Silence? (Adopted by Spencer Reid)

One

     Amelia had finished yet another book, setting it aside to gently massage her temples and relax. The day had been like any other- slow and unproductive. Her schooling had been completed years ago, yet she was still considered "too young to work". 'Not truly too young, they just tell me that. They could hire me, they just do not trust me as an orphan, though they can not say that.' She stretched out her legs and stood from the too-old chair, her movement accompanied by a series of uncomfortably loud cracks. Her eyes scanned the room around her and a smile graced her lips. 

     Waddling up to her was a toddler, arguably Amelia's favorite toddler in fact. Wrapped up in his arms, and likely what was causing his excessively pronounced waddles, was a book that rivaled him in size. "Lele!! Lele read!" He called out to her as soon as she had laid eyes on him, and it brought joy to her seeing him waddle faster, a grin plastered on his face. She squatted down with her arms wide, scooping him up into them when he was close enough. 

     "Lele, Falling Up! Josey read to Lele!" Joseph held the book up in her face and he wiggled excitedly in her grasp. "Sit Lele, sit. Read." It was an order, and one Amelia happily followed, settling down below a sunny window with him nestled in her lap.  With no regard to the books order Joseph let the pages fall open to a random place and placed his finger under the first word, sounding out words as he moved over the page. 

     "She had... bl-blue s-sk-skin. And so did he. He k-k-ke..." He huffed softly and looked up to Amelia with a sad sort of frustration. "K - E - P - T. You KEPT the cat." She signed slowly and put as much emphasis as she could on his struggle word. She repeated herself a few times before his smile returned and he bounced excitedly, returning his attention to the book and continuing to read from where he left off. This went on for a while with him occasionally signing miscellaneous words throughout the poems.  

     Their relaxation was interrupted by the headmaster, Charles S. Lionheart, barging into the main gathering room. "We have a man waiting in the lobby who's probably looking to adopt one of you filthy brats. So get lined up downstairs and behave or you're going to bed without dinner or blankets tonight." The threat wasn't unusual, and was something he would give every time a possible adoptee came by. The frequency however did little to stop Joseph from trembling in Amelia's arms.

     There was a scramble as everyone in the room from toddlers to late teens rushed to line up and walk to the main foyer. Amelia gently laid the book on a table, keeping Joseph in her arms as everyone gathered together. It was just a few seconds before everyone was lined up and following Mr. Lionheart down the stairs to meet whoever was here to possibly take one of them home, much to his satisfaction. On their way down they could see the man standing by the front doors, looking at the kids with a gleam in his eyes. "Hello, I..." He paused, his voice soft and quiet, yet sophisticated and demanding. "I'm here to adopt a child."

     Amelia paid no mind to any of it after they stopped in their line, and she settled the young boy at her side. She had been here so many times, in this line, and she had no intention of giving herself the false hope of being adopted. 'Statistically, there's maybe a 20% chance anyone over 10 will be adopted, the show we put on will not change that.' They rarely ever talked to anyone past the middle school children, and when they did you could tell by the look in their eyes that they were only doing it to seem like better people. With the young boy clinging safely to her she began to let her mind wander, taking her to some distant place.

    The sun is so warm against my skin, the breeze  so cool against my cheeks and legs. I inhale, smelling the fresh scent of clovers and sea water. It's serine, calming, all together perfect. It is like a dreamscape, the grass below my feet soft with dew and  moss, an amazingly gentle feeling.