A New Addition to The Family (Bluey Fanfiction)

Ch. 2 (A New Home)

        I was stunned for a few seconds after Mrs. Greystone uttered those words. To be honest, I really hadn't expected anyone to adopt me. With my track record of previous families and my age, I was sure Brandy would pass over me. I snapped back to reality to respond to Mrs. Greystone, "That's great!" I said, "When will we get going?" Mrs. Greystone thought for a moment, "Well there's still some paperwork to finalize before you'll be released to her," She responded, "We'll have you out of here tomorrow morning. Go ahead and get your stuff packed tonight." I nodded and thanked Mrs. Greystone, who then retreated from the dorm. I sat on my bed for a few minutes just thinking about what this new family would entail. I'd always had a knack for procrastinating, so I quickly stood up and started packing. Most of what I owned could fit in a standard suitcase, the kind you see being dragged around by people with places to go. It was mainly full of clothes, but I had a few personal items as well: My MP3 player, a deck of cards, a stuffed tiger I'd had since I was little, my book collection, my toiletries, and of course the photo of my parents. It didn't take long to pack everything. I'd done this a thousand times before, but I hoped this would be my last.

        The rest of the afternoon was rather uneventful. I ate dinner, read my book, and played with some of the younger kids. Being the oldest one there, I didn't have much to do personally. I didn't find much enjoyment from toys or anything like that. I had simply outgrown them, but that didn't stop me from catering to the little kids' needs. I didn't have a very personal connection with anyone there. Frankly there was no point. The kids rotated in and out so fast, there simply wasn't enough time. I was happy for them. They all needed families. Each had their own tragedy they were recovering from, but I was still a little jealous. Night came quickly that day. The other kids had gone to bed already. I was allowed to stay up later because of my age, but there wasn't really much to do. Nonetheless I laid in my bed and read my book by the light of my desk lamp. I kept doing that thing where you zone out while reading and don't actually retain any of the information. I couldn't stop thinking about what the next day would bring. Though I'd gone through this before, I was anxious. What if I messed it up? What if she changed her mind? Could this be my last chance? Finally I gave up trying to read and put down my book. I shut off the lamp and turned over to try and get some sleep.

        I woke up early again the next morning. Mrs. Greystone hadn't said when Brandy would be coming to pick me up, so I decided to get ready as early as I could. I went through my normal morning routine before making my way to breakfast. Normally they'll give you a special meal on your day of adoption. It's sort of a "Congratulations and good luck in life!" kind of thing. They didn't do that for me. I imagine it was because they'd done it enough times before. I didn't mind it, because I don't really like having extra attention drawn to myself. I didn't eat a very large breakfast. I'd never really eaten much breakfast for most of my life. I know it's supposed to be the most important meal of the day, but I'm just never really hungry when I wake up. Anyway, after eating I took a trip to the courtyard outside. It was still early, so no one else was out there. It was a calm and peaceful Saturday. The morning dew still rested lazily on the little grass there was. This courtyard was nothing fancy, just a fenced area with a basketball court and a small playground structure. I wasn't exactly the outdoorsy type, but I did enjoy the fresh air. I took a few deep breaths of the crisp and cool May air. I always like to get some exercise in the morning, so I spent about 20 minutes just shooting hoops on the basketball court. I'd never been very good at any sports, but it was still a fun way to pass time.

        Once I was done exercising I made my way back inside. At this point most of the rooms were populated with kids going about their favorite Saturday activities. On my way back to the dorm I passed a few groups. Some were playing board games, others were running after each other. There was even a group throwing a tennis ball around, a dangerous activity with Mrs. Greystone lurking. Surprisingly, I didn't see anyone going outside. I imagine it was too cold for them at the time. I arrived at the dorm and found Mr. Landers, the social agent, standing in the middle of the room. The black lab turned to face me as I entered. "Hello Oscar!" He said. "I've been looking for you. Ms. Cattle is waiting for you." "Oh!" I remarked, "I'll grab my stuff." I walked over to my bed and grabbed my suitcase. Mr. Landers nodded and started walking towards the reception area with me following closely. The kids knew what was going on once they saw me with him, and a few wished me luck as I passed by. When we arrived at the reception area Mr. Landers opened the door and ushered me in. The reception area was a small, neatly decorated room. It reminded me of a doctor's office. There were rows of chairs and side tables with magazines on top. Being a fairly big center, the room could get quite crowded at its busiest times. Yet today there was only one person there.

        Brandy was sitting cross legged in one of the chairs, looking at something on her phone. She glanced up and smiled as I walked in. She stood up and walked over to me, "Good morning Oscar! It's good to see you again! Are you ready to go?" She asked. "Yeah. I think I'm all set," I responded. Mr. Landers, who was standing behind me piped in, "All the paperwork is set. You're both good to go." Brandy thanked Mr. Landers and grabbed my paw. This was surprising to me, but I didn't want to offend her, so I let her lead me outside. She walked with me through the parking lot to a black Jeep. "You can throw your suitcase in the back," She said as she popped the rear door open. I did as she said, placing my suitcase in the trunk. I went around to the left side of the car and got in on the passenger side as Brandy got in the driver's seat. I buckled my seat belt as Brandy adjusted her mirrors, and soon we were underway. I sat quietly and looked out the window, watching the scenery go by. Brandy started the conversation, "So..... Are you excited to see your new home?" She asked. "Uh... yeah I guess so," I responded. I wasn't really sure what to say. From experience I knew that the first few days with a new family were always the most awkward. Brandy seemed to notice my quietness, "You alright? You're kinda quiet," she said. "Yeah I'm fine. I'm just not sure what I should say," I answered. "Well that's alright," Brandy reassured, "I'm quiet too. I understand exactly what you mean. It must be weird and awkward to carry out a conversation with someone you just met yesterday. You're going into a new situation with new people. It's perfectly natural to be nervous." "Thanks," I said. The rest of the drive was fairly uneventful. A couple short words here and there, but most of it was spent in silence. After about 30 minutes of driving we turned into a small neighborhood.

        "Well here we are," Brandy said as she pulled into the driveway of this quaint little house. It had an older architectural style, but was clearly well maintained. I got out of the car and grabbed my suitcase from the trunk. Brandy walked up to the front door and unlocked it before opening it and allowing me to enter first. The inside of the house was a perfect fit to the outside. Immediately inside the front door was the kitchen to the left and the living room to the right. Directly in front was a staircase to the second floor. I looked around, admiring the decoration. "You have a beautiful home," I said. Brandy smiled, "Thank you. It's not much, but it'll just be the two of us here," she remarked, "Well anyway, why don't I show you your room?" She stepped forward and started walking up the stairs. I followed her up to the second floor, which consisted of a hallway with a few doors. She led me to the end of the hall and opened a door. Inside was a pretty generic room. There was a twin bed with blue sheets, a dresser, a desk, and a closet. "I know it's kind of boring," she said, "But I didn't know what you like, so I didn't want to try decorating it. We'll get it done at some point." "That's alright," I responded, "It's perfect." Brandy smiled and turned around, "Well you go ahead and get situated while I start on lunch. I nodded and turned to face the room. It didn't take me long to unpack my suitcase. I placed my clothes in the dresser and put my books and other trinkets on the desk. Finally, I placed the stuffed tiger on the bed. Silly, I know, but you're really never too old.

        Once I finished with my room, I went back downstairs and found Brandy in the kitchen. "Wow that was fast," she remarked, "I'm almost done over here. You can go ahead and take a seat." "Alright," I said as I sat down at the table. A few moments later Brandy walks over and sets a plate down in front of me. On the plate is a very nice looking sandwich. She sits down across from me with her own sandwich. "Well dig in," she says as she starts eating her sandwich. I ate my sandwich carefully. I'd learned from previous families that manners are of the utmost importance. I knew that not everyone cared, but it was better to play it safe. "It's really good," I said. Brandy smiles, "I'm glad you like it," She says, "Better than the food at that adoption center I imagine." I smile and continue eating. Once we were both done eating Brandy stood up and took both our plates. "I can take care of that if you'd like," I said. "No, don't worry about it," Brandy said as she put the dishes in the dishwasher, "But thank you for offering!" Almost as soon as she finished her cellphone rang. She picked it up off the counter and answered, "Oh hey Chilli!.....Yeah it went well.....Yup I got him right here....Is everything good for tonight?.....Fantastic, I'll see you then!" The call ended. Brandy smiled and looked at me, "Tonight we're having a get together at my sister's house with most of the family," She said. "Oh... uh okay," I responded. I never really liked large groups of people, especially when I've never met them before, and ESPECIALLY when I'm supposed to be the center of attention. Brandy must've noticed my expression, "Oh don't worry! They'll love you I promise!" She reassured me.