Ch. 2: You're Adopted

TREMENDOUS TIME may have passed as I stood there, in the powder blue doorway to my room. I couldn't be certain, of course.

     I didn't know what to do, or think, or even say. I had gasped, somewhat melodramatically, when I had first walked inside, but now. . .  I was just still -- frozen to the shag carpet beneath my feet.

       Everything was gone. Everything.

      My dark eyes trailed the small room, with wooden shelves built into the soft colored walls. The sturdy bed frame no longer supported my twin-sized bed, just a stripped mattress surrounded by bare walls where the moving pictures of chattering friends and days spent in the sun used to hang.

The barren walls, the empty cupboards, and the hollow closet all rang, as if vision could sing.

My mum had just. . .  packed it all up. I had checked my closet and the bathroom and even my special hiding place under my mattress. All of it had been packed away. I didn't understand why she would do this, or even how she would be able to.

     "Hon? Please come downstairs. We need to have a talk." My mum grabbed my shoulders gently, her voice soft.

Clarice Roberts was not often soft. She was sturdy, like hardwood floor. Her will was tangible and not easily swayed, but kind and generous. I'd never been able to convince my mother to do anything she didn't want.

Trey used to say she'd spent all her middle-ground raising him. I just thought he was her favorite.

But, this tone, it was if she was trying to tell me that she was sorry. Sorry for what, I wasn't sure.

    The feeling of her cool, tense hand on my shoulder sent a flash of insecure anger down my neck. Roughly, I shrugged off her hand, aggravated at the sight of all my belongings, packed away, out of sight.

      "Talk about what? This? What is going on Mum?!" I turned on my heel and glared at her, I had never been so harsh to my mother before, but what she has done has left me scared and helpless. Why had she packed up all of my things?! I waved my hand around the bare room, practically at a loss for words. "Why did you do this?"

      "Please, I'll tell you everything. Let's just go downstairs and be civil about this, darling." She pushed me lightly, ushering me down to the first level where the couple still was waiting. I had all but forgotten about them.

      Numbly, I let her lead me. I was in a trance. Time seemed to be stopped and I had no idea if this was even reality or not. When we reached the living room, the couple that I had seen earlier were now seated on the couch, looking very nervous. Walking into the living room, the couple quickly jumped up onto their feet and shot me wavering grins. The woman even started to cry.

        "You are so beautiful!" The woman sobbed and rubbed under her eyes. She was a thin woman, with a thin hooked nose, and thin, dainty wrists that dropped down to slender fingers. Her dark auburn hair was wiry, coarse and disheveled from what seemed to be a constant nervous tugging. As the woman ran a hand through her hair once more, little mouse brown roots peeled through. Her lips fluttered with a nervous smile, then it dashed away as if it were afraid.

"Clarisse, you have done a wonderful j-job raising her." The thin woman tried to smile, but it kept wavering and turning into watery tears, slipping off her lips. "Excuse me, I'm just so-o happy. . .  and disgraced at myself." The woman apologised to me, and pulled out a hankie, dabbing at the corners of her almond eyes.

     Beside her, the lanky man in a grey cardigan and khakis stepped forward and held out his hand to me, nervously. "I-I'm Dan Granger, and this is my wife, Jane." He smiled at me and I took his hand, confused as to what they wanted.

    Confused about the whole situation, really. Was it possible that this was some lucid dream?

I masked politeness and offered the couple a timid nod.

      "It's nice to meet you two. I'm Elle." I returned their warm smile. Or, I tried to at least. Nothing could mask my clear confusion.

The woman sniffled a bit and pulled me into a tight hug, but it was not as awkward as I thought it would be. It was actually nice, even though she was a random stranger.

     "Elle, what a beautiful name," Jane whispered to herself, sitting down on the floral printed couch. My Mum sat me down in a cushioned chair across from the couch. My gaze caught the couple's then turned quickly to my hands before landing on my distraught mother.

    "Our daughter should be here shortly," Jane added, her eyes wavering over our fireplace. "I told her it was urgent for her to meet you." Despite the bittersweet air that was around me, I could tell by the uncomfortable way Dan and Jane shifted in their spots, they were very uncomfortable. Almost as uncomfortable as myself.

     "Elle, sweetie," My mum grabbed my hand searched my eyes with her probing blues. In her eyes held all the sadness and pleading in the world, pleading me to understand whatever it was that she needed to tell me. "Please, believe me when I tell you this. . . "

     I glanced awkwardly around the room and then back to her. "Of course, Mum, what is it? What is going on?" The anxiety of the situation was eating me alive. I just wanted her to tell me what was happening already.

     "I love you." My mother hugged me. I froze, but stiffly returned the hug, thoroughly confused now. "But the truth is. . . ," she bit her lip and bore her crystal blue eyes into my brown ones, "these people are your parents. Your real parents."

     For a second my world stopped. What? Maybe I had heard her wrong, maybe this was all just a big joke and we would laugh about it later over some coffee and doughnuts?

       I laughed.

    "Oh, come on, Mum," I laughed harder, but it felt more and more painful to make the sound the more my mother's face contorted into a frown. "Y-You're not serious? I mean, . . . I mean, that would mean that I'm. . ." 'Adopted', a voice in the back of my mind murmured.

      "What?" I whispered. My eyes flashed from the Grangers to my mum, back and forth, back and then forth again. All the while, my 'mother', didn't utter a single word.

     The pieces all started to click into place, little things that meant nothing to me before, suddenly washing the color from my face. Trey's strange looks, the way he gave me a nervous chuckle every time I commented about how we were brother and sister. Also, the little things fit. Mum and Trey both had blond hair and blue eyes, yet I had light brown hair and brown eyes.

     I looked at the little things between Jane and Dan. Dan had my hair color and I had Jane's thick hair. My eyes were a muddy mixture of their colors. I even had Jane's nose and Dan's ears. My heart started to pound. All of my life. It was a lie. My mum and brother weren't really mine. They were just housing me.

     I felt stupid, more stupid than I had ever felt before in my entire life. "I should have known," I hissed out, tears prickling the corners of my tear ducts, stinging and rubbing more salt into my new found wounds.

       'But why? Why would they come back into my life? Why now?'

     Clarisse lay a hand on my shoulder, but I flinched away from her, angry. "You never told me," the betrayal in my tone was heavy and laced with malicious venom. "Why are you here?" I was shocked by the thickness in my voice. I cleared my throat as I addressed Jane and Dan, my birth parents. "Why now?"

     Jane sighed and gave Dan a wistful look before answering my question. "We never wanted to give you away, Elle. But we could not afford to keep you both. We had no money when you girls were born but we still wanted to keep you both. But eventually we had to declare bankruptcy and we wanted to let you girls live in a good home where they could support you until we could support the two of you by ourselves. So, we gave you to our close friend, Clarisse Roberts. She promised to take good care of you until we got everything prepared for you."

      "So, you have everything prepared for me now?" I cringed at the tears in my voice but shrugged it off. "Is that what you are trying to say? You are going to take me away from my life here and drag me to wherever the hell you are from?!"

     "N-Not at all, that's —" Jane begun to chime, but was cut off by my mum.

      "Now, Elle!" My mum straightened her back at my language. "Do not talk to your parents like that. They have every right to take you home with them, you are their daughter," she scolded me.

       I glared at her, a sudden anger and hatred aroused in me that I have never felt towards her before. Most of the time, I only felt indifference towards the woman.

     We had never been particularly close, but even this felt like a sharp blow to the stomach. "What do you care?!" I could see Jane and Dan flinch back at my words. There were words on Jane's lips, but she refrained from getting in-between Clarisse and me.

     "Now Elle, you know that I love you." My 'mum' tried to hold my hand but I pushed it away from me.

       "No, no. You obviously don't! If you really loved me you would have told me this ages ago! You wouldn't have lied to me all these years. You would have been straight with me and told me the truth. And now, on top of the fact that I have just found out I am adopted, you are telling me to get out?! And furthermore, I also find out that I have a sister?" Clarisse cringed at my harsh words, but I did not care. "You lied to me!" I stood onto my feet and glared at her. "You lied to me for fourteen years!" I hissed. "You never loved me. How could you say that when the evidence of your true feelings are all leaning against the staircase?"

      I nodded towards the wall, for behind it was my suitcases, all lined up and waiting to go.

     With that, I stalked into the kitchen and slammed the door shut behind me. I needed some 'me' time; I couldn't go back out there until I caught my breath. I leaned against the counter and took in a few large gulps of air. I felt as if I was suffocating. My world was closing in on me and all I could do was watch as the walls crushed me.

     A loud sob racked my chest and I felt a waterfall of tears cascade down my face. I was overwhelmed. I covered my mouth to try and silence the embarrassing sobs, but to no avail. All of the sudden, the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen started to bang open and shut. The noise rose and rose, but I could not control it. My magic was out of my reach. I watched as glass bowls and flower vases randomly started to combust.

     The shattered glass seemed to wake me from the trance that I was under. I blink a few times and regained control. I looked around at the damage I had caused and cursed.Rubbing my eyes, I then pulled out my wand, pointing it at the shattered glass on the floorboards and whispering, "reparo" under my breath.

     As the magic worked, I thought about my relationship with my new-found adoptive mother. Nine months out of the year I was in boarding school, and the other three months Clarisse spent most of her time at work. I had been going to my school since I was five, and that doesn't really leave much room for a relationship with a hard-working mother.

      Even still, did Clarisse really not care about me? Did she feel so little towards my well being that she felt she could simply remove me from her life by packing up all my things while I was away at school? The thought cut me like a million little shards of glass against my heart.

      I smiled a sad, withered ghost of a smile as broken pieces of China and glass started to put themselves back together, lining back up into the cupboards and drawers. I stuffed my wand back into my boot and walked into the living room once more. It was time to face my fears. I felt more calm and knew what I wanted now.

      I pushed open the door and came face to face with an anomaly. Frowning, I tilted my head to the side and examined the person standing in front of me. For a moment, I considered the possibility of her being my mirror image, but I knew we were different in many ways.

      The little differences became more evident the longer I stared. This girl wasn't my mirror image as I had first imagined, though the similarities were uncanny.

       "Who are you?" We said at the same time.

     "Hermione Granger." She answered my question with a soft smile and stuck out her hand. "You must be Elle." I stared at her hand for a long time. I was not trying to be rude, but I could not get over the fact that we were so alike. Clearing my tear crowded throat, I adjusted my emotions to reflect a happy tone, despite feeling cheated these past years.

      Squinting, I examined her face a bit longer, making sure to pinpoint our differences. There were more subtle ones the longer I looked her over. I had light freckles across my cheeks and the bridge of my nose, and she was tanner than I. Also, our noses were very similar, but not quite the same. Hers was thinner and hooked, while mine was a bit flatter on my face. Also, she was physically thinner than myself, while I was a bit on the chubby side.

     I shook my head to clear my thoughts, all the while, Hermione still was offering me her hand. "Hello, it's. . .  nice to meet you." I shook her hand and smiled at her, to tell her that I did not have any ill feelings towards her.

     Hermione noticed my luggage sitting at the foot of the staircase and arched a brow of surprise. "Oh, are you coming with us? I didn't know that you were already planning on it, if you are, of course." Hermione smiled.

     She seemed like a fairly nice girl and I would not doubt that I would get along with her. She was my. . .  sister. . .  after all.

     "Now, Hermione," Jane stood up and walked over to us, eyes soft, "we do not want to pressure the poor girl. She has been through a lot today." She looked at me with kindness and motherly love which was astounding, since she hardly even knew me.

    "We won't force you to come. You can stay here if you desire." She tried to smile, but I could tell that she really wanted me to come home with them. "There's also something I had been meaning to say earlier, Elle."

     Dan stood as well, wrapping an arm around Jane's shoulder with a heavy nod, picking up where her voice trailed off. "You stated that we were 'ready now' for you, but we want you to know that is not the case. We lost contact with Clarisse after a few years --when the Roberts' moved to America-- and we have been searching for you through many different contacts through the Ministry of Magic."

     Jane sniffled, on the verge of tears once more it seemed. "Yes, you see, we wanted to bring you back home when you and Hermione turned five, but we couldn't find yo-ou again," a couple spare tears streaked down her cheeks, collecting at her chin.

       Seeing the heartbreak on my birth parents' faces was enough to paint the scenery of a completely broken down couple searching for their missing daughter for almost a decade. It was surreal. I couldn't have caused this couple so much pain. Could I have?

      I felt as if my heart was breaking. I looked at my 'mum', but Clarisse would not make eye contact with me. What I said was harsh and I knew that, but I don't regret it. I meant very word. She didn't love me, not really, if she did she would not have packed up all my things and told me goodbye.

      Dan cleared his throat, sending Clarisse a soft smile. "If your adoptive mother hadn't sent us an owl over Christmas, we may have never found you."

     That one hurt. "You mailed them?" To keep my bottom lip from quivering, I bit down on it, hard. "You told them to come get me?" 'During Christmas, she had wanted me gone since then.' Horrified, I tore my gaze away from Clarisse, none of this made sense. My world was spinning.

       "I think I'll come with you," I quickly blurted out. I wanted to put this all behind me. Clarisse knew that I only wanted her to tell me the truth, and I thought she had, but all these years were fraud. I knew that I should be thinking more of this decision, but honestly, I felt it was my destiny to be with these people. They had hurt so much over me, and clearly, Clarisse didn't want me around any longer. That thought hurt the most, but even still, I tried to push it to the back of my mind. Something in my heart was telling me to let go of this life because whatever lay on the other side had to be greater.

      "Really?" Jane and Dan both said, surprised at my sudden sureness. "You are positive?" Dan added to be sure.

      I looked at Clarisse one last time, but she refused to look at me. I leaned down and gave her a hug, I knew that I loved Clarisse, but she could never love me like a mother. "I forgive you," I whispered in her ear. I did not want her to think I resented her. She sobbed and pulled me into a hug.

      "I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything." She kissed my forehead. "Please write to me, you are still my daughter." Clarisse rubbed her eyes and glanced out the window to the right of us. "One day, . . .  I'll explain everything to you."

     I nodded and gave her one last hug before turning to my . . . true family. "So, uh, where are we going?"

     Hermione was somber as her eyes moved from my adoptive mother then over to me, contemplating the gravity of the situation. "Have you ever been to England?"

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10 Years Later A/N:
when I was a child, I understood nothing about adoption or you know.. practical human interaction.

Parents don't just show up one day to swoop you away LOL ... hello 2010-esque Wattpad.