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"Leia, Lorie...we have some big news for you guys. We'd like to talk about it after meal time, alright?"
"Yes, Mrs. Stein!" Lorie answered her social worker and caretaker. Leia only nodded her head shyly.
"What do you think the news is?" Leia wondered out loud.
"It's obvious, isn't it? We're going to get adopted!" Lorie gushed.
"Do you really think so?" Leia's crystal eyes lit up.
"Yes, I'm sure of it. This time it's for real, and they're going to take both of us."
Meal time wasn't for another forty minutes. The children wondered why Mrs. Stein would torture them with a cliffhanger like that. The way time was dragging on, they'd never know what the news was for sure. Usually big news did mean a family was interested in adoption. Thats the same message they gave Suzie last week and she was out the next day with a family of her own.
"What's up with you two?" Dean, another kid on the compound, came towards them. He was the resident messenger, spreading news and gossip as fast as he heard it.
Leia shrunk back, being her usual shy self. Lorie on the other hand bounced up and down. "We're going to get adopted!"
"You don't know that for sure..." Leia bit her lip.
"Of course I do! Mrs. Stein said she had big news!"
"Thats what she told Jimmy yesterday too and he got adopted!" Dean agreed.
In a matter of minutes, the word had gotten out. Wonder who spilled the beans? Children had gathered around the girls, asking so many questions. What are the parents like? Do they have any other kids? Any pets? Where do they live? Thats where their little imaginations got put to the test and even Leia was excitedly chatting about her prospective family.
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Lorie and I put on our best outfits.
Lorie wore her mermaid dress.
I wore my fairy costume. We were sure to impress our new family!
Lorie and I had stepped foot in front of the coolest house ever. It was painted with all sorts of polka dots! It was awesome!! These were definitely going to be the coolest parents EVER!
By the door stood a man with brown hair. He was waving excitedly at us. "Hey girls, my name is Mark and I'm going to be your new dad."
"That lady over there is your mother, Stacy. Just call her mom." She was absolutely beautiful, like something out of a movie. She looked just like a princess. My mother was royalty!
"And that boy over there..." he pointed to the sidewalk. "Is your older brother Seth. He's super awesome."
"A big brother!?" I squealed happily. "I always wanted a brother!!"
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Living with our new family was so much fun. My daddy taught me how to dance. He let me stand on his feet so I wouldn't fall down. He even sang to me while we danced!!
I watched movies with Seth and mommy. Mommy and I both hated scary movies but we watched them because Seth liked them. When I got scared he would read me a story to go to bed. Then, he would sit and watch fairy princess movies for hours the next day! It was awesome! He told me that I look just like a princess from the movies!
Lorie would sit in her room and play with the dolls that daddy bought for us. Her room was painted blue to match her mermaid dress and mine was pink to match my fairy dress. Our parents knew us so well!
When we were all done playing, daddy would come upstairs and kiss us goodnight.
One day, Seth called a taxi and told us to get in. He wouldn't tell us where we were going, it was supposed to be a surprise. Lorie and I kept trying to guess, but we never got the right answer.
We would have never guessed he would have taken us to an arcade! We hung out for a bit, laughing and telling jokes. Seth told us a story about two princesses named Leia and Lorie who saved the whole town from the evil dragon!
Afterwards, Seth gave us each five dollars worth of quarters and let us play some arcade games. We couldn't beat him in any games, especially pinball! Lorie and I were tied against each other. She won four games and I won four.
When we got home, Lorie and I weren't tired at all! Seth taught me how to play red hands. I beat him three times!
Lorie jumped on her bed for hours. It looked like fun so I did it too and we had a great time. Then we had to go to sleep because we had our first day of school tomorrow.
I woke up early to show Seth and mom this cool new trick I learned. They told me it would impress all of my classmates!
Lorie and I sat together on the bus. We laughed and talked the entire way. Our teachers were mean but we had made a lot of friends so it was all okay.
When we got home our dad was holding a puppy. Her name was snow. She was so cute. I couldn't believe he bought us a puppy!
Snow sat and watched television with Lorie. I think she liked it more than my sister did! Our mom made us cookies to eat after we finished our homework. Snow got her own special peanut butter treats!
The next morning I woke up to the sound of emptiness. Where was everyone? I looked all around me. Where was mom, dad, Seth and Lorie?
"You're awake..." A small voice whispered.
"Lorie? Whats going on?"
"Mrs. Stein's big news was that we're going to get separate rooms just like we asked for."
"What?" I frowned in disbelief. It couldn't have been just a dream. We had parents, a brother, even a puppy. We went to school, made friends, danced and had fun. We had a life, a family!
"I'm sorry Leia..." Lorie said and hugged me tightly. I began to sob into her arms. I had been so wrapped up in my dream that I had slept through mealtime.
"I don't want to switch rooms anymore!" I choked out. "You're the only family I have!"
I can feel Leia's disappointment that the 'big news' was just them getting separate rooms. Leia's dream would have been awesome if it had been reel. Poor girl always wanted a family to belong too! But in a way her dream did come true when she married Noah. She now belongs in the Gray family.
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