Megel454

I'v been working on this chapter off and on since I started. I also Plan on doing some other character spotlights the next one will be on Lethal Weapon which will also serve to explore some of the MC's other exploits on her first night out. Besides the fly by kneecapping you already know about.

Sandra Dixon was very late getting home, a going away party for a fellow dentist and long time friend went on longer than she thought it would.  It was 2 minutes to midnight and her husband had just brought home a very precious package. There new daughter. They had been talking about adopting for a while, and now so suddenly it happened. Sandra had heard that this could take years, but this seemed so sudden she could hardly recall when she and Robert agreed to it. It was all a blur. Also paperwork she was sure there was some but she couldn't remember when she signed it, or what happened to it all after.

oh well, the little devils will turn up eventually. She thought blissfully. What she did remember clearly was that she was, 9 years of age, Asian, and had the most beautiful name. "Lilyana Buttercup Rose." Oh just saying the name out loud made Sandra giddy. With a name like that, how could the two of them not get along? 

Pulling into her driveway, and skipped into the house as quickly as she could. Hard to do in high heels, but Sandra was on cloud 9 and nothing could stop her from going through that door. 

The house was dark, as expected everyone must be asleep. After taking off her heels she began Tiptoeing her way upstairs. she went to the first room on the right. Although the quickness of the adoption process made thing a little fuzzy, she clearly remembered the fun she had decorating this room. She absolutely loved how it turned out, and what little girl wouldn't love it too. 

Opening the door just enough to see inside. Making sure the light from the hall just enough of her face to see but, not wake her. Oh, she's just too precious, that sleeping face is just adorable.  She thought to herself in barely contained excitement. She looked around the room a little more, as much as the crack open door would allow. Doing so allowed her to see three suitcases opened up on the floor. She could only imagine the adorable outfits that she brought with her. She forced herself away from the door, and gently closed it. 

She made her way down the hall. She stopped just before her and her husband Roberts bedroom door and looked down the hall. Just beyond the restroom was her son Williams room. She wished deep within her heart that he was here right now. He had plan's with friends to make a weekend out some dreadful game involving airsoft guns. She would have liked him to be here instead, but the addition of a new family member was so sudden, that canceling just wasn't an option.

Naturally, her thought's of him were that of any mother. Concern. Of course, at almost 13 he's in a bit of a rebellious phase right now, always telling me how embarrassing I am to him and that I should wear less pink. What's worse is when I decorated that room, all he could say was thing's like "Mom please use other colors anyone you adopt is going to take one look at this room and run!" I mean ridiculous. Then after I tried getting him to help me with putting up the wallpaper he said. "On no, I am not going to be responsible for the psychological trauma of some poor little girl." It's got to be those friends he hangs out with being a bad influence I say. She let out a sigh and entered the bedroom.

Thought of her son and this recent addition to the family also brought up dreadful memories of the past. It was a hard pregnancy it seemed like everything that could go wrong did at some point. Despite being, pro-lifer's even Sandra and Rob thought at one point that maybe aborting the baby, might be a mercy. That never happened thankfully and that kind of thinking wasn't something she was proud of. William was born perfectly normal and healthy. Sandra, however, was given new's that due to extensive damage would never conceive again. 

She talked it over again and again with Rob about adopting a girl. For years now, and it's finally happened. She was just down the hall asleep, waiting to be given all the love a girl at her age needed. Sandra was done changing out of her pink scrubs and had put on some pink pajamas. She then laid down with her husband, more than a little restless, but eventually joined her husband in sleep.

Sandra didn't remember when her husband woke up and went to work, but being the considerate man he was, he likely let her sleep. Know how much she needed it. She loved him for that. It always took her a moment to get her bearings after waking up, so it took her a while to remember one very important thing. This was Saturday, and she had the day off! All the time she needed to bond with a very special cutie in the next room. 

Sandra didn't necessarily need to tiptoe into the excessively pink bedroom where her new pride and joy slept, but with all the giddy excitement coursing through her veins. Sandra wasn't in a very logical mood. She had it all planned out today. First saying hello, Second breakfast pancakes perhaps, and third going to the mall in matching sundresses, pink in color of course. 

Sandra knelt at the edge of the bed, resting her head inches from the face of the little angel before her. Sandra didn't want to scare her be shaking her awake so she instead began to pet her head, and gently called her name, to encouraging her to awaken. Lilyana or Lily for short what a lovely name. She thought as she watches the child.

When the child began to open her eyes. Sandra was astonished to see how beautifully blue they were. The sight of them made her so happy that she grinned from ear to ear.   "Oh, you're awake!" Sandra exclaimed. 

Something was wrong, however. The poor things eyes went wide as if afraid. Is being this close to her freaking out? Sandra thought. She quickly backed off and sat on her heels.

Liliana sat up in bed using her little arms for support. Looking Sandra up and down. The girl's expression changed to annoyance then changed again as if coming to some kind of realization. "it was you." She said as if making an accusation. 

Sandra was a little confused. "What? What did I do?" She asked

"The room, it was who decorated. Right?" Liliana answers

Sandra was now downright perplexed. "how did you know that? Did Rob, I mean your father tell you that?"

"No, it's just your clothes." The little girl said as if it were obvious. 

Sandra looked down at herself. Realizing what I meant. This girl was quite sharp to put this together like this. The thought of having a little brainiac in the house made Sandra very happy.  "Well aren't you clever," she said. Completely unable to help herself she reached over left cheek a pinch. Liliana looked horrified by this gesture. Kicking herself for freaking out the girl a second time, she looked for something to distract the both of them. She then spotted the three suitcases in the corner "are those your's?" she asked.

Still looking completely mystified by this whole thing Liliana answered. "Yeah."

"Aww, let's have a look then shall we." Sandra stood up and moved over to take a closer look. She also realized what the problem was. This poor girl was just shy. Well, Sandra had every intention of making sure they became best friends by the end of the day. Maybe even become inseparable. Sitting down on her heels again, she began to give her new future best friends wardrobe a good look over. What she saw was a little disappointing. Nothing cute at all, a few of the dresses in one of the cases had potential, but the colors she was looking at were so depressing. 

Was this girl a delinquent? Had foster care hardened this poor darling? Her husband Robert was a police detective and always came home with such stories. Kids who have no proper parents gone bad, and turned to a life of crime. No! Sandra decided. She was going to be the best damn mother she could be and guide this precious diamond in the ruff down the right path. She stood up determined, to put today's plans in action. "All right time to take you shopping!" She announced.

Lilyana looked uncertain. "Shopping?" She asked.

Sandra knelt back down and looked at her daughter in the eyes. "Yes, I can think of a better way for you, my new daughter, and me your new mother, to get to know each other. Right, what do you think?"

Lilyana wanted to run. "Well, I um."

Sandra was having none of that. Time to be assertive. She thought. She then grabbed her daughter's tiny hands with a look of pure excitement. "Right then it's settled!"

A look of disgust cross Lilyana's face. Oh it's going to be like that, is it? Sandra thought. "Tell you what, you go take a bath and I'll pick out an outfit. Then after you change we can have breakfast together. Sound good?" What child resist the offer of food?

Lilliana gave in. "Sure." was her only reply.

Success! Sundra directed the girl to the restroom for her bath and began to tidy up. there were four drawers on the dresser. Sandra made sure to put all her daughter's clothes in the bottom three so they could be reached easily. Shirts and tanks went into the middle, Underwear, and socks in the bottom, and the top draw was pants, shorts, and skirts. All of the dresses were hung up in the closet. She admitted, however, some of the graphics on the shirts disturbed her a little. Were they heavy metal album covers? The worst one was an image of a monster called Jugulator. This all, but confirmed the hard pressed life the girl must have endured all these years parentless.

Now to get dressed for the day, and to get the little darlings own dress ready. Sandra went back to her bedroom closet and pulled out the very two pink dresses she had set aside for this very day. After changing into her own she went and placed the other one on her daughter's bed. After she headed to the kitchen to make breakfast.

After a short wait, but long enough to be finished cooking. Liliyana came down. Sandra couldn't wait to see her daughter in the dress she picked out. She was only met with disappointment. Not only was she not wearing the dress she had picked out but, she had on the god awful Jugulator shirt. Reforming this girl was going to be more difficult than she thought this was going to be more difficult than Sandra thought.

Lillyana had noticed that Sandra was looking at her. As to not make things awkward Sandra greeted the girl. "Oh, your down just in time!" Sandra found it hard not to show her disappointment, however. 

Lilyana noticed this and asked. "what's up?" I asked 

Sandra gave an exaggerated sigh and told herself to pull it together, forcing a smile back to her face. "It's nothing dear. Hey, pancakes are ready to have a seat." 

Although Lilyana didn't mind. Sandra found the silence during breakfast awkward. When Sandra noticed that Lilyana was done. She spoke up, exclaiming that they should get going. Giving her daughter her hand purse and phone that she found on Lilyana's nightstand. They then headed out to Sandra's pink minivan. 

When out the door Sandra directed Lilyana to take the back seat in of her minivan, she was still too young to sit in the front after all, and safety first and all that.

Sandra had opened the door expecting Lilyana to be at least opening the sliding door, but she was not. Looking over she could see that her daughter was staring at her van with a look of disgust. "Was there something wrong with my van?" Sandra asked.

Lilyana broke her disgusted stare "Um no, it is just very..." Lilyana shook her head. It wasn't important. "Nothing nevermind." Lilyana then climbed in back as previously instructed. 

Sandra could not for the life her figure out what that was about, and she didn't feel like asking.

Sandra tried to make sure that the car ride wasn't as quiet as breakfast was. She told Lilyana all about her older brother and why she hadn't met him yet, and how she hoped that they got along. Some time down the road Lilyana ask an odd question. "We're are we?" Sandra told her. Liliana scrunched up her face at the sound of the word California. Did she not know that already? How odd.

"Well were are you from?" Sandra asked

"Texas." the girl replied 

"Oh really?" Sandra asked more about Texas but didn't get much out of Lilyana. Sandra also tried telling Lilyana about all the fun she would have at her new school and all the new little friends that she would make. All Sandra got out of her adopted daughter was. A lot of head nods and grunts, a few of "that's cool" and one "Oh, really that's interesting."

Inside the mall didn't go much better. They had gotten everything they needed, that Lilyana didn't already have for going to school, Notebook, pencils, a desk, and chair to do her homework at, sadly the store didn't have a thing available in pink. but there was one thing Sandra wanted to do for her little girl. She wanted to buy her a real purse. Sandra noticed it earlier that Lilyana was carrying both her phone and hand purse with her. Which was a complete thief hazard. No, she needed something to sling over her shoulder.

Sandra didn't expect Lilyana to be so resistant, but after Sandra explained her practical reasons as to why it was a good idea Lilyana agreed. Sandra was beyond thrilled finally some real girl time. This didn't also did not go as well as she thought it would. It became a battle of the cute pink purse VS every other purse on the self.

"But this one is so cute and you would look cute with it too." Sandra pleaded. Holding up a pink purse with a little bow on it.

Lilyana who was annoyed by this whole thing held up a black leather bag and asked. "What's wrong with this one? It bigger even."

Sandra doing her best to model with a pink purse said in a singing fashion. "But this has a little bow."

Lilyana in frustration point to another purse on the self "What about that one is brown acceptable?" It was the same purse she already had in her hand, but brown leather instead.

Sandra's response unorthodox she didn't say anything. Instead, she reached up grabbed the little bow with her Index and thumb, and wiggled it around, hoping that somehow this would entice the girl. 

Lilyana let out a sigh with just a hint of a frustrated growl. Marched over to her mother, who's excitement was growing with her daughter's every step. Lilyana then reached behind Sandra and pulled out a different purse. It was the same a the one Sandra had been advocating for except dark red. Lilyana then made a statement. "This one or nothing!"

Sandra frowned, but gave it some thought, her new sunshine was trying to compromise. "Ok, you win." Sandra realized something just then. This girl wasn't a delinquent, she still required guidance sure, but whatever Lilyana's past life was like before coming into the family. Simply made her grow up faster than most. She was already so independent, it was scary, but she was still a child. A child that needed a mom. A child that needed her.

Long after exiting the purse store. The two of them made their way to the food court for a somewhat late lunch. Burgers, Lilyana insisted on an adult meal. When asked by Sandra "Why? What about the toy that comes with the kid's meal." The only response from Lilyana was a dirty look that said, do you really want to fight me again? No Sandra did not. So Lilyana got her way.

The day had not gone as Sandra had hoped or planned, but that one moment of compromise from earlier was a step in the right direction. Sandra gazed beyond the food court, toward a woman's and girl's clothing store. She so badly wanted to take Lilyana inside a pick out something cute, but after the fight over a simple purse, she thought better of it.

Lilyana had noticed the direction of her mother's gaze and became very worried. Sandra noticed her daughter's worry, smiled and said. "Let's go home."

Megel454

I would like to point out that Jugulator is a real album, and one I have listened to at least six times since starting this project, so I thought it only right to give it an honorable mention. To listen for yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roszP-r6cLg Not promising that you'll like it though. If you give any song a shot though Cathedral Spires is my overall favorite https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJsBQdXUwv4 

Megel454

I hope you enjoyed this character spotlight, as much as I enjoyed writing it. Weirdly enough I think this is my best chapter so far.