Finding Family

Chapter 9

Briars POV:

My closet was small, even smaller considering half of it belonged to Micheal. It was basically a big, white, cracked rectangle dumped awkwardly in the corner of our bedroom and even though I was pretty sure it was made to house a toddler sized clothing, it was used for two teenagers clothing.

One of the rules in the house was "if it can't fit in the closet you don't need it" meaning we were only allowed however many cloths we could stuff into half the toddler closet, meaning I owned a quater the amount of clothing you'd expect your average toddler to own.

Normally this pissed me off, but right now it was actually pretty helpful seeing as I had only been given one black bin bag and fifteen minutes to pack my entire life up. Considering I didn't have much of a life, it wasn't very difficult.

I yanked my only dress (it was black and loose fitting with a skirt that reached below my ankles and lace sleeves, I'd stolen it from a funeral designer boutique and treasure it as if I'd actually paid the amount it cost) and three skirts off their hangers before scoping up shorts, T-shirts, jeans, jumpers, panties and socks from one draw and dumped it all into the black bin bag.

Lastly, I grabbed my toothbrush, toothpaste and cleanser, which was Gucci and taken from a spoiled brats purse after she'd called me white trash, and threw them all in with the clothing.

That's it. Fourteen years fits into one bin bag, all of it necessities and none of it sentimental. And all of a sudden I felt kind of sad, because I'd spent my whole life here, save a few short trips to disappointed foster families, and there was nothing to show for it, no life long sibling
like friendships, no funny pictures, not even a birthday card. Just clothes I'd either stolen or had a been donated by posh private schools so they seemed less snobby.

"It's been twenty minutes" said a strict, impatient voice from behind me "sorry" I muttered, brushing past Miss Clarence and slumping down this stairs. "Everything ok?" Said a softer, sweeter voice from in font of me "yeah everything's perfectly fine" I replied, making eye contact with Mia's deep brown orbs before swiftly returning my gaze to the floor.

"Where are your bags" said a louder but still soft voice, i looked up at Gabby before lifting up the bin bag in response. "You don't have a suitcase or back pack of some kind" she asked, not pityingly but worriedly, as if what kind of bag I had meant something drastic about my life.

"Nope"

"Alright, everything's been checked and signed and you're ready to go, there will be random checkups for the first month but after that Briar or one of you two will have to request a check up" Miss Clarence rushed before locking eyes with Gabby "and he's-"
"She" Gabby and Mia both corrected at the same time, making my head whip up to face them.

Did they just stand up for me?

Mia turned to face me, her small smile widening as we made eye contact, Gabby kept staring daggers at Miss Clarence and I saw Mia subtly grab one of her tight fists, opening it up and lacing their fingers together, the tensed muscles in the arm Mia was holding slowing relaxed, the rest of Gabbys body soon following.

They're so completely in love sometimes I forget they're real, not just a figment of my imagination, something my mind concocted up to give myself some light in the darkness that surrounded me. But no, they were real, their love was real and so was their light and for once in my life I could see through the endless darkness to the other side.

I smiled. It was small but it was real.

I don't remember the last time my smile was real.

Gabby's POV:

Briar smiled. She smiled because of us, because Mia and I did the bare minimum and I don't know if I should jump for joy because I made my daughter smile for the first time, or if I should wrap her up in hug and never let her go because how could something so little, so simple make someone so happy.

I saw a little bit of me in her then, when I was her age I was sneaking off to parties to try a taste a tiny bit freedom. I was hating myself because I was a girl who like girls and that wasn't allowed, I was trapped in this heterosexual, controlling bubble and I didn't know how to break it and gulp down the oxygen my lungs desperately needed.

I realised she's in the same place, a girl who was born as a boy, who was still being told to be a boy, who's lungs were just as desperate for oxygen as mine were and she doesn't have an Al to tell her that it's ok and normal and natural, she's all alone. She's still stuck in her bubble.

I vowed then and there that I was going to get her out of it, that I was going to do everything in my power to help pop that bubble. The realisation that what I had just done had probably helped, although by the tiniest bit, brought a kind of happiness I had never felt before.

"Come on, dolcezza, let's get in the car" I said before Briars sorry excuse for a guardian could finish her sentence. Briar picked up her bin bag, a fucking bin bag, and followed me without a word.
(Sweetie)

I took the bin bag out of Briars hold before loading it into the boot and opening the back door for her "thanks" muttered as she shuffled in and did her seatbelt up, I nodded to her in response before making my way for the drivers seat, Mia was already in the passenger side and I sent her playful glare for not letting me open the door for her, she chuckled in response and grabbed my hand.

"You guys are like properly in love aren't you?" Briar questioned from the back, her eyes laser focused on her joined hands. "Yes we are sweetie, have been since the moment we met" Mia replied.

"Bulshit" she scoffed

"What's bulshit about love?" Mia asked sweetly, we both silently decided to ignore the swearing, what's the harm in it anyway?

"Not love necessarily but love at first site, how can you look at someone and immediately love them, you don't even know them" Briar ranted, though not in a rude way, I quickly figured out that's just her way of expressing her opinions.

"I mean I didn't really know it at the time, it wasn't like I saw I her and immediately said to myself 'I'm gonna marry this woman' all I knew was that I needed to see her again, that I would've dropped everything at that very moment even just to learn her name" Mia replied, her eyes filling with love and nostalgia.

I squeezed her hand three times, our silent way of saying 'I love you'. Briar didn't say anything, but she was leaning forever in her chair and has her full focus on Mia. "Even after all these years I still feel the same, I no longer have a need to know every little thing about her since I already do but i just know I could never live without her, that she's the reason my hearts still beating" Mia carried on, now looking at Briar with the same amount of love as when she looks at me in her eyes.

"What about you?" Briar questioned, looking to me "was it love at first sight for you too?"

"The first thing I thought when I looked at Mia was 'my god she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen' my second thought, the minute she opened her mouth was 'I'd walk through fire just to hear to speak again' and I still think both those things every single day" I replied, truth filling every word.

"That's mad" was all Briar said before slumping back in her seat "I don't think I've ever met anyone who actually loves their partner before" she said a minute later "in fact I don't think I've met anyone even capable of love before" she added, looking almost longingly out the window.

"Well, now you have" Mia replied, smiling her sad smile.

Briar returned her sad smile for a real one.
"Now I have"

A/n
I know it's been ages. Ngl I was kinda thinking of giving up on this book and had some intense writers block. But I'm gonna stick with it cuz I've got some good ideas, any ideas u guys have I'd love to hear in the comments!!!