Finding Family |Adopted by Melissa Benoist and Chris Wood|

14

The following days after the first therapy appointment were quiet. Melissa was preparing to go back to work and Chris was starting to write a new short movie script that he decided to call "Snowshoe"

Star also seemed to be a little calmer these days. After sharing and expressing some of her thoughts during therapy, it was like a weight that got lifted. She still felt nervous around her foster parents but she was coming around.

A couple of days ago, she started engaging in play with some legos, often building large, intricate structures out of the colorful plastic blocks .

Yesterday, she saw Melissa sitting on the couch, watching her build. A feeling that Star couldn't quite wrap her head around came over her as she slowly stood up and walked over to her foster mom and gently tugged Melissa's sleeve, motioning to the blocks. Soon, a small city was scattered over the living room floor that the two of them built together.

Star still felt extremely nervous around Chris though. Every time he got too close, her stomach would tie itself into knots and her heart would pound against her rib cage, threatening to jump out of her body. Why hadn't Chris done anything painful to her yet? What was he waiting for? Every time she was around him, he was always nice, but why? All the other men she had ever encountered in her life would jump at the opportunity to make her hurt so badly she couldn't breathe.

"I just wish she would trust me! I would never ever hurt her!" Chris vented to his wife for the fifth time in a row while they were getting ready for bed.

"Babe, I know, I'm sorry. I honestly am not really sure what else to do." Melissa replied, her voice full of warmth and sympathy as she crawled into the bed.

"Ugh I know.. I'm sorry for complaining so much" Chris apologized sheepishly, putting a pillow over his head and turning off the light.

Star was not the only one with the big feelings. Chris was having a hard time constantly feeling like he was being rejected by his foster daughter. He knew it was a childish and petty thing to feel but his heart just hurt, seeing the terror in Star's eyes every time he was in the room.

In the next room over, Star was curled up in a small ball on her bed with the covers over her head just how she liked it. All of the sudden, she saw bright flashes of light, blinding her. She could feel herself stumbling through a dark hallway. She felt an arm reach out and grab her waist and a hand over her mouth, silencing her scream.

"Get down, ye dirty little twit!" a rough voice snapped.

Star felt her blood run cold. It was her old foster dad Seth and he was ready to inflict a world of hurt on her.

She felt him move around, tying her limbs together with a rope that cut into her tender skin. Her heart pounded in her ears and the tears swam around in her eyes, threatening to spill, knowing what was coming next.

She felt it before her brain processed what was happening. The burning pain cut deeply into her whole body but was most centralized in a very sensitive region of her body. One that made her feel violated and sick as the pain continued to cut and rub her insides.

Then there was a pause and Star breathed out a breath she did not know she was holding in. She unclenched her fists and realized that her tied limbs were all bruised and raw. However, that relief was short-lived when a large shadow of Seth holding a thick leather belt in his hand. The ghostly figure of his wife, Marla, came behind him with a large stick.

Before she could stop herself, Star screamed as loud as she could, fighting against the ropes. The loud slap of the belt was like a clap of thunder. She heard the large stick crack against her ribs, knocking the wind out of her before the pain engulfed her all at once. Star continued to scream and cry, willing the pain to stop.

"Star!" Melissa exclaimed, shaking her foster daughter's shoulder

Melissa and Chris had been asleep when they were jolted awake by a blood curdling scream. Without even thinking, the two of them raced into Star's room only to find her wrestling her sheets. Star was sobbing and screeching from some kind of invisible force that held her in its evil clutches.

All of the sudden, Star's eyes popped open. Her chest felt like it was about to explode as she gasped for air, still sobbing so violently her whole body trembled.

"Hey hey you're okay. It's okay. It's just a dream." Melissa soothed, gathering Star in her arms and holding her close.

Star thrashed and sobbed trying to get free but Melissa held on and continued to murmur soft words to her distraught foster daughter. Then, she realized that in her efforts to comfort Star, she had tears streaming down her cheeks.

How many times had Chris had to wake her up and hold her close after nightmares of her previous abusive relationship consumed her dreams. She had never wanted physical contact after and wanted to deal with it alone but he never let her. Chris just held on tight and hugged her, rocking back and forth until the sobs subsided.

Star was having a much harder time with this and started to bite and scratch but Melissa continued to hold on, trying to calm her very distraught foster daughter.

Chris tried to keep his distance, knowing that he could end up making things worse by getting too close but seeing Melissa and Star in so much distress was too much for him. He felt himself break down into tears as well, and against his better judgement, he went over to sit on the bed behind his wife holding the two of them close. He immediately felt Melissa relax under his touch and her breathing evened out which seemed to translate to Star who's biting and scratching stopped almost at once.

"It's okay kiddo. You're safe" Chris whispered to Star.

"Safe" wasn't a word Star was very familiar with. In fact, she began to question what safe really meant. She didn't feel very safe in her new home; it was a new and scary place with new and scary people. People who had the power to do what they wanted with her, just like the others before them. Part of her let herself believe that the safety her new foster parents gave her was nothing but a plot against her to make her ultimate punishment, when it inevitably came, a living nightmare.

The tears were still streaming down her cheeks but it was a different kind of tears. This was a new sensation Star felt. It was like a wave of something washed over her; it was like the opposite of scary. Star didn't know what the name was for the feeling but soon, her sobs quieted and she was reduced to a puddle of sniffles and hiccups.

Melissa slowly loosened her grip on Star and gently rubbed Star's arm with her free hand. Star did not have the energy to pull away. All that crying had made her exhausted and she could feel her eyelids growing heavy and drooping.

Before she knew it, Star felt herself being lifted then lowered back onto her bed. At first, her eyes snapped open and she wriggled a little so Melissa sat her up and knelt down next to her. Chris came in and handed her a glass of water. To his surprise, Star only pulled away slightly before gingerly taking the glass of water from him.

"Th-an-nk y-o-ou" she whispered, glancing up at Chris shyly.

"You're welcome kiddo" he replied as his heart seemed to swell with the amount of love he felt for Star.

"Let's go use the bathroom" Melissa suggested, taking a step back and inviting Star to get out of bed. The two of them went into the bathroom as Chris straightened out the sheets.

Star crawled into bed and the covers came up, getting tucked just under her chin by the gentle, caring hands of her foster mom.

"You sleep well, okay honey. If you are scared, you just come and get us." Melissa reassured.

Star nodded, sleepily rubbing her comfort blanket against her cheek as she always had done to self soothe.

Melissa and Chris tiptoed out of the room, leaving the door cracked open just in case before getting back into bed and falling into a deep, exhausted sleep. 

A/N: Thank you guys so much for more than 600 views! As of this moment, this story is ranked number 2 in the melissabenoist category and number 6 in the arrowverse category which is insane! So grateful for you all!  💕