I wake up the next morning to a familiar voice. I rub out my eyes, letting out a tired yawn. I look to my side, noticing that mama isn't laying beside me anymore. It was a bit much to meet my new family, so she let me sleep beside her.

I turn the other way, getting a bit startled when Ashley is hovering over me. "Goodmorning Casey, I have a surprise for you." She says sweetly. I nod slowly, lifting up the blanket and climbing out of bed. I almost fall, my legs still half asleep.

Ashley reaches out her hand to pick me up, but I back away, not fully trusting her yet. She crouches down to my height with a sympathetic smile. "This is probably a bit weird for you, right? I can imagine you have a lot of questions you can't ask. We may not know each other well, but you are my niece and I would like for us to know each other a little better."

I nod slowly. She offers me another smile before standing up, making her way out of the bedroom. I think for a moment, deciding that I'd rather be in her arms than walk down the stairs. I run after her, tugging her leg. She turns around to look at me, so I reach my arms out to her.

She picks me up with a wide smile, setting me on her hip. I hold onto her for dear life as we descend the stairs, it's clear she's never done this before but I do feel safe. Sort off.

When we reach the kitchen/living area, I notice mom, auntie kate and grandma standing around the dining table. "Ashley, did you wake her up?" Granny says sternly, making the others look at me.

Ashley waves it away, earning a laugh from auntie kate. "Really Ash, mom what do you have to say about this?" She asks. "I think she needs to have breakfast first." Both mom and grandma answer at the same time, making me chuckle.

Ashley gently puts me down on the floor. "She can have breakfast after I'm her favourite aunt." Ashley shouts to the three women. I look at Mary-Kate who takes a sip of what I assume is coffee. "Poor kid will starve to death." She mumbles with a smile, earning her a glare from grandma and a slap from my mom.

I turn my attention back to Ashley who drags a ginormous present in front of me. I look back at my mother who is walking up to me, pointing at the wrapping paper with wide eyes. It's completely green. It even has a green gift tie around it!

Mom puts down her cup of coffee, kissing my cheek to say good morning before looking at the present. Ashley walks in with a few smaller presents, also wrapped in green paper. But all a different green.

I jump up and down, barely able to contain my excitement. "That's an... Interesting choice of colour." Mama says with a raised eyebrow making auntie Ashley chuckle. "Well I figured green was her favourite colour, why else would you allow for her to walk around in that coat?"

They all laugh, making me confused as to what that means but honestly I couldn't care any less at this moment. I take a small step forward, pointing to the present. Auntie Ashley giggles, saying that I can open them but have to start with the big present first.

I chuckle at her comment. As If I would start with the small ones when there's a gift at least two times my size. Eventually, mama has to help me unwrap it and when I notice what it is my smile drops instantly.

Who gives a child wood as a present? I look up at mama with furrowed eyebrows who simply laughs. Ashley rushes in, elaborating on the present. "You see, a little bird told me you love drawing." She says looking over my shoulder.

I don't even have to follow her gaze to know that mama told her. Nobody else here has seen me draw yet. "So I thought... Maybe you like painting too!" She exclaims, looking at the triangle piece of wood.

Mama crouches beside me, whispering in my ear. "That thing is called an easel. You put a painting on it so it's easier to paint."

I nod slowly, the smile coming back on my face. That's actually a really cool gift. Auntie Ashley seems relieved, handing me the rest of the presents. I unwrap them rapidly, revealing a painting canvas, some paint, a weird plate and paintbrushes.

Mama makes me eat breakfast while Auntie Ashley and Kate put the easel together, making me laugh at their clumsiness. This is better than Netflix.

After Grandma covered her furniture mama put me on one of her old shirts which I can get dirty. She also helped me put the paint on the weird plate which is apparently called a 'palette'. Which sounds like plate but with a weird accent.

I'm all ready to paint but when I pick a brush, I realise I don't know what to paint. I furrow my eyebrows, thinking deeply about what to paint. After a few moments, I look up at mama who offers me a sympathetic smile.

"What's wrong?" She asks softly. I shrug in return. Mary-Kate walks up to me, looking at the empty canvas. "You know your aunt Ashley and I are fashion designers. When we don't know what to do, we talk about memories. Good or bad."

I nod slowly, closing my eyes to think about a memory.

"Don't you dare touch my kid ever again!" Dad shouts full of anger, pointing his finger at grandma who looks at him with wide eyes.

"Or what? I raised you and I did it well. You don't get to take my grandaughter from me." She shouts back, sounding just as angry. I pace around the living room, covering my ears as I try to muffle their voices, but it doesn't work."

I sit on the couch, trying to look for a distraction. I notice the remote control next to me and decide to unpause the news, needing something to focus on. It's at that moment that Grandma turns to me, raising her hand to punish me.

I close my eyes, ready for the hit but it never comes. When I open them, I see my father holding my grandma's wrist, shouting some very, very ugly things at her. He threatens her and before I know it I watch my father drop to the ground, not moving.

I look at grandma with wide eyes who uses the same baseball bat she knocked my dad out with, to break my arm. I'm screaming in pain when I hear a siren approaching the house. Grandma towers over me, looking me in the eyes with a lot of anger.

"Don't you dare say a word." She says sternly. I swallow away my tears and nod. I promise I won't say a word. Ever again.

I open my eyes, wiping away my tears before picking up a brush. I take a deep breath, recalling something Dylan said to me. "Sometimes drawing isn't about what you see or what you think. It's about what you feel."

So that's what I do. I don't care about what I see or how my mind keeps replaying the bad memory. I focus on what I feel and try to paint that.

I notice how my mother, aunties and grandmother sit down on the couch behind me, talking to one another, but I'm not sure what they're talking about. After a lot of work and paint, my feeling changes. When I look at the painting, my bad memory starts to play in my head again, but this time it doesn't feel as bad.

I feel relieved. I think that means it's finished?

I put down the brush and palette, walking away to go to the bathroom. When I'm finished washing my hands, I open the door to see mama looking at me with wide eyes. I look around, seeing that it is just us.

"Are you okay mama?" I ask her. She blinks a few times, picking me up and carrying me back to the living area. Everyone seems to be arguing, but it stops when they see me.

"My niece is a fucking genius." Mary-Kate mumbles. Granny hits her shoulder very hard. "Watch your mouth, there's a child in the room." She says sternly, earning a scoff from Auntie Kate. "Are you sure that's a child? You're seeing the same thing I am aren't you?"

"Lizzie if you ever plan on selling her, let me know I'm definitely interested." Mary-Kate jokes. It is a joke, right?