sure what that was. I couldn't imagine choosing a random family in Shadow to take care of Adelaide. How would I know they were best suited for her? Maybe it was selfish of me to even consider raising a child since I could have one if I desired, but I wanted what was best for Adelaide. She deserved that much.
“Olivia!” Adelaide climbed off the bench and ran over towards me, throwing her arms around me for a hug. I rubbed her back. “Hey sweetie,” I smiled, bending down to her level.
“I'm bored,” she announced. “Can we go home?” I wondered what she thought home meant. There was no going back to Thena. I didn't want to tell her that.
“Sure.” I offered her a faint smile, seeing the Chancellor looking quite pleased with himself. I didn't understand why. Had he wanted me to look after Adelaide all along? I couldn't see the benefit in it. I stood up, taking her hand, and walked over to the empty tray of food. I cleaned up Adelaide's breakfast before helping her into my coat again. I grabbed my breakfast, taking it with me back to the house.
We walked back home, not wasting a moment as the cold air only made my arms tremble. I had to be careful not to drop our tray of food. Adelaide might have eaten but I'd barely touched my meal, and I carried enough for Joshua to eat too.
Unlocking the front door, I saw that Joshua had already dressed and come down the stairs. “You're back soon,” he commented, smiling as he saw Adelaide standing beside me. “Hi.” He grinned and offered out his hand. “I'm Joshua.”
Adelaide slipped behind my legs, poking her head out to the side to see him. Evidently she was shy. I handed Joshua our breakfast, letting him take it to the kitchen as I helped Adelaide out of my coat. I hoped someone would soon bring the girl clothes that fit. Together, we walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a seat at the table to eat breakfast as Adelaide ran into the living room, grabbing a book from the shelf. None had pictures but she stared at the pages. I wasn't sure if she was old enough to read but it kept her occupied for a while.
“She's cute,” Joshua mused, getting a better look at her as he sat with me for breakfast.
“Apparently, she's ours,” I remarked, eyeing him. I didn't know how he'd feel about us looking after a child. I wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea but I wasn't going to let her be given to a family at random.
“Well, she has taken a liking to you.” Josh nodded slowly. “What's Collins think about all of it?”
I took a bite of breakfast, trying to get it down. I wasn't entirely hungry but knew I needed to eat something. “He mentioned a lottery.” My fork picked at my food on the plate. “I shot that idea down.”
“Good.” Joshua rolled his eyes. “He wasn't serious?” he asked me.
“No. Adelaide's the first child to come here though, so they don’t exactly have a set of rules to follow. He mentioned Taron but you were there yesterday. Taron didn't so much as come up to us to see who the little girl was. I can't just hand her over to him.” I pinched the bridge of my nose, hanging my head slightly, eyes closed, trying to think. “Are we ready to be parents?”
Joshua laughed softly. “To Adelaide? I don't know. Maybe we could handle it. I mean she's what, four?” he guessed. “I'm not crazy about having a child here. It's a huge risk considering everything we've been through,” he acknowledged. “But she's also a person who needs a family and parents who will love her. I see the way you are with her and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job, Olivia.”
“She's six,” I corrected him. “And I'm eighteen, barely an adult,” I remarked. “I can't be anyone's mother.” The thought still terrified me.
“Well that settles it.” Joshua smiled. “If she's six then it's
I sighed and put my fork down, having lost my appetite completely. “Not good news,” I remarked, glancing back at Adelaide. She sat on the sofa, turning the page of a novel she seemed to be reading.
I felt Joshua's hand come to rest atop mine. “We'll look after her,” he assured me. “Between the two of us, we can handle it.” I wasn't sure we could. We spent most days training, preparing for an uprising. What would we do with Adelaide when we went off to war? I couldn't stay home and be a mother, raise a child and live my life on the sidelines. I knew it was probably the most selfish feeling in the world but I didn’t feel ready to give it all up just yet. “Relax.” He squeezed my hand. “We can teach her basic skills training. She'll be prepared for whatever awaits us.” I hoped it could be that easy.
CHAPTER 9
Only a few days had passed since Adelaide had come into our home. The community of Shadow had come together to help in any way it could. Adelaide was the youngest of Shadow. It was rare a child came into the town and everyone wanted to be a part of her upbringing. Some had stitched clothes for Adelaide to wear. Others had sewn together stuffed animals for Adelaide so she could have companions. I felt terrible knowing Adelaide would have no friends her own age to play with. Shadow had no swing sets or playgrounds like Genesis had provided. The only school that existed was the recruit center, training in weaponry and survival skills. As important as they were for Adelaide, there was so much more for her to learn about our world and about what was going on in it.
Aidan brought books about our history and about the history of the world to teach Adelaide. I wasn't sure how much to share with such a young child. Incredibly bright, she was still a child. Shouldn't she be allowed some freedoms until she grew older? Freedom from fear, for instance. Although I knew she'd never have such a luxury. Her family had died. Her home had been destroyed. We were lucky the drones hadn't come back but I knew one day they would, and I would protect her like I had Hazel, no matter the cost.
“Olivia, do we have to do this again?” Adelaide whined as she lifted the Bo Staff in her arms. Aidan had crafted it himself, making sure it was the perfect size for Adelaide. It was light but sturdy. I didn't want to hand her anything she could injure herself with. We were trying to train her to defend herself. Joshua and I had seen soldiers come in on foot while in Haven. It was possible with time they'd travel as far west as Shadow. We needed to be ready.
“Yes.” I smiled. “We can take a break first,” I offered as she shook her head no.
“Let's get on with it.”
I laughed hearing her words and helped her practice. We spent twenty minutes at it before I heard a familiar voice. “Need a hand?” Hazel asked. I was glad to see she was doing better since our last encounter.
“Just showing Adelaide how to use the Bo Staff.” I glanced behind me as Hazel came into the training facility.
“I hear Aidan's making her a set of nunchucks next.” Hazel grabbed a Bo Staff, gesturing for Adelaide to try with her.
I put mine down and walked towards the wall, grabbing a cup of water. “You're not serious?” Aidan hadn't mentioned it to me. Probably because he knew I'd be against it.
Hazel laughed and her eyes widened as Adelaide seemed to be quick on her feet and even quicker with her arms using the weapon in hand. “You're good,” she commented to Adelaide. “She might actually be ready for it. Can you believe that? She hasn't even been enhanced and she's brilliant.”
My eyes widened as I stalked to the center of the room, stopping their interaction. “Enhanced?” I shook my head. “You will not do that to my daughter!”
Hazel's voice dropped. “She's not technically your daughter.” It was a slap in the face. Something I knew but I treated Adelaide as if she were, because to me she was family. Nothing would change that. Not even one person’s opinion would make me think less of Adelaide. Hazel sighed, knowing she'd hit a nerve. “I'm sorry.” She put the Bo Staff down and Adelaide used it to her advantage, managing to knock Hazel on her back. Adelaide put a foot on Hazel's chest, keeping her pinned down.
“Don't ever say that to Olivia again,” Adelaide demanded with a fierce intensity. “She saved my life and took me in. More than I can say about you.” She waited a moment before she moved her stick away along with her foot.
A part of me knew I should have reprimanded Adelaide for her actions. I didn't though. Hazel rolled over, stood up, and walked out.
