sunset and vine | elizabeth olsen

20 | I've Been The Archer

When production is cut, it's almost four hours later. The sun has only retreated further behind the clouds, and the wind has picked up, a local weather warning for thunder storms currently being whispered about as she passes crew members on her way to her trailer. Scarlett fled minutes after cut was called, having aches and pains in her back and belly that would only be relieved with a nap and some rest, so she didn't count on seeing her until after they'd been wrapped for the night, but with the promise of seeing Florence during her break, Lizzie doesn't feel so beat up about the change. She's been itching to join Florence in bed with a pile of snacks and movies since she left, and she assumes by now Iron Man will have finished playing, unless Florence restarted it which she finds highly likely.

The little girl hadn't been herself today, and on multiple occasions Lizzie had forced herself to remember that Florence is only nine. She hasn't even lived enough years to hold up two whole hands, she's not old enough to ride her bike without a helmet, or go to a high school prom, or even go to an R rated movie alone. She's just a kid, but the more Lizzie gets to know her, she's starting to realize that she will never be just a kid. She'll always have trauma, and she'll never be able to unlearn the coping mechanisms she falls back on. She'll never need anyone to tuck her into bed, or hold her hand as she crosses the street, she may want those things, but she'll never need them. That's been taken away from her. She's been forced to grow up, and now all that remains is a halfway formed adult trapped in a child's body, trying to figure out how she belongs anywhere.

Lizzie didn't expect what she saw upon opening the trailer door. She doesn't know what she expected Florence to be up too, but she definitely hadn't even begun to consider that the little girl would fall asleep with two stuffed animals and a baby blue baby blanket tucked into her sides. Or with her thumb brushing against her lips, curled into a loose fist that told her enough about the mental state she'd been in when sleep did consume her. Her brows are still creased with anxiety despite being asleep, and she looks to be biting at her fingernail or at least attempting to as her jaw twitches. What happened to you, honey? Lizzie cant help but repeat the question in her head, over and over again as she just stares at Florence.

Torn between whether or not she should wake Florence or let her sleep, Lizzie quietly steps into the room and assures that the door swings shut softly behind her. She doesn't know how long the little ones been sleeping for, but the tension she previously carried in her shoulders is melting away as the seconds pass by. Deciding she doesn't want to be the one to wake her up, not when she looks so peaceful, Lizzie simply settles into bed beside her, wiggling as close as she can get without risking waking her.

Lizzie can't help falling into her thoughts as she lays beside Florence, just admiring the little girl as she sleeps. There is a gentle pattern to how she breathes, only exhaling every eight seconds, and the swell of her chest as she breathes in is gentle just like her. Her nose twitches every few minutes, the baby blanket tickling her nose when she wiggles in her sleep. She's completely still aside from the few times she's readjusted herself, and for the first time, she looks her age, maybe even younger if Lizzie truly let herself get lost in the innocence of her slightly rounded cheeks and tiny hands. Life hadn't been kind to Florence, that was no secret, but could Lizzie make that better? What would her mother think? Her sisters? They were all supportive when she and Boyd decided they wanted to register for a foster license, but this felt like an entirely different ballgame. She doesn't just want to foster Florence, she wants to adopt her. She wants the rest of her life being able to introduce Florence as her daughter, and getting to see her grow and heal. She wants to help her heal, and be able to tell her how much she's grown on nights when she doesn't feel like she's made any progress. She wants the rest of her life with the girl beside her.

Her mind trails off on a different path, one that's exponentially scarier than whether or not her family would accept Florence. She knew that they would, even if it took a little while to adjust. But, what would Florence's mother want for her? What would her father want for her? Does she have any grandparents? Any aunts or uncles? Any cousins that were too young to realise when she was born but are looking for her now? Is she opening up a world of hurt for this little girl who was practically thrown aside from what she could piece together with how little she knows about her past. Lizzie knows that her mother died, she's gathered that Florence was taken away from her father, but she wasn't given to family. Did they not want her? Or did she not have any?