6Jane Peterson sat in the overly pink lounge room of her mother. She wrung her hands together. Better get this over.
Jane was a well respected lady in her late 30's, a stay at home mother. The wife of a lawyer, she had 4 children, all boys. Mitchell, the oldest, was 16. Then came Nick, 12, then Thomas, 8, and, finally, Matt, 3. They were all handsome boys, as she was consistently reminded by her mother, and all three oldest were very sporty, and Matt as expected to follow in their footsteps.
'Well, look Mum,' she said awkwardly, 'I'm…Ahh... I'm… how to say this?' she stuttered out.
'Ohh! Janey!' her mum exclaimed, 'You're pregnant!'
'No mum, see…Well, I may as well start at the beginning…
'There's this girl, her name's Elly. She's been in a lot of trouble. She did drugs, she drank and smoked. But she's only 15, one year younger than Mitch. Well, one day when I was visiting Greg, you know, Sally's husband, the police chief at the station, well, there was a girl in the cell. So naturally, in asked about her, and he told me.
'Elly, well, she was kinda like the school's popular nerd. She was DUX, and had a pretty good social circle and was school captain. She's nearly 6ft and her hair is naturally white blonde. But then she fell in with the wrong circle. That was the big mistake. So Elly started taking drugs and smoked and drank. I don't know the full story, but she somehow rehabbed herself off the drugs and cigarettes. But she still drank vodka. Then someone in her drug circle died, and she went to the funeral. That was when the police got her name and address. So no, she's locked up.'
'That's terrible Jane!' her mum exclaimed
'Yes mum, you see, she was up for adoption, but people rejected her once they had met her and learned about all the therapy she would need. So, well, I kind of talked to Peter about it, and we're adopting her. Because Peter's a lawyers, well, we have the papers all signed.'
That was too much for the poor lady, and she fainted.
Elly sat in the cell. It was comfortable, but her bedroom was more comfortable. Today, some guy had told her that she was getting out. Some family called the Petersons were adopting her. No. I don't want to be adopted. That means changing my name. Like the police said. I like my name. Elly Darbishire.
"Oi, missy, you're out of there," a burly cop interrupted her thoughts. Elly looked up, her hair draped around her face. In truth, she was a rather fetching girl. Unfolding her frame, she stood up. The baggy clothes she had been given practically fell off her. The cop, who according to his badge was Sergeant Malcoms. As she took a step out of the cell, two more police sergeants grabbed her arms and dragged her out of the room. Please God, no! She silently begged, not the handcuffs. But it was too late, the handcuffs were on.
"Right, missy. You've just been adopted by the Petersons. Lovely family. Your new name is Jamie Samantha Elizabeth Peterson. You have four brothers, Mitchell, Nick, Thomas and Matt. Here, have this," as he finished reeling off the many facts of life, he dumped a little puppy into her arms.
"You have one hour to get used to the name Jamie and name this puppy. Then we arrive at your new house. Enjoy." That was all they had to say to her? Anything like, Look after yourself, remember, no drugs? Whatever, it didn't bother her.
Hopping to the car, she looked down at the puppy. It was a golden retriever. Buddy. The word flashed through her head. That was it. Buddy, my very own puppy. And it was settled. Buddy. The dog looked up at her.
Jamie/Elly POV
So this it. This is what it feels like to 'start a new life' and they've changed my name to Jamie. Jamie. That's a boy's name. Maybe now's the chance to finish the change. Nerd to rockstar, emo, popular and Queen Bitch fighter. Yerr that sounded cool. So I'm going to have three brothers? And anyway, what's with this folder? So I opened the folder. In front of me, there were profiles… so I started reading…
Mitchell James Peterson
Age: 16
DOB: 23 October 1993
Sport: Soccer, Football
Average Grade: A-
Height: 6ft 4
Weight: 63kg
Hair: Brown/Black
Eyes: Blue
School: Centenary High
Other: Mitchell is very popular. Hates males who steal his 'girl'. Thinks that school is a joke. Has no interest in school, but still manages to keep up good grades. Has spent more days in detention than attending school.
Nicholas Bartholomew Peterson
Age: 12
DOB: 4 July 1997
Sport: Soccer
Average Grade: A
Height: 5ft 3
Weight: 52kg
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Green
School: Centenary Junior High
Other: Much more of a role model than his older brother.
Thomas Joshua Peterson
Age: 8
DOB: 16 May 2001
Sport: -
Average Grade: B-
Height: 4ft 8
Weight: 38kg
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Green
School: Centenary Elementry
Other: -
Matthew Henry Petrson
Age: 3
DOB: 28 January 2006
Sport: -
Average -
Height: 102cm
Weight: 15kg
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Brown
School: -
Other: -
So that was my new brothers. What about my parents? I looked through the file for more, but all I found was this:
Jamie Samantha Elizabeth Peterson
Age: 16
DOB: 14 April 1994
Sport: Soccer
Average Grade: A+
Height: 6ft
Weight: 51kg
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
School: Centenary High
Other: -
So they had a file for me, and, by the looks of things, I was off to the same school as Mitchell. And by the sounds of things, he was a ladies man. But maybe things would be ok…
God only knew how wrong I was…
Elly's/Jamie's Scrapbook Extract
Song:
She's a Rebel- Green Day
She's a rebel She's a rebel From Chicago to Toronto She's the symbol Is she dreaming Is she trouble She sings the revolution She's a rebel She's a rebel She's a rebel She's a rebel She's a rebel, She's a rebel, She's a rebel, And she's dangerous
She's a saint
She's salt of the earth
And she's dangerous
Vigilante
Missing link on the brink
Of destruction
She's the one that they
Call old whatsername
of resistance
and she's holding on my
heart like a hand grenade
what I'm thinking
Is she the mother of all bombs
gonna detonate
like I'm trouble
make it a double
twist of fate
or a melody that
the dawning of our lives
she brings this liberation
that I just can't define
nothing comes to mind
She's a saint
She's salt of the earth
And she's dangerous
Vigilante
Missing link on the brink
Of destruction
She's a saint
She's salt of the earth
And she's dangerous
Vigilante
Missing link on the brink
Of destruction
Notes
She's a Rebel- Green Day
Someone once compared me to this song. They don't know me well enough. I'm much more dangerous.
Hey Scrapbook
Today someone told me that Drake is dead. I don't believe them. Because of him. I'm off drugs. People at school are starting to stare. Am I really that ugly? Flushed anti-depressants down the drain. And then I changed my IMing name: SaveMe no one talks to me anymore. Yesterday, mum saw me slitting my wrists, and she threw out the journal I keep my songs in. what is with her? She yelled at me that I had changed, that I was different. I don't think I am. Get me out of this hell hole