* * *

Sitting at home the next evening, Dotty curled up in the corner of her 'den' which was not her bedroom, snuggled up under a blanket with a hot chocolate as she planned to read a book.

Her parents were out for the evening with some friends leaving her home alone with nothing to do but wallow in her own thoughts about how she would approach the whole situation of meeting her birth parents and not liking that idea she plucked a book from her bookshelf and escaped to the world built on the pages.

She hadn't spoken to Fionn in a few days and to be perfectly honest it was rather refreshing. Don't get her wrong, she could quite happily talk to and listen to Fionn for hours and days on end but they were always together that the idea of being apart had gotten to the point where she was rather unnerved by it at first but now that it had been a few days, it made her roll her eyes at herself from a few days ago. She didn't need Fionn 24/7, she knew that, but being stupid at first she didn't believe that.

It wasn't long until she couldn't concentrate on her book any longer and instead, she brought out her laptop and went to her emails. She had been provided by her parents her birth father's email, his name is Alec Mulligan and his wife, Dotty's birth mother, is called Aoife. She was told that if she wanted to meet them she should be the one to arrange it with them and not a third party, like Chris or Emma.

Inhaling a deep breath, her hands shook as she started to type out the email.

Dear Alec and Aoife Mulligan,

You do not know me, well, I assume you have heard of me due to you contacting the police in search of me. My name is Dorothy Nolan and I am your daughter. My parents, Christopher and Emma, informed me that you wanted to find and meet me.

I will admit, at first I was on the fence, I didn't know what I wanted to do. I was scared to even think about the prospect of meeting my birth parents, however, upon talking to my parents and some of my closest friends I concluded that I would.

If you would still like to meet me, I would be more than happy to do so. I understand if you have changed your mind, it's weird to process myself, let alone how you both must be feeling.

If you do not, I would like you to know that I have had a happy life, Christopher and Emma have been amazing parents to me and have given me the best life I could ever ask for. I have known that I was adopted since I was very young, they didn't want to keep it form me and I am glad that they didn't. Over the years I have contemplated about searching for my birth parents but I always chickened out of doing so for many different reasons.

I do have questions for you but I understand if you do not wish to answer them and if you do not want to meet me. Yet, if you do, as I said, I would love to meet you.

Yours sincerely,

Dorothy Nolan.

With a shuddering breath, Dotty clicked send straight away afraid that if she waited the email ould be discarded and not sent at all. She shut her laptop and pushed it to the side, cuddling into the small teddy that always stayed near the nook of the room where she was sat.

Tears slipped from her eyes as she overwhelmingly ruminated which evoke a large sense of fear within her and bright the flush of tears to come. What if they turned around and decided to meet her and hated her? What if all of this was a prank? A sick joke played on her?

You know how I said earlier that she was okay without Fionn? Not right now she isn't. She yearned for the boy to be by her side, telling her that she was being an idiot, that she was overthinking everything.

As if on cue, Dotty's phone began to ring. She picked it up, struggling from her whole body shaking and read that it was Fionn. Answering it she pressed it to her ear, trying to calm herself but it didn't work.

"Evening beautiful, how are you?" He greeted and she could practically feel his smile radiating through the phone.

"I'm...I'm...fine, what, what about you, you?" She stuttered through her tears wiping them away violently with the ball of her palm.

Fionn avoided her question. "You're crying, Dotty, what's going on?"

Dotty sniffed, "I sent them an email, and I am so bloody scared, Fionn," she admitted, she knew there was no point wasting time by lying to him, he knew when she was lying.

"Your birth parents?"

"Yeah."

There were some background noise and the sound of a door shutting before Fionn responded. "Then why are you scared? The hard part is done now, love."

Dotty sighed, "Doesn't make it any less scary."

Fionn understood, he would never feel what Dotty feels and be in the position she is in but he knew that if he was, her feelings would not be irrational at all. "I know it doesn't, Dotty. How about you push it to the back of your mind for now, you have only just sent the email and we go back to work in two days, love."

Dotty sniffled and wiped the last of her tears away, "I guess you're right. How are you? You didn't answer my question." She switched the subject doing as Fionn said, pushing it to the back fo her mind, no matter how hard it was to do.

"I'm good, Dotty, spent the day with a few mates, Joe really wants to meet you."

"As in Joe, singing Joe from your channel?" Dotty asked standing up and placing the teddy bear back onto the bean bag and leaving her 'den' towards her bedroom where she placed Fionn on speaker whilst she changed into her pyjamas.

"Who else?" Fionn chuckled, "No in all seriousness, they were around mine and Sonny let slip about me picking you up on the to the port on Sunday and they started asking questions so I let them know about you. They all respect my privacy so you will still be my lil' secret, and now Joe won't stop bugging me about meeting you."

"Give him my snap chat, I'll send him a selfie." Dotty giggled, slipping into her bed.

Fionn snorted at her suggestion, "Will do, I'm glad to hear your laugh again, missus. I don't like you sad!"

"Sorry, darling, I'll try not to be sad too much," Dotty replied faffing around with her pillows.

"Good that."

Dotty squealed confusing Fionn.

"Erm, are you alright there?"

Dotty continued to make strange noises and a few moments later responded, "Gahhhhh. Newt!!!!"

"From the Maze Runner?" Questioned Fionn.

"You've read it?"

"No, but I watched the movies and can't wiat for The Death Cure."

"You quoted Newt!" Exclaimed Dotty, "And I can't wait either, but I know I am going to cry."

"Why?"

"YOU DON'T KNOW?!"

Fionn chuckled and Dotty noticed he had started to facetime her instead, "Know what?" He raised his eyebrows, looking hella cute, along with his floppy curls and his glasses, along with his bare chest, which Dotty certainly was not complaining about.

"Page 250."

"What about it, Dotty?"

She leaned closer to the camera and whispered, "Please, Tommy, Please." Tears welling in her eyes once more.

Fionn began to panic at the sight of her nearly crying. "Dotty you're not making much sense, love."

"That's what Newt says to Thomas on Page 250. Thomas obeys him." She leans even closer. "And...he..he..he shoots him. Thomas kills Newt!"

Fionn cried out, "SPOILERS!!!"

Dotty wiped her fallen tears, "My boo dies, Fionn, I can't. If I watch it I will cry, I cry reading it."

Fionn shook his head, "That bastard."

"No, Newt begs him. Tommy is respecting his wishes but I wish it never happened. I love James Dashner but I hate who kills off!"

"You know what that old saying is, Dotty. When you go into the garden, what do you pick? The most beautiful flowers. They die from being picked. That's why the most beautiful people die."

Dotty smiled weakly. "I know."

She knew that was a fact. The most beautiful die at the hands of the world.