Chapter One

One may not think a small town is a great place to start over. Tallulah Falls, Georgia is a little town just over one-hundred-seventy people. Six beautiful waterfalls. The winters are cold, hot summers, and wet year-round. That is where I decided to start my life over.

Somewhere small is where I needed to be to get out of the big city of Chicago, away from people, away from the foster care system that ripped my whole life apart the moment they separated me from my twin brother, Derek. It has been eight years since I have seen him. Eight long years since I have felt I belonged in this world.

Chicago, the place I lived in before this beautiful place, was way too crowded for me. Although it did not get too hot, the winters were so cold and very cloudy, it was almost unbearable. I cannot stand being cold.As if the cold was not bad enough, the crime rate in Chicago was so crazy, no wonder my foster parents were nutcases.

I am so thankful I am finally on my own. I tried applying for emancipation, but that never went through because of how many homes I bounced in and out of. I knew one thing, the first chance I got, I was out of the overcrowded streets with a population far too large for me to want even to attempt to count. Despite all the people there, no one could ever make me feel like I belonged. I need Derek.

From the age of eight, Darcie and Derek have bounced from foster home to foster home. By the time Darcie and Derek were ten, they had been placed in three different foster homes. Darcie had lost count of how many homes she had been in since then.

Nothing else mattered besides finding Derek, but the harder she tried to look, the more impossible it seemed. Maybe it is better I am not around him,I thought, everything I try doing for the better turns to crap. Not to mention the fact it has been around eight years since I have seen him. Finding him is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Waking up to a beautiful and warm summer day, I decide to venture out to take in the waterfalls I read about on the internet. Eighty degrees is the perfect day to relax by the water.

I notice that not a lot of people are around as I take a walk down one of the hiking trails leading to one of the waterfalls. My bare feet feel the tree roots underneath them as I walk. I love going barefoot, that is also a plus about a small town if I do not want to wear shoes more than likely no one will care.

"This looks like a wonderful place to sit and relax," I say out loud to myself. Sitting down on a large rock big enough for four people to sit on, and right in front of the waterfall, I make myself comfortable. Maybe I can get a tan, I think, even though I am not sure I have ever gotten a tan before.Here’s to new experiences. I need to try to be happy. If Derek and I were to reunite, he would not want to hear of me being unhappy.

Water splashes and the sound of a little girl playfully screaming startling me, waking me up.

"I am sorry about that, " a woman says to me, "Sara, please tell her you are sorry."

"I'm sorry ma’am." Sara has a bright pink two-piece bathing suit, and has long, blonde curly hair that is pulled up into pigtails.

"It is fine, I did not even realize I dozed off, the sun is so nice," I reply as I dry myself off with a towel. "My name is Darcie, what's yours?"

"Kimberly," she replies. Kimberly has on a black two-piece bikini and has straight blond hair that reaches her shoulders. "I have not seen ya round here before, which I find weird since this town is so small. Everyone knows everyone around here."

"That's because I just moved here, my name is Darcie," I nervously said. Oh crap, I just said that. I hate meeting new people. It is probably because of the fact I had to meet new people so often in the foster care system. Anyway, I am here to start fresh, so this is a start.

Another playful scream followed by a splash from Sara. As she plays, I can not help but stare. To be so young, and not have a care in the world. I did not want to come off rude by staring. That would not make a good impression. Say something before they think you are weird. After watching her play a few minutes, I say, "She is adorable."

"Thank you," said Kimberly, "It was nice meeting ya, maybe we can meet up again sometime. Come on Sara; we gotta go."

I instantly glance down at my aged watch. Nothing fancy, just one of those five-dollar watches from Wal-Mart that I have had for eight years now.I need to get another one. The plastic wristband is starting to break off, and some of the plastic rubs against my skin and hurts, but I wear it anyway. I may not get another one until it completely breaks.

I cannot bear to get rid of it. That was the last thing Derek ever gave to me. Oh my, it is already three o'clock. No wonder I am getting hungry. I need to figure out where I can find some good food around here. I also need to find a job seeing as I spent a good amount of everything I saved on the move to get here, but first things first, I have to eat.

As I walk around my new town, I stumble across this diner named Japps. It is a small mom and pop shop with a rusted sign that needs replacing and painted a light blue color. Something is inviting about Japps. A help wanted sign is posted in the window, and the booths are a dark brown color, some that are worn down with holes through the seat. Maybe I can eat and get a job in one shot.

I sit down in a booth by the window, and the seat is a little cool causing me to jump slightly as my thighs rest on it. "Welcome to Japps; I'll be right with ya," The waitress says to me. She is wearing a dark green shirt with black slacks with a half apron tied around her waist. She is currently pouring coffee to one gentleman, approximately fifty years old. He is laughing at something the waitress said as she walks towards me.

"My name is Anna, and I will be your waitress. What can I get ya to drink?"

"Coke, please," I say as I look at the menu trying to decide what I would like to eat.

"Ok, I'll be right back with your coke."

She returns with my coke and lets me know that the daily specials are on the chalkboard to my right. It reads fried chicken with mashed potatoes and mac and cheese, country fried steak with gravy and a side of corn, and fried shrimp with french fries. "Do ya need a few minutes to decide what you are going to eat?" Anna politely asks.

"I think I want a BLT, please."

"Ok, I'll take your menu. Your food will be out shortly."

As I wait for my food, I ask Anna about the job. She directs me to the manager, Jude, who asks me a few questions about my previous experience and tells me about what my job responsibilities would be, then says, "If you are up for it, you can start tomorrow." Anna comes to the booth where we are sitting with my BLT.

I take a bite of the toasted bread and instantly taste the salty bacon, mixed with the crispy crunch of the lettuce, followed by the soft, juicy, sweet taste of the tomato. The smell of bacon quickly fills the room. "That would be great, thank you so much. I will be a great worker, I promise.”

"See you tomorrow, and enjoy your meal," Jude says as he stands up to go about his business.