Adopted (a Zalfie fanfic) [1]

Chapter 8

*Alfie's POV*
After hearing all about Lily's past and how horrible people had been to her, it made me desperate to make things a little better. Even if she didn't want to be adopted, I hoped that meeting us and talking to us would make her feel a little more confident, a little less worthless.

Emma went out of the office to go and get Lily. Zoe and I sat there in silence, still taking things in. All sorts of questions were going through my head. What had these 'parents' done to her? How many people had she lived with? Would she want to live with us?

Zoe was obviously thinking the same things. She sat there, twiddling her fingers, staring at the ground. "We need to do something for her Alfie. We can't let her stay here until she is sixteen, she's been here long enough already. I just hope she trusts us enough to be able to live with us."

"We'll take our time with her, move slowly, and then she won't be rushed into making any decisions. Let's just see what she wants first, yeah?" I said, taking Zoe's hand and squeezing it.

At that moment, Emma walked back through the door with Lily just behind her. She was biting her lip anxiously. She closed the door and stood there, probably feeling quite awkward and uncomfortable. "Take a seat, Lily." Emma told her, smiling at her reassuringly. Lily sat down on the seat next to Emma, opposite Zoe. "These lovely people want to get to know you a little better and if things go to plan, they want to adopt you." She said, looking at Lily.

*Lily's POV*
"...and if things go to plan, they want to adopt you."

I didn't know what to say. I had been dreaming of this moment for the past two years. The day I finally found parents who would treat me right, not hurt me. People who would love me like they would love their own. When I heard those words being said, my head filled with all of the memories. The shouts, the cries, the slaps. I winced at the thought of them. Zoe must have noticed because she glanced at Emma and then me and said "Would that be alright Lily?"

I looked at Zoe and Alfie. I still couldn't believe that these two, celebrities to teenagers all over the world, we're going to be my adoptive parents. I took a deep breath. I looked at Emma and she nodded in approval. "Yeah, I-I suppose." I said.

"That's great!" Zoe said. "But don't feel like you are being rushed into anything. We can take as long as you need." She said, smiling. That famous red smile.

"Please tell us if things are moving to fast, we can slow everything right down if need be." Alfie said, his hand holding Zoe's. I smiled and nodded slightly.

"Well, I am going to leave you three to get to know each other a little better." Emma said, collecting her things and heading for the door.

"Where are you going?" I asked. I felt more confident and safer when Emma was there.

"I'll just be in the other office. You'll be fine Lily, trust me." She answered. I trusted her. I watched her walk out, took a deep breath and turned back to face Zoe and Alfie.

*Zoe's POV*
When Emma suggested that we get to know each other better, she collected up her files and everything and walked towards the door. "Where are you going?" Lily asked quietly. She sounded concerned.

"I'll just be in the other office. You'll be fine Lily, trust me." Emma told her softly, before walking out and quietly closing the door behind her. Lily turned back round in her chair to face us, and looked at the ground. I understood that she probably felt anxious and frightened, so I didn't push her to say anything.

I simply asked, "Are you okay?" in a gentle tone of voice. She looked up at me and nodded. "We're not going to hurt you, if that's what your afraid of." I said, looking in her eyes. I could see them brimming up with tears.

"It-it's not that I don't believe you, I-I have..." she managed to say before trailing off. For the first time, I could clearly see just how vulnerable this young girl was. She looked at the floor, trying desperately to fight back the tears. She blinked a few times and swallowed before taking a deep breath.

"You don't have to tell us this, if you don't want to?" Alfie explained.

"No, I-I want to. It's just that I-I have heard those words too many times before. How do I know who to believe?" She asked. She sounded more confident in herself. "I believed it when the first man said it. The same 'father' who shut me in my bedroom for twenty-four hours because I asked for a biscuit. I believed it when the next couple said it. That same women, the women who swore she would 'never hurt me', hit me across the head because I woke her up crying from a nightmare." She paused. "The same nightmare I have had every night for the past six years. The nightmare that forces me to relive that day every night. The day my world fell apart. Nobody understands how it feels. How it feels to witness your families death. Then to see it every hour of everyday...It's always there. The picture of my mum lying lifelessly in the passenger seat. The picture of my dad screaming in pain, blood everywhere. They lurk in the back of my mind, day in, day out...nobody understands." She said all this with no expression on her face, just complete blankness.

It felt like she had just told us everything she had been dying to say for the past six years. I now understood why she lacked such trust in everyone but Emma. She witnessed her parents die and then when she should have been getting counselling and love, she got a slap around the head for crying. Oh my god.

I didn't know what to say. Alfie was just as shocked. Lily hadn't moved, she stayed staring at the floor, tears slipping down her face. She looked up at us and ran out of the room. I heard her sobbing loudly. It made me want to cry. Alfie stood up. I did too. "I'll follow her." He said.

"No, Alfie. Go and get Emma. She needs her right now." With that, he ran out of the room to go and tell her. I waited outside the other office while Alfie told her everything Lily had said to us. Then they both came out. Emma looked stressed out, which was only natural. "Are you going to go and see if she's alright?" I asked her.

"Let's give her a while to get herself together. She will be much more comfortable speaking to you when she's calm." She told me.

"Speaking to me?" I asked in shock.

"Lily needs to learn to trust you like she would her own mum, and you're the one who is going to have to deal with these situations when she moves in with you. She needs to learn to feel comfortable around you. She feels more comfortable speaking to women than to men, so it's best if you do it." She explained. I nodded.

We went back into the main office and Emma went to make us a cup of tea while Lily was upstairs. I felt like it was our job to make Lily feel as if she could trust us. I was worried that Lily might never trust us enough to be able to live with us. She watched our videos, but we were still strangers to her, people she had never met. It would never be easy to move in with strangers for anyone, let alone Lily.