Opportunity | Lana Parilla fanfic

Chapter 23

"How was your day?" Lana asks the little girl once they get home from her first day at work.

"That was ok" the girl replies sitting on the bed.

"Just ok?" the woman tries again.

"I think it's ok nothing else to say. Can we stay home tomorrow?"

"Oh baby.. what did we say about the school?"

"Which is not negotiable" the little girl replies bitterly.

Lana knew there was more to it than just looking at Lux in her eyes, something bothered her. The woman then decides to look for Camila's number and organize a small impromptu surprise for the girl.

Lana knew that their camping trip had left the little girl amazed so she decides to invite Kate, Lux's friend, over to the house and asks Renzo to pitch the tent in the garden.

The small garden becomes in no time a super cozy corner of paradise with a tent full of blankets and pillows illuminated by feeble fairy lights that intertwined between the branches of the two trees forming a luminous ceiling for the tent. This had been mounted around the fire place where a nice fire was now crackling and a projector was placed next to it which was ready to project the films on the white wall of the house.

Kate's mom, Camila, was very happy with her daughter's friendship with Lux as the girl had no friends before and when she receives Lana's call despite being a non-vacation day she decides to send her daughter to that impromptu sleepover.

When everything is ready and the guest arrives at the door, the woman decides to call the little girl who had been locked in her room for hours.

When Lana opens the door to the little girl's room she finds Lux  in her bed, her eyes red, reading a book, her way to calm down and escape from her problems.

"How are you doing around here?" the woman asks her, pretending not to have noticed those eyes of hers.

"Ok" the girl replies not taking her eyes off the book.

"You can come downstairs with me, I have something that might take those bad thoughts away for a while"

The little girl who thought the woman hadn't noticed anything is now surprised and intrigued and she finally takes her eyes off her book. Those sad and red eyes from crying hurt the woman who did not understand why her little girl after all she had been through also had to face bullies who had nothing better to do in their life than to blame that being so strong but at the same so fragile way she had to take care of.

The woman picks up the little girl who today seemed even smaller than usual. The little girl after having tightened her arms around the woman's neck hides her face against the woman. Lana after kissing the girl's head brings her down in front of her to the surprise.

"Can you look at what Renzo has prepared for you? I promised you that it is something you will like very much.." the woman whispers in the child's ear.

The little girl slowly raises her head and what she saw was her little paradise. Lux was speechless.

"Kate.." the little girl whispers.

"Your best friend and I would like to spend the evening with you if you are up to this.." the woman asks hopefully "or you want to spend the evening only with Kate and Enzo and I can stay at home, this is up too you.." when the girl feels the second option tightens her grip on the woman's neck which suggests the girl's choice.

"Can you stay?" Lux asks.

"I would love it," the woman says, kissing the girl's cheek.

The woman spends the evening with the girls in front of a couple of Disney films, including snacks, laughter and cuddles. Lux seemed more relaxed and genuinely amused. Lana now understood why Kate had attracted Lux's attention, the two looking like two peas in a pot.

Satisfied with the outcome of the evening and in the middle of the third film, the woman realizes that the two girls had fallen asleep deeply and tries to get up not realizing that Lux's hand had a tight grip on her shirt and so her movement wakes her up.

"Where are you going?" the little girl asks waking up with a shock.

"Cutie I'm going to the kitchen to prepare some work for tomorrow. Close your eyes it's late and you have school tomorrow."

Silence.

"Are you ready to tell me what makes you so upset?"

"It's okay" the little girl says looking into her eyes.

"Since when have you been lying so shamelessly?"

"I don't"

"Why were you crying?"

"It's stupid"

"Nothing is stupid if it makes you cry baby" the woman says seriously.

"I don't like that you go to work and me to school"

"Is the problem work or school?"

"I want to stay with you"

"Children of your age go to school to get an education that is important in life"

"I haven't been to school until now and I survived anyway"

"There is a substantial difference between living and surviving and you have to learn to live and stop surviving .." Silence. The little girl was particularly intelligent and she knew what the woman meant but she didn't like anyway "Is there anything at school that bores you?"

"They say bad things"

"Chelsea?"

"Her and friends of hers"

"We will fix it I promise, and with time you will like school so much and you will go a long way in life" the woman says kissing the girl's head "Just close your eyes I'm going to get some work and I'll come back to read here"

"Do you promise?"

"Have I ever broken a promise miss?"

The little girl thinks about her and closes her eyes abandoning herself to Morpheus in no time.