Eli Fletcher: Mark of the King: Book 1
Uncle James and Aunt Juliette

Chapter Eight

Uncle James and Aunt Juliette

The next morning I roll over and my nose bumps into a small, solid object. Opening my eyes I see a box, poorly wrapped in newspaper. Sitting up in my bunk, I unwrap the gift and open the small box to find nothing but a small piece of paper inside. Confused, I unfold the piece of paper to find a note from Billy in it saying: I heard your birthday is in a few days. We’ll miss you!

I look towards Billy’s bed to find him sitting on the edge of the mattress, grinning widely. Marco has his legs draped over the side of his top bunk attempting to look intimidating while still trying to smile. The effect is almost comical as his face continually changes from smiling to scowling at me. Dropping the box to the floor, I keep the note in my hand to show Miss O later when everybody else is awake and then lay back down on my pillow, staring at the ceiling and grinding my teeth.

When Miss O finally opens our door to wake us for the day, I get up, pull on my shoes and meet her at the door.

“Can we talk?” I ask her quietly but urgently.

“Go to my office and wait for me there,” she says trying to sound kind, as if she hadn’t noticed the frustration in my voice.

I step around her and wait for her outside her office door. I think I spend more time in her office than I do anywhere else in the group home.

When she finally arrives, she unlocks the door and we take our respective seats on either side of her desk. I hand her the note from Billy and wait with my arms crossed until she can explain.

Miss O sighs, sets the note down on her desk and then finally looks me in the eye. “We’re already in the process of finding you a family. Honestly it’s what we do for all children, but the older they are, the more energy we put into them,” she begins.

“Because the older we get, the harder it is for us to get adopted,” I say.

“It’s unfortunately true.”

“People want babies they can train, not kids who already think for themselves,” I blurt out before thinking. “I’m sorry,” I apologize immediately.

Miss O shakes her head. “No need to apologize. It’s not as cynical as you say, because you’re not animals to be trained, but your line of thinking is somewhat accurate,” she says.

“So babies are just cuter?” I add sarcastically.

“Most of the time,” she replies and we stare at each other until her lips curl up into a smile.

I grin too, shaking my head slowly because I really don’t want to laugh at what she said. Her computer suddenly chimes, catching both of our attention. Looking from the computer and then back to me, she moves the mouse plugged into the back of the tower below her desk and her screen lights up. Bringing up her email, Miss O clicks on her most recent.

“Someone’s up early,” she mutters quietly.

Her eyes quickly scan through the email and then she pulls out her cell phone, rolls her eyes and sighs. “I had this on silent last night apparently. Our agent who has been searching for any family members of yours left me a voicemail.”

My stomach suddenly leaps nervously. I have family? Where? Are they close?

A couple minutes later, Miss O sets down her phone and returns to the email. “It appears they’ve located an aunt and uncle of yours in town here.”

“How did it take them twelve years to find them?” I ask.

Miss O stares at me, her eyes wide and her mouth agape. “You know, Eli, I’ve never had to be on the other side, trying to locate family members, so I won’t pretend to know what all is involved, but perhaps it has something to do with the fact they’ve been searching for a connection to the wrong name.”

“They were trying to find my family based on Jefferey Kidd and not Eli Fletcher?”

Miss O nods slowly.

“The agency you use doesn’t know anything about me do they?”

“No, they don’t work for who I work for,” she says.

“And who is that?”

Miss O stares at me for a long time, unwilling to answer.

“Fine, whatever; tell me more about my aunt and uncle,” I sigh.

“Your uncle is your mother’s brother. He’s a few years younger than your mom would be and they have a son named David. Their names are James and Juliette. Your uncle is a writer for The Gazette and your aunt manages a diner on the east side of the city.”

“So, their son would be my cousin, right?” I ask.

Miss O nods. “Yep, and he’s about nine and in third grade, I think.”

I sigh again. “When do I meet them?”

“Well, your birthday is in a couple days and they were informed of that and offered to take you out to celebrate early if you’d like to. I will be going as well, of course. What do you think?”

I shrug. “I guess so. But, what will happen to me if we don’t get along?”

It’s Miss O’s turn to sigh. “There are foster families out there; we’ll find one who may seem sympathetic to you having powers.”

“And are my aunt and uncle?” I ask.

“You know, I’m not sure. Maybe I’ll set up an appointment with them before your birthday to feel them out,” she suggests.

“Sure,” I say, unsure of what else to add.

“I’ll give them a call and see what I can set up. Why don’t you head to breakfast and I’ll let you know what I set up, okay?”

I nod and then leave her office. When I join the others in the cafeteria, I find Fiona sitting alone, looking around the room. Her eyes finally lock onto mine and she smiles from ear to ear.

“What were you and Miss O talking about?” she asks as I sit down with a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk.

“Well, first off, Billy got me a birthday present,” I tell her.

Her forehead wrinkles as her eyebrows knit together. “What did he give you?” she asks suspiciously.

“Oh, just a note saying, ‘I heard your birthday is in a few days. We’ll miss you!’” I say, mocking his high-pitched voice.

Fiona giggles and then shakes her head. “Why is he so mean?”

I shrug. “I really don’t care, but it did make me a little concerned.”

“About the rule?”

I nod.

“You know it’s not a real rule; it’s just something that seems to happen that when someone turns thirteen, they go into foster care.”

I shrug it off. “I guess it doesn’t really matter either way, because Miss O gave me some possibly good news,” I say.

“What’s that?” she asks, biting into her toasted pb&j.

“They found some family of mine; an aunt, uncle and a cousin.”

Fiona’s eyes brighten. “That’s great!” she says. “Where do they live?”

“In town somewhere.”

“Even better,” she says quieter with a smile so big that nothing could wipe it from her face.

I’m finding it difficult to hide my smile as well.

________________

The next day Miss O wakes me before everybody else so I can get ready to meet my aunt and uncle. I shower and get dressed quickly as I’m strangely excited about this meeting. I mean, I have family still alive that wants to meet me; I never thought something like this would happen. The fact that they want to take me out for an early birthday celebration is only a small part of it… Okay, I’m totally stoked about going out for my birthday. They told Miss O yesterday when she called them back that they’d like to make up for lost time by making a whole day of it, so they offered to take us all out to breakfast where Aunt Juliette works.

Once I’m dressed, Miss O and I wait on the steps out front until they pull up in a big SUV. It’s black and shiny with a long cargo area in the back. I didn’t miss the blue and silver Ford logo on the front either.

As the diesel engine shuts down, Miss O and I stand up, ready to greet them. Only the two front doors open and my aunt and uncle get out of the vehicle and then walk up the steps to say hello.

“Good morning, Eli,” Uncle James says. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” he adds kindly, offering his hand to me.

I grip his hand tightly and he returns the firm grip. I’m glad he doesn’t assume that I can’t handle a good handshake because of my age. Looking up into his blue eyes, hidden behind plastic framed glasses, and wonder, are they the same color as my mother’s?

I hold back a sudden wave of emotion as I say, “It’s nice to meet you, too.”

I then turn to Aunt Juliette with my hand outstretched but she does something I don’t expect; she pulls me in for a tight hug. I can’t hold back that emotion anymore and allow tears to drain from my eyes, but I do it silently. When she lets me go and takes a step back again, I see shock and concern flash across her face.

“I’m sorry, Eli, should I not have done that?”

I shake my head. “No, it’s okay,” I say with a smile. “I’m just not used to meeting family members I guess,” I say with a little laugh.

My aunt and uncle laugh subtly too.

“Well, we can help fix that,” Uncle James says.

I smile again. “Good,” I say and then after an awkward silence, Uncle James suggests we get going and we load up into the big, black SUV. When I open the passenger side door, I see their son on the opposite side smiling nervously. I smile at him to show I’m nothing to be scared of and then climb into the middle part of the bench seat and then put on the seatbelt.

“Hi, I’m Eli,” I say, offering my hand to him.

“David,” he says quietly, shaking my hand gingerly.

“It’s nice to meet you,” I say.

“You too,” he replies.

“So, I guess we’re cousins,” I add, trying to make some sort of conversation with him.

“Yeah,” he says, making it difficult with such short responses.

“Well,” I go on, suddenly getting nervous, “I’m looking forward to getting to know any family I’ve never met.” I say and then lower my voice to add, “I’m really nervous too.”

David smiles bashfully and then looks forward.

Tough kid to crack, I think to myself.

“Who’s ready for the best pancakes in Colorado Springs?” Aunt Juliette asks.

I look at David who still looks bashful but is smiling and then at Miss O who has a strange smile on her face that I’ve never seen before. I look away from her awkwardly and then turn my head back to my aunt.

“I am,” I say after my stomach growls loudly.

We drive across town, listening to music of Uncle James’s choosing. I don’t recognize it, but I like the crunchy sound of the guitars and the heavy beats of the drums; the vocals are cool, too, with a raspy, half-rap/half-singing style.

“What are we listening to?” I ask after one of the songs ends.

Uncle James looks in his rearview mirror and then turns down the music so he can speak.

“Have you never heard of Thousand Foot Krutch?” he asks.

I shake my head. “I haven’t heard much music in the group homes; unless it was in a music class.”

“Oh, well, hang out with us and we’ll introduce you to some more great bands like this,” he says with a wink. “Do you like it?”

I nod, my eyes wide and a smile on my face. Wait, a real smile on my face? When was the last time that happened?

“I’ll call my brother,” Miss O says quietly to me.

“You have a brother?” I ask, looking up at her.

She laughs. “Two of them, and a sister. My sister and I don’t really talk, but my older brother and my little brother and I are still fairly close. Jason, my younger brother, is into a lot of music similar to this; I’ll invite him over and he can show you some of his collection of CDs.”

“CDs?” I ask, confused.

“Oh, please don’t make me feel old,” Miss O complains, though she laughs at the same time. “CDs are small, metallic discs that hold music on them.”

“Like a DVD but for music?” I ask.

Miss O nods. “Exactly; same size and everything.”

I nod, understanding a little better now. “Do you have any music?”

Miss O shakes her head. “Not really. Nothing like this anyway. Jason was always more the musical guy in our family. I’m more of a book and movie nerd,” she explains. “You should see my DVD collection.”

I grin as I enjoy seeing a side of Miss O I’ve never seen before. She’s always so wrapped up in her work, she never allows herself to act human with any of us kids.

At the restaurant I enjoy the biggest breakfast I’ve ever had: pancakes the size of large Frisbees; golden hash browns; thick, juicy bacon; savory sausage; three large eggs with hot, runny yolk; and three mugs of piping hot hot chocolate with whipped cream. I’ve never felt so full in my life!

“Thank you for breakfast,” I say fully satisfied after setting down my empty mug.

“Is that not the best breakfast you’ve ever had?” Uncle James asks.

“It definitely is. You run this place, Aunt Juliette?”

She nods, though her cheeks turn a shade of pink from blushing. “I’m not the owner, but I’m the general manager over this location. The owner lives in Denver.”

“Well, you hired some great cooks,” I compliment her.

“I’ll let them know how well they’re doing,” she says, dipping her head.

“What would you like to do next, Eli?” Uncle James asks.

“Uh…” I say, unsure of how to answer. “I don’t know; I’ve never celebrated my birthday like this before.”

“What, with a day full of fun activities?”

“No,” I say quietly. “With family.”

The table gets uncomfortably quiet at my statement. “Well, that’s all about to change, Eli,” Aunt Juliette says, reaching across the table to squeeze my hand.

After breakfast they take me out to get a few things; some that I need like some clothes and a new pair of shoes. I try to tell them that I just got new clothes before moving to Colorado, but they insist on getting me more. I now have enough clothes to get through the whole week before needing to get them cleaned. They also buy me an iPod with a set of headphones that fit inside your ear; a collection of books of my choosing; they would have bought me some movies, but I don’t have my own room with a TV or a DVD player to watch them on.

After lunch, they take me and Miss O back to St. Olaf’s with all my new birthday presents. Before they leave, though, they each say goodbye. David doesn’t say much when he says goodbye, but I sensed a bit of jealousy with him and didn’t want to make things worse by bugging him about it.

“Here’s mine and your aunt’s cell phone numbers,” Uncle James says handing me a slip of paper with two sets of numbers on it. “Call us for anything, anytime, okay?” he says.

I nod in response. “Thank you.”

“Allison, can I talk to you?” he asks after squeezing my shoulder one more time.

“Of course,” she says, stepping aside with him as Aunt Juliette steps up and pulls me into a tight hug. Is this how my mother would hug me if she were still here?

“It was so good to finally meet you,” she says softly, hugging me before brushing my wiry hair out of my eyes. “Maybe next time we’ll take you to get a haircut,” she adds with a wink.

I shrug and say, “Sure.”

“Don’t worry about David, too much,” she says, catching me looking at him through the back seat window.

I lift my eyes up to meet hers. “What do you mean?”

“He’ll warm up to you. He’s been an only child for so long, he doesn’t know how to act with someone who could be like a big brother to him,” she says and suddenly my heart began to beat faster.

“A brother?” I ask.

“Well, when we’re able to bring you home, if you want to that is, you would be more than just our nephew and David’s cousin; you’ll be a son and brother,” she explains, a warm smile etched upon her face the whole time. “Would that be okay with you?” she asks.

I nod excitedly and then hug her again. “Can I come now?” I ask impulsively.

Aunt Juliette laughs and then looks to Miss O for an answer.

“Eli, there’s a lot of boring paperwork we need to go through before you can go home with them. Let’s just take things a day at a time for now,” Miss O says.

I let out a heavy sigh and droop my head but Aunt Juliette hooks her finger under my chin and lifts my head until my eyes meet hers. “Patience, Eli; we’re not going anywhere.”

I grin to one side of my mouth. “I guess that’s true.”

“I’ll get that paperwork drawn up so we can go through it when you’re ready,” Miss O says.

“Thank you,” Aunt Juliette says.

“Thank you for everything today,” I tell her and Uncle James.

“You’re welcome,” she says.

“We’ll be in touch soon!” Uncle James says with a nod.

“Enjoy the rest of your day, Eli,” Aunt Juliette says and then joins her family in the SUV.

I watch until their car vanishes behind the building as they exit the grounds. For the first time in my life, I’m hopeful about my future.

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