Adopted by Felix and Marzia

The House

I woke up to the smell of food. Maria must have been cooking something. I put on one of my new dresses, it was white with a rim of pink roses around the sleeves and waist. I looked at myself in the mirror and thought about how much I'd changed. I used to be tomboyish and grumpy all of the time but now I'm with my new family, I'm happy and girly. Strange how things work out.

Me and Felix went to the corner shop, down the road, and bought some strawberry ice cream and a packet of water balloons. When we got back, I changed out of my dress and into my swimming costume. I started to fill up the water balloons. I snuck up behind Felix, who was eating an ice cream at the time, and aimed for his bum. Just as I chucked it, he turned around.

He stood still, in shock, with his arms lifted from his sides. Then he cracked a smile. "Ahhh! Right, I'm going to get you!" Felix said, sprinting over to the water balloons with a massive wet patch around his crotch. I dived behind a patio chair and waited for him to attack. The first throw he missed but the second got me right on the head. I stood up in surrender with my now soaking wet hair and we both couldn't stop laughing! Marzia came outside, looked at us both and joined in the laughter. "Can I take a photo of you two?" She asked, still giggling.

"Sure." Felix answered unwillingly. "This better not go up on Twitter or anything like that!" He added jokingly.

"Don't worry about it! Ready?" She took the picture and me and Felix went inside to get changed. My hair had already half dried because of the heat, it was starting to get really hot! I changed back into by dress and tied my hair up.

I went into the kitchen to see what Maria had been cooking.

"Oh hi, Ellie! How are you this morning?" She asked me while stirring something in a bowl.

"I'm good thanks! What are you making?"

"It's cake, slightly different to what you have in England though. You can try it later." She smiled at me and I decided to find something to do. I turned on the T.V. but most of the channels were all in Italian so I found a piece of paper and a pen and started to draw a picture of the house. I'm a good artist, I've had a lot of practice in the children's home but I like to keep my drawings to myself. Just as I finished the drawing, Maria called me into the kitchen. I held the paper behind my back and went to her.

"Here, try one of these." She handed me a small, square cake that smelt strongly of syrup. "It's a Greek recipe, try it." She watched me as I bit into the sticky cake. Syrup pooled in my mouth but it was so yummy.

"It's really syrupy!" I laughed with my hand over my mouth.

"Yes, yes. It's supposed to be! Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's really nice!" I laughed again.

"What's that you have behind your back?" She leaned around me trying to get a better look. I stepped backwards in defence.

"Nothing. It's just a drawing, I don't like people to look at my drawings."

She stepped back to where she was standing and gave me a disappointed look.

"Come and take a seat at the table. I'll be back in a second." She hurried off into the house so I took a seat at the small table that was against the kitchen window. I watched Marzia and Felix outside, throwing water bombs at each other. They are such a cute couple!

Maria came back into the room with a large black sketchbook. She set it on the table and opened the first page.

"I draw as well. I haven't drawn for a few years now though. I used to go out and draw the scenery, my friends and food." She chuckled to herself. "But now, I don't."

"Why don't you?" I asked.

"I'm starting to feel old. I don't feel like I can venture out and focus on drawing." She ran her finger across the page and pointed to a small cake. "See, I learnt this recipe from my mother. I used to have these when I was a child." She turned the page and the next drawing was of a handsome young man, sitting on the grass, smiling. "He did used to be quite the looker!" Maria said quietly.

"Who is it?" I wondered.

"It's Adalberto." She chuckled. It was an amazing drawing, lightly coloured in with colouring pencils.

The last picture in the sketchbook was of a house. A house with purple and pink blossom surrounding it. This house, the house that I'd drawn. I blushed and ducked my head, hoping that my grandmother wouldn't notice. She did notice.

"What's the matter? Don't like my painting?" She jokingly asked.

"No, no! I love it!"

"Then what's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Are you going to show me your drawing now? I have shown you all of mine." She smiled at me and laughed at my worried expression. "It's ok, you don't have to show me!" I thought about it for a minute and decided to show her.

"Don't laugh." I warned her. I put the drawing on the table and she gasped.

"Ellie! This is magnificent! You are very talented." She inspected the drawing a little closer and then kissed me on the forehead. "You should not be ashamed of your drawings, especially if you are this good."