Adopted by Stromae

cinq

Maelle laid on 'her' bed, music blaring through her headphones. The only semi-decent thing about this house was that the wifi was faster than she used to have at home.

Maelle couldn't wait to go back home - even though the wifi signal was slower. Staying in that house with those strangers was the worst hell she could ever imagine.

Everything reminded her of her mother and father. Coralie would set the dinner table and Maelle would remember the way her mother used to sing and dance in the kitchen. Paul would watch television downstairs and Maelle would remember her first Hockey Night in Canada that she shared with her father - sitting on the couch with nachos, wearing their jerseys for their favourite teams, Montréal Canadiens.

So, she decided to stay in her room until it was absolutely necessary for her to go downstairs.

Coralie and Paul had been extremely nice so far, which, ordinarily, she would have appreciated. Instead, it just made her feel horrible about shutting them out.

The bathroom was right next to het room and the only meal she was obligated to go downstairs for was dinner, since Coralie offered to bring her breakfast and lunch upstairs. This gesture was greatly appreciated, though on the outside, Maelle kept her stony expression rigid.

When she took off her headphones, she could hear voices downstairs. She would have brushed it off, but there seemed to be a new voice. Now, Maelle didn't exactly love her new foster parents, but that didn't mean she wanted them to be killed by a burglar.

Holding her phone in her hand with 911 on speed dial, she tip-toed down the large stairwell.

When she got to the bottom, she did not see her foster parents being held against their will, as she expected, but laughing and talking with a boy that didn't seem
much older than her.

She turned abruptly to go back upstairs, since it didn't seem she was needed down there. Unfortunately, her abrupt turn caused a loud creak in the step below her, making the group turn their heads towards her.

"Bonjour, comment ça va?"¹ Asked the boy, smiling widely. She had to bite her tongue so not to accidentally respond in French and ruin her cover.

"Max, this is Maelle. Maelle, Max," Paul introduced the two teens, one looking awkward, the other smiling, "she only speaks English,"

Max raised his eyebrows, "You live in Montreal but don't speak French? Are you not from here?" He asked her, cocking his head.

"Only the little bit that I've picked up from living here. My family was English," Maelle kept up with her lie.

Max nodded, satisfied with her vague answer, "So, when did you get here?" He asked, leaning on the countertop.

When it was clear that Maelle wasn't going to answer, Coralie spoke for her, "About a week ago, I think. We're glad to have the company around here again," She said, smiling gently at Maelle.

"I just left and you already found a replacement. Should I be offended?" He asked Paul and Coralie jokingly, winking at Maelle.

"Max just went off to University a couple weeks ago," Paul explained, "he lived with us for - how long was it?"

"Two and a half years, I believe," Max answered him with a laugh, "it certainly felt like longer," He joked.

Maelle cleared her throat, eager to get off the topic of foster kids. She didn't even want to think about the possibility of being there for longer than a month, "What are you studying?" She asked Max, taking him and the others by surprise. This was the first time she asked a question or started a conversation in the past week.

"Architectural engineering," He told her with a smile.

She raised her eyebrows, "Really?" She asked, having certainly not expected it from him.

He let out a laugh, "Yeah, I found it boring at first, but I grew to love it. It's actually pretty interesting stuff," He told her, while Paul gave him a prideful look.

"I know," She told him, "my father is an architectural engineer. What are the odds?"

He laughed, skillfully not letting the mood drop, even though he must have known that her father was a very difficult subject. After all, why would she be in foster care if all was well? Paul and Coralie, on the other hand, looked extremely surprised at her nonchalance at the topic.

"So you must know quite a bit about it too - I'll have to bounce some ideas off of you," He said, smiling widely.

She laughed, "I didn't go to school for it or anything, I only know what my father has told me. I'm not the person you want to bounce ideas off of," She told him, shaking her head with a smile.

He shrugged, "Any knowledge is better than no knowledge, like these two
over here," He elbowed Paul lightly.

"All we can give you is love and support. Sorry if that's not enough," Coralie said jokingly.

"Love and support won't help me pass exams," Max said in a singsongy voice, making everyone laugh.

"Anyways, I came here for a reason, and that reason is laundry. Mind if I use your washing machine?" He asked, lifting a garbage bag full of what I could assume was dirty clothes.

"I thought you came here to visit with us," Paul retorted, raising his eyebrows.

"Nope, just the washing machine," Max shrugged, "it was definitely nice seeing you guys, though. It was especially nice to have finally met the infamous Maelle," He said, shooting her a wide smile.

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a/n: sorry, awkward ending. welcome to chapter five!!!

translations!!!!

¹ - Hi, how's it going?

-dani