Wishing Star

Chapter 27

Clark

8 years old

The tears hadn't even dried on Caelum's face by the time they were standing on the front porch of what would be their new home.

Clark held Caelum's hand tightly in his own, doing his best to put on a brave face, but the lady with the unnaturally wide smile was talking really fast, telling them all the things they should and shouldn't do while they stayed here. She thrust the garbage bag full of their clothes in his hands and knocked briskly before stepping back.

A large woman answered the door, and despite the smile he tried to muster, her face remained harsh as she looked between the two of them.

"These them?" she asked the social worker.

The social worker's smile faltered briefly, but she held it firmly in place. "Yes, this is Clark and Caelum Masterson."

She held the door open behind her. "Well, come on in then. I'll show you where you're going to sleep."

She didn't bother waiting until everyone was inside before heading up the narrow stairway. Looking around, Clark noted that the house was clean but run down. The wallpaper was peeling, and the wood floor was old and cracked. He glanced through a doorway to see a living area with four other kids, all staring listlessly at the TV.

A young girl glanced over at him, and their eyes met and held, hers just as lifeless as he felt.

Breaking her stare, he followed the lady up the stairs, Caelum's hand still held tightly in his own. He had cried all the way over here but hadn't made a peep since.

They arrived at the top of the stairs and followed her to the end of the hall, where there was another doorway. She unlocked the door with an old skeleton key and propped the door open with a large rock that was lying on the floor.

They followed her up the rickety steps, each stair seeming more unstable than the last. As they climbed higher, the air turned mustier, and there was little light except for a single bulb with a string at the top of the staircase.

The room was the attic, but it looked like it had been swept a little, and all the junk had been pushed to one side. There were two twin mattresses on the floor.

"This is all we got for now, but we figured it'd be better than the street."

The social worker was no longer smiling as she looked around, but she nodded. "We're having a tough time with placements right now."

The lady grunted but didn't respond. She turned her beady eyes to Caelum and took in his appearance. "What's wrong with him?"

Clark stepped in front of him a little as if to block him from her penetrating stare.

The social worker placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "He's just feeling a little out of sorts right now. But once he gets settled in and gets some food, he will be good as new."

The lady passed by them, muttering what sounded like "ungrateful brats" under her breath. Once she had ushered the social worker out the door after some hesitant goodbyes, she turned around and looked at them, her eyes trained on Clark. "Breakfast is at 8 a.m. sharp; lunch is at noon, and supper is at 5 o'clock. You get one snack a day, and you both will have to earn your keep. There's a chore schedule on the fridge that you have to check every day."

She walked them through the house, showing them each room, pointing out all of the rooms that were off-limits, which were most of them. They ended the tour in the kitchen, where she pointed out the chore schedule.