Once the door had shut behind her, and she listened to his footsteps walking away, Sophia took a drawn-out breath through her snout, exhaled deeply, and slouched her shoulders. She couldn't really comprehend what exactly was happening right now. She stood still for a few seconds, before turning her head towards the bathroom mirror beside her. There, she found the side-profile of a very messy looking wolf in dirty clothes holding a fresh set of pajamas in her hands staring right back at her.

Instinctively, she didn't like what she saw.

It had been a while since she had actually seen herself in the mirror. The way her gray fur was unevenly shaggy and ruffled, and even dark and dirty in a few places really embarrassed her. That was what Anon had to look at. What was the word she had been called in the past? Unsightly? She couldn't find herself disagreeing, even if she wasn't the most familiar with the word. It sounded right, so it probably was.

She turned her head. Not only did she not want to look at herself for very long, but she had been given a clear directive. She knew it would be annoying if she took too long. She had been scolded in the past for wasting time. Anon had been...friendly, so far. So friendly it was difficult for her to understand. He said nice things, he gave her food and ice cream, he didn't get mad when she couldn't read his note, and he even offered to find her a family. Sophia didn't know why, but she knew it wouldn't last. Maybe he was meeting with someone soon. Whenever her caretakers did, they'd suddenly act nicer, giving Sophia a break from calling her annoying and...everything else they did.

Sophia winced to herself from the memories.

She didn't want to be seen as a bad girl. She knew it was inevitably going to happen, it was a question of how long it would take for him to realize. But maybe it would take just a little longer for that to happen if she did exactly as he said with no wasted time. She had been used to taking quick showers. A bath was something different, but at least she wouldn't have to worry about wasting water.

The warm water felt incredibly nice, tempting her to relax, but she knew she couldn't stay long. She got out as soon as she felt she was clean enough to be presentable, draining the water like he had asked and getting dressed into her brand new pajamas after drying her fur as best she could. Fresh out a hot bath and changed into the newest set of clothes she had ever known, and pajamas at that, she felt...cozy, almost. She caught herself staring back at the mirror again.

Her fur was a little damp, but it felt good to be clean. She wouldn't have to be as embarrassed whenever Anon looked at her. The pajama top matched her height, though it still felt a little baggy. She supposed she had been eating even less than usual recently. Regardless, there was something comforting about the speckled moons the pajamas had printed. Having some sort of cute design instead of a plain outfit made her wonder what kind of thought Anon had put in it for her.

Sophia suddenly blinked with a flinch. What was she doing? She wasn't supposed to be spending so much time in here. Only annoying kids hogged the bathroom for so long. She retreated back into her usual mindset: Do exactly what you're told, nothing more and nothing less. Don't be annoying. Don't be a bad girl. She'd try, at least.

With that, she took her dirty dress in hand and opened the door.

***

She read a sentence. She actually read a sentence! She couldn't stop thinking about that all throughout dinner, and it certainly was still in her head as she went up to brush her teeth. As she looked in the bathroom mirror, she found it so bizarre to realize that the girl staring back at her was able to read anything more than her own name. And the best...worst?...part about it was that she actually allowed her to feel a bit proud for herself. It was an entirely unfamiliar feeling, but...

If... If Anon encouraged it... Maybe she could allow herself to feel nice about it. It was his idea to teach her, after all, and he was clearly happy with what she had accomplished so far.

He...called her a "great student." Looking at the wolf in the mirror as she grabbed her toothbrush, she didn't know if she believed it herself. But...adults were always right. You weren't supposed to question them. That was something she learned since she could remember.

So, she didn't question it. To Anon, she was a good student. Even if it felt incredibly strange for her to be complimented.

...It didn't feel bad, though.

***

It had been more than a day since her nightmare, but Sophia still felt embarrassed about it. How immature of her to cry so much over a nightmare. Good girls weren't supposed to make any sort of fuss, much less have a complete freak out. She had shown her worst to Anon so far.

...And yet, he was...just like he always was. He comforted her. He told her she wasn't annoying. He stayed so she felt safe going back to sleep.

He...hugged her.

She'd never been hugged before. It made her feel nice, and warm, a-and safe... She couldn't believe she managed to ask for another one while they were playing catch...and then cried again when he so easily accepted. He said she could ask for a hug anytime she wanted.

Was that really okay? She really hoped so. They were so unused to anything she had felt before, it was as if those hugs had revealed how emotionally starved she had been all her life. She feared it was too good to be true. To be honest, she wanted to go ask for another hug right this moment, so much so that she could see the desire in her own eyes. But she feared asking too much would be a bother.

...N-No. Anon was different from them. She knew he wouldn't get mad. She just...had to find the courage on her own part.

***

...What was going on with her? Sophia wondered that to herself as she stared in the bathroom mirror. The face her reflection wore was stone-faced, but she was feeling all sorts of feelings welling up within her.

It had sounded like he was going to say it, but then...

She...wanted so bad for Anon to offer taking her in himself. She was so happy with him. He's been so nice to her. He was the only person who ever HAD been her whole life. He talked so much about finding a family that she'd be happy in, and who'd treat her well.

W-Why wasn't he an option? Why did he talk like he wasn't the most obvious choice? Or even an option at all?! He was the only one she had ever known.

Maybe he simply didn't want that.

...

Her reflection winced.

She...wanted to ask. She wanted to do something. When he gets back from work, she'd ask if he'd...consider adopting her himself. She was getting more and more comfortable with speaking her mind, so when he got back from work, maybe...

***

She chickened out last time. As she stood at the bathroom mirror in the morning, she remembered how she stuttered and utterly failed to ask if she could stay with him. How much longer would it take before he found another family? She was running out of time to ask.

It was an issue that was brought to her attention yesterday, as the two of them were celebrating how she finally managed to get through ever letter in the alphabet, and she even read the sentence he had written for her without any help. She felt guilty about ruining the mood when she brought up her father, but Anon had been supporting and reassuring just as he always had.

But then he...did the thing again. The thing were it almost seemed like he was going to tell her he wanted to be the one to take her in. That...he might be her dad instead.

...

She wanted that so much, and she was worried she was running out of time. She stared at herself in the mirror, almost disdainfully as she acknowledged her failure to ask. Ever since her last failed attempt, she had only gotten more comfortable and happy with him. He framed a picture that the two of them took together... He brought her to his room after she had another nightmare... She was scared, terrified even, that all of this might be coming to a close soon.

She took another look at herself in the mirror, and took a deep breath.

"...A-Ask him." She meekly demanded of herself. Despite her soft-spoken nature, that same demand coming from her reflection intimidated her.

To ask was so difficult. What exactly was she going to say? How did she want to phrase her words? She worried she'd stutter something incomprehensible, or worse, fail to portray her wants and feelings as strongly as she held them. Was there an easier way? She thought back on yesterday.

"...D-Dad." She said to the mirror, imagining Anon. The word felt extraordinarily heavy, scarily so, and almost sounded forbidden.

But... It was just one word.

If she could just...say it one time. That's all she had to do. Just call him "Dad" one time. If she could be granted one wish, it would be for Anon to be her dad. She wanted it so badly it scared her. She was only considering it right now, and yet the butterflies in her stomach were already going crazy.

He fed her, gave her clean clothes, gifted her toys, allowed her a safe place to stay, a warm place to sleep, was teaching her how to read, comforted her at her worst points, hugged her, let her hug him, told her she wasn't annoying, or a bad girl, or deserving of how the people before him had treated her...

"...Dad." She repeated. She just needed to say that one time.

B-But...what if that ruined everything? The word sounded so impactful, but what if that would be for the worse? What if he...?

No... No. Anon isn't like that. If he...declines (she winced at the thought), he'll still be nice about it. ...She hoped. Anon had encouraged her to speak her mind, and it took her a long time to feel comfortable even talking or asking about small, unimportant things. She could recognize how different she had become, and yet, imagining saying something so difficult... She almost felt like her old self

"D...Dad...!" She said again, trying to put more oomph into it.

Just one word. It's just one word. That's all it is. Just find an opportunity to say it...!

"Sophia! Breakfast is ready!" Anon calls from the first floor, and Sophia sees her reflection jump in surprise as the voice tears her away from her thoughts.

"Coming!" She calls back, and rushes down to meet with him.

Just...one word....