FicWad

The sound of the doorbell resounded through the orphanage as Gerard waited for someone to answer. He didn’t have to wait very long to go through the motions of the adoption process this time, as compared to the other two times he had adopted his two beautiful daughters. But that was years ago when Lindsey was still with them. Several years ago, she had tragically passed away from cerebral hemorrhage, the result of a terrible car crash. His daughters, Hozzie and Pennina, were 8 and 4, respectively, the. Pennina barely remembered that fateful day, but Gerard knew Hozzie did, maybe too well. Over the next several years after her mother had died, Gerard had noticed her fall into a deep hole of darkness, but hadn’t realized that he himself had done the same. Fortunately, he had gotten the both her and himself help, and since then, things had looked up considerably. Recently, though, after Gerard had told his therapist he was thinking of adopting another child, he was told that the reason for wanting another child was to fill the hole that had his wife had left when she passed away. Gerard wasn’t so sure, as he thought he had moved on, but it was quite possible. He always kept himself busy, whether it was work, entertaining his children, or doing any sort of activity, to keep his mind from slipping into hopelessness. He had not yet put his heart out to be taken by another suitor, though it had been many years since his loss, and quite frankly, he wasn’t sure if he would ever even want to. His therapist suggested that he might consider it, to keep himself from thinking lonely thoughts, which could inevitably lead up to adopting a child, just to selfishly fill the void, but Gerard declined, thinking that he really did want another child, another challenge and love to keep him going. Sure, the child would fill the void, but Gerard though it was in no means selfish. He wanted to love someone who wanted the same in return.

An stout, old lady, hair grayed, and face leathery with age, answered the door and greeted him with joy,

“Gee! Darling come in! She’s all ready for you.” Gerard had adopted Hozzie and Pennina from the very same orphanage and chuckled at her usual sweetness. He stepped inside of the familiar orphanage to see a thin teenage girl sheepishly standing in the middle of the foyer, suitcases at her side. Gerard smiled warmly and greeted her,“Hey, Azalea.”

The girl smiled back, pushing her light brown hair out of her eyes.

“Hi,” she answered, nervously grinning. The elderly woman who had welcomed Gerard, the orphanage director, Mrs. Silverstone, stood at the side, almost squealing with excitement that one of her “children” was being adopted. She couldn’t take her eagerness, and ran to embrace Azalea, knocking the breath out of the teenager.

“Ohh, I’m going to miss you, dearie!” Mrs. Silverstone said. Azalea smiled, hugging her back.

“I’ll miss you, too.” Mrs. Silverstone held Azalea out in front of her, looking her up and down, a bittersweet expression on her face.

“You come an’ visit, sweetie, okay? Everyone here will miss you.”

“Of course I will,” Azalea said, leaning in for one last hug. Gerard stood, hands in his jean pockets, watching the heart-warming scene of the two saying their goodbyes. Finally, Azalea was ready. Gerard led her out the door, thanking Mrs. Silverstone once again. Gerard and Azalea walked down the concrete path back to his car and sat himself on the driver’s seat, Azalea sitting next to him in the passenger seat. He exhaled. Another adventure begins.

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Azalea stared at the orphanage as it got smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared from her sight. The place where she grew up was now gone. She new that no matter how much she wanted it, there was no way back.
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After about an hour drive they arrived at Gerard's house. It was a little white house with a red door surrounded by a picket fence. There was a lovely green yard with what seemed to be an old beaten up tree house. As she walked up to the house she could've sworn she saw something move up in that little tree house.

"Welcome home!" Gerard said with an exited look on his face. "I have two other daughters also, Hossie and Penina. There really sweet kids you should like them. Hmm i wonder where they are.. Be right back I'm going to find them." Gerard went down the hallway and out of sight leaving Azalea all alone in a small empty wooden room.

Azalea sat down in the corner of the room with her back pack. It was the only thing she brought with her from the orphanage. She took out her journal and started writing in it for a few seconds until she heard some girl screaming from somewhere in the house saying, "I thought you were kidding. You actually got another one!" then she heard a few foot steps and Gerard came back into view.

"I can't seem to find either of them around here so I'm going to show you your room and you can meet them later." said Gerard. Azalea put her note book and pencil back in her bag and followed Gerard into a white room with a tilted ceiling.It had just a bed and a closet in it, other then that it was completely empty. "I left it white so you could redecorate it if you want and theres plenty room to add furniture to if you want."

"Thanks." Azalea said politely.

"Any time kid! Oh and when you get hungry or want to watch tv or whatever you teens do now a days then you can go down stairs. Thats basically where everything is. I'll be there too if you need me." said Gerard.

"Thanks"

"No problem, but I have a business call in a few minutes so I have to go down, sorry." Gerard said as he left the room leaving Azalea all alone.
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Azalea sat in the corner of the room writing in her notebook when suddenly she looked up and saw a girl hiding behind the door staring at her. She put down her her note book and said, "Hey. Are you one of the other kids I've heard about?"

The girl nodded and replied nervously, "Yeah, my name is Hozzie. Are you the new girl my dad just adopted?"

"I guess so. No ones told me otherwise."



Beginning written by http://www.ficwad.com/author/146860 davidthesquirrel From: "The sound of the doorbell... Another adventure begins"