"Cindy!" Kirk called from downstairs,

"What?" She called back

"Hurry up! It's already nine and we want to be there for nine-thirty!"

"Ok, I'm almost done with my makeup!"

Kirk sighed and sat down, turning on the TV and trying to find something good to watch. Cindy came in after a while with her makeup done perfectly.

"You ready?" Asked Kirk

"Yep!" Cindy said, grabbing her handbag off the hook and walking out the door, followed by Kirk.

"So, how many do we want?" Kirk asked, starting the car.

"Ummmm, eight? Yeah, eight." As soon as the words left Cindy's mouth, Kirk shook his head.

"No. We're getting three. At the most!" Kirk replied sternly.

"Fine, three it is, then."

When they arrived at the orphanage ten minutes later, a young lady came out to greet them. Her name was Jessie. Jessie had long, blond hair that stopped at her waist, and shiny blue eyes that shone brightly in the sun. She was wearing an orange and white checkered dress that stopped at just below her knees; A good choice since it was boiling outside.

They stood at the old rusty gate while she explained how the orphanage worked; Ages over 15 went in B block, while ages 15 and under, went in C. Staff members slept in A block.

Jessie opened the gate and let Cindy and Kirk inside, closing and locking the gate behind them. She put the key in her pocket and zipped it up tight. Jessie saw Cindy and Kirk staring at her pocket.

"We keep the keys safe, so none of the kids can escape," Jessie said. They walked up the long gravel path in silence until they got to a big building made of dusty, red bricks and a grey-tiled roof. Flower pots full of giant sunflowers bordered the edges of the building. There was a playground in the middle of the orphanage and three identical buildings surrounding it, all with pots full of sunflowers. It looked like a nice place.

"So, how many kids would you like to adopt?"

"Three" Cindy and Kirk said simultaneously.

"Ok, and what ages are you looking for?"

"Ummm, Cindy? What do you think?" Kirk looked at Cindy.

"Maybe, one 12-year-old, and..." Cindy trailed off

"One 13-year-old,"

"And a 14-year-old?" Jessie suggested

"Yeah, that works," Kirk agreed

"Ok, great! Now, follow me to C block, please!" Jessie said, cheerfully. Jessie led the way as she scribbled on her clipboard, not really paying much attention. Cindy and Kirk slowed down a bit until they were sure she wouldn't be able to hear them talking.

"Kirk," Cindy said

"Yes?"

"Does something seem-"

"Weird? Yes. Yes, it does."

"She's too... cheerful. And the way she zipped up the key so it would be hard for anyone else to get is strange," Cindy said

"Yeah, and even though this place seems nice, I have this feeling. The one you get before something bad happens," Kirk added. They could see a building in the distance, almost symmetrical to the ones they saw before. This building, however, had bright red poppies, not sunflowers. Cindy and Kirk caught up to Jessie before she noticed they were gone.

"Alrighty, this is C block, housing kids 15 and under," Jessie said. She turned the door handle and pushed open the castle-like double doors, revealing a long hallway with rooms on either side. "Come on," She said, signalling Kirk and Cindy to enter.

DING! DING! DING!

Cindy and Kirk screamed. Jessie cracked up laughing, almost dropping her clipboard to the floor.

"Oh, relax! It's just the lunch bell! All the kids are outside now!" Jessie chuckled, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that funny." Kirk said, crossing his arms.

"If you say so," Jessie said with a grin. In the thirty minutes Cindy had known her, she'd never seen Jessie without her smile.

"Hey, Jessie," Cindy said

"Yeah?" Jessie responded

"Why did no kids come out of their rooms when the bell rang?" Cindy asked, puzzled.

"The same reason there are red flowers in these pots, unlike the yellow ones in the pots around every other building here," Jessie said

"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Kirk questioned. Jessie just giggled. Yeah, something was wrong.

"Didn't you ever wonder why this building is so far away from the others? Why it has red poppies, not yellow sunflowers? Why no kids came out?"

"Ok, well, it was nice meeting you, but I think we should leave," Cindy said, taking Kirk's hand and turning to leave.

"But what about adopting kids?" Jessie asked

"We don't want them anymore, or at least not from this place!" Kirk said, turning towards the open door.

"Oh, but I'm afraid it's not that simple..." Jessie said, her voice sounding sinister

"Go!" Kirk screamed, running towards the door and pulling Cindy close behind him.

BOOM!

The big wooden doors slammed shut as Jessie's obnoxious laugh echoed through the halls. Kirk and Cindy turned around slowly to see Jessie bent over, laughing uncontrollably.

"What's so funny?" Kirk eventually said

"You really think you can escape that easily?" She wheezed. Kirk and Cindy just turned to each other, their eyes full of worry.