✔️Ambrosia (Edward Cullen) BOOK ONE

39-"Goodbye"

For the first time in many years, the plain-faced grey building didn't seem like home. Miss Everett had a wide beam for Ambrosia- Reserved for years for this exact moment and the elderly lady invited Carlisle and Esme welcomingly into her office. It had been twelve years, all leading up to this one moment- Ambrosia didn't realise then how sensational it would feel to finally have a forever family, to finally have people who wanted you. The stairs were somehow longer when she made that final ascent. It wouldn't take long for everything to be finalised- Ambrosia was so close to eighteen that she could practically leave without signing a single document.

But it wasn't the paperwork that made it official- It was the people sitting in the big bedroom waiting for her. The orphan siblings had the door open- invitingly and they all waited with bright smiles because somehow, they knew. It was evident from the makeshift 'Congratulations' banner strung across the room. It was the moment they had been waiting for and despite how bittersweet it was to finally say goodbye, Ambrosia smiled.

"Rosia" Max greeted with a grin. "Miss Everett told us everything" 

"It's so romantic!" Phoebe squealed and Teddy rose an eyebrow at her as Ambrosia was forced to sit upon the bed and due to the sheer amount of eyes on her- she blushed as if she was in the hot seat. "Miss Everett said that they've been planning it for weeks! You're going with them, aren't you? Of course, you are. Doctor Cullen got transferred to some fancy hospital in Oregon and you're going too. All because of Edward... I need to find myself an Edward" she hummed and Teddy looked at her, appalled. 

"Oh, and what am I?"

"An asshole" Max answered easily, grinning. As sad as it was to see one of them finally go... They were also elated because it was the moment they'd always been waiting for.

"You will phone us every day, won't you? Oregon isn't too far away, we can come and visit you. And sometimes you can visit us?" Roz queried, she was the first one to start to cry and it just made Ambrosia follow suit. Her eyes welled with tears in an instant and she was swarmed in a group hug in the next. The group at the orphanage would always be Ambrosia family, but they were family to the quiet, broken girl who had lost her family to tragedy... The Cullens were family to the true Ambrosia, the Ambrosia she was meant to be.

"We love you so much, Ambrosia. I'm sorry you couldn't have had a going away party like everyone else usually does. It's happening so fast. But we will always love you, Amby. You will always have a home with us, you will always be family to us." it was a promise that had gone unspoken for so many years though they collectively agreed. They were a family, no matter where they went or who they ended up with. And family meant everything.

"We need to stop crying" Phoebe demanded, wiping her eyes with a sad laugh and the others smiled shudderingly in return as they composed themselves after a long five minutes where they had let the tears win. "We have things to do."

"Like what?" Teddy scoffed, wiping a tear all the while, pretending to be manly. It didn't matter how many arguments they all had- they were family and siblings fought savagely but composed themselves somehow every time. 

"We have to pack Ambrosia's stuff of course" she scoffed and danced across the hallway to Ambrosia's tidy bedroom. As sad as it was to say goodbye to the bedroom- She knew she was on to better things now. For the first time in life, Ambrosia was glad that she only had a few things to her name. All her clothes fit in one teal coloured suitcase and a box held her personal items. It was her books that took up the most space, in a very heavy suitcase all to themselves but she refused to part with any of them- not even her tattered copy of The Great Gatsby. Ambrosia was a book hoarder.

"Done already?" Teddy smirked, seeing the Cullens exit the office with proud smiles on their lips and they nodded, eyes scanning over Ambrosia's belongings stacked at the bottom of the stairs- she didn't own much and the mere sight of it made them sad. Ambrosia's whole life fit in two suitcases and a box.

"Are you ready?" Esme's voice was so soft, a tone she couldn't help but use with Ambrosia who was smiling sadly at her with watery eyes. When Ambrosia nodded once, she was swarmed all over again with hugs and sweet words. Ambrosia Hatton was the type of girl that nobody ever really thought about, she was always just there and only when she was gone- did everyone notice the impact that she had had. The goodbye was a rushed one and Miss Everett would've liked a better goodbye for one of their longest orphans but she was with her forever family now and that was all they ever wanted for her.

As Ambrosia climbed into the back of Carlisle's Mercedes, instantly being calmed by the clean scent that was unmistakeably 'Cullen', she felt the tears finally fall. The rain hammered down angrily on that day in September but the occupants of the orphanage crowded around the front door to wave her off. The paperwork wasn't yet finished but she was allowed to go now. Breathing deeply, Ambrosia only turned to face the front when they'd gone around the corner and the orphanage was out of sight. Carlisle and Esme smiled at her sincerely and Ambrosia Hatton knew she was home...