'Denisabella!' Ruth shouted from downstairs. Denise was lying on her bed, ignoring the call.

'Denise,' Mandy walked into the sleeping room, 'Ruth is calling you.'

'She's not calling for me, she's calling for some Denisabella,' Denise said.

'Isa...' Mandy tried to say.

'Don't call me Isa!' Denise screamed. Mandy flinched, and Denise immediately calmed down. Mandy was just eight years old and really looked up to Denise. It's not fair to shout to her. 'Sorry, I shouldn't have shouted. Anyway, I should probably go to Ruth.' Denise swung her backpack over her shoulder, and walked away. By the door, she stopped. 'Mandy?'

Mandy looked up: 'Yeah?'

'I'll miss you.'

Mandy's eyes grew big: 'Really? Me?'

Denise smiled and nodded. 'Yes. Anyway, I gotta go now, before Miss Rude gets mad at me again.'

'Denise. You're late.' Ruth was already standing by the car, 'Do you have all your belongings?'

'Yes,' Denise said, and threw her backpack in the back seat, and then sat down in the passenger's seat.

'So, who are my new foster parents?' Denise asked, trying to start a conversation.

'Lin-Manuel Miranda and Vanessa Nadal,' Ruth said.

Denise frowned: Lin-Manuel Miranda? She was sure she'd heard that name before... 'And... What are their jobs?' Denise asked.

'Vanessa is some kinda lawyer, and Lin-Manuel is an actor.'

Denise looked up: 'A- an actor?'

'I know right,' Ruth said, 'He must be too stupid to do anything else! Acting, pff, that isn't even a real job! You can't make any money with it!'

'Can I still get other foster parents?' Denise asked.

'No,' Ruth answered.

'But-' Denise tried to protest, but Ruth cut her off: 'But what?'

Denise looked down: 'Nothing.'

'That's what I thought,' Ruth said.

A nice looking woman opened the door: 'Hi!' she said, 'My name is Vanessa, and you must be Denisabella.' She smiled.

'Oh please call me Denise,' Denise said.

'Okay,' Vanessa laughed. Denise couldn't help but like her. No! she thought, Of course I don't like her! She is my new foster mother, aka that one person who has the nerve to think she can replace my real mother!

'Come in,' Vanessa said, opening the door, 'Lin is waiting inside.' She walked into the house, Denise and Ruth followed her. Denise nervously grabbed her backpack. Whether she wanted it or not, this was where she was going to live for at least a few weeks, so it'd better be nice. Vanessa walked into a room, which happened to be the living room. A man with long hair in a ponytail was sitting on the couch. He was holding a sleeping baby. 'Hi!' he said.

'Lin, this is Denise,' Vanessa said, 'Denise, this is Lin, the five year old that I can unfortunately call my husband.'

'Hey!' Lin said, and Vanessa just laughed. 'You are adorable,' she said, then turned to Denise: 'Oh and, Denise, the baby is called Sebastian, but I'd rather not wake him.'

As if he heard that, Sebastian started crying.

'And he's awake again,' Lin sighed, 'I'll get him his food.' Lin disappeared in what Denise supposed was the kitchen, but he immediately came out again: 'Ruth, Denise, would you like a drink?'

'No, thank you,' Denise answered.

'I'd like some tea, please,' Ruth said.

'I'll show you around,' Vanessa said to Denise.

'So, this is your room,' Vanessa said, 'I'd like to help you unpack, but I really need to talk to your social worker. So you can unpack now alone, or we can do it together this evening or tomorrow or something. Whatever you want!'

'I'll be fine to do it on my own,' Denise said.

'Okay!' Vanessa said, 'Will you be fine on yourself now?'

'Yes, I'll be fine,' Denise repeated.

'Okay,' Vanessa said, 'If you need us, we're in the living room. Come there when you're finished.'

'Okay,' Denise said. After that, Vanessa left the room.

Denise sat down on her bed, and looked around. The room was quite bigger than she was used to in foster homes. There was an enormous closet, and a bureau. Through a big window she could see the whole city. Denise opened her backpack and grabbed all her belongings: four T-shirts, one pair of jeans, her toothbrush, and a few books. She put the books on the bureau, and the clothes in her closet. They looked really small in the enormous closet. Denise picked up the last things from her backpack: two pictures. She stared at them for a little while: should she keep them? It was against all the Rules to keep them! Eventually she picked up the pictures, and put them on the top shelve of the closet. So, she thought, If I just don't think about them, I won't break any of the Rules.

In the living room, Vanessa, Lin, and Ruth were sitting around the table, talking about Denise.

'When did her parents die?' Vanessa asked.

'That happened five and a half years ago,' Ruth said.

'And she has been in seven foster homes since?!' Lin asked shocked.

'Yes,' Ruth said, 'and a lot of group homes.'

Lin and Vanessa looked at each other. Vanessa saw in Lin's eyes that felt the same way as her. 'That must have been horrible,' she said.

Ruth shrugged: 'I don't know. Probably.'

'How did her parents die?' Lin asked.

'A car crash,' Ruth said disinterested.

'Was she in the car when it happened?' Lin asked.

Ruth looked at the paper: 'Yes.'

'Did she get any help after that?' Vanessa asked.

'Psychological, you mean?' Ruth asked, and Vanessa nodded. 'Well,' Ruth said while rummaging through some papers, 'it is compulsory to do so, so I think she had it. Ah!' she exclaimed, 'I've found it! She indeed had psychiatric help, but they stopped, because Denisabella didn't need it anymore. Her parents' death didn't seem to hurt her that much.'

Vanessa looked at Lin. As an attorney she had been in contact with children who had seen people die, but they had never come out unhurt. Let alone when those people were their parents! 'Okay,' Vanessa said.

Denise came inside: 'I finished unpacking.'

'Already?' Lin asked, 'Wow I've never met a girl your age who would be able to do that in so little time!'

'If there are no further questions, I'd like to leave now,' Ruth said, 'I have another meeting with a client.'

'Yes of course,' Vanessa quickly got up, 'I'll let you out.'

They both left, leaving Lin and Denise awkwardly together in the room.

'So,' Lin said, 'Maybe you could show me your room.'

'So this is it,' Denise said, a little bit shy.

'Hmm,' Lin said, 'Wouldn't you like a little more decorations? I could ask the girls to take you out shopping!'

'Who are "The Girls"?' Denise asked, suspicious. No foster parent had ever wanted to take her shopping.

'The girls are Pippa, Jasmine, and Renée, some friends of mine.' Lin said, 'Honestly, you'll love them!'

'Oh,' Denise said, 'Okay.'

'Yay I'll text them!' Lin shouted excitedly. Denise sighed. If Lin always was this hyper, she was going to have a "fun" time here. Luckily she would not stay for long. Lin and Vanessa would get enough money, and then they would not need her anymore. And then, they would give her up. It had always gone like this, why would this house be an exception?