Rhode Island-> June 3rd, 2016
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It was a perfect day.
Days like these were a rarity in Rhode Island. The sun was up and shining for the first time in what seemed to be forever.
13 year old Liza glanced at the seemingly perfect sky from her position next to the window and gazed through the glass for a few minutes before seemingly making a decision. Gingerly setting her book down, she unlocked her phone to check if the weather would stay as perfect as it seemed right now.
She had learned over time that perfect things disappeared quite fast, and therefore she truly expected this perfect weather to turn not so perfect as the day progressed.
Scrolling through the weather app on her phone she scoffed in disbelief at the weather statement. She stared at the phone a little longer before turning her gaze to her sister, 5 year old Maisie, who was quietly coloring in the corner.
The younger girl had been begging for days to go to the beach, but the weather pattern had never been suitable enough for an excursion to the shore. It was for this reason that she sulkily took to coloring in her drawing book, something she only did when she was bored out of her mind.
Smiling at the thought of joy on her little sister's face, Liza contemplated asking Dr. Collins if they could possibly be allowed to go, but shuddered at the thought of asking the doctor.
It wasn't that Dr. Collins was any bit mean or rude to the girls, it was just the circumstances of their situation which made the whole thing rather uncomfortable. They had in fact both had been placed in this group home by her after being declared unsuitable for fostering, which still left a sour taste in Liza's mouth.
Shuddering at the memory, Liza turned her attention back to the window and allowed herself to dwell on the day her life changed for the worst.
Her and Maisie's parents had died just a year ago, and the after effects of this on the girls had inevitably gotten them placed here. This group home only accepted people that suffered from post traumatic stress following whatever crisis they were in, and sadly, Liza fit this description. Although Liza felt fine her uncontrollable and unpredictable anxiety attacks told a different story and therefore she single handedly was the reason why she and Maisie weren't enrolled in a foster home like other orphans.
This whole thing was her fault after all, so there was no reason why she couldn't march up to Dr. Collins and ask her for permission to head to the beach with her sister.
Reaching for her headphones, she selected a song and then leaned against the window with her eyes closed, just allowing the music to fill her mind.
Taylor Swift was undoubtedly the only artist Liza felt like ever listening to. Taylor's voice was soft but her lyrics were powerful and meaningful. Taylor, in Liza's opinion, was the perfect person if the the idea of perfection even existed.
Taylor got where she was by being kind yet powerful, and her lyrics always had the unique ability to capture her emotions exactly in the form of words. Glancing around the room at the handmade Taylor posters, Liza smiled before completely focusing her attention to the music blasting in her ears. She needed to give herself a boost of confidence before facing the Doctor and she was positive the music would provide that. Taylor Swift had never let her down.
When the final notes of Bad Blood faded out, Liza carefully put away her headphones away and grabbed her phone from its spot on the ledge.
She told her sister that she was off to talk to the doctor, and chose to ignore the quizzical expression on Maisie's face.
Although Maisie was only five, she understood a great deal of what happened around her, including what normally happened when Liza was searching for Dr. Collins. In Maisie's eyes, Dr. Collins was the meanest person on earth because she made Liza hurt. Liza was always mad after a visit with the Doctor. Every. Single. Time. But who knew? Maybe today would be different.
After their parents died, Liza essentially took over the parent role in Maisie's life.In the rare occasions Liza actually freaked out, the impact felt like a gunshot wound to little Maisie and she absolutely hated seeing the strongest person in her life upset.
Seeing as her older sister was going to go regardless of what she said, Maisie simply rolled her eyes and went back to coloring as Liza headed out the door of their room for the dreaded meeting.
