Phoenix Child

  ~Jane Howard

   

  Everyone bounced around Monday morning, showing off their new clothes, telling their friends about their favorites gifts, and still high from Christmas candy. Philip planned well for hyper students and we were busy all morning: stilt walking, globe, and acrobatics.

  As usual I held back, waiting until the crowd cleared before trying to get to my lunch.

  "Sara," a male voice called out.

  "Five, what are you doing here?" My caseworker looked a bit nervous but determined. Nothing good was about to happen.

  "I need you to get your things and come with me." He spoke with as much authority as his baby face and sweater vest would allow.

  Not good, David didn't even correct me when I called him Five. "Why? What's going on?"

  "Please, Sara. I promise to explain, but right now I need you to get your things."

  "Fine." I went to get my stuff, glaring at Five as frequently as possible.

  "Who are you? Where are you going with Sara?" Gavin demanded.

  Five held the front door open for me. "I'm Sara's caseworker, David Holden. I've signed her out."

  "Gavin, stay inside," said a tall, thin man, sliding between Five and me, his navy blue suit very out of place in the circus school.

  "Nathan, what is going on?" Nathan? Is this Gavin's lawyer?

  "Gavin, we'll talk inside," Nathan said taking Gavin's arm and tugging him towards the office.

  "When will I be coming back?" I kicked empty fast food wrappers out of the way as I sat in Five’s battered hatchback.

  David closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "You won't."

  "What? Why? I haven't done anything wrong." This sucked!

  "Sara, this isn't your fault. Your teacher, Gavin, he says he's your uncle. Until I know more you can't be around him." Five brushed a hand over his messy brown hair.

  I put my feet on his dashboard. "This isn't fair."

  "I know. We'll try and get this all sorted out as soon as possible." I could feel how bad Five felt; maybe I could ease up a bit.

  "Why does Gavin think I'm his niece?"

  "Has he said anything to you?" Five asked. I hate it when adults answer a question with a question.

  "The first day I met Gavin he said I looked like his sister.” My finger twisted the hem of my sweater.

  "You must look a lot like her for him to go through all this trouble. Gavin ran a DNA test on your blood. It came back positive; he's your family," Five said.

  "I did get a bloody nose last week," I tugged my bangs down over my eyes.

  "Well, that explains the DNA test. How do you feel about Gavin being your uncle?"

  "I don't know. I never thought I'd have to deal with family." Seeing Hope House, I breathed a sigh of relief.

  "I understand. I didn't know you had any family out there, either. We have an emergency Child Family Team meeting set up for Friday. So think about what you want. Bring a list of any questions you have. And please, Sara, feel free to call me if you need anything. I know this has got to be shocking for you." Five pulled in front of my building.

  "Thanks. I'll see you," I said getting out of the car. Then I remembered the Christmas gift. "Hey, thanks for the music box; it's pretty, so is the song."

  Five smiled. "I'm glad you like it. My mom forced me to go antique shopping with her. I found it tucked into a corner. Stravinsky's Firebird is one of my favorite ballets, and I wanted to share it with you."

  "I like it; thanks for thinking of me." I relaxed; the music box was just an odd coincidence. "See you Friday."

  "Bye, Sara," he said then drove off.

  I shut the door to my house. "Melanie, are you here?"

  "I'm in my room."

  I walked over and kicked aside some clothes to make a clear spot on the floor.

  "Did Five call you?" I asked as I sat on her bedroom floor and unpacked my lunch.

  "Yes. How do you feel?" Melanie shut her laptop and gave me her full attention.

  "I don't know. I don't know Gavin or his wife Anali. They're both nice enough at camp. Am I going to have to go and live with them?"

  "No, you're old enough to say where you want to live. We'll see what plan they present on Friday."

  "Will you be at the CFT?" I asked before stuffing a cracker and cheese in my mouth. A Child Family Team meeting is boring! I try to avoid them.

  "Sure." Melanie popped open her laptop and tossed her dark brown curls over her shoulder. "What do you want to do now?"

  I stared at her computer. Normally I wasn't allowed anywhere near the Internet, as all contact must be supervised. "Do you think we could Google Gavin? I don't know anything about him."

  Melanie patted her bed, and I stretched out next to her. "Spying— good plan."

  We found several articles that mentioned Gavin Marsh, including his parents' obituaries. I didn't expect to feel so disappointed that I would never get to meet my grandparents. Until I saw their obituary I hadn't even thought about them.

  "It looks like your uncle is quite wealthy," Melanie said pointing to an article on the Forbes website. "It says here his great-great-great grandfather, Clements Marsh, started an import-export business that is still running. The Marsh family also owns galleries, antique stores, and auction houses all over the country."

  "Is there other family?" I asked as I read over her shoulder.

  "The article is about five years old. At that time his parents, Miriam and Jonathan, were still alive. It says they only had two children. I don't see any mention of other family, but you never know. I guess you'll have to ask Gavin." Melanie lay back on the bed, letting me read the rest of the article.

  “Wow, he's about perfect on paper. I bet I'm the only group home kid who is secretly a long-lost princess," I said with a chuckle, trying to make light of the situation. Most people would jump for joy knowing the family they were going to was rich. Right now it felt like one more hurdle. Would I have to learn fancy, snooty manners? Go to a boarding school? Did rich people talk and act in a different way like on TV?

  "I know this is a lot to take in, Sara; you know that I'm here and willing to help in any way I can." Melanie pulled out a notebook and a pen. "Let's make a list; you like lists."

  True, I do like lists. They help keep things organized. I looked around her room, which completely lacked in organization.

  Melanie held the pen over the page and waited for me. "David said there would be a CFT this Friday. What questions do you have? What do you want to know? What are your concerns?"

  "Where will we live? Will I have to change schools? Will they change my last name?" There were other questions, magical Phoenix-based questions, but I would leave those for another time.

  "Just remember, you do have some say in what happens. You might need to compromise, but Gavin is a stranger to you, and David won't force you to live with a stranger." Melanie looked up from the page, her brown eyes warm and comforting. "What do you think about changing schools or having to move?"

  "When they were introduced at camp, they said they lived in New York. I don't know about moving that far away and changing schools. It's a lot, but it seems mean and unfair to ask them to give up their lives. However I also promised Shante I wouldn't leave her, and moving across town would be bad enough, but going all the way to New York?"

  "Sara, I know you and Shante are close, and I'm glad she has you. But you can't live your life to make other people happy."

  "I know," I whispered, guilt eating at me. Shante wouldn't understand.

  Melanie sighed. "I wish I could make this easier for you. It's a huge amount of change for you. Try and be selfish for once. Take care of yourself. Shante will be okay."

  "I'll try," This was going to suck, big time.