Life of Lin (Adopted By Hamilton)

Backstage Talk

Lin and Chris go to Lin's dressing room, as Jon had already left for the night. The girl was sitting on Lin's couch with her dæmon, who seemed to take the form of a clouded leopard, on her lap.

"What did I do?", was the first thing out of her mouth.

"You didn't do anything wrong." Lin said.

"But why do you ask?" Chris added.

" 'Cause I'm usually too loud or too quiet or I talk too much or not enough or don't go out enough or I don't listen or-"

"Woah girl breathe, breathe." Chris says with a chuckle. "Now why do you think all that stuff?"

Both the girl and her dæmon speak in unison, "Because we've been told it, a lot."

"By who?"

"A bunch of different families." This time it was only the girl who spoke, though when she said families her dæmon hissed, as though she had divulged a major secret.

"Families?"

"Abe and I are orphans."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's ok, things like that happen sometimes."

"Um, sense it seems like we're making our way towards creating your personal biography can we, by any chance, learn your name?" Lin asks.

"Avalor, and he's Abe." Avalor's dæmon nodded when his name was called.

"So do people call you Ava for short."

"Yeah like in Bring it On. I loved Elle McLemore in that role. I hope one day I will be able to act and sing as well as she can."

"You saw it?"

"No, but I watched clips on YouTube."

"You have good taste in shows."

Ava smiled, "Thanks, and um, I don't mean to sound rude, but why did you bring me back here?"

"We wanted to make sure you were safe. I mean you're here almost all the time, but there are never any adults with you."

"That's kind of the point of coming here,to get away from the adults."

"What do you mean?"

"I come here go get away from my foster home. It's better for me here than it is over there. I mean they don't hit me; actually, they don't do a whole lot to me. They're just kinda there."

"Oh Ava." Chris has a sad look in his eyes.

"I mean Mary will pick me up from school, unless I have an audition or rehearsals, then I walk home. Once I get home though it's like I'm just there. Truthfully I don't think they've ever realized I'm gone."

Lin looks fine at the floor thinking that no kid deserves to be treated like that. "Hey Ava, would you be ok hanging with Chris while I go out and make a call?"

Ava shrugs, "It's ok with me."

"Thank you so much." Lin darts out of the room.

Ava looks up at Chris, a half-smile on her face.

"What?" Chris asks, a small smile forming on his face.

"I'm thinking those business classes really did Benny good."

Chris smiles and ruffles her hair. "College will take you places kid, even out of the barrio."

Ava smiles, "I like your dæmon, she's really beautiful."

"Thank you, though I was a little nervous when she settled, thought it would make people see me as threatening."

"That's stupid. I mean there are a lot of different reasons for why she settled that way, and bet none of them are because you're hyper-agressive."

"I know, but you know how people can be, placing labels on someone without meaning to."

She nods,"Um, not that I don't like spending time with you, but do you know who Lin is calling."

"I think so, but I'm pretty one of the people he's calling is Vanessa, at least it better be unless he wants to face Hell when he gets home."

"Is it my fault?" Ava's eyes grow wide.

"No, I'm just kidding. Vanessa would never be really mad at Lin, at least for a long period of time."

"That's true. She won't stay mad at me for more than an hour or two." Lin says standing in the doorway.

"Oh, ok" Ava nods, slightly comforted.

"Are your parents home tonight?"

"No, it's their date night. Why do you ask?"

" 'Cause you're staying the night with me at my place. It's already clear with you case worker, and them I'm going to try to get you away from your current placement."

"Why?"

"Because you deserve so much better than what you're getting."

Ava rushes to Lin and hugs him, "Thank you so much."

Lin has a small smile, "You're welcome Ava."

A.N. I know that the name is Eva but when I did the show we kept mixing the name up, and when I started writing I had three main themes: there would be dæmons, it would be an adoption story, and Chris would be in it more than he usually is with these types of stories.