What Is Grief If Not Love Persevering?

Oh baby (Just a baby)

They were adopting a little girl. She was adopting a little girl.

Alden had come to them and told them, about a girl named Sophie, just 12 years old, who had been found in the human world and needed someone. He showed them a picture of her and Edaline felt her heart melt and cry at the same time. They agreed.

She spend the entire few days creating her room and stressing over it, until Grady pulled her away from it and told her to sit down.

When she saw her for the first time, shuffling in hidden behind Alden she felt everything and nothing at the same time. Because- fuck did she look like her. Her eyebrows, her little button nose and her golden blonde hair. But as she clutched a bright blue stuffed elephant she also felt her heart melt.

She was so small.

She must have barely reached her lower chest, and her eyes. She had never seen anything like it before. Big brown eyes stared at her with such fear and anxiety it made her feel sorry for her. She wondered how much judgement she had already faced for them. She knew just how harsh their world could be.

But there was so much wonder and innocence in them as well. Edaline silently promised to try and keep that.

As they ate, and showed Sophie her new room, she heard her voice for the first time.

At least that was different from-

She sounded so nervous and when she nearly fell out of her chair when she conjured the girl a drink Edaline felt happy for the first time in weeks. It was refreshing, seeing such wonderment in such an ordinary thing for her.

She almost laughed at how amazed Sophie was at her room. Clearly she hadn't had one that big with the humans. She wondered what her life was like with the humans- painful no doubt. Having been told about Sophie's telepathy, she could only imagine it would hurt if the stories were anything to go by. God- what would she have heard? How did her eyes still hold innocence? How much trauma could that have brought?

They left her to unpack and she almost wished they hadn't when maybe an hour later she heard the heartbreaking muffled sobs coming from her. She knew how that felt.

Later, once dusk had long passed and dinner had been served, Edaline found her feet bringing her up an extra flight of stairs. She hesitated before twisting the door knob and slowly opening the door.

Curled up in the middle of the bed, the sheets not even covering her, was the little girl. Tear tracks and a puffy face were obvious and Edaline felt a bit of her heart chip. She was only twelve. She looked so small, in the middle of that huge bed, curled up, and she couldn't help but be angry at Alden. He had taken a little girl away from her family and everything she knew.

She told herself it was for the best, and that she would maybe feel normal here.

Sighing, Edaline tiptoed out the room and shut the door behind her. Tomorrow was going to be a long day.

..........................................................................................................................................

Edaline didn't sleep much. She was downstairs, pottering away before the sun had even risen, not that she minded. It was peaceful and it gave her time to mentally prepare herself for having to go out today. She could already imagine the whispers.

Edaline Ruewen out of her home? Who is the girl? Is she theirs? Why are her eyes brown? Is she human?

She already wanted to go back to sleep.

She was surprised when Sophie stumbled down the stairs at sunrise, bleary eyed and clutching the elephant- Ella- in her right arm, rubbing her eyes. She had dark circles that made Edaline's look a bit more normal. Surely she was exhausted?