UnFoster Child Part I iii - The Family

She turned down the first street inside the city limits.  Tall houses, all almost a mimic of each other, with grass and trees and frivilous stuff like that, stuff that looked kinda out of place here in the desert.  Everything about this neighborhood screamed 'Look at us, we have money so we're going to spend it stupidly on stuff like grass, stuff that will die this summer!'1

She turned left, into a driveway of one of the frivilous houses.  It was two stories, white, with red shutters and a wooden door and a sprinkler on the lawn, spraying water at the perfect temperature over a bed of half-dead roses.  Risa got out and I followed her example.  She breezed into the garage, opened the door leading into the house - though it was more of a palace, considering that I grew up in a trailer park - and ushered me in.  I stood shyly in the doorway as she kissed her mother's cheek.2

Her mother was a rather attractive woman, with dishwater blonde hair that had a few gray hairs, but were perfect in the mix and gave her hair a sort of frosted look.  She flicked her eyes up from the laptop to eye me, and I felt, for a moment, that there were two Risa's staring at me instead of one.  She had almond eyes which weren't the same color as her daughter's (they were, instead, a greenish hue with spots of brown), but she had the same look in them that made me respect her much as I respected Risa.  She stood up, and I noticed she was shorter than me, but carried herself confidently.  Her petite, slightly curvy frame made it hard to believe that she was in fact the mother of the tall, boyish child who stood respectfully behind her.3

She asked if I was indeed the Jasmine they'd heard so much about in the last few hours, and I confirmed that I was.  She chuckled and told me her name was Carssa, then informed me that I was not quite how she had imagined me, that she had pictured me to be almost a 'valley girl'.  I shook my head and stated that I had been born and bred in the next town over.  She laughed the bell-y laugh that Risa had laughed only a few hours before, then instructed Risa to show me to my room.4

She refused, avoiding her mother's glare, then asked where 'the boys' were.  Her mother's eyes instantly lit up and she pointed down a hall I hadn't noticed.  Risa grabbed my arm and dragged me forward, not pausing to allow me to reply to her mother's saying that it was good to meet me and that dinner was at seven.5

She pushed open a door, and I saw a large TV, practically the size of one wall and the only source of light in the otherwise pitchblack room, that had a car race on, and a black leather couch back with three heads.  One of those heads, the tallest, turned back to look at Risa.6

For a moment Risa seemed to hesitate, but that moment passed and she let go of me.  She sprinted to the back of the couch and dived over it, squealing and yelling about me being there during what sounded to be a scuffle of some sort.  After what seemed a long while of me leaning on the doorway, obviously uncomfortable at the lack of knowing what in the hell was going on, I saw a head of neon green peek over the couch at me.  She called my name.  I stepped forward, and she beckoned me to step in front of the couch.  The TV was off, and I maneuvered around, using my feet to sense whatever was near.  I kicked the couch and set my hand on it.  After a moment, I hear a sigh and someone turned on the lights.  I smiled, thankfully, and walked to be outfront of the couch.  Risa introduced me to her family, then pointed to each one.7

Her father, Calvin, was tall and rather like a beanpole, and the jeans and periwinkle collared shirt he wore made him seem much like someone who would have been working in a machine shop or garage.  He had wavy red hair (with a balding spot) and blue eyes, and freckles.  His glasses were askew and a smile much like the one Risa's had worn when she first saw me appeared on his face.  I took a liking to that man the moment he smiled.8

Two bothers - er, brothers - were situated in what seemed to be a very awkward wrestling move.  I eyed them and they untangled themselves.  They both had a shock of red hair and a spray of freckles across the bridge of their noses, like their father, and the same eyes as their mother.  They were almost as tall as their father appeared to be, but shorter than Risa, who was, so far, the tallest one in the house.  The one on the left introduced himself as Finny (short for Phinaeus), the one on the right Faris.  Twins, aged 19.  Okay, whatever.9

A hand on my shoulder caused me to jump, and I noted the laughter as I turned.  I gasped.  I felt as thought I was looking at a Risa, but a Risa without her bright hair, but instead black, black as night.  His blue eyes danced, and he took his in his hand my own.  He whispered to me that his name was Raven.  Risa growled that this boy was her twin, elder by only 5 minutes (he never quit reminding her for the past 17 years), though how he could even be related to her never ceased to amaze her.  I smiled, still a little shocked at how close his looks were to hers, despite the hair change.10

A cough in the general direction of the couch caused me to tear my eyes from Raven.  A man, about 23 or so, eyed me with an amused grin.  He didn't take his eyes from me, but the question of what trash bin I was gotten out of was most definately directed at his sister.  I bristled, and his grin grew wider.  Blonde hair parted on the side and brown eyes looked me up and down, focusing on my nametag (I hope).11

"Jasmine."12

I cringed at the way he pronounced my name: 'JahsMINE'.  He sneered.  Risa, noticing my dislike, grabbed my arm and said that I needed to see my room and that I enjoyed meeting them all.  We reached the stairs and I stopped, asking her if that was her other brother.  She nodded, saying his name was Talen.  He was off in some college in Michigan most of the time, though, so he didn't matter.  I nodded, trying to put out of my mind the thought of how he said my name.  She took my hand and led me slowly up the spiral staircase into my new room.13