Lindsay’s (Extra)ordinary Life

Lindsay did make many memories over the next two years.   They helped ease the pain of her past and her circumstances.    She attended Geek Con and cheerleading competitions.   Spent a summer practicing photography and playing chess with Elosie.  Went swimming in the lake.  Lindsay even made a number of friends at school.   Chadwick was good looking and handy with group projects.   They could have made a great couple but Chadwick friend-zoned Lindsay hard.  Janice was fun, except when she was being a total ___, but that was just a quirk of hers.    At the time Lindsay thought she was pretty happy.   Maturity and hindsight would reveal that she had kept all relationships at a distance, a protective mechanism to prevent the shattering of her fragile world. In the end, Chadwick was the only one Lindsay found for sure knew she was squatting on National Park grounds.   Something about GPS and a sne...

  In the spirit of her New Year's Resolution, Lindsay put effort into living as normal a life as possible.  For example, she tried ice skating (at the rink on the pier) with mixed results. She played chess and talked fashion with Eloise (that counted as having friends, right?) And when the latest internet fad/craze (the T-Pose Challenge) came along, Lindsay set to with gusto. But there were still nights battling near-blizzards because she had no parent with a warm car to collect her. Still solo meals of carnival burrito eaten in the open. Still no electricity to light her late-night homework. The season changed and the weather turned warmer.  Lindsay turned sixteen years old without much fanfare.   Ms. Coombes had the class sing an obligatory round of "Happy Birthday" but that was about all that marked the occasion.   No cards, no presents, no cake.  That night Lindsay skipped the usual odd jobs and treated herself to an early bedtime.  Sixte...

  Despite all the junk food she was eating, Lindsay stayed fit riding her bike around.  Not only was it good fitness, but it beat hanging around an empty park and risking being discovered.   Lindsay swapped between her blazer, her black t-shirt and her purple school sports jacket; hoping it was enough to stop some busy body from seeing she wasn't exactly changing clothes every day.   Thank heaven for hard wearing jeans!   That was when she discovered ThrifTea.   This quirky little setup with bubble tea, a secondhand clothing swap, a microphone for poetry night and a colorful blonde named Eloise Hiddlestix.  Eloise was so trusting that even the staff kitchen and bathroom were open for public access.  The near-ancient PC in the shop corner even had internet access (though slow), meaning more opportunity for Linsay to check for messages and odd jobs.  By now Lindsay was delivering takeout to people too lazy to collect it, pac...

  Next morning Lindsay stretched muscles sore from sleeping on the ground.  Opened the tent flap to find it was still dark out, though some hours had passed since she'd fallen asleep.   Figuring she may as well close her eyes again, Lindsay lay down her head.    And woke again to find her mobile reading 7:33am.  Grumbling discontentedly, Lindsay knew she'd have to high tail it if she was going to make it to school on time. Crumpled clothes, teeth unbrushed for now, Lindsay slunk into the back of class.    At least she wasn't late. Finding her PE kit stowed in her locker, Lindsay found she had at least some means for a change of clothes.   She'd better find the local laundromat soon if she wanted to keep her secret for long.  Lindsay didn't stay long that first afternoon after school.  She put her sports jacket on while she aired her blazer on a tree.  Then she sat at the picnic table to study. Tuesday morning, she arr...

  The park at Little Falls Nook was off-the-road and not that popular.  One would think that the site with its campfire pit, handy lake and privacy ensuring tree cover would be a magnet for local teens looking to hang out and/or cause trouble.   However, fate dictated that other spots served the needs of unruly high school students just as well and so Little Falls was overlooked -for the most part. Lindsay, who had previously learned to pitch a tent during a brief stint as a girl guide (courtesy of an earlier foster family of course), looked around and then set up in a secluded spot on the old campgrounds.  She was glad to have taken the tent when she considered the chill fall weather all around.  Inspecting her work, she was pleased with the results.  The small dome could readily pass as part of the natural surroundings and was really only out of place if you knew its occupant wasn't truly supposed to be there.  As a bonus the old toilet block w...

Lindsay Birch is a girl with a past; she just doesn't know what it is.  As an infant, mere weeks old, Lindsay was left at a small-town fire station in a State where safe haven laws protected her parents' anonymity.  Instantly a 'Ward of the State' the unknown and unnamed baby girl was placed in the foster system.   The only clues to her identity being the clothes she was left in (clean, but generic) and a small white envelope with the handwritten label "My Baby".  Inside the envelope, a curious ring of indeterminate material; red orange/gold and green in color.  Similar in appearance to the mood rings popular with children but of sturdier make and larger, adult size; unlike the dime store frippery.   On the inside band, an inscription,  L Birch.  Thus was the child named Lindsay Birch on subsequent legal documentation. As foster children sadly do, young Lindsay was bounced from family to family, from group home and back throughout her ch...