Jamie had lived with the Selton’s from the time he was 3 to 13. Out of anyone in the world, they were the only people who had loved him enough to keep him. Father was a salesman, going to meetings all over the United States to up-talk knives and dangerous appliances. His mother was beautiful: curly black hair, jade green eyes, and the most kind voice of any woman he had ever met. But one of her best qualities was that she loved him. She always appraised him, recognizing his intelligence, maturity, and creativity that was invisible to others.
But now she was gone, along with father, the two people whom he had learned to love. Their lives were taken away by a 400 horsepower motor and a drunken idiot on the one night where the family was separated from each other, leaving the kids no where to go.
And now, he was guarding for his only real family at the New Jersey’s Home for Malnourished Orphans, Foster Students, and Runaways. Everything always ended up being gloom there, except for the 12 days of escape per year, where Ms. Cantin, their horribly controlling caretaker would drive them to New York City to explore, earn a little money doing odd jobs, and then treat themselves.
Now, after wandering around the crowded city failing to find any jobs, Jamie and his two younger siblings, Adam and Kelli, were standing in front of a tall building. This was the only building that was completely deserted on the otherwise bustling streets. “The Devil’s Hide” was the only sign in sight of the building.
The sign sat right by the garbage can at the end of the sidewalk, pushed over on its side. The words were written in jagged scripts as if each was written by the hand of a different, illiterate demon. Jamie held back the instinct to back away from the house. His siblings couldn’t see him nervous, for their sake.
The building itself was gray all over other than the front door which was black. It was entirely plain, no graffiti, placards, posters, or anything else except for that sign in the heap of trash.
Kelli turned towards him, “I dare you to go in!”
“No way, I’m not an idiot!” He retorted, tightening his grip on his brother’s hand; if Kelli kept at it, she’d get herself hurt and then Jamie would have lost another part of his family. He did not want to risk that when so much of his life had been taken away already.
“I’ll do it!” Adam offered, excitedly.
Oh no, this means we all have to go. Jamie stepped forward hurriedly, attempting to grab Adam’s arm. Kelli just smiled with excitement.
There wasn’t much time for Adam to fight Jamie’s grip. An old woman stepped out to face them at the door of the building. The orbs sitting in her eye sockets had been washed out by too many color filters on an old picture and her red hair was too bright to not be dyed with strawberry extract.
“Hello children.” Her voice was high and squeaky.
“Lady, get out of the way. There is no stopping Adam” Jamie requested, trying to restrain his brother. Even though he didn’t want to go in, his siblings wouldn’t give up that easily, therefore he needed to stand up for them. 

“I’m sorry young man, but I live here. Would you like to enter under my supervision?”
All Jamie could think about was how much he just wanted to find some job and go to a restaurant in the main part of the city, not worry about his siblings being alone in some scary building that belonged to an old woman. He, however, figured that fighting both of them wouldn’t do any good, so at least he could watch them.
“Okay lady!” Adam was being a pup.
Hesitantly, Jamie took one step into the building with his siblings- one on each side of him. The woman followed them into the darkness.
I can’t turn back. I’m the adult here. I’m can’t be afraid of anything.
He closed his eyes quickly, hoping that his flinch could be mistaken for a slightly long blink, and then took a second step.
The kids found themselves standing in a long corridor. The old woman’s wheezing breath was extinguished, leaving them all alone. I knew we shouldn’t have come in.
A click, barely audible in the absolute silence, resounded behind the three; it was the click of the lock.
Hesitantly, Kelli whispered, “I think we’re stuck.”
Jamie’s eyes tried adjusting to the dark. I knew it. I knew we couldn’t trust her, she’s just like everyone else, who just leaves three orphans to themselves. And she did it in her own building!
“Jamie, what do we do?” Adam hugged up against his leg.
Jamie directed, “We just need to find another door. Stay close.”
He led his terrified siblings down the damp hallway. Lights started to glow, making the room barely visible. The walls were dark, but in the light they seemed to be a gross red color. The color reminded him of the only happy family he had known, which was destroyed by the parents’ loss of blood in the accident. If only the color red didn’t exist.
Picture frames, barely visible in the darkness, were also hung every couple of feet. In the dimness, their contents couldn’t be seen. Frankly, this relieved him. He didn’t want to know what the demented old women respected. She trapped little kids in her house.
His siblings refused to let his skin breathe, holding onto him as if he were the only way they’d survive. Without me, they’d have died at the door. Kelli was a little wiser, standing up straight with her hand grasping Jamie’s arm. He felt that she was way too old to hold his arm at all at 13, but at least she wasn’t as horrified as Adam. Jamie had, at one time, considered him to be perfect little brother material. But now, he realized how timid and weak Adam was.
The end of the hall approached quickly, leading to a large room with many doors. There had to have been at least 10 by Jamie’s count. How could a woman who lives alone in New York City have such a huge place to live in with so many rooms?
“You pick a door, Jamie!” Adam rushed.
It was then that Jamie thought about a way to decrease their search. “How about we all go through different doors and meet back here.”
Adam’s whine echoed in the corridor, making it even more eerie. “Jamie! It’s scary! I don’t wanna go alone!”
“Then go with Kelli. You can keep each other company. Looking in two doors would be faster than just one.”
From there, he directed his siblings toward the door farthest to the right of the gargantuan hall. Adam planted himself on his sister’s arm; Jamie worried that it would give her scars, or at least red marks.
He tried the door. This one was brown, simple and straight, the only one in the room that wasn’t extravagant in some way. The golden handle turned easily and he felt the door sweep towards him. He pulled it out and looked in at the room. It was precisely the same as the hall. At least they won’t have to be terrified of something too different. He took a step back from the door, holding it open for his siblings. His arms swung back in a gesture of invitation.
Kelli’s voice was small as she began to pull Adam into the room. “We will meet you back here, right Jamie?”
“Yeah.” He prodded his sister into the room, and the two shorter children cleared the doorway. He closed it gently behind them.
Then, Jamie limped towards another door, directly next to the brown wooden one. This door had a bronze handle and seemed to be painted a putrid yellow. He closed his eyes as he stepped through cautiously, knowing that if anyone else were around, he’d have just walked in without a showing any sign of nerve. The door closed behind him and he heard another small sound. Wait, Adam and Kelli’s room didn’t lock behind them!
He opened his eyes timidly and let out a small shriek of terror. Darkness was all he could sense. He could hear water somewhere underneath him. His eyes wanted to close again and trick himself into thinking the liquid was the sound of the ocean on the Jersey Shore after a storm. He couldn’t though. The ground under him was rugged and separated in some places, so his steps were very careful. It seemed to bounce with him. The liquid splashed right underneath him and would sometimes splash into his shoes, feeling a little sting of discomfort. According to his assumption, he was on some sort of bridge above an acidic stream.
I can’t even think. Where are Kelli and Adam? How do I get back to the main corridor when it’s locked? He continued walking down the bridge, jumping slightly to avoid the water that touched his ankles coldly.
He was relieved to see glowing objects sit, floating above the bridge farther down in the dark room. The lanterns weren’t floating, they were embedded in the wall, which looked to be a dark blue in the light he was given.
It surprised him, but he paused for a moment to think.
I hope Adam and Kelli are okay.
I hope I’ll be okay.
He let himself think some more.
I’m afraid.
He looked back, remembering the life before he had been orphaned. He saw his mother’s kind face, not unlike Kelli’s smooth complexion even though they weren’t related by blood; all three of the kids were adopted from different backgrounds. His father, strong with dark everything, was the opposite of his adopted eldest son, he was powerful and mighty, needing no facade.
Jamie remembered what it was like to not need to know everything, to not always be the adult, to not need to be so strong. His own arrogance and power annoyed him a little bit. Is it wrong for me to be a kid too?
Just then, a bright light saved him. He squinted hopefully in that direction. The lights spread through the rest of the room, illuminating the bridge he was standing on. The room itself was actually lighter in color than he expected. The walls were a kind cream with bits of blue like an inverted sky. The water below had small fish in it, destroying his earlier assertion that it was acidic. The bridge itself was entirely solid.
And on the other side of it, facing directly towards him, were his siblings and a woman. Kelli and Adam attacked him with hugs and excited words, obviously missing their older brother, making him feel relieved and, for some reason, guilty.
He couldn’t take his eyes off of the woman. Her hair was the color of fall, gracefully caressing her straight shoulders. She was the definition of beauty and she was strangely familiar.
“They tell me your name is Jamie?” Her voice sounded vaguely familiar.
“Who are you?” He asked, shivering slightly.
“I am Felicia. This is my home. You saw it in the dark.” She reached out her hand towards him. “Your siblings figured out the true nature of my house very quickly once you separated.”
“Jamie,” Kelli said in her childish excitement, “she wants to adopt us!”
Jamie froze and stared. How can we trust some strange woman who had let us into her horror house? She’s a freak who we don’t even know!
Felicia’s hand rested on Adam’s head and rustled his hair. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but look around you. This house isn’t so bad, is it Jamie?”
He took a moment to admire the room. It was set up with ponds on both sides of a kind aisle way. The room was so tall and majestic, that it made him feel small and insignificant. Once he had closed the door behind him, it hadn’t been locked, it was stuck behind a piece of wood holding up a table, which accounted for the “click of the lock”.
“Child, I know it’s hard to take what you have seen and put it into perspective, but think about it. If you’d have me as a guardian, I’d treat you well; the way you deserve to be treated. You have been so attentive to your siblings, you haven’t had the opportunity to be a child. You should feel safe.”
  She paused and looked around, “and this place is only bad if you decide not to look.”
Jamie opened his eyes to her, allowing his fear and ignorance to be exposed for the first time since his adoptive parents had passed. “You will keep us safe?”
“I promise.” Her voice was sweet and warm.
She walked up to him and brought him into her kind arms. Salty water dripped down his cheek, but he felt no need to care any more. He could be vulnerable now.