Sweet Adeline

Two - Chosen

Adeline

Almost two weeks goes by, and Owen occasionally stops by to finish paperwork with Olivia. He always speaks to Maleny and I before he goes. I had made an effort to be nicer to him. Now that I know he's chosen Maleny, I don't have to be rude anymore.

This time, Olivia is gleaming with happiness, and they are doing more talking and exchanging papers rather than filling them out.

I watch from afar as Owen talks to Maleny. Only, when she walks away, she doesn't look happy. She looks quite sad actually. My mind immediately goes to her missing Olivia and the other kids she has made friends with. She walks past my door on the way to her room, so I stop her.

"I hope you have fun." I write
She looks at me annoyedly, "You don't have to rub it in."
"What do you mean?" I scribble out hurriedly
"He chose you." Maleny explains sadly
Panic starts to flow through me and I shake my head no. "No, I was rude to him so he would choose you. I heard him tell Olivia how happy and smart you are."
Maleny shrugs "Well, he just apologized to me because he chose you. Olivia said she was coming to tell you after he talked to me." She sighs when she realizes that I really didn't mean to get picked. "It's fine, Adeline, you need a shot at a family more than any of us." Maleny says defeatedly. She walks into her room, and I turn back to mine.

Not long after I close my door, a knock rings throughout my room. My heart thunders in my chest as I move to open the door. A worried looking Olivia stands on the other side.

"Why are you letting him take me?" I fire away bluntly.
"Adeline," she starts, only to have me cut her off.
"You said that if the last home went badly then you wouldn't make me go to another one!" I argue exasperatedly
"Adeline, listen to me." She says, "He's passed the background check, he has a great job, a family, he even let me do background checks on his friends. He's told me everything about him and the people around him. Nothing has been bad about him." Olivia explains quickly.

She sighs as I plop down on my bed, furiously running my hands up and down my thighs as I try to keep my breathing under control, completely ignoring her in the process. 

"Maleny says even she thinks he isn't like the others." Olivia pleads, "If something, anything, even starts to go bad, call me and I will get you out of there. I promise. And if this one goes badly, then I won't make you go to another one ever. I won't even make you speak to them. I swear."

I stare at Olivia from my spot on my bed, her eyes practically begging me to agree.

"Please, Adeline, I have a good feeling about him." She says softly.

Pushing bad memories from my mind, I give her a small nod. Her face softens with a smile. She hands me my phone off my dresser. I only ever use it when I go to the library or when I'm at a foster home to keep in touch with Olivia so she knows I'm safe.

"Keep your phone on you, and call me if anything goes wrong." She says, "If you don't feel comfortable with something, leave. Don't ask questions, just get out. Got it?"

I nod, letting out a frustrated sigh before getting up. Olivia stands with her hands clasped in front of her.  I grab my duffle bag, the bag I had never planned to use again, and begin filling it with my belongings. It wasn't much, but it was mine. I carefully pack my laptop and charger that Olivia and I had saved up for. I used it to do my schooling online at the library since it had WiFi and the orphanage didn't.

Just as I finish putting everything I need into my bag, I notice a figure in my doorway. I spin around to see Owen about to knock on the doorframe.

"Hey," He says cheerfully, clearly not noticing my sour mood. I sigh, giving a small wave in return.