Family Isn't Always Blood

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To say that Jackson was surprised that there was someone interested in talking to him, potentially adopting him, was an understatement. He was fourteen, and he'd been in the orphanage for about a year now, long enough to know that kids his age weren't considered cute anymore and rarely got adopted. Jackson wasn't even sure he wanted to be adopted, if he was honest. No one could replace his mother, and the idea of forming close bonds with anyone else after the pain of losing her seemed impossible. And frightening. He hadn't even tried to bond with the other kids he was living with; he'd just buried himself in his studies and tried to forget, hoping one day he could be a doctor and maybe prevent what happened to his mother from happening to someone else's mom.

He couldn't refuse to meet with anyone who was interested in him, though, so he walked with one of the Ark-appointed guardians to the meeting room that had a table and some chairs. He hadn't been told anything about the woman he was meeting. Stepping inside, there was a woman with long brown hair sitting at the table. Jackson had just hit a growth spurt, and suspected he might actually be taller than her if she stood, if just by a little. That probably wasn't an advantage, if the goal was getting adopted.

"Hi," he said quietly, hesitating just inside the door as it clicked shut behind him. "I'm Jackson. You... already know that, I'm sure." She'd probably seen his entire life history in some case file, which was awkward.

Tag: @abbygriffin
Note: Let me know if I need to edit anything!!

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The case file had told her about Jackson, the fourteen year old she was interested in adopting. He'd lost his mother, was sent to the orphanage and though he had a bright mind, Abby knew that sometimes that could very well be lost in the system. She'd seen him around, the lonely boy who had sparked her attention to want to know more about him which lead her to the orphanage. After securing a meeting, she arrived at the appointed hour to wait for them to bring Jackson to her.

She didn't have to wait long for the fourteen year old to arrive. She stood when he arrived so that he wasn't the only one standing, extending her hand for him to shake if he so wished. Such an action was too formal for a situation like this but then, this was really the first time she had been in this situation. Adopting had been something she was always interested in but never found the right time. Until Jackson came along and she knew that she wanted to look after him, be his family and it wasn't just because he lost his. He could have been younger and she would still feel the same way. "Hi." Abby offered him a seat before sitting back down on hers.

"Yes, I do know that." She said, her tone kind. "I'm Abigail Griffin." He could call her whatever - Abigail, Abby, Griffin, it didn't matter. She wasn't going to push him to call her mom because he had a mom and she was gone. It would be unfair and cruel to demand such things from him and no doubt it would turn him away before they could even begin. "You are free to call me whatever you feel comfortable with." Abby wanted him to know that. Felt it was important. "I know this might not be very easy. I cannot imagine how you feel right now. Tell me, how are you feeling right now? Be as honest as you wish to be."

Small talk to begin with - to guage how to proceed.

@severitysoftly

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Jackson wasn't surprised that he was at least as tall as she was, though maybe a bit taller when she stood, and shook her hand automatically. It was just what you did when someone offered you their hand. She seemed nice enough, and he took a seat when she offered him one, and nodded when she said he could call her whatever he wanted. He was used to addressing adults he didn't know by their last name with a formal prefix, unless they told him otherwise. At the very least, she was letting him decide. He'd heard stories other kids shared about potential adoptive parents wanting to jump straight to nicknames, or worse, 'mom' or 'dad'. "Thank you, Ms. Griffin," he said, opting for Ms. as a neutral option, as he didn't know if she was married or not. Though he wondered if the prefix was too formal for their situation in general.

She asked how he was feeling then, and... he wasn't sure anyone had actually asked him that in a long time. He blinked at her for a moment, frowning slightly as he thought. He wondered how honest he should be, if he could actually get in trouble for being honest, but then decided if Ms. Griffin had asked to meet him, she must actually be interested. Otherwise, why bother? And if she was interested, they might as well be honest from the start.

"Confused," he answered after a moment, clasping his hands together under the table. "I haven't had a meeting with anyone since I came to the orphanage, and... I understand why," he said. He knew his age didn't exactly help him any, and there were probably behavioral reviews along with his personal history that would indicate he wasn't exactly a social butterfly, or maybe worse, even indicted he was resistant to forming new bonds. He knew that, which was why he said what he did, but he didn't want any pity either, so he quickly added, "And that's okay." He shrugged and pushed a small smile on his face, because this wasn't exactly light conversation, and maybe that would make things easier, but the smile probably just looked awkward. "H-how do you feel?" he said after a moment, because that seemed more reasonable than, 'why me?'

Tag: @abbygriffin