Samantha took a deep breath and fixed her denim jacket. She ran a hand through her thick hair. It had grown way longer over the course of a month than ever before. She was pretty sure it was because of the mood dye.
Felix hooted in his cage and she turned to look at him. "I know, I know, I shouldn't be nervous. It's Betty… and Betty's adopted family." She groaned and flopped back on her bed.
After she had gotten back to the orphanage, Ms. Opal gave Samantha her own room. True, it was small but it was her own.
She ran her hands down her face. Betty had called her two days ago to invite her to a picnic with her family. Samantha had been so excited but now they were supposed to pick her up in ten minutes and she felt like she was going to lose her breakfast.
Someone knocked on her door. "Samantha, honey, Betty's here," Ms. Opal said.
Shooting off the bed, she looked around for anything she was missing. She made eye contact with Felix. He hooted.
"Alright, I'm going," she muttered, opening the door.
Ms. Opal smiled softly. "Are you alright?"
Samantha nodded. "Oh yeah, never better."
"Really? Because you seem nervous."
"I am. And I shouldn't be because it's Betty and she's like my sister," Samantha sighed.
As Ms. Opal led Samantha downstairs to the entrance hall, she said, "They're a very sweet family. I believe they have a deaf daughter who's nine. Betty absolutely loved them after they met her."
Samantha took a deep breath and nodded. "Shouldn't be too bad then."
Ms. Opal patted Samantha's shoulder. "It won't. Now go, I'm sure Betty's excited to see you." The matron opened the door.
And Samantha walked out. The sun hit her eyes, making her squint. She blinked a few times before being able to see four people standing by the sidewalk in front of a nice looking car.
"Sam!" Betty cried, running forward.
Tears sprung to Samantha's eyes unbidden, she hadn't been able to send Betty letters as she didn't want her new family to become suspicious.
Betty flew into Samantha's arms and both girls were crying. "I missed you so much!" Betty sobbed.
"Me too! Why didn't you write to me that you were getting adopted?" Samantha demanded, pulling away and getting a good look at her friend. She was wearing a new summer dress that matched perfectly with her skin tone, her dark hair flowed down her shoulders in perfect waves, and Samantha realized she had grown. A lot.
Betty cringed. "I'm sorry. Ms. Opal gave me a new roommate for the time being and I couldn't risk getting caught letting an owl in. How is Felix, by the way?"
Samantha smiled. "He's good. He misses you."
"Aww, I miss him too." The girl turned her head toward her family and started to drag Samantha toward them. "I have something amazing to tell you, but first, I must introduce the Felix's."
Samantha laughed at the irony, getting a good look at the three people. Mr. Felix had light brown skin and a mischievous glint in his eye that reminded Samantha of Fred and George; Mrs. Felix had darker, smoother skin and she held herself high and proud, but she radiated kindness; and their deaf daughter was adorable. The girl had watched Betty's and Samantha's interaction with a small smile on her face and looked as if she knew everything that was going on.
"This is Benjamin Felix, Lilianne Felix, and Jennifer Felix," Betty said, motioning to each person as she said their name.
"Hello," Samantha said, wringing her hands together.
"Oh, sweetheart, don't be nervous. We won't bite." Mrs. Felix smiled softly.
A chuckle escaped from Samantha's mouth, feeling much more relaxed. "Sorry, I just wasn't sure what to expect."
"They're wizards!" Betty cried, looking like she couldn't hold it in anymore. "Samantha, they're like you!"
Samantha blinked in shock before turning to Mr. and Mrs. Felix. The couple nodded, smiles on their faces. "You mean, you mean you know how to get to Diagon Alley? And you've been to Hogwarts?"
Mr. Felix nodded. "For sure, Samantha. When we told Betty she was so excited, we had expected her to be wary but then she told us about you."
Samantha looked at her friend, sending Betty a smile before she turned back. "So, what made you want to adopt a Muggle?"
"The wizarding world doesn't necessarily have orphanages. You see, if a child becomes an orphan, most of the time they have a large amount of family to care for them. But we wanted another child and Jennifer liked the idea of having an older sister." Mr. Felix placed his arm around Jennifer's shoulder and she grinned at Samantha.
"Whoa," Samantha muttered.
Mrs. Felix laughed. "Now, we must get going. Are you ready for a picnic?"
Samantha nodded and soon they were all in the car. As they drove to the picnic place that Betty had nothing but good things to say, Samantha wondered something she hadn't allowed herself to wonder.
What if they adopted her? What if she had them to help her to Diagon Alley every year? What if she could have a normal life again?
A/N: And here we have it! I decided to do the prologue and this chapter just because I'm sure you guys are confused that I've introduced Sage and Sierra. Well, don't worry! I did it on purpose :-D This book is part of a poll on my profile, if you like it and want me to focus on writing this one, vote! Anyway, I hope you guys have enjoyed this story so far!