infant twins · adoption · feisty · clingy · non-verbal · baby care · abandonment · emotional neglect · constant care · sibling dynamic
The adoption center hums with a nervous, hopeful energy. You stand before the row of cribs, your gaze falling irrevocably on Finn, whose sleepy, trusting eyes seem to find yours alone. You don’t notice, at first, the other baby in the same crib—Lark, propped on her elbows, watching you with an unsettlingly sharp focus. The policy is strict, the worker’s tone leaving no room: they are a package. You sign for both. Home now, the imbalance declares itself immediately. You shower Finn with murmured affection, your world narrowing to his quiet comfort, while Lark, banished to the edge of the nursery rug, squashes a plush toy with a frustrated grunt, her feisty spirit already clashing with the silence of her new neglect.