The Orphans Dream

Harley sat up straight on her bed as the perspective parents came walking through the room. Her best friend Thomas was sitting across the way slumped over on his bed. Thomas never wanted to be adopted, which was something Harley would never understand. She gave him a glare and moved her head in an upward motion, gesturing for him to sit up. With a deep sigh, he shifted straightening his back for the most part but leaving himself with a slight slump in the shoulders.

As the couple came walking past Harley she put the cutest smile she could manage on her face. Harley was really hopeful this time, she knew they were looking for a little girl, and even if she wasn't little-little anymore, she was still young and cute.

Harley frowned and slumped on her bed as they walked past without giving her a glance. She looked over at Thomas as they started raving over a four-year-old girl sitting three beds down from her.

Mr. Rolfson, the headmaster over The School for Orphans, dismissed the rest of them as he lead the couple with the little girl back up to his office. Harley made her way over to join Thomas on his bed and sat down across from him cross-legged.

Both of them were nearly twelve years old and they had been fast friends, but there was one large difference that set them apart. Harley wanted more than anything to be adopted by a family, a family that would love her the way her birth parents never had. Thomas, on the other hand, had the family he'd always wanted, until a few years ago when they'd died in a car crash. He'd never felt the need for a new family like Harley had.

"Why do they hate me," she asked as she sat down and Thomas pulled out his drawing notebook.

"They don't hate you, they just want something cute and little. Two things that to them you don't have anymore. I personally think you're way cute, the little part, on the other hand, you definitely don't have." Harley hit Thomas on the leg and he flinched letting out a laugh. "You made me mess up on my person, be nice."

Harley gave him a glare then jumped up walking back over to her bed. She pulled out her book of sudoku's and wandered over to one of the tables sitting in the corner. Thomas walked over and sat down at the table, a solemn look on his face.

"Look, I don't want you to be sad. There will be other prospective parents, and I'm sure one of them is going to be looking for the perfect pre-teen girl. Not that I understand why you want to be adopted."

"Why don't you," Harley asked looking up at him, "why don't you want to be adopted, I've never understood it. All I've ever wanted it for someone to love and take care of me. Someone who I can love in return. You had that, shouldn't it make you want it even more?"

Thomas shrugged, "I guess maybe it should, but it doesn't. I don't want someone else to love and take care of me. I miss my family, and I feel like having someone else to love me would only be disrespectful to my memories of them."

Harley shook her head, "those are some mighty wise words coming from a little boy."

"Maybe," Thomas said, "in truth, they're probably just the sad fantasies of a boy who lost his family at too young an age."

"It's okay, someone here has to have something to believe in."

Harley smiled with a laugh, then they both made their way to the meal hall as the dinner bell rang.

Harley fell asleep quickly that night, immediately slipping into a dream.

She was sitting in a room, her room. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed and Thomas was sitting across from her. They were joking around and playing Go Fish when someone called from downstairs.

"Harley, you get your friend and come down here! It's time for lunch!"

Harley and Thomas ran down the stairs and into a sparsely filled kitchen. A smiling woman with auburn hair was waiting for them holding two plates, each of them with a grilled cheese sandwich.

"Thank you so much mom," Harley said running up and giving the woman a kiss on the cheek. "Is there any Tomato Soup to go with this?"

"There is indeed," the woman said walking over to the microwave and pulling out a bowl filled with Tomato Soup. "I would love it if the two of you could eat as much of it as you can, Tomato Soup is not one of those things that re-heat well."

Harley smiled, and her mom left the room.

As they finished up their food Harley turned to look at Thomas but he suddenly disappeared and the whole room went black. In a panic, Harley ran all around the house, looking for her parents, but they were nowhere to be found. She knew there was supposed to be someone else in the house, a sibling, but they were nowhere to be found either.

Harley woke with a jolt, a light sweat covering her skin. She knew what this was, the nightmare plagued her after every new potential couple that completely blocked her out. Thomas appeared at her side a comforting smile on his face.

"Don't worry, you are going to get adopted someday, and if you don't, when we both turn eighteen I promise I'll take care of you."

Harley nodded, "okay." She smiled as Thomas pulled her into a hug. The next morning Mr. Rolfson told them at breakfast that another perspective couple would be coming that morning, so as soon as kids were done eating they should go make sure everything was picked up in the rooms.

Harley sat down on her bed as Mr. Rolfson came walking in clapping his hands to tell them it was time to sit down. Thomas gave her a smile, and this time he sat up straight without needing to be prompted. Harley smiled and sat up, grateful for his positivity.

The couple came in and walked through, they smiled at a few kids, but they didn't make a big deal out of anyone. As they left the room Mr. Rolfson gave all the kids a concerned look and made his way after the parents.

All of the kids, including Thomas and Harley, started talking and whispering things to each other. Parents who didn't choose anyone, that was unheard of. Thomas got up from his bed and walked over to Harley to talk.

"Did you see that. No jumping up and down, no coddling. I wonder what's going on."

Mr. Rolfson walked back into the room shushing all the kids with a clap. They all looked over at him as he smiled, "don't worry you guys everything isn't as bad as it seems. Thomas and Harley, if you will come with me I want to talk to you. Everyone else, you can go find your classes."

Harley and Thomas shared a nervous glance before following Rolfson toward his office.

"Sir," Thomas said, "I know Harley and I have gotten up to some pretty big shenanigans. But whatever prank it is I promise we didn't do it this time."

"There is no prank Thomas," Mr. Rolfson said smiling and opening the door leading them into his office where the couple was sitting in the two chairs across from his desk. "Mr. and Mrs. Lexington, this is Harley and Thomas, these are the two kids you noticed earlier."

Harley grabbed Thomas' hand squeezing until Thomas shook it out and told her to calm herself.

"Oh, you guys are just beautiful. Robert and I saw the two of you talking and we just, well we fell in love with both of you instantly."

"You mean you want to adopt me, you want to adopt us," Harley asked gesturing between herself and Thomas.

"If that's okay," Robert said smiling, "we figured the two of you must be best friends the way the two of you were looking and talking with each other."

Thomas looked uncomfortable, but Harley gave him a pleading look. "Just give us one second," she said pulling him out the door leaving Mr. and Mrs. Lexington looking rather confused.

"Thomas, I know what you said, but please come with me. I don't think I can do this without you."

"Harley, I can't disrespect my family."

"Thomas, you are not going to be disrespecting your family. They know you love them, but they also know that you need people to be there for you. If that's not enough to convince you, what about the fact that I need you. I've never had a family and I need your help guiding me through it. I know it sounds cliche and ridiculous, but it's true."

Thomas smiled, "you're right. I think I'm really afraid that I'll never be able to love anyone as much as I loved my first family, but I'm ready to try."

They walked back into the room and they both nodded with happy smiles, "we would love it if you would adopt both of us."

Robert and his wife, who they would soon learn was named Holly, nodded and turned to Rolfson while he pulled out a stack of papers. Each of the adults signed with a flick.

And with that simple act, Harley finally got the family she'd always dreamed of, and her best friend Thomas became her brother.