Brother and Sister

Orphan. For some reason, that one word had always reminded Nolee of a darker time in her life. Ever since she could remember she and her brother Carter had grown up on this Earth alone. He was 12, not old enough to take care of her, when she was just 9 and that's as far back as she could remember. For a few years, they had lived underneath an overpass in a small county where no one really asked questions. She was cute enough that begging for money was no problem, nobody ever denied her. Ever.

She had never fit in with the other girls back home in Tennessee. They were cold and made fun of her for her quiet and shy nature, not understanding why she didn't flirt with boys. The word lesbian was tossed around a lot, even when she was nine. But that was far from the truth. Truth be told, her and Carter weren't allowed to flirt. The one thing the two different siblings shared was a unified secret, the fact that they were both angels. Their wings were invisible unless they wanted you to see them and when they were visible, they were a beautiful blinding white. The reason they didn't flirt with members of the opposite sex, well, the reason that Nolee didn't flirt with members of the opposite sex was because she was forbidden. Carter didn't flirt with them because he was gay. Turns out homosexuality wasn't as much of a sin as the Catholic church liked to believe.

They lived under that overpass for years until one day, they caught wind of the circus. A circus had never come to their country so it excited them. They washed up in the creek nearby with "borrowed" soap Carter had swiped from a nearby store and then made their way down to the circus. The grounds were loud and smelled of the fried foods that were cooked, Carter hoping he could get his sister a cotton candy stick because he knew how much she would love them. Nolee, however, didn't know what she wanted to do first. She knew it would cost a ticket but her and Carter had grown to be experts at doing things they weren't supposed to.

That's when she heard the trumpeting of an animal. She took off toward the sound, Carter barely able to keep up through the crowd. Finally, he found his sister sitting by an elephant. An elephant of all things. "Nolee!" he hissed as he got closer, "we can't be back here! What if one of these people catch us-"

"Too late," chuckled a woman from behind them. She was tall and blonde wearing a beautiful costume of white silk that looked like something out of Las Vegas with her feathery headpiece.

"Ma'am, I'm so sorry!" Carter apologized for his sister, "She heard the noise and she ran back here…"

"I really am sorry," Nolee said, a frown forming on her face. "It's just…I've never seen an elephant before…"

The woman chuckled, the sound emminating like a thousand silver bells. Carter cocked an eyebrow, having heard his sister make the same noise. "It's quite alright you two," she smiled, "I don't mind children. That one's name is Ganesh and hiding behind him, is his little one Groot."

"Can…can I pet them?" Nolee shyly asked, scuffing her feet on the ground.

"I can do you one better than that," the woman smiled, "Do you want to ride one?"

"Oh do I!" Nolee smiled. They grabbed a ladder, helped Nolee climb, and the elephant walked around it's pen.

"How long have you two been orphans?" the blonde asked Carter as Nolee rode.

"Wh…what do you mean? We're not orphans," Carter panicked.

The blonde woman looked at him, an eyebrow raised, "Really? Dear, I'm an angel of the order of Ramiel. I can see your past and your future.."

Carter looked afraid, "Look don't call the cops because we don't have a family alright? When she gets done with her ride, we'll leave and not bother ya'll no more."

"Dear, I'm an angel as you are. I can't let two innocent children run around the world without anybody to look after them," the woman smiled, "how would you and your sister like to have a family?"

Carter's eyes got wide, sparkling with just a glimmer of hope, "You…you'd take us in?"

"Sure but you have to promise me a few things," the woman smiled.

"Anything!" Carter promised.

"You stop stealing and you learn how to work with the animals, I won't always be here to take care of them you know," the woman smiled softly.

"We can do that!" Carter grinned wide, "so…what do we call you?"

"Torrie, my name is Torrie," she smiled softly.

From that moment on, Carter and Nolee weren't alone. They learned how to take care of the animals of the circus and how to use their powers for good. They had some place to sleep at night, a roof over their heads. And for the first time, they had a home.