Mute | A New Beginning

Chapter 13

The awaited day had finally come. Arlo was finally about to officially move in with Scarlett. Mrs Moore and Scarlett had mutually decided that it was best if the woman started fostering the girl, with the intent to adopt. This way, they could go through what essentially was a 'trial period', and if something wasn't working out, it was easier to prevent the process from progressing.

With the paperwork finalised, Mrs Moore sat down with Arlo, gathering her belongings, to take over to Scarlett's later that afternoon. The caretaker could tell that the little blonde was nervous, although, at various times, she swore she could see a small glimmer of excitement in those gorgeous eyes.

It came as both a blessing and a curse that Arlo didn't own many things to begin with. This was fairly standard at the orphanage, with underfunding from the state and a lack of overall space to store things. This meant, much to Arlo's chagrin, that packing took a lot less time than she was anticipating. She had hoped that maybe the universe would be gracious enough to allow her more time, however, it didn't seem as though it was on her side today.

"Remember, I will come to visit you every week for a couple of months, okay?", Mrs Moore reassured the small child, sensing the anxious energy radiating from her tiny body. "And if at any point, you don't feel comfortable with living there, you just let me know, and I will make sure you get to come back." She felt like this was important for any child in this situation to know. Often, in these scenarios, the children's feelings and thoughts are disregarded or ignored, so at Little River, the caretakers and social workers take extra care to remind them of the power of their opinions.

"You know everyone here loves you so much, and we are so happy that Scarlett wants you to live with her, but I need you to know that you will always be welcome back here, that's how much we care about you." Mrs Moore needed to stop soon, otherwise she would definitely start crying and probably never stop.

With her bag packed, Mrs Moore left the girl at the reception desk so that she could not only put the bag in the car but also reinstall the car seat into her car, without taking any of her attention away from Arlo. For the girl's sake, she needed to make sure that Arlo felt seen and heard today, and she needed her wits about her in case something went awry.

Whilst Mrs Moore was completing her tasks, Arlo stood, albeit a little awkwardly, at the desk area, avoiding eye contact with the adults around her. Cheerily, they gave her their well wishes, proclaiming how much they were going to miss her here, and how happy they were that she was finally getting a second chance. The small blonde wasn't too sure how to exist in this situation, opting to simply bring Douglas and her blanket higher up towards her face to try and disguise the blush that was creeping up her neck.

Arlo couldn't have been more relieved when Mrs Moore returned, as she was finally able to imagine a reprieve from this onslaught of attention. In hindsight, Mrs Moore thought, it perhaps would have been better if she had taken the girl with her to pack the car, thus saving her from being the centre of attention for 5 minutes.

After saying their goodbyes, this time with Arlo safely in the caretaker's arms, the pair made their way out to the car, somewhat ready to face this new chapter of life ahead of them.

It was always a bittersweet moment, saying goodbye to a child at the orphanage. The caretakers and staff were all so proud to watch them go and start their new lives, however, they were also saddened by the fact that, for some, there would be a potential that they would never see that child again, and although they would miss them dearly, the joy almost always won the fight.

All set and ready to go, Mrs Moore started the engine. In the back seat, little Arlo's chest was moving at increased rates, straining against the straps of the car seat with every sharp inhale. With tensions high, the girl had been less willing than usual to get in the seat. Now that she was in, her panic had doubled rapidly, and she was struggling to keep herself composed. She no longer cared about Mrs Moore's opinions about her fingers being in her mouth, bringing them up with flustered haste, and shoving two of them in her mouth with little grace. Thankfully, the effects began to set in immediately, however, she was far too rattled to begin with, to be able to self-soothe all the way. Ironically, at this moment, her mind drifted to receiving one of Scarlett's cuddles, even though it was the woman's house that she was currently dreading going.