❛ 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ❜ ━ miguel o'hara

𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦

I bury my face into my knees, muffling devastated sobs.

The lump in my throat refuses to be swallowed. I run shaky hands through my hair, whimpering as hot tears slide down my cheeks.

Lorelei stirs in her sleep below me.
Our bedroom door creaks open. The warm light from the hallway pours through the open door.

Simone's sympathetic expression peeks through the door, her big brown eyes linking with mine.
She gestures for me to join her.

I climb down the ladder carefully, ensuring Lorelei doesn't wake. I rush out of our shared room and follow Simone outside.

We sit on the old porch swing.
The street is unusually empty for this time of night, but I'm not complaining.

We sit in silence in the desolate courtyard.
Instead of a moon, a bright shampoo advertisement hangs above our heads.

I stare at the wildflowers peeking out from cracks in the concrete. I think about how strong they must be, to be completely unwanted yet still blossom so beautifully.

"Why did they send me back?" I almost whisper. My voice is hoarse from crying.

Simone sighs deeply, the way adults do, and places her manicured hand on my knee.
She pats it gently.

"I don't know, baby." She speculates softly. The woman leans back against the rusty porch swing, causing the chains to creak.

"I thought everything was going great with that couple. What could I have done wrong?"
My eyes are too dry and itchy to spill another tear.
We both know the unspoken, harsh truth.

It's two weeks before my 17th birthday.
After that, I have to abandon all hopes of being adopted.

For 9 years, adoption has been just out of reach, a hope fueled by my intense longing for a family. A real one.
My hopes would diminish as each birthday passed.

I used to fantasize about Simone, my social worker, adopting me.
We would ride off into the sunset together with her husband, George, and her dog Lucy.
I would never step foot in another group home ever again.

I wipe the tears from my eyes with the sleeve of my jacket, sniffling.

Simone gently brushes a curl out of my face, tucking it behind my ear.
She wraps her arms around my shoulders and pulls me into her chest, rocking me slowly.

------

My eyelids flutter open.

I stare at the tall ceiling of my room.
The full moon still shines high in the night sky outside my windows. A moon.
I don't typically dream of memories. Especially not painful ones.

Not bothering to check the time, I drag my body out of bed, my mind buzzing with too much activity to return to sleep.
I head to my closet.

I yank my suit off the hanger, deciding to go accompany Miguel in his workspace.
It's not unusual for him to work late into the night, stationed at his platform like a machine.
I don't know how he does it and still maintains composure throughout the day.

Maybe he is a vampire.

I trace my fingertips along the scar he left on my neck, smiling to myself.

I exit my room briskly and wander down the hallway to Miguel's workspace.
It looks the same as always. The room is tinted blue from an unknown light source. Seemingly random pieces of information are displayed on holograms around the room.