Callie's POV
I woke up to Mariana screaming about fifteen minutes ago but I knew it was nothing so I never got up to check on her. I decided that deserved to have 10 more minutes in bed since it's a Saturday morning after all. I yawn and roll out of bed before bregrudgingly heading downstairs.
When I enter the family room I see Stef having a stare off with a little girl. I rub my eyes to make sure I'm not still asleep but sure enough the girl is still there sending Stef dirty looks. There is a girl. In our house. Having a stare off with Stef. I know this family is not normal by any stretch of the imagination but I'd say this was the weirdest thing I've seen since arriving at the Adams-Foster household.
"Did I miss something?" I mutter under my breath while raising an eyebrow then going into the kitchen for a drink without waiting for a reply.
There's noise coming from the kitchen which makes me roll my eyes and makes me feel slightly nauseous in all honesty; I hate people in the morning. I step inside to see Mariana and another little girl trying to make pancakes(emphasis on trying part). They are both covered in flour and smiling from ear to ear, the sound of their laughter fills the air alongside some disney princess music. Normally I'd groan but the girl is pretty cute dancing around giggling. I can almost feel my heart melting.
Not wanting to intrude; I step around the commotion towards the fridge but just as I open the door both of their heads turn to me. The girl hides behind Mariana in fear. The phrase "deer in a headlight" comes to mind. I am in all honesty hurt at this reaction but I try not to show it.
"It's okay, that's just my sister Callie. She won't hurt you." Mariana reassures the small girl.
"Hi, what's you're name?" I ask crouching down to her level smiling and she replies with a shrug.
"Her sister told her not to tell anyone," Mariana shrugs and I nod.
"Do you two want a hand?" I ask, they both nod in response so I take the mix and stir it properly before cooking the pancakes the way they were meant to be made.
It doesn't take long for me to make enough for the whole family and our two guests. I put the on plates and the three of us put them out on the table. I shout the rest of them down for breakfast. Our house has always got something happening, no matter what so where some people may linger on the fact that my foster moms brought home some children during the night somehow, I decide not to dote on it.
We sit down and I can't help but laugh as the little girl licks her lips; her eyes widening with joy and her fork raised dramatically in anticipation. Suddenly she's digging in to her pancakes, shovelling large bites into her small mouth, the chunks barely fit and she struggles to chew. Mariana and I glance at each other and smile, she's completely adorable. When we hear the older girl's footsteps, the younger straightens up, wipes her mouth and straightens her mouth. She begins to cut her pancake into more manageable mouthfuls and avoids eye-contact with Mariana and I. The contrast between the happy, carefree girl and the serious, slightly scared one in front of us is scary.
The older girl sits down next to the younger and elbows her. She whispers something along the lines of "you better have not told them your name, we can't go back". The younger girl nods not taking her eyes off of her food. She looks upset, her bottom lip begins to quiver and before I can do anything; she takes off out of the room and out the front door. I follow her and find her on the porch crying her little heart out.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I ask putting my arm around her shoulder trying to comfort her.
"I d...don't want to go back..." She manages to get out through tears, I note that she has an accent; Scottish maybe.
"It's going to be ok." I tell her pulling her into a hug.
I can feel the sobs shaking her body, her breathing is laboured. In between long period of sobs she gasps for air. It seems like a panic attack. I tell her to breath that; it's ok and slowly she begins to calm down. I kiss her forehead and suggest we go inside. She nods and gently reaches for my hand. Her soft hand is so small in mine.
As we go inside I feel her grip tighten slightly. She's still sniffling but she's plastered a grin on her face. I'm curious as to why she was so scared to go home. Maybe she's a foster kid and is in a bad home. The girl she's with is probably her sister. Her sister seems pretty aggressive from what I've seen, but maybe she's just trying to protect her sister; I can relate to that.
We re-enter the kitchen to see her sister in a full scale argument with Stef about something and Lena's standing shaking her head trying to figure out what to do. Jesus, Brandon, Mariana and Jude are all watching wide eyed. None of us know what to say. The tension is almost unbearable.
"Kirsten, stop it." I hear the girl's small voice say.
Silence falls upon the room as everyone stares at the little girl by my side. Her free hand raises as if to protect herself.