of the sudden felt very homesick.  I missed my own bed, my friends, Petey yelling at us to be quiet at night.  I missed everything.  It hurt so badly that I had left it all behind in one day.

“What have I done?”  I asked myself.  I set my water down and started to cry.  I made sure I muffled it with my hands.  It guess it didn’t work because I heard a soft thump and then footsteps.  I then looked up to see Kevin standing there.

“Kari, what’s wrong?”  he asked.  I felt so embarrassed.

“Kevin, I’m so sorry if I woke you up.”  I whispered.  He just chuckled and sat down next to me.

“I’m a light sleeper.  A pin dropping could wake me up.”  He said.  He then put an arm around me.  “Now, tell me what’s the matter.”  He said softly.  I took a deep breathe.

“I miss home.  It’s barely been one day and I already miss it terribly.  Don’t get me wrong, I like it here.  But it wasn’t what I expected.”  I answered.  He just looked into my eyes.

“It must have been one heck of a shock to you.  I mean, we didn’t even know you were coming until two days ago.  Imagine our reaction.”  He said.

“You didn’t?”  I asked.

“No.  To tell you the truth, we didn’t know what to say.  We have no idea how it’s going to be having a teenage girl on our tour.  It was bad enough having Nick in his teenage years.”  He answered.  I couldn’t help but snicker.  “Let alone a teenage girl.” He finished.  I pulled in closer.

“I promise I won’t be a bother.  Maybe you won’t even notice that I am here.”  I said.  This time he laughed.

“That would be impossible.”  He said.  I raised an eyebrow.

“What do you mean by that?”  I asked. 

“Because we already like you.  I’ve never seen the group take such a shine to someone as much they have to you.  You’ve got spunk and a good energy.  I know you will fit right in around here.  Soon enough, you’ll just be one of us.”  He said.  I couldn’t help smiling.  I felt better.

“Thank you.”  I said.  My eyes felt so heavy.  I knew Kevin felt tired to.  Then he did something that I never thought he would so.  He start to sing to me.

“It’s not that I can live without you, it’s just that I don’t even want to try…”  he whispered.  He sang me back to sleep.  And that it how we stayed the rest of the night.  This was the first night of the rest of my life so to speak.  It’s been so long now.  I’m seventeen now.  I’ve had such a great time being there with them.  In the beginning of my life, I had a family of five.  At the new beginning, I had a family of eleven.  Mom and Dad love me like I was born a Carter.  I love my sisters with all of my heart and my little brother is just a little brother.  The other four are pretty much brothers to me.  Only they don’t do the big brother stuff to me like Nick does. 

I’ve kept in contact with my old friends.  Turn out that family that had talked to Abby that one day wanted to take her.  She now lives in Wisconsin.  We’ve e-mailed each other for almost two years now.  As for Andy, well that didn’t end as good.  We both decided that a long distance relationship wasn’t going to work out.  I haven’t heard from him since.  I guess it was for the best.  The twins were both adopted by one family and live in New York.  They haven’t e-mailed in a while, so I’ll check in pretty soon.  I actually have an update on Rose.  She is living in a juve hall right now for stealing.  I knew she wouldn’t make it through her teenage years.

Well, I guess you now know about my life and how I came to be.  It feels like a heavy weight has been released from me.  I hope you understand that I didn’t mean to be a part of this.  I just kind of fell into it.  It’s a new chapter in my life that I needed to write.  I’m a Carter, that’s what I will always be.  I leave you now with these words.  Never ever doubt things that have been given to you.  And never take life for granted.  You never know when it could change.  Like the poem says, “Two roads diverge in the woods.  And I, and I, I took the one less traveled by.  And that has made all the difference.