Voices blended together in a dull roar as Dean Jeffries, or D.J. as he liked to be called, led Evette through the crowded high school hallways. His strong hand had a firm grip on her arm as other teenagers jostled them about, most of them oblivious to the new addition to the strange foster family that resided just outside of town. The air was permeated with all different sorts of smells; fruity perfumes, sharp colognes, cheap cafeteria food. There was so much going on that Evette found herself feeling slightly overwhelmed, and very grateful for her foster brother's help on her first day at a public school.<br/><br/>"Okay so after every class I will meet you by your desk until you get the layout of everything. Sound good E?" Dean's voice broke through all the others, drawing Evette's attention away from all the new distractions.<br/><br/>"Sounds like a plan. I wish they would've just let me bring Sam. I feel kinda bad for taking up so much of your free time like this," she responded, clinging tightly to D.J's leather jacket as someone crashed into her shoulder hard enough to make her stumble.<br/><br/>D.J immediately turned towards the stranger and shoved them playfully but firmly. "Hey man, do me a favor and watch out next time," he hollered over his shoulder as they continued on through the throng of high school students. "Honestly, it's fine E. I needed something more to do with my time than football and homework anyway. And here we go. This is your first period. It'll be over in about fifty-five minutes. Make sure you wait for me at your desk. I seriously don't want to tell Charlie and Angie that i lost you on the first day," he stated with a shiver of future perceived embarrassment.<br/><br/>Evette smiled and ran her fingertips along the edges of the desks as they passed by, keeping track of the number of desks so she would know which was hers. "I'll be here when class ends unless you take too long. Then I'll find second period on my own with my trusty cane and a little bit of human interaction," she teased, taking a seat in the desk D.J picked out for her. Dean set her backpack down by her feet and placed her handheld tape recorder on the desk for her before leaving in a hurry.<br/><br/>Picking up her recorder as she leaned back in the chair, Evette crossed one leg over the other and leaned her cheek lightly against one corner of the silver plastic box in her hand. A few scattered, quiet voices told her she wasn't the only one in the room and as more time passed, several new voices were added to the mix. It wasn't until after the bell rung that a girl smelling of burnt sugar plopped down in the desk directly in front of her. "Hi. I'm Maddie," she chirped.<br/><br/>"Evette." Was all she got out before the whole class fell silent when the teacher stood up from his desk.