The Only Thing I Wanted Was A Place In The Family Album Chapter 06

The Only Thing I Wanted Was A Place In The Family Album Chapter 06

The train ride from Fairhaven to Willow Creek was over ten hours.

Less than thirty minutes after the train left, Jonathan started calling me.

I didn’t answer. Instead, I turned off my phone and stared out the window.

The train moved fast, the scenery blurring past.

I suddenly remembered the first time I came to Fairhaven, three years ago.

I had flown that time.

Nervous and inexperienced, I clung to Jonathan. He held my hand the whole way, pointing out different parts of the airport.

On the plane, he buckled my seatbelt for me without my even asking.

When the plane took off, I broke out in a cold sweat.

He smiled and held my hand. “You’ll get used to it, Amelia. You’ll be traveling on your own soon enough. Planes are convenient. After two flights, you won’t be scared anymore.”

Back then, I was full of hope and excitement.

I never imagined that once I got to Fairhaven, I wouldn’t even be allowed through the front door.

Now, three years had passed in a blink.

I had done my research and long since learned how to fly.

I used to daydream about traveling with Jonathan and my mother.

I thought that the next time I got on a plane, I wouldn’t be scared or embarrass them.

But in the end, I still preferred the train.

When it came to traveling home, this was the only path that felt safe.

I arrived in Willow Creek after midnight and took a cab straight to my foster parents’ gravesite.

Willow Creek was colder than Fairhaven. A damp chill hung in the air.

I was shivering when I knelt on the ground.

The grave had been renovated two years ago. Jonathan paid for it.

I had wanted to come back for the anniversary of their death, but he was probably afraid I wouldn’t return to Fairhaven and stopped me.

“Don’t worry, Amelia. I’ll handle your foster parents’ graves. The anniversaries will be done right, all dignified and proper.”

“Your main goal now is to get along with Chloe. Once you’re recognized as a Hart, you’ll have all the time in the world to visit.”

I agreed with him. When I met Chloe, I was nothing but humble and eager to please.

But she never liked me. She always thought my coming back would mean her losing everything.

I had tried everything I could.

Since I couldn’t go back to that family, I was done with them.

“Mom, Dad, I’ll stay here with you from now on. I’m not leaving again.”

I choked out the words and bowed my head to the ground.

My foster parents smiled at me from their photograph. It made my heart ache, but also gave me a strange sense of comfort.

I finally got up the next morning and headed back to the village.

The small farmhouse was clean.

Before I left for Fairhaven, I gave our chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs to the neighbors.

Now, the yard was empty.

I pushed open the door. The air inside was damp and stale.

The house had been empty for too long. Dust was everywhere.

I kicked off my shoes, climbed onto the bed, pulled a blanket from the closet, and crawled under it.

I couldn’t help but smile.

That familiar sense of safety, of peace, of home, it instantly soothed the exhaustion from my long journey.

The house in Edgewater that Jonathan had put me in was nicer, sure.

But this was home.