"Hello, Carrie, what is it?" Matron Joanne sternly asked. She was in the middle of a meeting with a couple who were curiously watching her.
Carrie gulped.
"I was kind of wondering if you could maybe perhaps hopefully give me my sister's address to write her a letter?" Carrie asked really fast.
"You want Michelle's address, Carrie?" Matron Joanne repeated, as if trying to make sure she'd caught the right information.
"Yes, ma'am. Please, ma'am."
Yes, that was how much Matron Joanne scared her. She felt even more scared than she sometimes had with her father.
"I'll think about it, now scram!" Matron Joanne said.
"Wait a minute." said the couple.
Carrie stood with one foot at the door, wondering who she should obey.
"I think this is the sort of child we want." they enthusiastically explained. "Her spirit and loyalty is what we had in mind when searching for a child." The man said.
"And she's a girl, we always wanted a girl." Added the woman. "And such good manners, too!"
"So we want to adopt her."
Carrie stood with her mouth wide open. Only this morning, she'd been hoping for parents. An hour later, a couple was already offering to adopt her- and they only knew her name and gender! Why, she'd have to wish things for often!
It had to be a dream. How could a couple want her so fast? Did they have any idea what they were getting into?
Her thoughts were interrupted.
"No!" said Matron Joanne.
All three stared at her.
"No?" asked the woman. "She is an orphan, isn't she?"
She turned and stared at Carrie. Carrie, wearing her old dress and sneakers, certainly did not look her best. And, thankfully, she did look quite a lot like an orphan.
Carrie nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm an orphan." After all, if they'd commented on her politeness, she wanted to live up to their expectations. At least so far.
"She is an orphan." Matron Joanne agreed. "But she is the only child in this whole orphanage who may not be adopted."
"Why ever not?" the man angrily asked. "I can have any child I want in the whole orphanage. It said so on your webpage."
"Well, considering that the webpage is from 1998 and we are in 2006, we could say it's a bit outdated. Rules and regulations on the matter have changed."
"I'm a lawyer and I can tell you that I am allowed to adopt any child I please. So please pass me the necessary papers before I decide to get you into prison." The man growled. Matron Joanne seemed terrified, and even the wife seemed a bit taken back. Carrie, however, was amused. She'd never seen Matron Joanne like that.
Speaking of who, she was now taking the papers and the birth certificate in a very fast manner, and passed them to Carrie's parents-to-be, along with a pen.
The couple seemed pleased, and Carrie smiled as she saw them sign everything, then get up and hug her.
"Welcome to the family, Carrie."
Carrie could scarcely believe it. In fact, she pinched herself on the arm just to make sure she wasn't still sleeping, and judging from the feeling she got, she decided she was not sleeping.
She hugged them back. "I've dreamed of this day all of my life!" she exclaimed. Tears of happiness were streaming down her face. She felt like the luckiest girl in the world.
Except that her sister was gone. And now, she realized, Michelle wouldn't even be able to contact her.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks for the reviews! Do you like the banner? Again, I'm Michelle! Yay =D
