Cheryl and Toni had been visiting Annelise every day of December. They absolutely loved the little girl and even though it was so early on, they felt whole. Both of them were trying to not get their hopes up, in case anything went wrong, but they were both secretly imagining a whole new life with their little girl. It was so exciting to feel this much of a powerful love about someone else.
Three days before Christmas, they went to the foster home for yet another day with Annelise. They had planned some fun things for them to do, but it looked like the universe had other plans for them.
They arrived and met up with Ellie, all excited.
"Hi, how are you today?"- Cheryl greeted her.
"I'm good."-Ellie said, kind of stressed. "Let's go to my office."
Cheryl and Toni looked at each-other surprised. They would usually meet up with Annelise right away but that day, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Is everything alright?"-Toni asked Ellie as soon as they sat down.
"Yes."-she said. "There's something that you need to know about Annelise."
"What's wrong?"-Cheryl sensed the tone.
"Well, you are already familiar with Annelise's past. She suffers from a lot of trauma from her biological parents. Their doings left marks on her, she's different from the rest of the kids here. She scares easily, she doesn't like surrounding herself with people as much. And she has days where she does not get out of bed and she doesn't talk to anyone. Not even me."-Ellie said. "It happens sometimes and I think today's one of those days."
"She's in her room?"-Cheryl asked.
"Yes. She has not had breakfast or lunch. She didn't want to get dressed or go out. She hasn't said a word to me."-Ellie said.
"Has she been checked out about this before? Has any psychiatrist look into her issues?"-Toni asked.
"Yes, they have. Every kid goes through a list of doctors before being admitted here. Of course, they have confirmed that she had PTSD and things that you already know. But, it was too early to really put a name to her disorder and what she goes through."-Ellie continued.
"How- How long does this usually last for her?"-Cheryl asked, finding it hard to catch her breath.
"It all depends Miss Blossom. By my observation, something usually triggers her isolation. She remembers something or she sees or hears something that stresses her to the point that she's afraid to come out of her comfort zone for a while."-Ellie said.
"What could have triggered her now?"-Toni asked.
"I don't know. I didn't notice any irregularity yesterday."-Ellie said. "I just know that you might not get to spend time with her today."
"Can we see her at all?"-Cheryl asked.
"I thought she was making progress, isn't that what you said?"-Toni said.
"Yes, and it is true. Therefore, I'm going to allow you to try and talk to her. She has felt safe with you for the past couple weeks so maybe a miracle happens and you might help her with this, too."-Ellie said.
They got up and made their way to Annelise's room. Cheryl grabbed Toni's hand as she was shaking, not knowing what to expect and afraid that the little girl would freak out and not want them there either.
"I will be right outside and I'm going to check regularly. If she doesn't want to talk, please understand and you can visit another day. We don't push her off her limits."-Ellie said respectfully.
YOU ARE READING
Frenemies-(Choni)
Teen Fiction"I forgive the world because it has you." While Cheryl Blossom and Toni Topaz often find themselves troubled, romance is born. And satisfaction in running away from the world and creating their own. A journey of life, relationships and all that it c...
