The Oceans Legacy

Chapter II

~Tallulah's POV~

Loose strands of hair are being brushed off my face as I open my eyes and see Ivy standing over me. I groan slightly at the thought of getting up and moving today after yesterday's beatings.

"C'mon, you gotta get up. It's adoption day, remember." Ivy tries to convince me to get up. The only good thing about adoption days is that we are allowed to play outside for two whole hours afterwards. Being able to play in the garden makes all the waiting worthwhile.

"Mmhmm," I mumble as I swing my legs off the edge of the bed. "What's the point anyway? I've been here nearly seven years and you, nearly 6, but still no one wants to adopt us. We are just going to have to watch as all the little kids get picked and we are left here."
Ivy and I walk over to the bathroom to brush our teeth.

"I know. But at least we still have each other. Together forever?"
"Together forever." I smile back at her.

And with that we both go to get our adoption day outfits. Most of the girls' dresses are hand-me-downs from older girls that have either grown out of them or left.

Mine is a long-sleeve dress with faded blue and yellow flowers on it and it stops a few inches above my knees. The sleeves are kinda puffy but not too much, and the front of my chest has a stretchy-crinkly bit of material and frills on the side.

Ivy helps me slip it over my head and down my back without having it scrape but wounds too much. Ivy's golden yellow dress flows over her brown skin. She has already brushed her dark super tight curly hair, so she helps me brush mine and put it up into a half-up half-down. She finishes off my hair with a light blue ribbon that matches my dress.

Sadie and Alena are the oldest girls here, Sadie is 16 and Alena is 15. They become the mothers they have lost and make sure that we are always okay. Every morning they get us to line up in age order and help us check everything, they make sure that we are presentable and have everything we need before we leave the dormitory.

Alena fixes my ribbon that had started to tilt to the side and with that they usher the group of girls out of the dorm and down the large stairs that lead to the foyer. Once downstairs, we see the boys and Henry runs over to me and gives me a big hug. I tense as he touches my back and he pulls away as he sees my pain.
"That bad, huh?" He strokes a stray hair out of my face.
I nod. He strokes my head and plants a kiss on my cheek. Henry is like a brother to me, he is 15 and the closest thing to family that I've got left. Apart from Ivy, of course. The three of us are our own little family.

Although the boys and girls dorms are separated he still manages to sneak across every now and then to make sure I'm okay. Mrs Cromwell storms into the foyer where we are all gathered and the rooms drops silent.

"The families will be here any minute. Boys are on the left side of the foyer and girls are on the right. You all should know the rules by now; stand in order of your age and stay there; do not speak unless you are spoken to; be respectful at all times; and no funny business." With that Miss Hansley and Mr Willford (the boys warden) usher us into our places.

The thing I hate most about the adoption days is us being forced to stand there on display while families come and inspect us, looking for the best kid.

And the best kid is never me.

A few times I've had couples come up to me and try to ask me some questions before, but everytime I freeze up and can't say anything. Ivy is always next to me and helps talk for me, but I have already blown it, they don't want a kid who won't talk.

I wish that I would just say something, but when I try to open my mouth no words come out, Miss Hansley always gets mad at me for that. If Ivy wasn't by my side I probably would have run away and hid somewhere in the House. She would grab my pinky and hold it with hers,
"Together forever, okay." She always knows what to do.

After we are all lined up in our order, the bell tower chimes nine o'clock. One by one families and couples start to fill the foyer, chatting with some of the other kids. I try to stay calm as the noise in the room starts to grow louder, playing with my feet by scuffing and tapping the ground underneath me.

"Hey kiddo."

...

"Kid?"

I feel Ivy's pinky grab mine and I start to panic as I realise someone is talking to me. I stop from yelling at myself for zoning out again. I move my eyes off of my tapping feet and see a couple standing in front of me.

The lady has the most beautiful hair I've ever seen, it reminds me of the fireplace in winter, a deep red. It stops a bit after her shoulders.

I notice her hand is holding the hand of the man standing next to her. He has short blond hair, he also looks like he could probably lift any of the kids up without an issue. He kneels down so he is my height.

"You got a name?" I panic as I try and respond,

"I- I-" my heart feels like it's going to explode, sometimes big freight trains come past the Home and make a loud thumping noise. That's what my heart feels like.

"Her name is Tallulah." I let out a deep breath as Ivy helps me out.

"That's a very nice name, honey." The lady with the red hair kneels down too, "Do you reckon you can tell us how old you are?"

They look at me as I try to say something. Seeing me struggle they turn their heads towards Ivy,

" Eight, turning nine in two weeks on July seventh." Ivy finishes with a nod.

The lady turns to the man and asks, "Steve, can I talk to you a sec."

"Sure honey." They walk away a few steps.

"She is terrified, Steve."

"I know, Nat, I know." They both look over sadly at Ivy trying to help me calm down a little bit.

"How long do you reckon she has been here?"

"From the looks of her, too long."

The families and couples either start to leave or go through to Mrs Cromwell's office with Miss Hansley and Mr Willford. We start to get restless after standing here for so long and go over to see our friends. Henry comes up to me and places me on his hip.

"How did you go?"

"Not so good. There was a lady and a man who came over and started talking to me but I couldn't get my words out. They asked Ivy instead and soon left."

That's okay, Tally. Don't worry about it."

Henry puts me down as Mrs Cromwell comes back into the room.

"Tallulah, pack your things."

I freeze. What does she mean pack my things? Am I adopted?

"TALLULAH!"

I manage to squeak, "Yes, ma'am." and Ivy, Henry and I make our way upstairs.

Hello! I have finally uploaded chapter 2 (Woohoo! Go me!) anyways, please let me know what you think.

Word count is 1275- that number makes me so happy. It's so perfect