When It Comes To You |j.k

26: 新家

"Over here," Axl pulls me by my wrist as I look around frantically down the hall.

Today was the day, Axl told me. We're going to visit the kids, and that means I'll meet my sister again. I can see her again.

He stops me when we pass by a door.

"Here." He pushes open the door and immediately the aroma of children's laundry fills my nose. Tears of anticipation start welling around my eyes.

I try to shake out of Axl's grasp so I can look at each and every child's face, and finally find my sister. But he pulls me back and keeps me behind him.

"I know we're here for your sister, but we should still interact with the other kids. We'll find her when the time is right."

Despite my stomach rumbling of impatience, I listen to him. I stand still and breathe, when i'm ready he finally leads me into the room to meet the children.

A man with a name tag on his shirt walks over to us with a warm smile. 'Alex', I read.

"Thank you two for coming,"

Axl does the talking, while i bite on my bottom lip anxiously. I just need to see her smile. To see that she's okay. But as I scan the room I realize my sister's face is nowhere to be found.

"Today's activity is crafting,"

"As usual." Axl chuckles in.

"Christmas is coming up and we'll be teaching them how to make paper snowflakes. You two's jobs is to make sure they're all using their scissors safely and help them with their work if they need help. Just rotate around the tables and make sure every child is helped."

I just want to see my sister.

/

"What's your name?" The little boy next to me asked with a toothy grin-well, he was still missing a few. It's adorable, but i'm too frantic to care.

"Aera. Yours?" I try to smile back but i know my act isn't convincing.

"I'm Thomas!" He shoves his paper to my face, "I want to make my snowflake look like hearts, so I can give it to my new parents!"

Genuinely curious, I ask, "New parents?"

He nods happily, "Alex says I might get a new home. But he said there's things that they have to go through to be able to take me home."

"Well," I rub on his back, "Have you met your new parents yet?"

He nods again, more enthusiastic as ever, "Yep! Maximus and Claire! They're the coolest! Alex says I can be with them in almost a year!"

This time I smile genuinely, "That's wonderful, Thomas. Will you miss your friends here?"

He then pauses, and pouts his bottom lip in thought. And I almost cry, because of how much this gesture reminds me of my own sister.

But I don't. Because I have to be happy for him.

"I will. I think."

Ruffling his hair like I do with Lana, I laugh. He's adorable.

I look past him and I see Axl with a little girl. He laughs brightly as the child pulls at his curly hair curiously. He catches my gaze and smiles widely. He mouths 'you okay?'

I show him my hand that was now in an 'okay' sign. Then I look back to Thomas, who was drawing hearts on his now properly folded paper.

Alex passes by and peers over my shoulder to check up on us, and i took this opportunity to ask.

"Hey, Alex." I speak right before he steps away, he turns back around and rose his brow at me.

"I'm actually looking for someone. A little girl, her name is Lana. I think she's supposed to be here but i haven't seen her."

He nods, "Aren't you new here? How do you know kids from this section?"

"She's my sister. I haven't seen her since we were sent here. Please help me find her."

"Wow, that's tough."

I don't need your sympathy I just want my fucking sister.

He holds out his clipboard and flips through a few papers while i nimble at my nails.

"She's in the counsellor's office right now."

"Counsellor's office?" The relief that Lana is in fact in the same building as me has my heart beating once again. But it doesn't sound right.

"She's fucking six, what does she need counselling for?"

"Says here that she's been suffering from lack of sleep. Your sister hasn't been sleeping."

Because I'm not there. For the past week, I've had Axl go guide me, to keep me company. Lana has had no one.

"Let me go see her, please."

"I will. Let me send another worker here to watch over the kids." He leaves the room without me and i begin pacing around, with my heart thumping out of my chest. Axl eventually catches this sight and i see him leaving the child and making his way to me.

"What's wrong?"

"Alex is going to take me to my sister. He's getting another worker for the kids. He's taking me right after."

And just then Alex returns with a girl trailing behind him, "Aera, come this way." He tells me once the girl entered the room.

"I'll come with you." Axl suggested, and I immediately nodded. Company right now sounds real nice, because i'm on verge of crying and only his presence will force me to keep the tears away from my eyes.