"But Mom, I don't need to go to Aunt Janet's stupid house! Her new husband is weird and they both smell funny!" Noah's scream filled the house as I let myself in the front door.

It was a Saturday and I had been coming over to the Winters' house for three weeks. I snuck out because Momma and the twins were gone for the day at an amusement park. The twins couldn't control their loud squeals of excitement and they left without saying goodbye to me. I didn't expect them to, I just took that to mean I didn't have to do any chores, so I could visit Noah and his family.

I took the stairs up to Noah's room by two. He and Mrs. Winters stood glaring at each other. Neither of them saw me. "Noah, we have to go see Aunt Janet. She's pregnant and has a new house and we have to tell her congratulations or she'll never talk to us again. Now, don't be rude and get ready. I don't want to hear any more whining."

"But, Mom, I don't care if she never talks to us again! All she does is complain the entire time we're there!

"She's family. We love our family, no matter what. I'm not going to listen to another word." Mrs. Winters left it at that and went to leave the room. She jumped at the sight of me, but a grin took over her features. "Good morning, Eden! Would you like to come to see Noah's aunt with us? We won't be gone for long." I nodded enthusiastically, even though Noah didn't make his aunt sound all that great. I wanted to go wherever Noah went.

She kissed my forehead. "I got you some things." Noah was jumping up and down, his reluctance to see his aunt completely forgotten, excited for whatever Mrs. Winters got me.

They both took one of my hands and led me down the stairs into the guest room. Mrs. Winters opened the closet door and I couldn't believe my eyes. It was almost overflowing with clothes that were my size. School dresses, shorts, pants, skirts, and even Sunday dresses in all different colors caught my eye. I wanted to cry at their kindness. In the drawers that covered the floor of the closet, I could see socks, underwear, nightgowns, and pajama bottoms. One drawer held toiletries: a hairbrush, hair ties, toothbrush and toothpaste, and detangling spray for my hair.

I wrapped my arms around Mrs. Winters' legs and squeezed with all my might. I could never thank her enough. I wondered for the hundredth time why she would do these things for me.

"Eden, we just want you to be able to have a safe place to stay in case you need it. You've been a wonderful friend to Noah and I've always wanted a little girl to spoil with clothes. There's always a warm shower here for you and clean towels. Whenever you need it, we're here for you." Her blue eyes glittered with tears and she brought me in for a hug. I only flinched a little at her sudden nearness and hugged her back.

Mrs. Winters stood up and grabbed me a blue cotton dress and some underwear, handing it to me before pointing her finger at the door. "Now, both of you find a bathroom and take a shower. Aunt Janet is waiting on us. Noah, get Eden a towel and make sure you wash your feet, young man. You're smelly. Eden, when you're clean, I'll help you brush through your hair. I have to wrangle the other boys. Hurry, kids."

I followed Noah into the hallway and took the towel from the linen closet beside the downstairs bathroom. The shower settings were different from the ones at my own house, but I figured them out after trying a few times.

Once I was clean, I dressed in my comfortable outfit. I adored how soft the fabric felt on my skin and went on a search for Mrs. Winters. My bruises on my arms and legs were still visible, but Momma hadn't hit me in a week because she had been gone a lot and they were starting to fade a little. I felt pretty, not having to wear my tights and scratchy long-sleeved dresses.

I could hear Noah singing in his shower at the top of his lungs. I walked into Mrs. Winters room and she turned away from her vanity where she was doing her makeup when she heard me come in. "Good, Eden, you look beautiful. Let me brush your hair and you'll be ready to go!"

She sat me on a chair in front of her vanity and gently brushed through my curly hair, telling me about Janet, her sister we were going to see. "Janet's a little odd. She's very particular and likes to have everything in its place. She's also pregnant and very emotional. You'll see. I'm worried about Noah. That boy doesn't have a filter and will set Janet off in seconds. We'll have to double up and keep him on a chain, won't we, baby girl?" I nodded and giggled, earning a huge grin from Mrs. Winters.

Mrs. Winters fastened my hair in a half up-half down hairstyle and put a blue ribbon that matched my dress around the hair tie. I admired her handiwork. I almost looked like the pretty girls in my class. "There, all ready! Now let's go see what's taking the boys so long."

❃ ❃ ❃

"Mom, can we get McDonald's on the way? I don't think I can handle Aunt Janet's 'vegan' lunch. She could at least add some flavor to her salads." Words of concurrence echoed around the car at Joseph's request, even from Mr. Winters.

We were all piled into the familiar black SUV on our way to Aunt Janet's new house. Noah hadn't stopped talking since he got out of the shower, rambling about everything that came to his mind. I didn't mind listening to Noah's voice, but it seemed everyone else was ready to tape his mouth shut.

"Guys, we have to eat what she has prepared. She's emotional and a little more eccentric than usual." Mrs. Winters looked like she wanted to ask her husband to turn the car around from what I could see in the back seat.

She looked beautiful in a black dress and light pink lipstick, but her eyes looked tired like she worried about this trip to her sister-in-law's home."I'll make you all a deal. Every one of you behaves like the perfect children I know you can be and we'll stop by McDonald's on the way home."

Cheers erupted in the car and we all stood up a little straighter, trying to act our best. Noah's voice continued to belt out whatever his mind could think of. From his favorite snack food, to the song lyrics he had heard on the radio, he said it all in a roaring tone several octaves louder than usual. He was talking about the facts of the blue whale, something we learned in school when Isaiah held his hands over his ears.

"Noah, son, that means we might need to tone that loud voice down. I know you have a lot to say, but Aunt Janet has a hard time with loud noises." Mr. Winters looked in his rearview mirror and gave Noah a pointed look.

Noah nodded his head, "Yeah, I know! That's why I gotta talk too much right now to get it out of my system, Dad. I'll be good, don't worry."

It took only twenty minutes to arrive at Aunt Janet's house and when we did, I was amazed at the look of it. It was smaller than my own house but looked so much more welcoming and nice. Flowers of great variety in color and shapes overflowed their beds, reaching to the cute, blue shaded windows. Two steps led to a porch with a blue door adorned with a colorful wreath and a porch swing covered in plush pillows. The grass was a perfect shade of green and not a strand looked out of place. The house was beautiful.

The seven of us climbed out of the car and advanced toward the house. It was like Noah had flipped a switch and had become a completely different person. He was quiet and almost reserved. In fact, none of the Winters talked as we walked up the driveway to the door. I worried about what Aunt Janet would be like if it made this jovial family so detached.

The lady that opened the door was far from what I expected. In fact, she was almost the opposite. Janet was absolutely gorgeous. Her almost black, straight hair, brown eyes, and olive skin tone gave her an effortless beauty. The only factor that made the woman look pregnant was the protruding belly under the skin-tight black dress she was wearing. But I could see what Mrs. Winters meant when she said Janet liked everything in its place. Not only did the living room behind her look brand new, but every piece of hair on her head was perfect like she spent hours refining it. Her makeup was immaculate and done as if she planned on hosting an award show after we left. There wasn't a wrinkle or a piece of lint or dirt on her polyester dress. Her eyes found me and swept over my body. I imagined her examining me for dirt or grime, like a robot with laser vision.

"You guys are late. I prepared lunch and you weren't here by the time it was done." Her eyebrows were lowered and her fists were situated on her hips.

"Jan, you don't understand how hard it is to get four boys ready for anything. And you invited us just this morning. We didn't have a lot of time to prepare." Mr. Winters' voice was deep and slow, almost like he was talking to a child.

"Fine, come on in. Who's this?" We all shuffled inside. Janet looked at me with a curled lip and a tilted head.

"I told you Noah was bringing a friend. This is Noah's best friend, Eden." I could see her staring at my scuffed shoes and bruised legs with distaste and I hid behind Noah. He grabbed my hand and squeezed, as if scared himself, telling me she was always like this without saying a word.

"She looks too small to hang around Noah. How old are you anyway?" I looked to the ground, embarrassed. From the corner of my eyes, I could see Mrs. Winters tensed her shoulders and shook her head.

"Janet, Eden is seven and will be eight in August. She is only a few months younger than Noah. She's just small for her age."

"Well, okay." She turned to me again. "Take off your shoes, they look a bit dirty. I just mopped." I nodded quickly and bent to take them off. Before I could undo the clasp, I heard Mrs. Winters gasp and Noah put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"I don't understand why you have to be so rude! We have taken two steps into your house and already you have insulted, not only your guest but ours as well. We have come to congratulate you on your pregnancy and the new house, but already you've made it hard for us to be here." Janet grasped for an answer but none came to her.

"Well, then, I'm sorry, Eden. How about all of you take your shoes off. Let's eat lunch." It was her way of an apology and I accepted it. I hated to see everyone so upset because of me.

She led us through the house into a fabulously decorated living room where a man sat watching television. "Rick, they're here and the food's ready." He turned off the tv and stood up.

Rick was the tallest man I'd ever seen. He wore a huge smile and shorts that barely covered his thighs, a long-sleeve, polyester shirt, and house shoes. Rick walked up to us and pulled each boy in for a hug that looked painful and a kiss on the forehead. Ezekiel looked mortified but accepted it, probably hoping for extra McDonald's on the way home. When he came to me, he patted my back, introducing himself. I jumped and molded myself to Noah's side. Nobody seemed to notice, but Noah, who squeezed my hand again.

Lunch was unappetizing, to say the least. Janet had prepared salad. Her version of a salad was lettuce, a thing called tofu, a tomato, and no dressing. She was a vegan and couldn't have any animal products, but Mrs. Winters had prepared vegan food before, and it was nowhere near as flavorless as this was. We ate quickly, trying to finish our portion so it wasn't on our plates anymore.

Noah had the hardest time. I saw him gag twice.

The conversation for the meal was draining. Janet began crying, telling us we had no idea how hard it was to be pregnant. Her husband rubbed her back and cooed at her while Mrs. Winters rolled her eyes. I imagine she was considering telling Janet she had been pregnant four times and did, in fact, know how hard it was to be pregnant.

When lunch was over, we sat in the living room and talked over the obnoxious sounds of a soccer game on the tv. Janet kept looking over at me as if I left a bad taste in her mouth. Mrs. Winters had already spoken for me when Rick asked why I wasn't saying anything, but Janet couldn't seem to get over the fact that I was mute. Rick wasn't a bad man and was even funny, but he got a bad rap by being married to Janet, as if guilty by association. When it was time to leave, the boys practically ran to the car and I followed closely behind them. We piled in and pulled out of the driveway, eager to leave the stuffy confines of Aunt Janet and Uncle Rick's home.

Almost instantly, Noah's voice returned and he was back to himself, bouncing and loud. I was relieved. I didn't want to see Aunt Janet again but was happy to have gotten the opportunity to go with Noah and his family.

"Since all of us did so well, McDonald's is on the menu. It's not ideal to have to experience Aunt Janet in all her glory but we survived. Eden, the rest of the family is a breeze once you've met her. I'm sorry about the things she said." I nodded and smiled at her. I'd had much worse hurled at me from home.

We drove through McDonald's and Noah and I got a happy meal. I was still getting used to having food for every meal and I couldn't keep the smile off of my face.

We returned back to the Winters' house and I was reminded of how lucky I was to find Noah. His home provided me with a safe haven, and the people in it were loving and kind. They were protective and friendly and so giving. I realized I would gladly stay in Aunt Janet's presence forever if it meant I could stay with the Winters family, too.