Adopted By Lana Parrilla

Chapter One

Early Monday, somewhere around 7:15 a.m., and here I found myself on the floor next to my bed. I guess I fell off sometime in the middle of the night—I distinctly remember going to sleep on the bed. Getting up off the floor, I stretched and rechecked the time. Up earlier than usual, which was a good indication something was going to happen. It had always been that way with me, I could tell something would happen, but not what that something might be. Grabbing a towel, I headed to the bathroom so I could take a quick shower before anyone else used all the hot water. Wrapping the towel around me, I stepped out. From the closet, I chose a cute, pink crop top, and a pair of white, high-waisted shorts, dressing quickly to save time to straighten my hair.

With my thick, long, brown locks straightened, I slipped on a pair of sandals, when I heard the faint crunching of the gravel outside my window. Unsure of who it may be, whether it was one of Mrs. Wheeler's friends stopping by for a chat, or someone coming to adopt, I knew it didn't concern me.

"Could I have all the girls come downstairs, please?" I heard the Headmistress call out.

All the girls, youngest to oldest were lined up: Liliana, Marisa, Karina, Christine, and Lilian. Before we made it down the stairs, Mrs. Wheeler informed us that one would be adopted today. The younger girls squealed in excitement, but Lilian and I were bummed. We knew we were too old for anyone to want to adopt us, but there was nothing we could do, other than to get in line.

Somehow, I ended up behind all the other girls, and that sucked. Even with no chance of leaving the orphanage, I remained anxious to find out who waited for us. Was it a mom, a dad, both? It didn't matter, they wouldn't choose me to go home with them. At the bottom of the stairs, I made my way to the teen side of the group. Glancing up, I could see a gorgeous woman in her mid to late thirties. She wore a beautiful purple dress, fading down to a light shade of cream. Her face was familiar to me, and I sure as hell knew her name.

"Lana Parrilla?" After realizing I had blurted out her name, I looked down in shame. I heard a small laugh escape her throat, and she waved. Raised to be polite, I awkwardly waved back.

"Girls, Ms. Parrilla will meet with each of you, getting to know you a bit better. She will make her decision after speaking to you all."

When I heard the Headmistresses words, I couldn't help but think that it sounded rude. As Lana went to the younger girls first, I stood with a huge grin on my face, very much like an idiot. She was my idol, and I'd always wanted to meet her, and suddenly, here she is, willing to adopt one of us.

I looked to Lilian and sighed, "I don't think I'm going to be chosen." It came out like I wanted her to choose me, but I knew she wouldn't. I was too old to be wanted.

"Don't lose hope," Lilian smiled down at me. She stood almost five-foot-eleven, and I'm short at only five-foot-one, she definitely had to look down.

When Lana reached me, I just stared. I looked at Lilian, then Marissa, and back to Lana. "Hi," I spoke the first words. I couldn't believe she was standing here, and that I was talking to her.

"You," the single word is all she said, the corners of her mouth lifting in a smile.

"What?" Confused, I couldn't decide if that was a good you, or a bad you.

"I want to adopt you," she smiled, pulling me into a tight hug.

All I could think was, oh, my God, is she really adopting me? Was this happening for real?

Ms. Wheeler instructed me to go to my room and pack my things, and she would grab the paperwork for Ms. Parrilla. In a flurry, I ran up the stairs and packed what few things I had as fast as I could. As I gathered my stuff, I heard footsteps on the stairs, the sound of heels clicking against the wood, I knew it had to be Lana.

I turned to face her, "Hi, Lana." I said, my words jagged and rushed, my nervousness obvious. I scanned my bedroom and noticed how messy it was, I was embarrassed. "Sorry for the messy room."

"It's alright sweetie," she told me. My mouth dropped open, and there it was; my weirdness, and my obsession with her on full display. She laughed and sat on my bed, motioning me to sit with her. "So, Christine, tell me about yourself."

I nodded and told her everything there was to tell. Literally, everything. It was an hour later, and time for me to say goodbye to all my friends that I had grown to love, they felt like family. I had all their numbers listed in my phone, that way I could talk to them whenever I chose, or they could call me, as well.

Waving goodbye, Lana and I exited the building with all my stuff.

"Crap. I'll be right back," I told Lana and ran back inside. I went to find Lilian and hugged her close. "I'm going to miss you," I whispered, fighting back the tears which threatened to spill onto my cheeks. "Thank you for helping me never lose hope." I looked up to her as a friend, sister, and mentor. She wasn't famous; otherwise, she would've been gone from here a long time ago, I just look up to her. She is an incredible person with a huge heart.

She laughed and smiled, "Bye you little freak. When I am sprung from this hell hole, I'll stop by and say hi."

I pulled back from her embrace and smiled back, "Really? That means a lot."

"Of course! Now go, your new family awaits." She said as she pushed me off, playfully.

"Bye!" I ran down the stairs and said another last goodbye to the others.

Running outside, I could see Lana standing on the driver side of the car, smiling at me. I smiled back and hurried to the car. We both got in and sat there for a moment outside the orphanage and foster home. After a few minutes, we buckled up and drove off. Looking out the window as we pulled away from the orphanage, I smiled and waved out the window, my way of saying goodbye. A bittersweet moment I had waited on for so long.