Avid Adopter

11 - Complete

It was a peaceful dusk in our little home. Cross had been with us for six months, and we were making a bit of progress with his understanding of "fun." After an entire day full of games, he finally understood what fun felt like, having felt it during a game of hide and seek; he simply couldn't resist the adrenaline! Although, that was all that he had understood; he would get it, eventually. As for his little brother wish, there was still no progress; I wasn't allowed to take in any children that the multiverse didn't give me directly, but Cross understood. He held on to his wish, though. At the moment, we were in the upper house's living room, doing whatever we were doing; we were all doing our own things. Killer was doing a bit of studying, trying to figure out what an equation meant for math; he had decided not to ask Cross for help, although the younger would have been able to explain it to him simply. Horror was on my lap, practicing his reading skills with a short novel I had found; he was getting much better, but the injury that he had suffered in his skull made his learning process a bit slower. Dust was playing with a pack of playing cards, trying to guess which card he would pull out. Cross was playing with Flapjack, choosing his outfit for the day; it seemed as if Flapjack would be a cowboy today.

"But he wouldn't give up!" Horror read emphatically. "Des-pite the odds, the little caterpillar started to climb the stem of the hy-hyd.."

"Hydrangea." I assisted.

"Thanks, Dad. Despite the odds, the little caterpillar started to climb the hydran-gea! Step by step-" Horror was cut off by a knock at the door. "What's that?"

"I'm..not sure.." I put Horror beside me on the couch. 

Walking over to the front door, I decided to open it; I couldn't stop my boys from following me, however. With them behind me, I opened the door,  revealing..Ink? Ink holding a small crying child?!

"You have got to help me!" Ink groaned. "He won't shut up!"

"What are you doing with a child?" I looked at him suspiciously.

"I figured if you could do it, I could, too!"

"Do what?"

"Care for a kid!"

"Why do you want to care for a child?"

"Something to do while I'm bored, mostly, but he won't be quiet! Can you make him shut it?"

"You have no idea how to parent a child, do you?"

"Nope, but I'm trying!"

"Ugh..come in."

"Thanks!"

"Sit down and don't say a word."

"Fine, bossy boots."

"Dad, what's-" Killer was cut off.

"A very degrading term that you shouldn't use." I replied.

"Ooh, okay!"

"Go play with your brothers and stay away from the visitor."

"Okay, Dad!" Killer took the others to a corner of the living room.

After Ink was seated, I took the child from him and tried to see what Ink had done to hurt him so badly. Upon closer inspection, the child had black bones, with different colors littering his body, including blue streaks coming down from his eyesockets; that wasn't the interesting part, though. The entire child seemed to be glitching! I didn't want to ask, yet.