Parenthood

Have Faith

"She's just through here- she spends most of her time in her room."

Bella nodded excitedly, bouncing along behind Stan and the other man. Stan laughed slightly, and Bella responded by happily sticking her tongue out.

"And here she is," the man said, opening a door to reveal a child's bedroom doused in darkness. The blinds were drawn and closed, with only a bit of sunlight shining through. A few toys were strewn across the floor, a toddler bed decorated with stuffed animals and pink sheets sat in the corner, there was a small bookshelf of Disney movies and books, and in another corner was a makeshift tent of blankets.

"Faith," the man called. There was no movement in the room. He sighed, going to kneel beside the tent and knock on the wall just outside. After a moment, a small, black-haired girl poked her head out from behind the blanket entrance. Her hair was pulled back into a neat braid, with one long strand hanging down from her forehead. She was also wearing an Elsa dress.

"Faith, didn't I tell you to change?" The man asked, folding his arms.

"Yes," Faith said, playing with the strand of hair.

"So why didn't you?"

"I like Elsa," Faith said simply.

"I like Elsa too," Bella smiled, cutting off the man. She sat down across from Faith, drumming her fingers on the carpet. "I think she's really cool."

Stan snickered and Faith's eyes lit up.

"Well then, I'll leave you two alone to get to know her," the man said, leaving the room.

"Elsa is really pretty!" Faith said excitedly. "She's really pretty. I like her."

"Me too," Bella giggled. "I think her girlfriend is really pretty, too."

"Yeah!" Faith nodded, happily flapping her hands. "Ena is pretty too! I have her dress, too."

"Ooh, can I see?" Bella asked. Faith nodded and hurried to her closet, which she dug through and pulled out a red, orange, and yellow dress that looked almost like flames. Sparkles were sewn into the fabric, and at the push of a button, small lights twinkles on among the layers of dress.

"Hey, that's really pretty, kid," Stan smiled, sitting down beside his spouse.

"Look look, it lights up!" Faith said happily, showing off the lights.

"Woooow, I love it!" Bella gasped softly. "Do you really like Frozen?"

"I like- I like- I like all Disney movies," Faith said. "I really really like 'em."

"Ooh yeah, Disney is good," Bella agreed.

"Do you like Disney?" Faith asked Stan.

"Yeah, they're ok," Stan shrugged. "They're fun."

"I think they're the best best best," Faith giggled. "Oh oh! I got lots and lots of stuffies from Disney!

She ran over to her bed, grabbing some of the stuffed animals. They were all of the animals from Disney movies. She happily showed them off, listing off the names as she handed them to Stan and Bella.

"Do you have a favorite?" Bella asked.

"Hm..." Faith tapped her chin thoughtfully before grabbing one of the stuffed animals and holding it up.

"Aw, he's cute," Bella grinned. "Do you wanna see my stuffed animal? She's not quite my favorite, but I really like her."

"Sure!" Faith nodded. Bella pulled her Beanie Boo out of her side bag. It was obviously very old, but still had its colors of pink, green, yellow, and a bit more. "Woooooow, she's so cute!"

"Yep!" Bella giggled. "I have a lot like her. Well, not more copies, but this specific type of stuffed animal."

After another hour or two of playing with the small girl, Stan and Bella filled out the adoption papers and brought Faith back to their home. All she had was a small travel bag stuffed with her belongings: all of the Disney toys and a few movies. She held one stuffed animal in her hand, sucking lightly on its ear, and wore a pair of bright pink sunglasses.

"Ready to see your new place, kid?" Stan asked, smiling down at Faith. She nodded, clinging tightly to Bella's hand. Stan unlocked the front door and it swung inwards. They were instantly greeted by Gompers, although he was a bit slowed down from his younger years. Two young cats- three years old and one year old- hung nearby, surveying the situation. Faith giggled as Gompers sniffed at her.

"He's like a tiny Sen," she grinned.

"Sven?" Bella repeated. "Hm. I guess you're right. But Gompers is a goat. They do look a bit alike, though."

"Yeah. So that's Gompers," Stan said. "He's a goat. Pretty old though, so you gotta be careful with him." He affectionately petted Gompers' head, and the goat bleated happily. "And then there's those two." He pointed at the cats. "The orange one is Marble, black and white one is Pepper."

Pepper mewed and approached the family, sniffing at Faith's feet before rubbing up against her legs. Faith giggled, petting her.

"Alright, why don't we get you settled into your room, and then we can give you a little tour?" Bella suggested. Faith nodded in agreement.

Bella and Stan led her up the stairs and to the larger room at the end of the hallway. It was decorated with kid's toys and furniture. A toddler bed was in the far back corner, a small bookshelf was against the wall, along with a blue and red toy box. A dresser stood against the wall across from the bed. The blinds covering the windows were rainbow and drawn back to let sunlight into the room. In the center of the room was a yellow and black flower carpet.

"Ooooh," Faith looked around happily, observing everything. After a minute, she frowned slightly. "Small?"

"Small... small space?" Bella guessed. Faith nodded. "Oh. Well yeah, the room is pretty big, but we could always make you a little tent like you had."

"Yeah, tent!" Faith nodded. "On bed?"

"Sure, we could build one over your bed," Stan shrugged. "Shouldn't be too difficult."

Faith grinned and flapped the hand that wasn't holding her stuffed animal.