This was wrong. Abnormal even. Then why did it feel so right?
→ Vivienne returns back to where her life had first begun nearly twenty-four years ago, ready for a new journey ahead of her. This includes moving in with her older brother while trying t...
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FINLEY
The low rhythms of a happy-go-to song filled the delicious aroma of the small, cosy kitchen of a two-story family home. The outside was painted a faint yellow - rough strokes visible going in different directions rather than the smooth application one would get from professional hands - it was peeling off at the edges after years of usage with charming white doors and windowsills fulfilling the whole picture. It was nothing grand and nothing special, but it was a warm, loving home.
"Finley, dinner is ready!"
Dark blue eyes and a mop of blonde hair, floppy and messy, reminiscent of a happy dog, turned in the direction of the voice before glancing back at the cartoon on the boxed TV in front of him.
"Finley!"
The call was ignored again, as his eyes followed the figures of the cat and mouse chasing each other on the screen, a giggle escaping as the cat slammed face-first into the wall as the brown little mouse escaped into its tiny home, tongue out taunting the grey cat in return.
"Finley Brooks!"
Knowing that was the last straw of his dear old Nana's voice, Finley quickly rose to his feet and thundered into the kitchen with a hint of a guilty grin. "I'm here, Nana."
"Took you long enough," Rose Brooks, grandmother to Finley, shook her head at the bad habit of his tardiness whenever the television was on. Especially his favourite cartoons. "Do you want your dinner to get cold?"
Little seven-year-old Finley shook his head of blonde hair. "No, but you said we were waiting for Mama and Papa anyway."
"Your mom and dad are going to be a bit late, so mac'n cheese it is for you until then."
Finley only grinned in satisfaction, he wasn't going to complain about getting mac n cheese for dinner when his parents usually always tried to force him to eat the icky green stuff. There were no limitations to the way he was stuffing his face with his grandma clicking her tongue at his messy eating habits, periodically wiping his face until the bowl was empty and his stomach full.
His nana Rose took a look at the clock on the wall before her features seemed to brighten. "They must be here very soon."
The greying woman in her sixties' stood up and bustled around the kitchen almost nervously, muttering to herself and asking if everything looked okay. Despite her older age, she still stood tall with a straight spine and visible lithe form from her youthful days as a competing gymnast. It was a strange sight to see his Nana this way, as Finley followed her with his eyes warily. She had always come across as someone confident in every step, as well as assured in each word pronounced from her mouth - the severity depending on the situation.
Nana Rose was selective in those she offered her true smiles and infectious brightness, though always carefully controlled. The outside world saw her as a severe old woman, who had obviously been scorned by someone during her time as a professional athlete.
At his visible confusion, that brightness softened as she sat down next to him before gently asking. "Do you know where your mom and dad went today, Finley?"
He shrugged. "They said they were going to get my new little sister."
"Exactly - how do you feel about that?"
His lips jutted out into a small pout."I always wanted a brother..."
Nana Rose held back her amused chuckle. "But she's not your brother, she's your sister."
The boy contemplated to himself for a few seconds. envisioning pink dollhouses and not toy robots around the house. But he decided that he could always teach the new baby that his toys were cooler anyway.
"That's okay too." He nodded while fumbling with said robot toy in his hand.
The sound of wheels on gravel coming to a halt caught both of their attention, as Finley hopped down from the kitchen chair and ran to the front door in waiting. His nana was quick in grabbing his shoulder and pulling him slightly back as the door opened and his dad came inside.
"Dad!"
"Hey, buddy!" The older man in his mid-thirties laughed, accepting the energetic hug and settling down on one knee beside him. "Now it is very important you got to try and stay calm if you wanna meet your new sister, okay?" Hearing the seriousness in his voice, Finley nodded and stood rooted to the spot as his mom finally stepped inside, carrying a smaller form in her arms and whispering sweet nothings. Reaching slightly with his neck, Finley was impatient to see his new sibling and all he could see was a pink cap and beige puffer jacket all bundled up.
"Hi honey," His mom greeted him softly before going down to her knees and slowly turning for him to see his little sister's new face. "Meet your new sister."
The slightly slanted oval-shaped dark brown eyes staring back at him were met with innocent confusion.
"But she doesn't look like me?" Finley voiced out. "And she's too big to be a baby."
"Now bud, remember what we told you about adopting?" His dad asked gently.
"That kids with no homes get new ones?"
"Exactly - and your sister is one of them who your mom and I are adopting."
"Finley," His mom continued with crinkled eyes, her voice never going higher than the consistent gentle tone. "Your sister is from very far away, so she will not look like us or any other people around us. She might feel sad about it in a few years, which is why we need you to protect her and keep her happy. Can you do that, honey?"
Hearing that his parents counted on him to be a protector made his skinny shoulders puff up as he nodded viciously. "Yes, I can. I'm the best at protecting!"
"I'm sure you are," His dad laughed before pulling him closer to the small two-year-old girl still shyly resting in his mom's embrace. "Finley, meet Vivienne, your new baby sister."
Slowly stepping closer, Finley lifted his hand in a small wave.
"Hi Vivi, I'm your big brother."
She seemed unsure at first, as well as scared before she lifted her own chubby hand and waved it around quickly before deciding that this was too scary and hiding her small face back in his mom's neck with a whine bordering on the start of a new crying session.
But that was more than enough to make Finley's heart swell with an emotion he wasn't too sure of, as he grinned back in return.
+ + +
Just a little flashback to start off the story cause I'm a sucker for backstory.
