𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐏𝐞𝐭 • 𝐄. 𝐎𝐥𝐬𝐞𝐧

23 • Who am I?

                  ╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

In the bustling lobby of the adoption agency, a determined brunette named Stella Peryl stood, her heart pulsating with anticipation. The possibility of finally connecting with her birth family had awakened a primal longing within her. She yearned for closure, a profound desire to unearth the roots from which she had sprouted.

Behind a desk adorned with various documents and a computer, a red-haired woman began her task. Fingers dancing across the keyboard, she gracefully entered Stella's name into the database, her soft humming providing a melodic backdrop to the scene. Delicately, she retrieved archived files that held the secrets Stella sought.

"Ah, Stella Peryl," the woman announced, her voice brimming with a mixture of compassion and understanding. "You were adopted by Mila and Stefan Peryl, correct?"

A surge of emotion coursed through Stella's veins, causing her body to quiver in response to the confirmation she had longed for. Nervously, she bit her lip, her fingertips drumming with anticipation on the polished surface of the elevated desk. Patiently, she awaited the woman's next words, her heart hanging on each syllable.

"Your adoption occurred under emergency circumstances," the woman began, her expression shifting into a visage of heartfelt empathy. As she read from the files displayed on her computer screen, a portrait of Stella's origin began to take shape. "Harley and Ginnifer Herrmann, your birth parents, tragically passed away in a car accident on August 13th, 2001. Your father, Harley, was a gifted musician, while Ginny pursued a career as a lawyer. You have a sister, um, there's more on file,"

Tears welled up in Stella's eyes, her unprepared heart shattering at the revelation that her birth parents were no longer alive. In that moment, her innermost being crumbled, as if a dagger had been plunged into her chest, severing the ties that once bound her. Amidst the sea of people surrounding her in the agency's bustling room, Stella felt an overwhelming sense of solitude, a profound emptiness engulfing her existence.

Summoning all her strength, Stella managed to utter a feeble "Thank you," her voice strained by the tightness in her throat. With a mixture of empathy and respect, the woman handed over a brown file, its cover bearing Stella's name in bold letters.

"Have a good day," the woman offered a gentle smile, a gesture of solace amidst the storm of emotions. Nodding in acknowledgement, Stella's heels resonated with confident strides as she swiftly departed from the building, clutching the weighty file that held the key to her past.

North Carolina,
2001

"Ginny! We're running late!" A man with a head full of dark brown locks clutched his daughter firmly against his chest, his grip seeking to soothe the wailing infant. "Alley, my love," he pleaded with the little one, swaying her gently from side to side.

Emerging from the nursery, a woman with flowing brunette tresses suggested, "Perhaps we should consider skipping today. Ella seems to be coming down with a cold. How is Alley?"

"She's restless, but we can't miss Fiona's wedding," Harley responded, his voice tinged with uncertainty, his mind still grappling for a solution to calm their inconsolable nine-month-old.

"You're right. Let's get going," Ginny sighed heavily, passing the house keys to her husband as she cradled the slumbering Ella against her chest, the peaceful baby unaffected by her sister's cries.

The two twins were snugly buckled into their adjacent car seats, drifting into a peaceful sleep as soon as the car's engine roared to life.

"Ginny, Alley finally settled down. She'll have a nice sleep tonight," Harley remarked, a warm chuckle escaping his lips as he stole a glance behind, witnessing their two innocent twins sinking into a deep, uninterrupted sleep.