was well aware that she was unwanted the moment she walked into Mark Sloan's apartment.

She was used to being unwanted, of course. But not so quickly. She wasn't used to being disliked right off the get-go.

"What are our magic words?" Their social worker Octavia asked, scrambling to cram a last-minute etiquette lesson in before they were to meet their new foster father.

Before Daisy could answer that their universal magic words were "please" and "thank you", Daisy's ridiculous six-year-old little sister beat her to the punch.

"Can we have ice cream?" Calypso flashed a huge dimpled grin at Octavia, the thirty-some-year-old woman frowning with distaste.

"Those are not your magic words." Octavia groaned. She opened her mouth as if to say something, and then quickly stopped as she reached out to wipe a dark smudge off of Calypso's cheek. "Is this dirt on your face?"

"Mhm." Calypso nodded, pulling out a huge clump of dirt from her back pocket as well as one very crumpled up, very dead flower. "Mr. Sloan's garden has tulips!"

Daisy was so sure that Octavia would faint on the spot. And...rightfully so. This had to have been one of the most luxurious apartment complexes in all of Seattle, Daisy had never seen a place so nice. She and her little sister looked like something the tide dragged in, they most definitely didn't belong in such a place.

Octavia turned to Daisy instead of scolding the six-year-old. "You need to keep her in check, okay?"

Daisy nodded, not sure why the woman felt the need to remind her. Keeping Calypso in check was all that Daisy did. Even though she was only twelve, she had to have the mindset of an adult. She was practically the girl's mother, after all, she had been for years now.

Octavia took a deep breath as the three girls arrived in front of a large oak door at the end of the hallway.

Considering Octavia was only dropping them off, Daisy didn't understand why she was so nervous. They would be the ones living with the man. Octavia wasn't the one that had to figure out the hard way whether the man named Mark Sloan was the good or bad guy. That job was reserved for Daisy and Calypso.

Octavia knocked three times on the heavy wooden door, and it made Daisy feel odd, like someone was knocking on the walls of her heart.

"Please don't screw this one up." Octavia mumbled, and Daisy wasn't sure if Octavia was referring to herself or if she was referring to the two sisters.

Daisy and Calypso had failed every foster home they'd been placed in so far, meaning that Octavia had also failed, considering she was their social worker. Daisy knew how badly Octavia wanted this one to work out, but Daisy just wanted to be done already. She didn't love meeting new people, and the gravity of this situation feels a bit different considering what happened during their last placement with the Walter family.

Daisy blinked hard, trying to quickly push the dark memories away.

Yet before she could even really process her thoughts, the largely intimidating oak door swung open.

Based on observation, Mark Sloan was the opposite of Mr. and Mrs. Walter in every way possible.

The Walters just looked dirty at first glance. They were short and stocky, and they had the coldest eyes. Their lips were always set in permanent scowls, and they looked to be in their sixties when in reality they were twenty years younger.

The man before them had salt and pepper hair, and a close-trimmed beard. He was very tall, something that intimidated Daisy. His friendly smile was not-so intimidating though, something that Daisy figured was a good thing.

He gave Calypso a look over before turning his attention over to Daisy, his smile immediately fading as a set frown took over his face.

"Two? I only ordered the one." Mark spoke to Octavia in a deep voice.

The way he spoke about them made the girls sound like Happy Meals rather than actual human beings.

Daisy immediately felt uncomfortable, because of course she was messing this up already.

Calypso was the cutest thing alive. She took after their mother, with her caramel hair that looked almost blonde in the sunlight, her big blue eyes that would put the ocean to shame.

And then Daisy was just...there. Nothing special about her features. Her hair was dark brown, it didn't gleam in the sunlight or anything like Calypso's did. Her brown eyes weren't pretty like Calypso's, and the only thing Daisy's eyes would be putting to shame would be the clump of dirt Calypso held in her hands.

It happened all the time, though. The parents always want to keep Calypso, she's perfect and adorable in every sense. But miraculously, there's somehow never room for Daisy. Considering the two are a package deal, that means Daisy has ruined many chances for Calypso to find a home.

Was it her bland features? Was it her shyness, her quiet characteristics? Was she just a bad person in general? Maybe Daisy would never figure it out.

And then there's this guy. They've only been here five seconds and the man is trying to split the sisters apart.

Octavia frowned, looking a bit wary. "We've been over this multiple times. The sisters are a package deal. I'm confused...you read over all those papers thoroughly and we had so many meetings regarding Daisy and Calypso. Is there a problem?"

Daisy figured you must have to be really awful at paying attention if you've gone through the entire fostering process and you don't even know how many kids you're bringing in.

Mark put on what looked like a very forced smile, shaking his head. "No, no, no problem at all. I can make two work."

But Daisy was under the impression that he didn't believe that at all. He seemed very set on only Calypso staying with him, and Daisy felt majorly intrusive.

Octavia looked unconvinced, and Daisy sort of hoped that Octavia would deny the man fostering rights. Take them far far away and find a newer placement. A better placement, one where Daisy would be welcomed with open arms rather than begrudgingly accepted.

But of course she didn't. Octavia didn't care, she just wanted them gone for the next few months. Just until they failed this placement and would have to go elsewhere.

"I guess I'll leave you be." Octavia said with a smile before turning to the two girls, putting on a performative voice as she knew the man could hear her. "Let's be on our best behavior for Mr. Sloan, okay?"

"I'm always on my best behavior." Calypso said happily, although it kind of sent a mixed message considering she had dirt all over. Just at first glance she looked like a troublemaker.

Octavia sighed, turning to Daisy and speaking in a quieter voice. "I know you'll be good. Try to let this one work out, please."

Daisy felt a tiny bit angry at the words. She never intentionally sabotaged her foster homes, but that's what Octavia thinks always happens. Octavia puts it on her, as if it's Daisy's fault their foster placements don't work out. Not fair.

But Daisy only nodded nonetheless. She wasn't one to talk back, she knew it was better to bite your tongue than to start an argument.

Octavia had a quick conversation with the man, reminding him of different things as well as giving him stern warnings.

Mark nodded absently, listening to everything that Octavia listed off.

Octavia finally finished, saying goodbye to the girls. Of course, Calypso wanted a hug goodbye, something that caused Octavia to grimace. Reasonably so, the girl was covered in dirt.

But after goodbyes, Octavia began to disappear down the hallway, and Daisy panicked a little. She was the oldest, and she felt the need to have to say something.

Mark stared at the two girls in front of him, as if trying to form an opinion on them. The silence was unbearable.

But Calypso broke the silence, holding up the dead tulip crumpled up in her small hand. "I brought you a flower, Mr. Sloan."

"I see that." The man chuckled, looking at the dirt smudged all over the child's skin. But rather than grimacing at the girl like Octavia had, Mark smiled, taking the tulip from Calypso. "I'll put this in a vase."

He invited them inside, the interior of his apartment looking just as fancy and over-the-top as the outside had.

Calypso gasped, leaving her luggage by the door as she immediately ran over to the floor-to-ceiling windows spread across the living room. She pressed her hands to the glass, looking back at her older sister as she pointed excitedly to the Space Needle.

"The UFO!" Calypso seemed so excited, she had never seen the Space Needle so close, and from such a view.

"The UFO?" Mark asked in confusion from the kitchen, clearly wondering what was mentally wrong with the six-year-old.

"Mhm." Calypso confirmed, pointing again to the large Space Needle. "Look at it!"

Calypso had decided long ago that the "Space Needle" was a dumb name for the structure. It looked nothing like outer space. And Calypso has had many shots at the doctor's office, the structure looked nothing like a needle either. It looked more like an alien spacecraft, which Calypso decided was the perfect name.

Mark's eyes fell on the Space Needle, and he seemed to understand what the girl was referring to.

Daisy noted that Mark actually did put the crumpled up flower in a vase, and it completely killed the nice aesthetic he had going on with his neat apartment. "You don't have to do that."

Mark looked confused, not seeming to understand what she was referring to.

"The flower. You can just throw it away, she'll be fine."

Mark frowned, shaking his head. "Of course not, I like it. It's sweet."

Daisy frowned at the dead flower in the vase, front and center of the pristine marble countertop. He had to be lying.

Her attention drifted over to the dirty six-year-old. Daisy just now noticed that Calypso's hands were pressed against the glass, and Daisy panicked. The house was so neat, and Mark had been nice thus far. She didn't want to ruin either of those by tiny fingerprints stuck on the windows.

"Calypso." Daisy said, capturing the little girl's attention. "Come here, get your hands off the window."

But Calypso was in wonder at the view. They were so high up, she could see everything. The cars on the street, the tiny people walking on the sidewalk. And wow, the Space Needle really was right there, stretching so largely over Seattle. The six-year-old couldn't stop gawking, pressing her hands against the window again, wanting to see everything.

Mark thought it was cute, the way that the six-year-old stared in amazement at the city before her as if she were in a candy shop.

Daisy felt quite the opposite though. She knew she would have to clean those fingerprints off, and she knew Mark would not be happy about the mess Calypso had made. Even though it was Calypso's mess, Daisy would be the one to feel the man's wrath. That's how it always was, Daisy got the punishment for everything.

"Calypso." Daisy snapped in a harsh tone, the six-year-old frowning as she flinched a bit. "Stop it."

Calypso didn't like being scolded, most certainly not by her big sister. She always felt like she disappointed Daisy, and she hated that feeling. It made her tummy twist, and her eyes began to sting with tears.

Daisy sighed, walking over and taking Calypso's hand in hers, not even paying the dirt on her hands any attention.

Daisy did pay attention to the fingerprints on Mark's pristine window though, and she immediately cringed, hoping the man wouldn't be too angry about that.

"Do you have a bathroom, Mr. Sloan?" Daisy asked. A stupid question, of course. Every house has a bathroom. But Daisy wasn't quite sure how to excuse herself and her sister without sounding stupid.

Mark nodded towards a white door at the far end of the hallway, still cautiously eyeing the two girls. Daisy could tell he hadn't had much experience with children, and that thought terrified her even more.

Daisy hastily led her little sister down the hallway, pulling her into the bathroom and closing the door.

The bathroom was so pristine, and Daisy felt so out place. She hoped the apartment wasn't always this clean, the girls were incredibly messy.

She hoisted Calypso onto the granite countertop, searching through the cabinets. Daisy wasn't one to poke around through people's things, but Calypso needed to be washed up before she got anything else dirty.

Daisy stumbled upon a washcloth, wetting it underneath of the faucet and bringing it over to her little sister.

She began to wipe the grime off of the girl's face, Calypso's bottom lip jutted out as she resembled a sad puppy.

"I'm sorry, Dais." Calypso whispered, looking incredibly upset, and Daisy acknowledged that she had been too harsh.

Calypso had just been excited, that was all. Daisy was so paranoid about getting punished and yelled at that she lashed out at her little sister. It wasn't fair to her.

Daisy offered her little sister a small smile. "You're okay, Cal. I'm sorry too, I shouldn't have snapped. I just want you to be careful, okay? I don't want either of us getting hurt."

Calypso nodded understandingly as Daisy continued to gently wash her face.

"But...Mr. Sloan seems nice."

Daisy had to hold in a sigh. Calypso was filled with naïveté, she always wanted to assume the best in each foster parent that the girls held. But Daisy knew better, and she only wished that Calypso knew better too.

"He does seem nice." Daisy nodded. "But Mr. Walter seemed nice too, remember?"

Calypso shuddered a bit as she recalled the foster placement that they had been in six months prior. Mr. Walter was a living nightmare for both girls. They'd never been so excited to see Octavia than when she showed up to take them away.

Daisy picked up on the sadness of the girl as she focused her attention on Calypso's hands, trying to scrub the dirt off of them. "We can be nice to him. Just be careful. Promise me you'll be careful."

"I'll be careful." Calypso nodded, though Daisy wasn't quite sure how well the six-year-old would uphold that promise. The girl was like a human golden retriever. She couldn't be careful if all she wanted to do was talk to everyone.

Although there was now a dirty washcloth to deal with, there was a relatively clean Calypso in front of Daisy, and she smiled.

"Perfect." Daisy tousled the little girl's hair, earning herself a big dimpled grin.

But now they had to go back out there, back to the awkwardness of everything. It wasn't awkward for Calypso of course. She was six years old, she could make conversation with a stick.

But it was incredibly awkward for Daisy, the beginning of foster placements always was. Not to mention they had met the guy for only a couple of minutes before they rushed off to the bathroom. Daisy still had those fingerprints to deal with, as well as the dirty washcloth in her hands.

Not off to a great start.

But she hoisted Calypso off the counter nonetheless, taking a deep breath and opening the door as she was ready to dive back into the realm of awkwardness.

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hiiiii :)

i haven't really seen any stories like this, so i wanted to make one!

i have no clue if people will even read this, but i'm excited about starting this story!

this takes place following season eight, and...obviously excludes mark's death lol

(and for story purposes, sofia will be excluded too)

i'm excited, and if you're reading i hope you enjoy!