Atuality *editing*

Chapter 9

We sat down in front of Cole.

"Tell us about yourself Cole, " Charlie said. "What's your story?"

"I'm not ready to share that," Cole said.

"Well would you like to know ours?" David asked. Cole nodded.

"I'll start," Austin said. "My mom died when I was six. My dad was abusive. He would find any reason to beat me and my little sister, even if what he was beating us for was his fault. He went to far one day and sent me and my sister to the hospital. My sister was still in when I got out. I went to live with my aunt. Her boyfriend wasn't abusive, but he was strict. He wouldn't let me leave the house, not even to see my sister. My aunt got a call from the hospital saying that my sister died during her surgery. I got angry. I started throwing and breaking things. Later on I started drinking, doing drugs, and got into a lot of trouble. My aunt and her boyfriend couldn't handle me anymore, so they kicked me out. Leo found me the next day."

"I wouldn't say mine is all that bad compared to the others," Charlie said, laughing a little. "My dad died of cancer. I wasn't as close with him as I was to my mom, so it didn't really bother me. My mom committed suicide three days later. I called the police and ran away before they got there. I didn't want to be in the foster system. Leo found me in a building five days later."

"I don't remember anything about my family," Eddie said. "I just remember waking up in the hospital. They asked me if I remembered anything. I said no. They continued to ask me questions I didn't know the answers to. They said I had amnesia. They told me I was in a car accident that killed my mom and dad. They also said I had a brother and sister, but they left a couple of months before I woke up and that they got adopted. After I recovered, they put me in a foster home. I didn't like them, so I ran away. Leo found me a month later."

"Then David adopted us," I said.

"So Leo brought you all together?" Cole said. "How did he get there? What happened to him?"

"He'll probably hate me later on, but I'll tell you," I said. "His parents were a mixture of mine and Max's. He almost died because his dad shot him. After that he went from foster home to foster home. They were abusive, they raped him, they made him do everything around the house, kept him locked up for days without food and water. Just horrible to him. There were some good ones but by the time he got to them he would act up. He never gave anyone a chance because he thought they would be just as bad as the others. There was no where else to take him, so they put him in a group home. He ran away and decided to find others like him. And that's what he did."

"What about you David?" Cole asked.

"My parents died when I was six," David said. "My 18 year old brother took me in. He was in a gang, a drug dealer. So I was raised into it. I thought it was normal, that everyone did it. We killed a lot of people. A lot. So many I lost count. When I fifteen, another gang did a drive by at our house and shot my brother in the head and me in the leg. When I got out of the hospital, I got put in a foster home. They adopted me, no matter how much I put them through. I stopped drinking, smoking, and all gang activity when I was seventeen. I wanted to help someone like my parents helped me. I moved here when I was twenty four. I was at the market one day when I caught these kids stealing food. Max was beat up, the rest of them had a scared look in their eyes. I had Max in my arm while the rest ran off, she was calling out for Leo. She kept staring at me and I saw a little of myself in her, as cheesy as it sounds. Leo shot me in the arm and Max ran. While I was in the hospital, Officer Luke and I were talking. I told him that if there was a way I could help them I would and he said they were up for adoption. They were close to taking them off the system because no one would take them and they were dangerous. So I adopted them, they were all excited, except for Max. But she eventually warmed up and started to like it here."

"When you're ready," Austin said. "We'd like to know more about you. Even if it's not your story. It could be your favorite color or movie. Just something about you. We want to make you a part of this family, but you need to put your part in it."

"I thought you gave up on me," Cole said.

"I was upset," David said. "I didn't mean any of that. I'm sorry."

"So you'll give me another chance?" Cole asked.

"Of course," David said. "I don't expect you to change over night, but I do expect an effort."

Cole agreed. We spent another ten minutes talking about our favorite colors and things like that.

He's finally warming up to us. They're finally warming up to him. Now no one would notice if I left.

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Hey guys!!!

Sorry for the late updates. I thought I had posted chapter 8 already, but it turned out I didn't haha.

I hope your enjoying it so far.

It may be a while before my next update because I'm having a bit of writers block.

X- A