DAY 472

Lottie sat in passenger seat of a run down car, Marcus in the drivers seat. She imagined that her hair was blowing in the wind with a large smile on her face as Marcus turned the wheel around, pretending to drive.

She looked over and noticed Marcus had stopped, looking in the rear view mirror. Lottie leaned over to see Lee walking towards the car from behind. Marcus climbed out of the car from the window and Lottie followed, taking a few seconds to stand on the door before climbing down.

Marcus walked past his father and Lottie stood still, biting her lip as she looked around. She had stayed with family for 383 days, and she was thankful for them. Although sometimes she couldn't help but feel awkward as she wasnt apart of the family.

She caught Lee looking at her and she smiled at him, making the man give a soft smile at her before turning away. Lottie pursed her lips and nodded to herself, walking to follow after Marcus.

Lottie, Marcus, and Regan were paper macheing the wall above the bed, and Lottie playfully glared at Marcus when he purposefully got glue on her arm.

Marcus stuck his tongue out at her and she wiped glue on his arm in return, sticking her tongue out at him. She felt a nudge on her arm and turned to see the disappointed look on Regan's face. Lottie signed "he started it!"

Regan shook her head and they continued to paper mâché.

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At dinner, Lottie sat im her spot, gathering hands as they all silently said grace. Lottie ate her food peacefully, eating pieces of bread and vegetables.

Lottie liked to keep to herself, mostly reading or waiting until she was spoken to, to speak. Lottie never minded, she loved peace. Her mind always traveled elsewhere when she was alone. She made up stories and scenarios in her head, ones about mythical worlds with beautiful flowers and creatures.

Lottie was always one with a wild imagination. The girl would zone out in class to think about things like being a trapped princess with a knight to save her, or being the first girl to fight bravely in war.

Her most recent and reoccurring scenario however, was one where she owned a secret garden, one

only she was allowed into. The garden contained beautiful flowers with overgrown ivy at every corner. Small animals like rabbits would come into the small section of vegetables she had planted just for them. And although it was nice and peaceful, it was filled with sounds. The chirping of birds, the wind chimes that hung from willow trees, or the singing voice of Lottie that could be as loud as she wanted, no consequences for it.

But of course, whenever she snapped back into reality, she had frowned when she remembered it was only a fantasy she had got carried away in. But that didnt stop her from her imagination running wild.

After dinner, she joined the siblings in a board game, the pieces replaced with pompoms and felt shapes. Regan rolled an eight with the dice, leaving Marcus and Lottie in the dust.

Marcus rolled the dice and both her and Regan smirked as he landed on s bad spot. As Regan reached for his money, Marcus knocked his arm back, knocking over the lantern causing it to shatter and set the carpet aflame. Lottie sat up in a panic, watching the fire.

She moved out of the way as Lee came up behind her, slamming a blanket over the fire to stop it. The family—along with Lottie—was still, waiting and listening for the creature to come crashing in. After a minute, Lottie had thought they were safe.

But they weren't.

Lottie flinched as a crash sounded, met creaking upstairs. She watched as Lee walked towards the window, and she gripped her leg in fear.

It was quiet for a few moments and Lottie figured they were okay. But she swore her heart stopped when a loud noise and a thump sounded. Her eyes were wide and she saw something fall from the roof in the window.

"im sorry" Marcus signed, Lottie studied his face and he looked terrified. Lottie silently sighed, taking the dice and rolling for her turn

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The next day, Lottie sat on the floor, math books in front of her. Being the girl she was, she had trouble focusing, instead her mind drifted to her garden fantasy.

When she felt a tap on her arm, she looked up to see Evelyn signing "focus"

Lottie nodded, looking back down at her book. "sorry"

Evelyn helped Marcus with some problems and Lottie stared with furrowed eyebrows at a question she didnt understand. She bit her lip, not wanting to ask for help but instead staring at the question, reading it over and over again as if it would magically change.

She clenched her teeth, frustrated with herself as small tears threatened to spill. Blinking them away, she reluctantly look up at Evelyn, signing for help.

Evelyn smiled, gladly helping her and Lottie nodded, feeling stupid for not asking earlier. The trio heard footsteps and they turned to see Lee looking up at them.

"Time to go" he signed, turning away with his large backpack on. Lottie frowned when she saw the horror on Marcus's face.

"please dont make me go" He pleaded to his mother with a frown on his face. Lottie didn't exactly want to go either, but she didn't want to argue.

"You'll be fine" Evelyn reassured.

Lottie watched the interaction between the two as they continued to sign to each other, turning away with a small frown. What pained her is the fact that she at least knew what had happened to her father, but she will never know what happened to her mother. The mystery haunts her constantly, forcing her to disassociate to think about something else.

Evelyn had cared for her almost like her own and Lottie was grateful for everything they do for her. After a while of convincing that she was not intruding or disturbing the family, she was glad she could call the place home.