The Fault in Her Scars [DISCONTINUED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE]

[2]

"Dani, honey, the car's this way." I gently pulled on Dani's hand, quietly laughing at how adorably lost she seemed.

I led Dani to my car, taking her worn backpack from her and helping her into the passenger seat before shutting the door.

When I turned around, Marissa was standing by me. "I guess I'm not taking your car, then?"

"You guessed right."

Marissa sighed, shaking her head as she crossed her arms. "I cannot believe you just adopted her like this. You're only twenty-one, and busy enough with your career as it is." Marissa leaned around me to peek into the window, where Dani was sitting still and staring down at her hands. "But, I have to admit, you did pick a really cute one."

I just laughed the first commentary off. I knew that Dani was adorable; the invisible bond between us was growing by the minute, at least on my side, and there was no way I was giving her up.

"Just go, Mar. Take Natalie's car. I'll see you soon."

Marissa glanced at Dani again, and I pushed her back, a strange feeling of protectiveness rising in me. "God, just leave!"

Laughing, Marissa started walking back towards the orphanage. "Okay, but I'm going over tomorrow to check her out."

I opened my car door. "She's not a grocery item," I called out. "And she's mine now, so don't even think of doing anything remotely harmful to her."

"Bye."

I got into the car, my bright smile wasted on the emotionless girl beside me.

Well, I better get used to that. It would probably be totally unrealistic to expect more than the occasional slight smile.

I started the car, beginning to make my way out of the parking lot.

"You can sleep if you want to. It's a long way home."

"Home," Dani repeated. "Home."

I gave a small laugh, watching the smile on Dani's face grow. "Yeah, home."

Out of my peripheral vision, I watched Dani cross her legs on the seat, her arms still around her toy bear as she whispered to it. "You hear that, Buttons? We're going home." She was quiet for a second, before letting out a giggle. "I don't know." Her voice dropped even softer, and I struggled to catch her words as I drove. "But Demi seems really nice, and I don't think she'll drop us back. Not for a while.. I hope.."

The hurt in Dani's voice, as she leaned against the car door, resting her head on her bear, made me look at her. She didn't seem to notice me, but was staring straight ahead. It was unmistakeable, no matter how emotionless she seemed, that she minded, quite a lot, about her previous adopters who had dropped her back.

Their loss, I was thinking, as I found myself obsessing over Dani's perfect features, and that long, gorgeous hair.

I was jolted out of my daydreaming by a loud car horn from behind, red reaching my cheeks as I put the car into Drive and continued past the -now- green light.

Note to self: always keep an eye out on the red light when for when it turns green.

I cast another quick glance as Dani as I drove, and found her asleep, still cuddling her teddy bear as her head rested on his. I stopped the car at another red light then, and hurriedly grabbed the neatly folded blanket from the back row, gently draping it over Dani's sleeping body.

I only had one word to describe how perfect and unique Dani is, because of her schizophrenia, and just how adorable she looked and was.

Incredible.