Page 173 of Nocere

"Juni, why don't you come inside?" Sam ushered her in and closed the door behind her.

At that point, I could hardly formulate words as I cried quietly while leaning against Sam. She brought me over to the kitchen table and I sat down with her urging. Juniper sat across from me, and Sam snagged bottles of water from the fridge then set them down in front of us.

"Thanks," said Juni, her eyes never leaving me as I reached for Sam.

She took my hands and crouched down in front of me. A soft smile curved her lips as she brushed her thumbs over my knuckles. "You're okay, baby."

"Rebecca's coming over," Alex said as she returned to the table. She offered her hand to Juni who accepted it right away. "I'm Alex. Rosie's roommate."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Juni." She smiled and returned her attention to me. Her nerves seemed to calm down much faster than mine. "I think it's lovely that everyone calls you Rosie."

"Juni's a nice nickname, too," I croaked, attempting to not make myself look like a blubbering fool. Sam came to sit beside me and kept her arm around my middle.

"I'm sorry to have upset you. I just...couldn't wait. I don't have any blood relatives and the thought of having a sister—" Juni began but Alex interrupted her.

"What? Wait. What's going on here?"

I pointed at the letter on the table in front of Juni. "My mother told her she's my sister in a letter."

"Whoa." Alex's eyes widened. "I was kidding about the clone thing…"

"We know," said Sam.

"Are you twins?"

"No." Juni and I answered at the same time.

"Shit." Alex's bug-eyes glanced between us. "I would ask if you were sure, but look at the two of you." She gestured between us. "Wow. Rosie."

"Slow down please," I managed while leaning against Sam. Alex's excitement didn't match my own. I learned to never trust anything my mom said, and the weight of the situation didn't feel exciting at all.

"So what do you do, Juni?" asked Alex.

"Um...I'm a social worker," she said, her attention falling on Alex who engaged with her the easiest.

"Oh." Alex's expression fell slightly as our record with social workers wasn't the greatest. "What kind of social work?"

"I work with kids in foster care right now. We help with adoption and reunification," she said, glancing between us again.

"Oh." That time, Alex's giddiness faded completely. "For social services?"

"No, not like that. In a private mental health clinic."

"Well, that's good news at least." Alex's comment brought a pause to the conversation for a moment, then she added. "Why did you pick that?"

"My parents told me that I was adopted when I was a teenager. It was upsetting and I didn't have much support. So I learned about it and wanted to work with kids who struggled similarly," she said, rather simply. Juni's eloquent way of speaking didn't match my own at all. Why did she seem so calm over all of this?

"Good reason. Not a fan of social workers in particular, but you seem cool." Alex grinned and it made her laugh.

"I'm glad of that. Why aren't you a fan?"

Alex waved a finger back and forth between me and herself. "Foster kids. Never adopted. Long story."

"Oh…" Juni's brow furrowed, darkening her expression. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Sam brushed her lips over my forehead and I glanced up at her. She rubbed my back and I drew in a slow breath, my tears having subsided.

"Rosie and I call ourselves sisters…" Alex glanced at me, and bit her bottom lip.

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