Chapter 8

A week later I was sitting in my room, as usual, when there was a knock on my door. 

“Come in.” 

The door slowly opened to reveal Dimitri with the phone in his hand and a hopeful smile on his face. Immediately my stomach dropped and my heart started to beat ridiculously fast. I knew what it was. It was James calling to tell me what they decided. Would I get a new family? One that could possibly be where I spend the rest of my teenage years and visit for the holidays? Maybe… even make my wish come true? 

Dimitri opened the door fully and walked in handing me the phone. I uneasily took it as he explained. “It’s James, he wants to talk to you.” He gave me a good luck pat on the back before leaving my room, closing the door behind me. Slowly, I raised the phone to my ear before speaking, my heart pounding even louder. James could probably hear it. 

“Hello?” I answered flinching as my voice cracked slightly.

“Sera! Hi! Listen, I’m just going to get right to the point. Tessa and I, we’d like to adopt you.” My heart stopped. My breathing halted. My brain froze. I said the first thing that I could think of. 

“Why?” 

I heard a deep intake of breath come from James, probably surprised that I would ask that. 

“Why not?” he replied. 

“B-because I’m really just a waste of space. I’ll just be in your way.” My voice cracked as the last word left my mouth and my eyes watered a little, my dad’s words swirling through my head. I heard a sad sigh come from James before he spoke. 

“Listen, Sera. You are not a waste of space. I’ve only spent a few hours talking to you, I barely know you, and I have a lot to learn, but I do know that you are not a waste of space. You are a lovely young girl who I would like to get to know and provide a permanent home for.” 

Despite my mind telling me that he was lying my heart was telling me that it was the truth. The battle waging in my body was too much for me to handle so I just skipped over it and changed the subject. 

“So, when do I need to start packing?” I could hear the smile in James’s voice. 

“Today actually. We’re going to sign the papers tomorrow and we’re going to head there with a truck afterward.” 

“So I’ll officially be yours by tomorrow?” 

“Yeah, you will be.” 

I was at a loss for words thinking about the third home I would be living in this year. What would it be like? Is it a nice place? Or is it more like my old home? Was James kindness just part of an act that would drop the minute we were alone? Or was he the father that mine used to be before mom died? I was drawn from my thoughts as I heard Tessa’s voice in the background. James rattled off a reply quickly. 

“Alright, Sera. I have to go, but I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.” I say bye as well and we both hung up. 

I sat there for several minutes, no thought passing through my brain. I couldn’t possibly make sense of anything it was all so fast. And suddenly, all I could think of was one thing. How would Lily react? With this being the only thought in my mind, I left my room. 

I quickly descended the stairs and put the phone back in its holder. I passed by the living room and spotted Lily on the floor in front of the couch. She was playing with some baby dolls, feeding them and changing them as she watched The Little Mermaid. One single tear rolled down my face as the thought of having to say goodbye plagued my heart and soul. 

Quickly wiping the tear, I headed into the kitchen where Dimitri was cooking with Tonya. As soon as I stepped into the kitchen, Dimitri turned around with that hopeful smile still on his face. I could tell he wanted to ask, badly, but he didn’t, waiting until I spoke up myself. 

“They’re adopting me,” I spoke normally with no excitement. I watched as Dimitri’s face filled with excitement. Gosh, you’d think he wanted me gone. He came over and hugged me. I awkwardly hugged back, not one for physical contact. 

Finally, he pulled back, an unsure look now on his face. “Why aren’t you excited?” he asked. For once, I let my heart speak. 

“What if… what if I move in and they get to know me and decide they don’t like me? I can’t go back to the way things were. I won’t survive.” 

“Sera, James and his wife are nice people. I’ve talked to many people who know them, and everyone likes them. You’ll be fine.” He ruffled my hair before returning to the food. 

“So when are they coming to get you?” Tonya asked. 

“Oh, they’re coming tomorrow after they sign the papers. I should get packing.” 

“D-Does that m-mean you’re leaving?” a little voice asked. 

I turned to see Lily still holding one of her baby dolls with tears in her eyes. We all stood there shocked, not knowing what to say. Suddenly she burst into tears and ran out of the kitchen. We could hear her footsteps as they ran up the stairs, probably heading to her room.  We all looked sadly at the entryway to the kitchen. 

“I’ll go talk to her,” Tonya spoke with sadness. Dimitri and I both stayed silent not moving until he sighed. 

“Well, I’ll go get the boxes and tape so you can start packing.” And then it was only me in the kitchen. 

For once, I found myself thinking that maybe I wasn’t such a burden after all. Maybe I wasn’t such a waste of space. Maybe I wasn’t worthless. But it was still my fault. It was my fault that my mom died. Nothing could change that. 

Finally, Dimitri came back with several cardboard boxes in his hands. He motioned for me to follow him upstairs and we packed my stuff together. 

I didn’t see Lily for the rest of the night, she wouldn’t come out of her room. Not even for dinner.