𝐒𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞'𝐬 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬『𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫』

I

"when i'm ready, i will fly us out of here"

☆

   why would the court let the mother of two take her children back after the obvious evidence of neglect and just plain not caring that they found inside of their house? Nevaeh wasn't upset about going home, but it wasn't particularly somewhere that she wanted to be.
     her mother was caught with drugs on the coffee table during a surprise visit from DCFS because the neighbors heard yelling coming from the house. the yelling was an argument about Nevaeh's mother coming home drunk again, and waking up her younger sister again.
Nevaeh and Harmony were taken from their home in Chicago 2 years ago.
      Nevaeh wasn't home when DCFS showed up to take her and Harmony away. she was with the Gallaghers' house, which is where she spent most of her time. she felt guilty that her sister had to experience such a scary thing alone. Harmony was in tears when Nevaeh arrived, confused as to why her sister was crying. they were then taken to DCFS headquarters and were almost separated until both Harmony and Nevaeh had panic attacks at the thought of being taken away from each other. they were taken out of the state and moved to three different places around the country.
     first to Indiana, that didn't last long. the family they were placed with were white and nice at first. they were friendly and inviting. they soon revealed their true colors. they locked the girls out of the house because they wouldn't do the extensive list of chores that the foster parents had them doing, which included polishing the floor, organizing the foster mother's clothes, and shining the foster father's shoes. the girls quickly refused and as a result, the foster parents locked them in the shed, which scared Harmony. Harmony has a certain fear of the dark because arguments always took place at night.
     then off to Freeridge, California, that lasted a little longer. the reason that they left wasn't anything bad, it was just because the family, the Diazes, couldn't afford them. the Diazes were very inviting and the girls had to share a room. the girls had all they could ask for, but after reading they're case-file, the family felt like they deserved more. the girls didn't want to leave, however, Nevaeh let go of them way easier. Harmony had to get carried out of the house by Nevaeh. Cesar and Nevaeh still kept in touch, though.
     the final destination of the two girls was Glencoe, Illinois. they stayed with the Austin's, who were incredibly nice. the girls didn't want to leave them, especially not Nevaeh. Harmony had mixed feelings, she wanted to be with her mom, but Mrs. Austin was also her mom. Nevaeh, on the other hand, was not too enthused to be returning to her mother. the Austin's bought the girls clothes and phones. they were a nice family of 4 that made them feel at home. why would they want to leave?
     "in the case of Marie Harlington versus The Austins, the court rules in favor of Marie Harlington. her daughters, Nevaeh and Harmony Harlington are to be brought back to her care this afternoon via DCFS transportation," the judge stated before banging his gavel.
     everyone rose from their seats except Nevaeh and Jamie, the daughter of the Austins'. they glanced at each other in pure shock.
     "no, you can't be leaving. we were supposed to adopt you!" Jamie cried. Nevaeh pulled her into a hug.
     "i'm sorry, i'm so sorry!" Nevaeh said into Jamie's shoulder,"i know it's not fair."
     the girls pulled away from each other and linked hands before following the Austins out to their car. Harmony sat with David while Nevaeh spent the fleeting moments she had left with Jamie.
     when they arrived at the house, Harmony ran upstairs to pack her stuff, excited to be with her mother again. Nevaeh dragged her feet up the stairs, not wanting to leave. she pulled out a suitcase to fit all her old clothes. once her suitcase got full, she called for Mrs. Austin.
     "yes, dear?" she walked in the room with a sad expression.
     "i," she paused to let out a breath,"i need another suitcase."
she simply nodded and left to get her former foster daughter a new bag. as soon as Mrs. Austin leaves, Nevaeh begins crying. Mrs. Austin returns as Nevaeh wipes her tears. she stands to give her foster mom a hug.
     "I'm sorry that we couldn't keep you," she cried.
     "no, it's not your fault. plus, this is the longest home i had." I smiled softly.
     "i'll leave you to packing," Mrs. Austin backed out of the room.
     Nevaeh put away the new clothes that Mrs. and Mr. Austin bought her. Mr. Austin wasn't even home, he drove them here and then left, he's pissed that they lost the case and they'd be returning to Chicago. She wishes she'd get to say a proper goodbye, though. Nevaeh went over to her dresser and put her jewelry and other important objects into her backpack from the Diazes' house.
     "Nevaeh, Harmony, it's time," Ms. Gules, the social worker, called.
Nevaeh went into Harmony's room and sighed. Harmony stood with her usual smile and grabbed Nevaeh's hand.
     "it'll be okay, don't you miss Chicago?" Harmony asked. "yeah, but i love it here, too." Nevaeh answered.
they walked outside and Jamie grabbed Nevaeh by the shoulder and squeezed her,"keep in touch, please." she nodded with a small smile.
     David gave her a nice hug with a smile. she gave him a fist bump, "i'll see ya 'round." "yeah, i'll take care of Jamie for you," David answered.
     the girls both said they're individual goodbyes to Mrs. Austin when Mr. Austin runs over with two envelopes and a small package. "Nevaeh, here take these," he said while handing Nevaeh an envelope and the package.                   
     "Harmony, this one's for you," he gives her the other envelope. the girls hugged him and then getting into the van.
     Harmony ended up crying herself to sleep, eventually slumping into Nevaeh's lap. Nevaeh wasn't crying, she'd never cry in front of anybody, really. it has nothing to do with weakness or strength, she just physical got used to not crying.
     the van pulled up to their old house in Chicago after driving for an hour. the ride wasn't long and Harmony slept through 45 minutes of it. Mrs. Gules carried Harmony's things while Nevaeh put her phone away and put her backpack on before getting out of the car. she picked up Harmony and carried her inside the house while complaining about how heavy she is. Harmony isn't really heavy, Nevaeh's just tired. Nevaeh doubled back outside to get her stuff after setting Harmony down on her bed.
     "all set?" Ms. Gules asked Nevaeh when they both stepped outside. Nevaeh nodded and hugged Ms. Gules,"thank you for being here through this awful year." "it's my job."