Problem Solvers

presque vu

When Allison got off the plane she saw that she had three missed calls from Diego. With a sigh, she called him back.

"Did you find him?" Diego demanded.

"I just got off the plane."

"Then why did you call me?!"

"You called me."

"I knew I should have gone with you," Diego said. "Look, I can still book a flight-"

"Don't you dare," Allison said. "Listen, I know what these people are like. They judge parents on outward appearances-"

"He's our brother ," Diego said. "He belongs with us-"

"Diego, we're not blood related," Allison said. "And we'll have a hard enough time confirming his identity because of the whole... you know."

"He'll just escape anyway," Diego said. "You just need to find him and he'll teleport you both outta there."

Allison had a feeling it wouldn't be that simple.

"I'm hanging up," she said. "I'll let you know when I've got him."

It wasn't quite an orphanage. They were calling it a "Shelter for Unaccompanied Homeless Youth."

"It's just a temporary accommodation." A middle aged latino woman was guiding Allison through the building. "A pit stop where the kids who are transitioning through the system can wait for potential relatives to claim them. Or where they wait to be put into the foster system."

The walls were painted in cheerful yellows and light greens, like one of those dentist offices that tried to distract from the discomfort that was inevitably ahead. Each door had a large window installed and Allison peeked through each one they walked past, eager to spot Five.

"I'm really glad you give relatives a chance to be reunited with their kids," Allison said. "I'm sure it means a lot to them."

The woman led Allison out of the hallway of doors and into a more open lobby. This one was filled with cubicles, each manned by harried looking men and women.

"Oh yes," the woman said. "Though we have to be careful. Sometimes these relatives are the very same abusers that kicked their kid out onto the streets in the first place. It becomes this whole cycle of... well, you know."

Allison didn't know, but she nodded sympathetically. The woman finally sat down at a little desk and gestured to the chair on the other side. Allison sat across from her.

"Or sometimes their child ran away from home for a very good reason," the woman continued. "So, normally, we have a careful vetting process before we release any of these kids into someone's custody."

The woman regarded her sternly, hands clasped together on top of her desk.