katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
The unbasket child has no parents in evidence. She does not materialize memories of parents or a place of origin or anything else when questioned by miscellaneously official people assisting in the search for her source. She continues to exhibit bizarre eating habits - she will eat fruit and vegetables, and it is discovered that she will drink Sprite in addition to water and juice, but she cannot be induced to touch anything less than strictly vegan, nor anything salty or oily, and she eats very little. She likes to sit outside in the sun. She turns out to have a rudimentary ability to read, although her vocabulary is spotty.

It doesn't seem to alarm her that her parents are unable to be found.
queensidecastle: (Default)
Author: queensidecastle
Chris sits down with the unbasket child three days after her mysterious appearance.

"I'm pretty sure we're not going to find your parents," she says. "So. Do you want to stay?"
katrea: (plants)
Author: katrea
"I like it here," says unbasket child.
queensidecastle: (Default)
Author: queensidecastle
"All right," says Chris. "We're going to have to give you a name eventually. Want to help me pick one?"
katrea: (shiny object)
Author: katrea
"Yes please. I want a good name."
queensidecastle: (ᛃ was du nicht siehst)
Author: queensidecastle
"What do you think of Katie?"
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"Kaaaaaytie. Yes. I like that," says, apparently, Katie.
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"It's short for Katherine," says Chris, "but you don't have to use the rest unless you feel like it. Katie Kirsch. Not bad. Do you want a middle name, too? Most people have one."
katrea: (sprite)
Author: katrea
"Then I should probably have one too."
queensidecastle: (ᛃ look alive)
Author: queensidecastle
"Jordana," she suggests. "Ingrid. Tara. Nicole."
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"I like Tara best of those ones."
queensidecastle: (ᛏ does the paperwork)
Author: queensidecastle
"Katherine Tara Kirsch. Sound good?"
katrea: (shiny object)
Author: katrea
"What's Kirsch?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"That's our last name," she says. "You need one of those too, and you didn't come with one."
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"Oh. I get the same last name but different first and middle ones?"
queensidecastle: (ᛃ look alive)
Author: queensidecastle
"That's generally how it works."
katrea: (shiny object)
Author: katrea
"Okay. Katherine Tara Kirsch. Katie," repeats Katie.
queensidecastle: (ᛊ PS: actually a witch)
Author: queensidecastle
"Yep," says Chris. "Welcome to the family."
katrea: (intuition)
Author: katrea
"Thank you," says Katie politely. "Um, what now?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"Now," sighs Chris, "I get you a bed."
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"That sounds useful," agrees Katie. "Where will it go?"
queensidecastle: (ᛃ look alive)
Author: queensidecastle
"Still thinking about that. Would you mind sharing a room with Lizbeth?"
katrea: (sprite)
Author: katrea
"That would be okay. Lizbeth is nice."
queensidecastle: (ᚹ honey you're dreaming)
Author: queensidecastle
"All right," says Chris.
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"Will she mind?"
queensidecastle: (ᛃ was du nicht siehst)
Author: queensidecastle
"Nope."
katrea: (sprite)
Author: katrea
"That's good then."
queensidecastle: (ᛊ and telling you twice)
Author: queensidecastle
"Yep."
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"Will I go to school, like her?"
queensidecastle: (ᛏ does the paperwork)
Author: queensidecastle
"Eventually. When you're approximately five instead of approximately three. Oh, you'll need a birthday too," she realizes.
katrea: (shiny object)
Author: katrea
"What's that?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"Most people know what day they were born, so they can tell how old they are. I, for example, am twenty-three. My birthday is October twenty-first, in a few weeks, and then I'll be twenty-four. You don't know what day you were born, but we have to pick something or we won't know when to decide you're officially four instead of officially three. Also," she adds, "on your birthday you get cake and presents."
katrea: (shiny object)
Author: katrea
"Is cake food?" asks Katie dubiously. She has encountered an awful lot of not-food masquerading as food.
queensidecastle: (ᛃ was du nicht siehst)
Author: queensidecastle
"I'm sure we can find you a cake that is food."
katrea: (nectar)
Author: katrea
"Okay," says Katie contently. "And presents!"
queensidecastle: (ᛃ was du nicht siehst)
Author: queensidecastle
"And presents," she confirms.
katrea: (sprite)
Author: katrea
"I think I will like presents. Can my birthday be soon?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ and telling you twice)
Author: queensidecastle
"Well, I'll need some time to figure out what to get you," she says. "And Christmas is coming up in a few months. You'll get presents then too."
katrea: (whoa there)
Author: katrea
"So many present days!"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"Yep," says Chris. "And lucky you, you get to pick whether to have them close together so you get your presents all at once, or farther apart so you don't have to go as long without getting any."
katrea: (shiny object)
Author: katrea
"Are there other present days besides birthday and Christmas?"
queensidecastle: (ᛃ was du nicht siehst)
Author: queensidecastle
"Nope."
katrea: (sunrise)
Author: katrea
"Hmmmmm. I think far apart, then."
queensidecastle: (ᛃ good harvest)
Author: queensidecastle
"All right. Sometime in the summer. How's June sound? June... sixteenth."
katrea: (nectar)
Author: katrea
"Okay!"
queensidecastle: (ᚹ on a good day)
Author: queensidecastle
Chris smiles.
katrea: (intuition)
Author: katrea
"What kinda presents will I get?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"Don't know yet," says Chris. "I know what to get Lizbeth, but you are a mystery."
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"I am kind of mysterious," muses Katie. "I wonder how to stop."
queensidecastle: (ᛊ PS: actually a witch)
Author: queensidecastle
"I'm sure we'll get to know you."
katrea: (plants)
Author: katrea
Katie nods thoughtfully. "What does Lizbeth get for presents?"
queensidecastle: (ᛏ I want my phone call)
Author: queensidecastle
"Books. Toys. Puzzles. Trips to interesting places. Last year—" she stumbles over the words, abruptly less cheerful "—last year we took her to a museum and she really liked it."
katrea: (bloom)
Author: katrea


"We?" asks Katie, tilting her head.
queensidecastle: (ᛏ does the paperwork)
Author: queensidecastle
"Me and her mom," she says quietly.
katrea: (mixer)
Author: katrea
Katie doesn't ask another question, but she looks at Chris steadily, in case there is more about to be said.
queensidecastle: (ᛊ PS: actually a witch)
Author: queensidecastle
There is.

"She was my sister. She died about a year ago."
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"What happened?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"A car hit her. I don't like to talk about it much."
katrea: (mixer)
Author: katrea
"I'm sorry."

Pause.

"What was her name?"
queensidecastle: (ᛏ I want my phone call)
Author: queensidecastle
"Samantha."
katrea: (sunrise)
Author: katrea
"That's a pretty name," says Katie earnestly.
queensidecastle: (ᛊ PS: actually a witch)
Author: queensidecastle
"Yeah," says Chris.
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"Should I not ask more things about her?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"That would be nice of you," says Chris.
katrea: (mixer)
Author: katrea
Katie considers this.

"Then," she says, "I won't know things. And she sounds important."
queensidecastle: (ᛏ I want my phone call)
Author: queensidecastle
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
Katie doesn't say anything else.
queensidecastle: (ᛏ does the paperwork)
Author: queensidecastle
They could stay like that for a while, then.
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"Can I," asks Katie after a while, "ask you why you don't like talking about her?"
queensidecastle: (ᛊ PS: actually a witch)
Author: queensidecastle
"Because I miss her a lot."
katrea: (bloom)
Author: katrea
"Why does that make you not want to though?"
queensidecastle: (ᛏ does the paperwork)
Author: queensidecastle
"If you don't know, I really can't explain," she says, shaking her head and looking away.
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
Katie thinks some more.
queensidecastle: (ᛊ had better days)
Author: queensidecastle
"I'm gonna make dinner," says Chris.
katrea: (plants)
Author: katrea
"Is it food?"
queensidecastle: (ᛃ was du nicht siehst)
Author: queensidecastle
"Ostensibly."
katrea: (Default)
Author: katrea
"I'll just have carrots, I think."
queensidecastle: (ᛏ does the paperwork)
Author: queensidecastle
"Fine by me."
katrea: (plants)
Author: katrea
Katie has carrots.

At least she'll never get scurvy, although it's anyone's guess how she's getting protein.