Eternally, Emilia- An Adopted by One Direction Novel

Chapter 5- A Mostly Clean Slate

Just as expected, dinner was quite interesting. The boys had ordered in some food (I believe they said it was Nandos?) , and the energy in the large dining space was through the roof. Plenty of lively conversation amongst themselves, while I sat, picking at the food on my plate, feeling like an outsider. Of course they would occasionally ask me a question, and I would reply, but other than that I was pretty quiet. Not that I didn't want to be there talking with them, but it just didn't feel right. They just met me earlier today, and all of the sudden I'm apparently part of their strange little "family". It just didn't feel like I belonged there at all.

Truth be told, after the overwhelming events of today, I wasn't very hungry. I ate a bit of what was on my plate, but only in an effort to appease the men around me. Last thing I wanted was for them to get mad at me for wasting food. As the meal concluded, I was given a strange look by Liam, likely due to the fact I barely touched my portion, but luckily he said nothing.

After all the washing and other dinner chores were completed, I decided to go back to what was now my room, only to hear a soft knock on the door the moment I sat down on my bed.

"Come in..." I hesitantly called out to the person on the other side of the door, and upon getting permission, the door opened revealing Liam, who gently closed the door behind him.

"Hey Emilia. Sorry to bother you love" The tattooed man apologized sincerely with a soft look on his face. Though he looked gentle, I worried about what he came to tell me.

"No worries.. Do you need something?" The hesitant words seemed automatic. Truth be told, I was a little scared to know. I just hoped my room had aired out enough that he couldn't tell I had lit a cig hours prior.

"Well, I actually just wanted to come in here and talk to you real quick." Seeing the expression on my face, he quickly added on.

"Nothing bad, don't worry. I just wanted to say that you don't need to hold anything back living here. This is your new home after all. You're not just a guest, so there's no need to be so polite! If you ever want or need something, we're more than happy to help. We care about you, alright love?"

I couldn't help but nod my head, a little intimidatedby the fact I must have come off a little odd earlier. Finding the courage to look up to the man holding the end of my bed for balance, we ended up making eye contact. Nothing in his eyes indicated anything other than kindness. Noticing my gaze, a smile crept onto his face. I didn't feel the need to look away as I would normally do, but nonetheless I began to feel embarrassed.

"Yes. I understand." I responded simply,  but noticed an arm half tucked behind his back. Looking to the hidden arm, and back a him, I was considering whether or not to ask.

"Ah, looks like you figured it out." With that, the concealed arm was revealed, holding a simple black box, which he then handed to me.

"Present from the lads and I. You probably need this." He said as I opened the box, seeing the packaging for none other than a brand new phone inside. Charcoal colored and sleek, absolutely gorgeous. Just as I was about to protest such an expensive gift, Liam spoke up.

"It's all yours. We know you probably don't have a phone, and we want a way for you to contact us when out and about." He said simply, as if trying to reassure me it was okay to have.

Looking back down at the phone, my fingers brushed the smooth surface, and without knowing, my very own smile appeared on my face.

"Look how happy she is! She loves it!"

"Daddy Direction taking all the credit, huh?"

I jumped, startled at the unexpected voices, and to my surprise, at my doorway stood Harry and Niall, both absolutely beaming. I felt my cheeks go red at their observations. Flustered, I immediately looked down to the floor.

"You know you guys could have just stayed quiet, right? Also, I'm not taking all the credit, Harry. I mentioned it was from all of us!" Liam spoke up, aimed at the two men standing a short distance away.

After a short while of back and forth banter, Liam put a hand on my shoulder as sort of a notice he was about to leave.

"Hope you like it. I have to tend to these two idiots now. You should probably get a little sleep." With that, the warm feeling of his hand was gone, and he exited the room, shutting the door behind him. I could hear the playful sounds of them "fighting" beyond the barrier and despite everything that happened, I couldn't help but laugh a bit under ny breath.

My eyes went back over to the phone, eyeing the shiny new screen, but decided Liam was right. I should get to bed. It's been a long day and surely I wluld be able to play around with my new device tomorrow.

Shutting off the bright lights on the ceiling, I settled into the undeniably cozy bed. The plush throw pillows and fuzzy blankets really were the definition of comfort. Nothing like the rock hard beds and thin sheets of my previous room. Appreciating the quality of this new bed, I felt sleep take me almost immediately.

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"It's okay, Emi. We'll be alright. We're safe now and he can't get to us."  The woman with chestnut hair in the driver's seat reassured, seemingly trying her best to convince herself of that as well.

"Mom, I'm scared. What if he finds us? He'll hurt us again. He seemed really mad this time." The young girl whimpered, looking out the back window of the car as if to see if they were being followed.

"Emi, please. Trust me. You'll be okay, I promise. We just need to get away as fast as possible." The stressed looking woman dug through the side compartment of the car looking for her cigarettes, leaning to reach it while keeping one hand on the wheel.

"Mom! Look out! There's a-"

The sound of metal colliding with metal resounded through the air, like a symphony of destruction. The girl's ears were ringing louder than any of the destruction. Realizing what happened, she jolted upwards and looked towards the front of the car, only to find it destroyed.

Devastating screaming filled the air, anguish and grief resounding through the area. This was the day the child lost it all.