Darling

The Search for a Caregiver

"Hey beautiful... Wake up," Luna heard a soft voice say, coaxing them out of sleep. They looked up to see Loba standing over them, smiling softly. Luna whined, covering their face with the blanket. "Awh... Sweetie, you need to get up. Today is a very special day."

They lowered the blanket slowly, thinking for a moment. They'd been at the daycare for a week now, and had started to get used to the new routine. They felt tears spring to their eyes when they realized what today was. Adoption Day.

Adoption Day was part of the Little's Program that Annie had told them about on their first day. Adoption Day was a 3 day event, where Caregivers from all around town would come to the daycare and look for a Little. Littles who had a Caregiver needed to stay home on this day, unless they were looking for a sibling with their Caregivers. The Littles without Caregivers would stay at the daycare and go through their daily routine with the added factor of being pulled aside to see their potential future Caregivers. 

"Oh beautiful. I'm sure by the end of the day, you'll find the perfect Caregiver. You're adorable, sweet, and kind. You'll be just fine," Loba reassured them. Luna nodded, sitting up in their crib. Loba gently picked them. up. They were still in pullups and using sippy cups, however, Loba could tell that they were not regressed in the right environment, or to the right age, as they were still unhappy.

When Littles were in the correct environment and regressed to the right age, they were often happy, or at least neutral. However, Luna was still prone to meltdowns, and would often shut down or simply refuse to move or respond to staff. Except for Loba. 

She secretly hoped that Luna's new caretaker would not live far away, or switch them to a different daycare. She had gotten rather attached to the shy Little, and Luna seemed to at least respond to her. She also didn't think that Luna would be able to handle another big change in environments, not this early on, at least.

***

No such luck. At the end of the 3rd day, Luna was the only Little left. Though there hadn't been many others this year, Luna hadn't been seen as a good choice to many due to the fact that they struggled much more than the average Little. 

Most Littles had some form of trauma, mild of severe. Either that or a mental disorder. However, with time, this would calm down with them regressing. However, Luna hadn't had time to regress. They were put at a distinct disadvantage.

"Alright... That's the end of Adoption Day," Annie said defeatedly. "I'm... Very sorry, Luna."

Luna began to sob uncontrollably, running off. They needed to find somewhere to hide, somewhere quiet where they could think out their feelings. They remembered what another Little had told them. Natalie, the other Little with ASD, had told them several hiding spots that wouldn't make them impossible to find, and were not dangerous, but that made it clear that they needed to be left alone. They ran up the stairs, dashing into the empty Cafeteria and hiding under one of the black oversized highchairs. 

Meanwhile, Luna's reaction was seen as unexpected, but not unreasonable to the staff in the floor below. It was hard on Littles, knowing that they were seen as 'too much' or 'too hard to handle' or 'too sensitive' by Caregivers. That's why each Caregiver needed to bring their Caregiver certificate, which is earned at the end of an additional test after classification, as many Caregivers were only compatible with certain Littles. And, had Luna been given the time, they would have been compatible with many of the Caregivers today.

A red-haired woman came running through the front door. 

"Sorry! I had some meetings with some parents. They took longer than expected."

"Hello Dr. Somers," Loba greeted. 

"Oh! Hello dearie! Where are the wee ones?"

"All of them were adopted," Annie said.

"All but one, but they're hiding," Loba corrected. Annie shot her a look. "They're a bit upset right now. I bet they're in one of Natalie's hiding places."

"Do you really think they're stable enough-" Annie started.

"Give them a chance. I've been spending time with them all week, and they're the sweetest thing, really. You haven't given them proper time, Lynn. That's why they act up," Loba explained. Annie looked down, nodding. 

However, it was already too late to stop the redhead even if anyone had tried. Mary Somers had felt her Caregiver senses going off as soon as she entered the building. She started searching downstairs, looking everywhere, even places that could be too small. It was only when she reached the second floor cafeteria that she knew what she was dealing with. She heard small sniffles coming from under a highchair. Immediately, she went over to the highchair, kneeling down next to the blue haired Little. 

"Hey, love," Mary cooed. Luna felt immediately calmed by the voice. They even looked up at her, tears still streaming silently down their cheeks. "Wanna come out and we can talk about what's got you so worked up?"

Luna shook their head. They did not feel like talking. Mary nodded. 

"Alright. Mind if I sit down with you, then?" 

Luna gave a small nod, and Mary sat down on the floor, despite knowing of all the germs that could be on it. She'd done this many times for Natalie during meltdowns or anxiety attacks. She kept her posture open, patting her lap gently. Surprisingly, Luna crawled out from under the table and onto her lap. Mary smiled down at them, stroking their hair. She waited a few minutes before speaking again.

"Now, what's got you so worked up, pet?" 

"No one wanted me," Luna explained. Mary could tell immediately that something wasn't right. The Little in her lap wasn't fully regressed. If they had been, as Mary had thought mere moments ago, they would have most likely started crying again. But they didn't. Partial regression had been their problem.

"Oh love, I'm sure that's not true. You're just really knew to all of this. It's stressful, huh?" Mary asked. Luna nodded. "I'd love you as a Little."

"R-Really?" Luna asked, unsure.

"Of course! Do you wanna come home with me, or do you want to stay in the daycare for a few more days?"

"I-I'm scared to move. But... I don't want to stay here," Luna explained.

"How about this... You can come home with me tonight after we get the paperwork all filled out, and if you don't like it, you can stay at the daycare again."

"That... Sounds nice. Thank you," Luna mumbled.

"Of course, love."