Sara Katsoppolus groaned as she rolled out of bed, feeling the effects of a Monday morning. She staggered over to her bedroom window, tearing open the curtains and squinting at the bright sun which had already marked its place over San Francisco. She rubbed her eyes, willing herself to wake up, and made her way to her closet, picking out a pair of capri shorts and a green T-shirt.
As she got dressed, memories of the dream she had the previous night were coming back slowly. Sara couldn't understand why dreams of her parents had become more regular lately, but she didn't like them. She blamed it on the fact that she had been thinking about them a lot recently, to her surprise. She was happy now; she was safe, and loved. It was beyond her why, after five years since she had last seen her parents, thoughts of them were escalating again.
Sara hated to remember that day when she was nine. Still so fresh in her memory was those moments when she arrived home to find an abandoned house; no food, no furniture, no parents. Her parents had abandoned their only daughter, the daughter they never showed any love to, or nurture, or care. Sara remembered countless attempts to please her parents, desperate for them to love her, and marked their abandonment as her failure. She spent the next four years in different group homes, until she met Jesse and Becky Katsoppolus when she was residing at the Jacobson Group Home for Girls in San Francisco.
Sara was 13 when she was introduced to the couple, who were looking to adopt a young teenage girl. Sara was a troubled teenager, who was still dealing with the pain of her parents leaving her, and refused to believe there was a family out there who could and would take care of her. She never talked about what had happened that day when she was nine; secluding herself into her own corrupted beliefs and thoughts, until she was told Jesse and Becky had adopted her.
It was a rough road, trying to get comfortable with the idea of having a family, trying to open up and deal with the pain, but Sara got through it all. She managed to open up about her past, and come to terms with it. She knew, and always would know, how impossible it would have been without Jesse and Becky, supporting her every step of the way.
Now, 14 years old, Sara had been living with the Katsoppolus' for nine months. Sara felt so lucky to have such a large family, since it was not just Becky and Jesse who she lived with. Sara had always been an only child, and when she was adopted, she become a big sister to two twin boys, Nikki and Alex, who were two years old. Sara loved them so much, glad to have little brothers she could play with and hang out with.
Jesse, Becky, Sara, Nikki and Alex lived in the upstairs apartment of a large house, owned by Jesse's brother-in-law, Danny Tanner, who was the father of three girls, DJ, Stephanie and Michelle. Sara and Stephanie had become best friends in no time at all, getting along from Sara's first day as a member of the family. They both went to the same middle school and were in the same classes, and Sara couldn't have been happier to have her best friend living in the same house as her, as though they really were sisters. Then there was Joey, Jesse's best friend, who lived in the house as well. Sara loved having ten people living under the same roof, each with their own unique and distinct personalities and attitudes. Life was never boring at 1882 Gerard Street, that was for sure.
Sara ran a brush through her tangled hair, wincing at the pain. She looked at her digital clock on her dresser and realized she was running late. Great. She thought bitterly as she sped up her hair brushing, muttering under her breath. She didn't even hear her bedroom door squeak open, allowing entry to two twin boys with mischievous grins on their faces. Nikki and Alex tiptoed into the room, and hopped onto Sara's bed, beginning to jump on and down. Sara turned around with a start.
"Dood morning Sawa." Alex yelled out in between hops. Nikki copied his brother as he grinned from ear to ear. Sara let out a breath and shook her head with a small smile.
"Don't you guys know how to knock?" She asked, as she went to her bed and helped the boys down.
"Play with us, Sawa." Nikki said as he tugged on Sara's hand, Alex doing the same to her other hand.
"I can't guys, I have to go to school." Sara replied, pulling her hands away apologetically. The boys didn't seem to mind, as they ran from the room, shouting Michelle's name. Sara smiled, knowing nine-year-old Michelle would play with her cousins without a doubt.
Sara didn't bother brushing out the last of her tangles; there wouldn't be enough time, and besides, you could hardly see them, she reasoned. She grabbed her bag and darted from her room, where she saw Jesse sitting at the table, pen poised above a notepad, a pensive look spread across his face.
"Good morning squirt." He said flatly without glancing up from his paper once. Sara puckered her brow.
"Morning." She replied. "What are you doing?" Jesse finally looked up, bags under his eyes. He's been up all night. Sara thought.
"I'm trying to write this song for the band. We're performing at the Smash Club in a couple of weeks and we wanted to go for something new, something fresh. But I'm just getting nowhere." Jesse admitted as he stared at the blank page in front of him. Sara wished she could stay and help him; he had let her before. She was proud of the fact that some of Jesse's songs had lyrics she had written herself.
"I'm sure you'll think of something, Jesse. I'm sorry I can't help you, but I've gotta get ready for school." Sara apologized. Jesse shrugged casually.
"Yeah I guess school's kinda important, huh? Go on, get outta here. I'll see you later, and I might just take you up on your offer to help me out. Maybe we need something youth-inspired." Jesse pretended to gaze off into the distance, as though pondering the future, as Sara smiled.
"Sure Jesse." She said simply, and ran past him.
"See you, squirt. Don't get into too much trouble." Jesse called after her. She agreed and ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where Stephanie was sitting at the dining room table, already finishing a glass of juice.
"Hey Steph." Sara said as she breathed out. Stephanie waved as Sara began to pour herself a bowl of cereal.
"Where were you last night? Did you have a dance class?" Sara asked, as she coated her cereal with milk. Stephanie shook her head.
"No, I was at Gia's house. We were studying for that test we have in social sciences tomorrow." Stephanie replied as she put her dishes in the sink. Sara nodded. Gia was one of Stephanie's and Sara's classmates, whom Stephanie had been spending more time with lately, hanging out and doing homework together.
"Oh, that's cool. Do you think you'll pass it?" Sara asked. Stephanie shrugged.
"I hope so, but I think Mr. Dawson will throw out some questions on the test that make no sense. He does that sometimes, haven't you noticed?" She asked. Sara grinned.
"That's for sure. I think he does it just to throw us off." She replied. Stephanie nodded her agreement with a sigh.
"Oh well, it's not important. I'm just glad I had the chance to study with Gia. Things make much more sense when you study together than alone." She said. Sara nodded.
"Yeah that's for sure. Maybe you and I can study tonight, since the test is tomorrow." She offered. Stephanie paused, as though thinking, before she made a face.
"Well, Gia's coming over tonight so we can study together again." She said.
"Oh okay, no problem. I'll just get Becky to help me review some stuff before tomorrow." Sara said with a smile. "Though some of his questions will go right over my head, no matter how hard I study." She rolled her eyes. Stephanie laughed. Sara was trying desperately to finish her cereal so she would be on time for school.
"Sorry I'm running a bit late today, Steph. I don't know what got into me this morning, but I'll be ready to go right after I'm done my breakfast." She said as she shoved a spoonful of Fruit Loops into her mouth.
"Well, I didn't know you'd be running late this morning, Sara. Gia's on her way over right now, and so, I-"
"Oh, alright. I'll have to catch up then." Sara replied, slowing down a little on her cereal. Stephanie smiled as she went to answer the door. It was Gia, ready to go. Stephanie called a quick goodbye to Sara and left the house. Sara sighed and sat down at the counter, sipping a glass of juice as she wondered if she was going to be late for school.
As Sara was just finishing up her breakfast, Becky came downstairs with Danny behind her, both dressed for work. Danny and Becky were co-hosts for the morning talk show "Wake Up San Francisco."
Danny went straight for the kitchen, already grabbing a cloth and beginning to wipe down the counters. Sara suppressed a laugh. From the moment she had moved into this house, she had known Danny to be a total neat freak, and knew he would never have a moment's rest unless every room in the house was spotless.
"Good morning, sweetheart." Becky said as she sat down next to Sara, dropping her briefcase on the floor next to her. Sara smiled.
"Good morning, Becky." She replied as she watched Danny clear her dishes away without a thought. Sara shook her head with a sigh.
"Did you have a good sleep?" Becky asked. Sara thought about her dream, the memories of which were beginning to fade now. She shrugged.
"I guess. I...I dreamt of them again last night." Sara admitted. Nine months ago when she first moved in with the Katsoppolus', she would have never admitted that truth, but she had learned that being open and honest was safe with this family, and telling them things would not get her into trouble.
Becky sighed sympathetically. She knew all about what had happened to Sara five years ago, and it broke her heart to think about the pain Sara must have endured those years, and she hated to see how it still affected Sara in many ways.
"Have they been happening a lot, Sara?" Becky asked, referring to the dreams again. Sara nodded.
"Yeah, a few times a week, now." She admitted, but didn't admit she had been thinking of them in her waking hours as well. There were some things she still felt she wanted to keep secret. It embarrassed her to think of them; she felt guilty. Her life was good now; she felt she didn't have the right to think about her biological parents, but found she couldn't help it.
"Well listen Sara, if they get to be too painful, and you wake up and you're freaked out, or upset, come wake us up, okay? Don't deal with it alone." Becky said. Sara nodded, knowing she could always depend on Jesse and Becky for anything.
Becky got up, arranging her things in her briefcase, as Danny was fussing with his tie in the hallway mirror.
"Where's Steph, Sara? Don't you usually walk with her to school in the morning?" Becky asked, as she stared at her watch. "And aren't you usually out of the house by now?"
"I was running late this morning. Stephanie walked to school with Gia." Sara replied. Becky puckered her brow.
"They wouldn't wait for you?" She asked. Sara shrugged.
"Well, look, why don't I drive you to school? I have some time before I have to be at work." She peered over at Danny, and lowered her voice to a whisper as she turned back to Sara. "And it looks like Danny's going to be a while with his tie anyway." Sara giggled as she grabbed her backpack and followed Becky out the door to her car. Sara was thankful for the time she got to spend with Becky; Jesse as well. They cared about her, and wanted to spend time with her, an action that was foreign to her before she moved in, and was still getting used to. But still, even small instances like getting a ride to school were things she was sure she would always treasure, because they were things that she had never received before now.