Duckie

Chapter 1: Welcome Home

Sorry, but this story starts off a little slow.  I wanted some background covered so you knew Duckie's overall situation. It might be a little boring, but I promise the following chapters pick up speed. Thank you for reading this story, and I hope you enjoy!

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I held onto my mother's hand with an iron grip, at least as iron of a grip that a seven year old could muster. It was a rare occurrence, and one I didn't want to miss. In my other small hand, I snuggled my precious yellow blankie close to me, resting my chubby cheek against the plush duck sewn to the corner. I never went anywhere without my ducky blanket.

My round eyes peered up curiously at my mother, who stood with her shoulders back, exuding a powerful confidence that only she could pull off as she stared down the door in front of us. With a huff of finality through her nose, she rang the doorbell to the house, taking a step back and pulling me with her. My stumpy legs struggled to keep up with her long strides, but my eyes stayed glued to the door as I listened to the ring echo inside. The soft thud of footfalls followed the doorbell, and soon, a man stood in the doorway, a polite, yet curious smile on his warm face. As soon as his eyes met with my mother's, the smile vanished, instead replaced with a look of disbelief as his mouth popped open in a small "o". His gaze followed down her arm and soon made contact with my vibrant teal eyes, the inner ring of gold a stark contrast to its cool-colored surroundings. A small gasp left his lips as his eyes flitted from mine to my mother's, then back to mine.

I nervously waddled behind my mother's leg, seeking refuge. Unrelenting, she pulled me from behind her and held my hand out towards the man. "I believe this is yours," she said with her cool and sharp voice, her eyes showing no emotion besides slight annoyance.

The man seemed taken aback, his bewildered eyes once again casting down to me. My hand still clung to my mother's, which caused me to stand on my tiptoes while I fought to keep hold, but my eyes locked with his. I blinked when I noticed that our eyes were the same. His identical teal and gold eyes glossed over slightly when I grinned at him and he knelt down in front of me, a soft smile spreading on his lips. He stuck a hand out to me, "Hi there, you must be Maia." I looked down at his hand, then back at Mother. She scoffed and threw her hand down, ripping it out of my grasp and leaving my heart hurting. Instead of crying, I turned back to the man and grabbed two of his fingers in greeting. He gingerly wrapped his hands around mine and brought them up to his forehead, a euphorical huff of laughter escaping his lips. He brought his watery eyes back up to meet mine. "Hi sweetie, it's Daddy," he choked out.

A surprised smile broke out onto my face. Dad? I never had a dad before! Mother had never answered me when I asked her why I didn't have a dad like everyone else in my class, so I just thought I was special. I glanced back at my mom, who was typing away at the flip phone in her hands. When I realized that she wasn't going to spare me a passing glance, I turned back to my papa and bounded into his arms, throwing him back onto his butt on the porch. He grunted and then let out a small chuckle, his arms wrapping around me to hold me in a warm and loving embrace. The only other person who would give me a hug like this was Josie, my nanny and my best friend. Mother was home so rarely that I hardly saw her at all during the week. It was as if Josie had taken on the role of my mother, and she did it well enough that I no longer felt the loneliness when my mother wasn't there.

The snap of my mother's phone brought Papa's and my attention up to her. She slipped the phone into her purse and then looked Papa in the eyes with her cold and strong gaze. "I'm going to be leaving her in your care from now on. You have the other two, so what's one more? Her things will be delivered later in the day, so keep an eye out for the moving truck." With that, she turned on her heel and began back down the porch steps to her car parked in the driveway.