Fate Will Always Win Read online

  Tracie vowed that she would take the money when she turned eighteen and run away to Los Angeles. She was going to be an actress or maybe a model. She wanted a job where she could afford to live in a lovely house, have nice clothes, and never go hungry again. She also wanted to make sure her mother could never find her, so she planned on changing her last name.

  Tracie’s dreams were shattered when she came home to the trailer and saw police cars and a coroner’s van parked in front. Slowing her pace, Tracie tried to think of any other reason for the coroner’s van to be parked there but came up blank. This was it. Her mother was dead. She thought she would feel sad when her mom died, but she didn’t. She actually didn’t feel anything. No grief, no relief, no joy. She just felt numb.

  “Do you live here?” a female officer asked as she came through the door and headed towards Tracie.

  “Yes. Why?”

  “What’s your name? Is there another adult living here?”

  “My name is Tracie. I live here with only my mom. She’s dead, isn’t she?”

  “I’m afraid so, Tracie. You don’t look well. Are you okay?”

  “I… I don’t know,” Tracie said as she slowly walked up the steps to the door.

  “Don’t go into the kitchen.”

  “I won’t. I’m going to my bedroom.”

  “Is there someone you can stay with? Someone you want me to contact?”

  “No, it’s just the two of us.”

  “Go pack what you need for a few days.”

  “I don’t have anything to put it in other than my pillowcase,” Tracie said absently as she made her way to her bedroom.

  “That’s okay. Do you want me to help?”

  “No, I’ll be fine,” Tracie said as she entered her bedroom and shut the door.

  Tracie leaned on the closed door and closed her eyes. Where would she go? Probably a foster home. She was mad at her mom. How could she be so careless? Six more years, then Tracie would be eighteen and could leave. Why couldn’t her mother wait and kill herself after she was eighteen? With a sigh, Tracie pushed herself off the door and headed to her bed.

  Ripping off the pillowcase, Tracie then went to her dresser, opened the drawers, and began pulling her clothes out, stuffing them inside. Then she went to the closet and pulled out a pair of sneakers. She had worn her sandals to school that day. Lastly, Tracie moved her bed away from the wall to pull the money box out from the hole. She had saved two hundred dollars. It was her life savings. She tucked it into her pocket. She didn’t want to take a chance on losing it. Then she made her way to the bathroom and grabbed her toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, and shampoo. When she was finished, Tracie walked to the living room, where she assumed the female officer was waiting.

  “I’m ready,” Tracie said as she drew closer to the officer.

  “Is there anything else you want to take? Maybe some mementos or a photo of your mom?”

  “No. It’s all too painful. I never had happy memories.”

  “Okay. I’ve called the courthouse and was told to take you over to Shannon’s foster home in Fallbrook.”

  “Okay,” Tracie said before following the police officer to her unmarked car.

  The fifteen-mile drive from the mobile home park to Fallbrook was in complete silence. Tracie was lost in her thoughts. The anger consumed her. For as far back as Tracie could remember, her mom never considered her feelings. Often Tracie wished that her mother would put her up for adoption. She wanted to feel safe, stop going hungry, and no longer be embarrassed wearing ragged clothes.

  Why did her mother love the drugs, and how they made her feel instead of loving her only child? Why had her father abandoned her? Was he still alive somewhere or dead? Tracie hated her father as much as she hated her mother. He wasn’t there to protect her from her mother. Neither of them was there for her to yell at. She had nothing and no one now. Tears began to spill from her eyes as her anger gave way to sadness. This could not be her life.

  Tracie was surprised that the foster home was an old hotel that had been converted. She knew not to expect the foster home to be something like the books Oliver Twist and David Copperfield that she had to read in school. She also learned that a considerable difference between orphanages and foster care is that modern-day orphanages no longer exist in the United States. In the United States, foster care homes have taken the place of orphanages.

  Tracie watched an older woman as she stepped slowly from the building; the sunlight touched her face as if it were the sun that was appreciating her presence. The woman didn’t look frail. No, she looked like she could run an army kitchen given half a chance. She stood quite tall and slim, her grey hair braided and hanging over her right shoulder. Her face is made up with discrete make-up; she didn’t need to impress anyone. She focused on her eyes, which were darting back and forth, shining in the sunlight. They were a deep, earthy brown and full of kindness.

  “Hi, I’m Shannon. You must be Tracie,” Shannon greeted her.

  “Yeah,” Tracie said glumly.

  “I think she’s still processing her mother’s death,” the police officer said.

  “Poor child. Well, school is out for the summer. You will have plenty of time to get adjusted and make some new friends before school starts back up,” Shannon replied.

  Tracie looked past Shannon to the foster home. She noticed a group of kids who looked to be about her age standing in the doorway. The four boys and three girls looked well-fed and wore clothes that fit and were not falling apart. Tracie was a little jealous.

  “Well, come along, Tracie. Let me introduce you to the gang and show you to your room.”

  “Okay.”

  Tracie followed Shannon up the steps and through the door. The kids had backed up into the entryway.

  “Give Tracie some room,” Shannon said.

  Everyone backed up a couple of paces.

  “Let’s get the initial introductions done, shall we? The boys are Gabe, Nate, Spencer, and Tanner. The girls are Dixie, Lacey, and Rosalie,” Shannon pointed to each child as she named them. “This here is Tracie.”

  “Hi,” Tracie whispered shyly.

  Nathaniel was frozen in his spot. Tracie was beautiful. She smelled like fresh-cut peaches on a summer day. His wolf jumped inside him wanting to get closer. Mate! His wolf declared. What? Are you sure? She’s human. Nathanial asked his wolf. Positive is mate.

  “Tracie, do you know about shifters?” Shannon asked.

  “Yes. There were some in my neighborhood and school.”

  “Great, then I don’t have to explain. Nate, Rosalie, and I are wolf shifters. Tanner is a bear shifter. They are too young to join a pack or clan, but when they reach eighteen, they will be able to join wherever they want. Shifter communities don’t have the capabilities to take on orphans,” Shannon explained as she led Tracie to her room.

  “Here you go, Tracie. I will leave you to get settled. As you can tell, this is an old hotel. Your bathroom is right through that door,” Shannon said, pointing to the door as they entered the room.

  “Thank you. Can I, umm, I have a little money. Would you take me to a store so I can get some clothes?”

  “Keep your money. The state gives an allowance for each child for food and clothing. When school is in session, they also provide supplies. Your medical needs are also covered. Do you know when the last time you saw a doctor was?”

  “I haven’t seen a doctor other than to get my shots for school.”

  “Hmm, well then, we shall have to get you in for an appointment. The state requires all children to be caught up on their immunizations as well as be healthy. Are you okay for the remainder of today? I will need to get appointments set up and paperwork started. Tomorrow we can go into town for some shopping,” Shannon replied.

  “Oh, okay. Yes, ma’am, I can wait until tomorrow.”

  “Good. Dinner is at 5:30. After dinner, we can get you added to the chores list. You will receive an allowance weekly for the chores you do. That i
s your mad money to spend on whatever you wish. I will see you in a couple of hours for dinner. You’re in luck. Tonight is lasagna,” Shannon said before leaving Tracie.

  Tracie looked around the room. It was huge compared to her bedroom in the trailer. There were two beds, but one wasn’t made up. She assumed she would not have a roommate for a while. Tracie dumped the contents out of the pillowcase onto the unmade bed.

  Grabbing the toiletries, Tracie headed to the bathroom. She put the toothbrush and toothpaste in the medicine cabinet, then placed the shampoo and body wash on the shower/tub combination edge. Next Tracie, put her underwear and socks into the dresser. Maybe Shannon could help her pick out a training bra. Most of the girls her age were wearing them in her old school. Her second pair of jeans and her two shirts went into the dresser as well.

  If the state was paying to keep her clothed, she could finally afford to buy a few more tops, pants, and some shorts. After putting her sandals on the floor in the closet, Tracie tossed the pillowcase into the trash. Then with nothing else left to do, she plopped down on the bed and began to think about the other kids.

  Lacey was pretty with her curly red hair that hung just below her shoulders. She would need to remember to ask her how to tame her messy curls. Her blue eyes seemed kind. Tracie was a little jealous that she didn’t have freckles. Tracie hated her freckles.

  Dixie had her straight blond hair pulled back into a low pony-tail. Her eyes were a brilliant bright blue. She had a confident air about her that Tracie wished she possessed.

  Rosalie looked so cute with her pixie hairstyle. Her coppery amber eyes shone brightly, reflecting the warmth of the sun. They were such a unique color, a mix of light and dark with a gold ring inside her iris. Tracie wondered if it had to do with her being a wolf shifter.

  Shannon said that Tanner was a bear shifter. She didn’t know they lived in California. She had always assumed they would live in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. His hazel eyes were a yellowish-brown color with specks of gold, green, and brown in the center. His dark brown hair furled down the nape of his neck. He was a little taller than the others. Perhaps that was because he was a bear shifter.

  Spencer and Gabe were both humans. Their blond hair was cut short like pictures Tracie had seen of military men in uniform. She would describe Spencer’s blue eyes reminded her of the color of the midwinter sky. Gabe’s brown eyes were so dark they could have been as black as a cup of espresso.

  Nate’s hair was a dark brown color that reminded Tracie of a childhood teddy bear she’d had. His hair was parted on the side, causing some of it to fall onto his forehead. His blue eyes were strange to her. Closest to the iris was a bronze ring, probably because he was a wolf shifter.

  The knock came quietly first, and then there was silence. The knock was louder and faster the second time.

  “Tracie, do you want to play with us?” a voice came from the other side of the door.

  Tracie got up from the bed and padded to the door to her room. She had hoped to make friends with the girls. They were orphans like her. They didn’t know her mom was a drug addict. They wouldn’t tease her and call her names like the kids at school had. She pasted what she hoped was a friendly smile on her face then opened the door.

  “Sure, I’d like that.”

  “We have an older Nintendo Wii game system with the Carnival games. Do you like mini-golf? We’ve opened all of the lands, so there’s plenty to choose from,” Dixie said.

  “I’ve never played video games,” Tracie said sadly.

  “Mini-golf is easy to learn,” Rosalie said encouragingly.

  “Please come and try it out. If you don’t understand it, you can watch for a bit till you pick it up,” Lacey added.

  “Okay, I’d rather watch for a little bit,” Tracie replied.

  Tracie shut her bedroom door and followed the girls down the stairs to the family room. She could smell the lasagna cooking. She hoped dinner would be ready soon as her stomach growled.

  Tracie watched the girls play the mini-golf. Each player could create a boy, man, woman, or girl character. They could choose the hair, clothes, skin tone, and name their character. At each hole, the Barker told you what had to be done. There were nine themes, each with three holes: Amazeon, Spook-O-Rama, Prehistoria, Pirate’s Delight, Barnyard, Fairytella, Wild West, Rah’s Revenge, and King’s Court.

  “Dinner is ready, girls,” Shannon said as she poked her head into the family room.

  Rosalie shut down the game as the other girls headed to wash their hands before sitting down for dinner. Tracie wasn’t sure what to do, so she watched the others and followed their lead. After washing and drying her hands, she sat at the kitchen table. She had never seen a table that held ten people outside of her school. The table appeared to be made of light-colored wood with chairs to match. She thought it was funny that the girls sat on one side of the table, and the boys sat on the other.

  Tracie looked around the table. Each place setting had a plate, bowl, silverware, milk, and a glass of milk. The middle of the table had a large bowl of salad, a bottle of ranch dressing, a bottle of Italian salad dressing, a basket of garlic bread, and a large lasagna. Shannon sat at the head of the table.

  “Tracie, we’re not big on formalities here. Serve yourself whatever you want to eat. Breakfast and lunch, you can have at any time, but I enjoy everyone together for dinner. It gives us a chance to touch base with each other and to talk about anything good or bad,” Shannon explained.

  “Okay, thanks,” Tracie replied.

  “You’re welcome. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, a child therapist comes to talk to whoever needs to talk. Typically, when someone is new here, they want to see her each time she’s here. You can scale back when you feel it’s time. Nate sees her once a week. The others see her once a month,” Shannon explained.

  “I think I’m ready to see her once a month now,” Nathaniel chimed in.

  “That’s quite an accomplishment, Nate. You can tell her when she comes on Tuesday. I have a surprise for after dinner to celebrate your last day of school,” Shannon replied.

  “Can you give us a hint?” Dixie asked.

  “I bet it’s ice cream,” Spencer said.

  “Cupcakes!” Lacey added.

  “No, I won’t give any hints. Finish your dinner,” Shannon smiled as she picked up the salad bowl and served herself a helping.

  Once she finished serving herself, Shannon passed the salad bowl to Tanner, which signaled to everyone that it was time to pass the dishes around the table. Rosalie picked up the breadbasket, helped herself to two pieces of garlic bread, and then passed it on to Tracie. Gabe served himself some of the lasagna. It was too hot to pick up and pass along to someone else, so each person took a turn standing and taking a serving. Plates filled up quickly.

  Mouths chewed constantly as the children chatted about their last day of school and what they hoped to do during the summer.

  “Can we get jobs?” Tracie asked.

  “Of course, you can,” Shannon answered.

  “You like to work?” Dixie asked.

  “I’ve been working since I was eleven. One of the local restaurants hired me to wash the dishes.”

  “Oh, yuck! I would hate to wash someone else’s dishes. I’ve done dog walking for the animal shelter,” Lacey stated.

  “The boys mow lawns and help people who need yard work done. Dixie and Rosalie babysit,” Shannon explained.

  Once they finished eating, Shannon rose from the table and went back into the kitchen. She returned with a big pink box that had Karen’s Cakes written on the side. On top of the box was a small stack of paper plates.

  “Oh, she makes the best cakes!” Dixie said excitedly.

  “I hope it’s the Black Forest cake. It’s so yummy,” Lacey said.

  “It is the Black Forest cake,” Shannon replied as she set the box on the table.

  Shannon cut the cake, placed a slice on a plate, and then handed it to Nathaniel, who passed it
on. This continued until everyone had a piece of cake.

  Karen had a way with cake making. She was the maestro of the kitchen, or at least she was when it came to all things sweet and wonderful. Her cakes were monuments to her creative genius. Nobody can eat that much cake, though. Karen made a website, and everyone in town spread the news... her home-baking business took off like a rocket. She’s a sort of local legend these days - the woman who made cakes that were real art.

  Soon crumbs and smears of whipped cream icing were all that remained of the cake. It had been decadent. With the dessert behind them, the chatter in the room rose and fell. Each person cleared the place where they sat for dinner, putting the dirty dishes, silverware, and glasses in the sink.

  “We have a chores chart on the fridge. I will add you to the chores when I make the new schedule up tomorrow. Tonight, Dixie and Lacey are on dish duty. Gabe will take out the trash. Rosalie cleaned the girl’s bathroom earlier today, and Nate cleaned the one for the boys earlier. The rest have the night off,” Shannon explained.

  “Okay,” Tracie replied, suddenly unsure what to do with herself.

  “Tracie, would you like to join Nate, Tanner, Spencer, and me as we go to Camp Pendleton?” Rosalie asked.

  “We go to their YMCA. It’s after dinner, and we can usually find some people to play basketball. They also let us use their gym to work out,” Spencer added.

  “Sure, it sounds like fun,” Tracie replied.

  They made their way to the shed where the bikes were stored. They explained to Tracie that they were for any of the kids to use. Then they began the quick bike ride to the YMCA at Camp Pendleton along Ammunition Road. It was early evening, so the heat from the day had eased. In a few minutes, their bikes move down the trail like they have motors, their legs moving up and down almost without effort over the flat ground.