A New Foster parent.

[Shadowlight]

Amara sighed as she saw the child's fear.

"Amara's fine kid, you don't have to call me Ma'am...I'm not that old yet." she stated teasingly, hoping to calm the girl's nerves.

Standing back up she shared a look with Trissa.

"Come on let's go inside, probably be better than standing around out here with the gawking neighbors."

[Chaosnova]

Emily, with one last pleading look at Trissa, followed Amara into her house without a word.

She wondered what was going to happen to her. Was Amara going to beat her up so she 'knew her place', like the previous foster parent? Or would she wait until Trissa was gone so she wouldn't report this to the higher-ups?

She opened her mouth to say something, but ultimately thought better of it and just shut her mouth. She didn't want to give the woman an excuse to yell at her.

[Shadowlight]

After talking with Amara, Trissa knelt in front of Emily.

"I promise this is going to be different. But in case it's not, here, call me okay?" she stated, smiling sympathetically.


Amara watched this, wondering just what kind of hell the little girl had been put through before all of this to make her so scared.

[Chaosnova]

Unable to speak in front of Amara, Emily merely nodded, taking the paper with Trissa's phone number on it and clutching it like a lifeline. She wished Trissa would be the one taking care of her instead of Amara, but there was nothing she could do about it.

She watched as Trissa talked to Amara and leave, while stealing the occasional glance at her new 'home'. It was big and pretty, to be sure, but it was a tad messy. She didn't have time to dwell on the specifics, however, as Trissa bid Amara goodbye and made to leave.

[Shadowlight]

Once Trissa was gone Amara sighed and glanced over at Emily.

"You hungry Emily? I think it's about time for lunch anyway. What would you like?" She asked, trying to sound friendly so she didn't freak the child out any farther.

"Feel free to wander around the place while I'm cooking or watch tv or whatever."

she stated

[Chaosnova]

"I-I'm okay with anything..." Emily mumbled, refusing to meet Amara's eyes. She didn't move from her spot even after Amara left for the kitchen, fearing this was yet another trick so that she'd have an excuse to beat or scold her. The way she'd said "or whatever" so offhandedly was by no means reassuring, even though her tone sounded gentle enough.

Surveying the living room with trepidation, Emily fumbled with the hem of her dress. She wasn't particularly in the mood for fooling around, but being stuck in this foreign place was making her dizzy.

[Shadowlight]

it didn't take long for Amara to have lunch ready, choosing to fix chicken tenders and mac and cheese since she knew that most kids liked those sort of things.

"lunch's ready, I also have chocolate ice cream for dessert if you would like some?" Amara stated in the same tone before adding "what would you like to drink? I have chocolate milk, lemonade, soda-though I doubt you need a lot of sugar but....one a day won't hurt."

[Chaosnova]

Not knowing what to say, Emily just shook her head. The woman was being nice, to be sure, but Emily was not going to be bribed so easily with food. Even if they smelled great.

Instead, she looked at Amara blankly, waiting for instructions like "you may now eat" or something along those lines.

[Shadowlight]

"What? Don't you like the food?" Amara asked, unsure of what the problem was. "Um...If that's the case I can fix something else?"

she was confused and a bit concerned, before sighing as she remembered what Trissa had told her.

"You don't need permission from me to eat...If you're hungry or thirsty by all means do so, this is your home as much as it is mine now."

[Chaosnova]

Emily nodded, but didn't move.

"T-thank you," she mumbled. "Thank you," she tried again, without fumbling it this time.

Walking over to the dining table and sitting down, she looked from her food to Amara, then back again before finally digging in. It was the most delicious food she had in a long time (Trissa couldn't cook if her life depended on it), even if she was too nervous to appreciate it properly.