"Yes, of course. Please, come with me to see the child." The attendant, a young women with a beaming smile, lead the middle-aged couple down the hall to one of the rooms inside the government orphanage.
"I'm curious, how old is the little one?" The middle-aged man asked, he had gray hair and a receding hairline, but sharp and chiseled facial features, wearing a neat expensive suit.
"He's 12," replied the attendant.
The middle-aged women with blond hair, wearing a white sundress beamed. "Perfect. A decently mature boy is exactly what we need."
"Twelve? But the documents said he was nine?" The man inquired, confused.
The attendant paused walking briefly, before laughing awkwardly.
"It was an old document. It seemed we forgot to update it, we sincerely apologize."
The man raised an eyebrow. "Forgot to update it? Has the government become this incompetent?"
The attendant bowed and nodded. "Yes, we apologize. This is a genuine concern we will take seriously."
The blond middle-aged women sighed and elbowed her husband, leaning up to whisper into his ear.
"Let's just meet and get to know the boy, before deciding to adopt him."
The man wasn't convinced, as he whispered back. "Meet? Look at how incompetent these people are and you think the child we are about to meet would somehow manage to meet our expectations?"
The women shook her head. "Don't be so judgemental. Just listen to me for once, hun."
He almost scoffed and had to supress the urge to roll his eyes at her words, the man still wasn't convinced, but he decided to take her word for it. It wouldn't hurt to just have a small visit.
"Very well."
Eventually, after the short walk, the attendant paused by a wooden door decorated with intricate golden details. She turned towards the middle-aged couple and smiled.
"Mr. Robertson and Mrs. Robertson…." She paused, slowly opening the door to reveal what's inside. "Meet Julien Mornet."
Behind the room was a beautifully decorated room with a single window covered by a dark curtain. There was a single red couch, carpet on the ground and a bed at the corner—nearby a nightstand and closet.
And sitting on the bed, staring at the wall, was Julien himself. He was quite short for a 12-year old and could easily be mistaken for an elementary school student. He had messy black hair and brown eyes, that seemed to have lost all life—his skin was a natural porcelain, but was malnourished. His built was scrawny, clearly haven't been fed well.
When the door opened, he had turned his head towards the light flooding inside the dark bedroom.
"Julien?" The attendant called out with a forced smile, as she stepped inside the room. "Say hello to Mr. Robertson and Mrs. Robertson."
This couple was rich. The attendant was trying her best to communicate that to Julien. After all, if he manages to get adopted, it would be a win for both him and herself.
Julien shifted on the bed, staring at the couple intensely. Before he finally opened his mouth and said softly:
"Hello…."
The attendant chuckled.
"He's a little shy." She turned towards the couple, and gestured towards Julien. "You can speak with him. I'll be outside if you need anything."
And with that, she dismissed herself. Though, she didn't forget to give one last look towards Julien before leaving. The door shut with a click behind her and suddenly it was only the three of them inside the room.
Mrs. Robertson was the first to speak, with a wide smile, she waved at Julien.
"Hello, Julien. I have heard alot about you."
Mr. Robertson narrowed his eyes, taking in the sight of Julien. Clearly, he didn't have much expectations for how this "interrogation" will go out. "Indeed we have…."
Julien didn't seem phased by the reactions he recieved. Rather, he didn't speak at all. The boy just stared at them, lost in his own thoughts.
It was quite awkward for the couple.
Mrs. Robertson took the lead, taking a step forward towards Julien and plopping down on the bed beside him. She gave her husband a knowing look, before turning back towards Julien.
"Julien Mornet….that's a unique name. Where are you from?"
Julien hesitated, then finally opened his mouth. "My birth parents were French."
The middle-aged blond women nodded her head. "And you were born here?"
Julien gave a brief nod as a reply.
A brief silence followed, before she continued. "Tell me more about yourself, Julien. What do you do for fun?"
Julien paused. He seemed to be lost in deep thought, fidgeting with his fingers. He didn't know what he did for fun—what if they mocked him for doing absolutely nothing? In the end, he just lied.
"I like….reading."
The middle-aged women's smile widened. She was about to open her mouth, but her husband interrupted by stepping forward.
"What books do you read?"
Julien felt his heart picking up pace at those words. He knew it was a test, he should of known.
"I….I…." His voice trailed off. This is what happens whenever he tries to get the approval of someone else by pretending to be someone he isn't. "I like…."
"You don't read at all, do you?" Mr. Robertson stated sharply. "Of course you don't. Look at you. I doubt you even know how to read your ABC's."
Julien has heard those words many times before that he had grown numb to it. His face just went back to being blank. What's the point in trying anymore?
"Robert." The wife said firmly, giving a disappointed look towards her husband, before turning towards Julien with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry, let's talk about something else. Tell me, Julien. You mentioned your birth parents, who were they?"
Julien's expression darkened, but he recalled the words from Mia. 'Never tell them about you're actual background.' So, he held his tongue and replied carefully.
"They….were good people," The lie tasted bitter on his tongue. "But I unfortunately lost them during a car crash."
He naturally rehearsed these lines before.
"Trying to get our sympathy, are you? You ar—" Mr. Robertson was about to continue, but his wife shushed him with a raised finger.
"Really? How old were you, then?" She said gently, letting her fingers thread through his messy hair. Julien felt his heart race the affection.
"I was 6."
That was him being honest for once. He was separated from his parents during his sixth birthday.
"Aww….poor baby…" The middle-aged blond women wrapped her arms around his head and pulled him into a hug. Julien felt his cheeks heat up.
"We aren't adopting him." Mr. Robertson finally spoke up.
"What? Why?" Mrs. Robertson exclaimed with a hint of annoyance.
"Because—"
"Come with me for a second," Mrs. Robertson said, as she grabbed her husband by the wrist and dragged him to a corner of the bedroom, away from Julien. Of course, she gave a polite and charming smile to Julien before turning towards her husband.
"What is it?" He grumbled.
"Listen to me," The women's face changed from the motherly look she had, to a cold and calculating one—her eyes filling with malice. "Isn't he the perfect one to adopt? Broken, obedient and desperate."
Mrs. Robertson raised an eyebrow, sparing a glance towards Julien who was pre-occupied staring out the window, then back to his wife.
"I still don't personally like him."
She scoffed. "It doesn't matter if you personally like him or not. He is much better than the other rebellious children in this facility."
"But—"
"Just do it."
Mr. Robertson sighed in defeat. "Alright…." He agreed reluctantly.
"Great!" Mrs. Robertsons attiude took a complete 180 degree turn, as she grinned towards Julien and waved. "Good news, Julien! We have decided to adopt you!"
Mr. Robertson gave a relucant nod.
"Yes, we have."
Julien was stunned, his mouth opening wide, but no sound came out.
"We will go handle the paper work now. Tomorrow, we will make sure to visit you and get to know you better!" Mrs. Robertson said, as she briefly glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, realizing it's a bit late.
Mr. Robertson gave a brief nod towards Julien's direction, as he turned around and left the bedroom—along with his wife, leaving Julien alone to his thoughts.
"Another one," Julien murmured, his expression falling back to being deadpan. "Another one has adopted me just like that. The world really is evil…"
"Everyone is the same."
Julien wasn't sure if he could fall even further into despair than he already has.