The Oceans Legacy

Chapter VIII

hello lovelies 🥰, i'm so sorry that my uploading has been so sporadic lately. thank you so much for all your support, it truly means the world to me. i hope all of you are doing well. may your new year be full of lots of happiness and love. if any of you are struggling or just need someone to talk to, i'm here. please come to me if you ever need someone, even if you are just feeling a little bit lonely. i love you guys so much 😘. have a wonderful day.

-oakleigh 🌊

~Nat's POV~
I close her door with a soft click and make my way back down the hall to the others. As I walk in the small talk conversations die down and the attention is brought towards me and Steve.

I sit down next to Steve and take his hand in mine, "I'm not asking for your approval of her as she needs a home and family and we are going to give it to her, so that is not up for discussion. But we would like to know what you think of her?"

"I think she's beautiful, Nat." Wanda grasps my wrist and gives it a little squeeze. I smile back at her.

The others say similar things, "She is perfect, guys." "We love her." "She is so sweet."

Everyone looks to Wanda as she voices what was on everyone's minds, "I'm worried about her though. She was barely fed anything at the orphanage and the way she acts around people makes me feel like it's not just nerves that she is feeling."

"I agree, I understand her being scared of a new home but this seemed intense." Clint agrees.

I share a glance with my husband, "She was the same way at the orphanage. She was terrified. She had completely zoned out when we went up to her. It took Steve a few tries to get her to zone back in. Even then, it wasn't us that made her realise, it was her friend. We tried talking to her but she couldn't say anything, it was her friend that told us her name and age. Something a bit more than just underfeeding her was going on there."

"What do you mean, Nat? Do you think she was abused?" Bruce's worried face turns towards me.

"I don't know. I'm not going to ask her because that will only terrify her more. But think about it, she flinches when we touch her or even move near her, she shuts down when you try to talk to her. From the moment we met her we had to keep reassuring her that we are not going to hurt her." I reply back to Bruce voicing my worries.

"Nat's right," Wanda agrees, "something about the way she acts around people is wrong. She kept zoning out or losing focus during dinner too."

Steve and I exchange a glance as he leans towards me, "Should we tell them what we heard at the orphanage?"

I nod, knowing that she is going to be around these people all the time too. Everyone is just as worried about her as we are.

"What is it?" Tony inquires after watching our interaction.

I look at Steve and start, "Well, when we decided to adopt her we designed the papers and then another one of the girls there took us up to the dorm where Tallulah was packing her stuff. We heard kids inside talking so we decided to wait outside for a second. But we heard what they were saying. She was absolutely terrified, going on about 'What if they dont like me? What if they hurt me?' she was in tears. Something has happened to her. No kid should be acting like that. I understand being nervous but this was something else."

The group looks down the hall to where the little girl is sleeping, all with sadness and pity written all over their faces.

"I could give her a check-up tomorrow if you like? Her file says that she hasn't had a medical check-up since she was put into the orphanage. It's well overdue. She was also starved at the orphanage so it would be good to make sure that she has enough nutrients in her. I'll only do it if it's okay with you guys though." Stephen asks.