Chapter 2: Your New Home

A couple days had passed since the Hauntleys had brought Emily to her new home and the little girl was curious, but a bit afraid too. While most of the inhabitants and other things of the home stayed hidden so they wouldn't scare the young girl, coming to live in a haunted house could be rather unnerving, especially to a little four-year-old human.

After being shown her room, Emily had taken time to explore her new room, seeming awed that she had a room all to herself and she took time to explore many of the things the Hauntleys had bought for her.

While it was nice, it was somewhat overwhelming for the young girl and so, she stayed in her room for the first couple of days, unsure of whether to venture around the house or stay put. After being in the orphanage for so long and being adopted once and brought back to the orphanage barely half a month later had taken a bit of a toll on her. She decided her room was the safest place for the time being.

Vampirina was super excited to hear that she now had a little sister and heeded her parent's warnings that Emily was very shy and didn't speak. Promising to be kind to her new little sister, Vee had given Emily some space, but did make it a point to stop and say 'good morning' in the morning or 'hi' for the past couple days.

It was on the third day that Vampirina decided to test the waters, so to speak, and go into Emily's room. "Hi, Emily," she said with a friendly smile. "Are you doing okay?"

The four-year-old nodded, smiling a little. "Do you like your room?" Vee asked. That got her another nod and a somewhat bigger smile. "I helped with the colors. Do you like purple and pink?"

Emily nodded and indicated to her shirt, which was pink and purple. "They're your favorite colors?" The young vampire guessed and smiled when her new little sister nodded. "That's awesome!"

It was quiet for a moment and Vampirina smiled. "I understand that you feel unsure," she said gently. "I felt the same way when Mama, Papa, and I moved from Transylvania all the way here to Pennsylvania. I didn't know if I'd fit in or find any friends, but I did. And if I could, I know you can, when you're ready."

Emily looked a little unsure, but seemed grateful that her new big sister was being understanding. Vee suddenly perked up. "Hey, do you want to play? I've got my dolls I could bring to your room and I've got some games too," she said, hoping that by offering to play in the younger girl's room, it would help Emily feel more comfortable.

The young girl nodded after a moment, liking the idea of playing with Vampirina and grateful that she understood that she wasn't quite ready to leave her room yet. Oxana and Boris had checked up on them and were happy that the girls were getting along well and that Vampirina was being understanding with her little sister and helping her out on some of the games. One game was where you had to mimic an action or say something and the young vampire had quickly made an exception to the talking part, telling Emily she could just mouth the words or write down the words instead. This made it fair to the young girl and made Vampirina happy that she could help her sister play the games and have fun.

But Oxana was worried when she saw that Emily hadn't unpacked her suitcase after the first few days and she began to wonder if the young girl was simply waiting for her new family to change their minds and send her back like the first family had done.

One night, bringing up a bowl of pennies-from-Heaven, which was a recipe Chef Remy Bones had decided to try out and help the newest member of the family to adjust, Oxana gently knocked on the half-open door to her new daughter's room and Emily perked up, looking happy, but sensing that her new mother was worried. "Emily," the vampire woman said after a moment, choosing her questions carefully. "Do you like it here? Are you okay? Is everything alright?"

The little girl nodded, but saw Oxana look at the still, mostly-packed suitcase. "You don't have to be afraid, Emily," the woman said, deciding reassurance was best. "You're not going back to that orphanage or any orphanage again. We adopted you to become a permanent member of the family."

Emily hugged Oxana, who returned the hug. "Is that why your suitcase is still packed? You feared…we would do what those other people had done to you?"

The little girl nodded and her new mother hugged her gently. "No, we will never do that," she promised. "And you can talk whenever you're ready and you can always come to us for anything. Do you understand?"

The four-year-old nodded again and smiled, which Oxana took as a good sign. Emily was at least responding to questions non-verbally, which was better than not answering or looking scared to answer. She spotted the hot dogs and macaroni and ate it up instantly, her eyes lighting up as she found she liked it, which made the vampire woman smile.

That evening, while Emily was climbing into bed, Oxana came in and tucked her in. "Pleasant dreams, darling," she said to the young girl.

The little girl sat up and hugged her new mother hard. Instantly, Oxana returned the hug and kissed her daughter's forehead affectionately. Boris then came in, wanting to wish his new little daughter a good night. "Good night, our little moon," he said.

In response, Emily hugged him too and he hugged her back, rubbing her back gently before she was tucked back into bed and the male vampire stood up before going over to the wall outlet near the bed and plugging in a nightlight that was shaped like a full moon. Seeing him turn it on, Emily smiled and closed her eyes, instantly falling fast asleep while her new parents watched for a bit.

"Oh, Boris, she was scared that she'd be sent back," Oxana said.

"No," he said. "We'll never send her back to the orphanage. Emily is our daughter now and if we continue to be patient and let her come out of her shell on her own and talk when she's ready, then she'll fit in fine here."

"You're right," his wife said gently. "And she is a sweet girl."

"And she is curious. Remember how she explored her room when we first brought her home a few days ago?"

"I do remember that."

"I have a feeling that curiosity may lead her to come out of her room and explore when she's ready," Boris said gently.

Oxana nodded again. "Well, let's let her decide on that, but be supportive of her, no matter what," she said.

Boris nodded in agreement as they quietly left their little daughter's room and went to tuck in their older daughter, who looked a bit unsure. "Mama? Papa? Do you think Emily will fit in okay?" She asked. "Am…Am I doing the right thing to make her feel…welcomed?"

"Baby fangs, you are doing everything to make your new little sister feel at home," said her father. "And Emily looked very happy when you both were playing those games."

"And you let her stay in her comfort zone, which is good," said her mother. "You're letting her get used to her surroundings."

"I want to be the best big sister ever for Emily," Vampirina said softly.

"And you are, Vee," her father said as they tucked her in and kissed her goodnight before quietly heading off to their room to go to sleep.

And deep down, hoping that they would be good parents for little Emily.

So, Emily is slowly adjusting to her new home. Will she get curious enough to explore the rest of the house? Stay tuned for the next chapter! :)

And please leave a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418