She bit Lila!" a voice chimed in tearfully. It was then that Sister Margaret noticed my bleeding hands. Her eyes widened in shock as she carried Mia who was still glued to her.
"Oh, Lord have mercy," she said, scooping Mia up in her arms. "Lila, follow me, please." She laid Mia on the bed, trying to calm her down. At the same time, she went to get the first aid box and tended to my wound.
Once Mia was composed, Sister Margaret gently encouraged her to apologize. "Mia, sweetie, Lila is your friend. She was just trying to help with your hair. You don't gotta bite her, okay? If you don't like somethin', just tell her."
Mia nodded, her head hung low in remorse. I opened my arms, and Mia slowly came into them, her body trembling. As we hugged, I felt a wave of friendship wash over me. It took her a while to reciprocate, but when she did, her hug was tight, as if she'd been longin' for a shoulder to cry on.
"It's okay, Mia," I whispered, patting her back with a reassuring smile.
Mia smiled back at me, and I turned to Sister Margaret. "Sister Margaret?"
"Yes, sugar?" Sister Margaret replied.
"Can you put us in the same room?" I asked with a voice lit with hope.
Sister Margaret smiled and nodded. "Of course, darling, I'll arrange it right away."
From that moment on, Mia and I became inseparable. Our bond grew so strong that everyone in the orphanage knew about us within weeks. I soon discovered that Mia's tough exterior was a result of the trauma she'd experienced after losing her parents in a car accident. She had survived, but the shock had left her a bit of a loner. A lone wolf so to say!
I made it a point to sing her lullabies every night and read her stories. For a week, she wouldn't say a word, but her broad, beautiful smile assured me she was warming up to me. I also helped her with her hair every morning after bath time, using the skills I'd learned from my late mother.
One day, I fell asleep before reading her the novel she'd borrowed from the library. The next thing I knew, someone was gently tapping me, and a soothing voice sweet as honey whispered into my ear, "Lila."
I opened my eyes to find Mia standing over me, her face lit up with a shy smile. "Say my name again," I asked, my heart racing with excitement.
She looked away, her smile growing wider, and then back at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Lila," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
I couldn't believe it. "Wow, you said my name!" I exclaimed, my heart overflowing with joy.
She nodded, her smile still plastered on her face
That was a memorable day for me because, ever since then, despite Mia's initial reluctance to talk to anyone, we would secretly chat in our room every night. Gradually, she began to warm up to the other kids. However, our budding connection was short-lived.
I was 16 when Sister Margaret summoned me to her office one day. As I made my way there, I wondered what she wanted to discuss with me, but I couldn't fathom a single reason. Upon arrival, I knocked on the door, and her sweet, shaky voice bid me enter. Her office was small but tastefully furnished. On her desk, a flower vase and piles of files sat neatly arranged, while awards lined a shelf opposite her desk. The aroma of three cups of coffee wafted through the air, catching my attention. That's when I noticed the two visitors seated across from Sister Margaret's desk.
"Good morning sir! Good morning ma'am," I greeted them politely.
"Aww, shugah, she's just as sweet as can be!" the woman exclaimed. "I told ya she's a good girl!"
I tried to make sense of the situation unfolding before me, but it was confusing to me. The woman's smile, in particular, irritated me – the way she wore her red lip gloss, enough to paint a whole town, and her obvious attempt at a makeover. It seemed like she had never worn makeup before.
"She's even prettier than her picture," the man said. "How old is she?"
"She's 16," Sister Margaret replied. "She looks real mature for her age, don't you think?"
"Yeah, I love that!" the man said.
"Lila, sweetie, this is Mr. Alfred and his wife," Sister Margaret said. "They're one of our biggest benefactors here, and they've come to adopt you."
"Ma'am!" I feigned ignorance. "Meet your foster parents?" Sister Margaret clarified.
"Ma'am, I won't be goin' with 'em. Besides, I gotta think about Mia," I protested.
"Who's Mia?" the man asked, his voice deepening.
Silence was the only thing that crept out through my voice box.
"Mia is her best friend," Sister Margaret answered. "Mind if I see her?"
"Honey, why?" the woman asked, getting a bit ticked off.
"I mean... You've always wanted girls around you."
"You know what, Lila? Get me Mia," Sister Margaret said. I ran out to get Mia, who was already on her way to Sister Margaret's office. She couldn't stand not seein' me for a minute.
"Hey, love! Where to?" I asked, smiling. "Of course! You know I'm coming here to fetch you. It's been 15 minutes or more."
"Mia, Sister Margaret would like to see both of us," I said.
"No problem. Since you're gonna be there with me," Mia replied.
We both held each other and walked back to Sister Margaret's office. Immediately we walked in, the man stood up in awe.
"You've got big girls here. They're beautiful."
"Oh yeah!" Sister Margaret said.
"I'm gonna credit your account tonight. We're gonna adopt the two."
"Honey, two girls?" the woman asked.
"Yeah, you heard me right," the man said.
"No qualms !" The woman said
"When are you comin' for them?" Sister Margaret asked.
"Next week," the man replied.
"Alright, you can go, Lila and Mia." We both walked out of the room. Mia was so happy, but something wasn't right with me. I felt no excitement about havin' those two as our foster parents.
"Lila, we're gonna be sisters," Mia said, beaming.She was on cloud nine, no doubt.