"well then , i'll have to spoil her too ."
a little wink to her cousin .
then , a frown . bending to her height .
brushing back a strand of hair
from the younger girls face .
"hey . . i'm sure that's not true .
tell me what's going on , talk to me ."
yeah , we can ! the more the merrier .
and hey , aunt michaela does not hate you and she'd care very much if she didn't know where you were . she's a mom , it's in her blood . mom's just get . . upset sometimes . doesn't mean they love you any less . your aunt grace was the same
aw , i miss you too !
think auntie mick would
mind if i stole you for an afternoon ?
girls day ? we'll take eden too , one
of your friends if you want .
him for five and a half
years , so -"
a shrug , playing off the
panicked breath like it
was normal . quick to
volley the subject back
at the other girl , too quick .
she's terrified of life alone .
of being without her twin .
without her beloved father .
"what about you ?"
"he's the best ."
twirling the necklace around
her neck , a custom one she'd
gotten in the aftermath of Jamaica .
a paper boat .
a heavy gasp comes as involuntary
as her breathing , the collective pain
and anxiety she's shouldered
threatens to overtake .
"i didn't have [+]
" thats lucky . "
she murmers,
" not about your mom obviously, but that you got your dad . i mean , if he's a good guy . "
she shuffles uncomfortably, rubbing at her wrist where her new tattoo currently exists , she's told too much of her story to this stranger already .
olive manages to intercept
it before it quite makes it
out fully , though her lips
linger on the words a beat
more , as if they did not receive
the memo from her brain the
way that her vocab chords had .
appreciative eyes over
the other , considering
her kindly and fondly .
face goes pale , eyes widen
a slight touch , the only show
of her alarm in the question .
"oh - uh . no . . my mom's
gone but , i got my dad ."
the words 'for now' almost
slip from her tongue but [+]
" same . "
she also isn't sure how to navigate this .
she's not used to people not knowing her history . all her friends are either other foster kids , ex-juvies, or her siblings .
" are you a foster kid ? i could take your picture . help you find a family . "
olive gives the others hand
a firm shake , friendly in nature .
she's rather glad to meet someone
of similar age .
"nice to meet you ."
she's a little awkward - with her
family ? friends aren't something
she's got a lot of .