And Then There Were Three - Adopted by Jizzie

11-

Joel
Lizzie and Katelyn had gone upstairs to what would be Katelyn's room. It was still pretty plain, but eventually it would become customised to her taste.

I heard chuckles coming from upstairs. I smiled to myself, thinking about how great this new life would be. Not just for Katelyn, but for Lizzie and I too. As much as I was excited about this new chapter, I was nervous - for Katelyn's sake. We would have to introduce her to our fans at some point in the near future. The internet is a wide place, where people don't act how they probably would in real life if they met someone, and Katelyn probably hasn't been exposed to social media in the same way as us yet. I know that Katelyn is strong, so hopefully she'll be ok.

I tried to get negative thoughts out of my head as I heard Lizzie coming downstairs. She came into the living room and sat next to me on the sofa.

"Katelyn's tired so she's having a nap while we wait for the takeaway, how long did they say it would take?"

Oh no.

"Oh! I forgot to order it, I got distracted. Give me a minute," I said.

I picked up my phone and dialled the number. I gave them the order.

"15 minutes," I smiled.

Lizzie nodded. I knew that she would know something was wrong. She turned around to me.

"Joel. What's the matter?"

"Nothing, I'm fine." I said blankly.

I hated lying to Lizzie, but I didn't want to make her upset.

"There's obviously something wrong. You don't seem yourself. Plus, you forgot to order the food and you never forget that. You love food!" She chuckled lightly.

"Okay Okay. I'm just worried about introducing Katelyn online. It's a big place, and people can be awful on there. I don't want her to get hurt."

Lizzie cuddled into me.

"Joel. The internet could never compare to what's happened to her at the orphanage. She's so strong and our fans are amazing. I'm sure there's nothing to be scared of. And if anything does happen, we can take a break and be there for Katelyn, as much as we should be." She looked me in the eye and smiled.

"I'll be fine, I promise," I heard a newly familiar voice say. Lizzie and I both looked up towards the stairs to see Katelyn sat on the top step.

"I thought you were having a nap," I said.

"I was, but I couldn't sleep when I kind of gathered what you were talking about. I knew you were worried about me so I wanted to reassure you. I've dealt with bullying for years, I think I can handle it." Katelyn smiled a comforting smile.

Lizzie made a Katelyn-sized gap in between us on the sofa. She ushered Katelyn down, where we all cuddled together and Katelyn finally fell asleep.