You Are My Sunshine

Chapter Six

Sam's POV

Sleep was virtually impossible after Emily and I went back up to bed. She dozed, and I held her in my arms, but I remained awake. My mind kept rolling, trying to solve the mystery of Kinley's life. Clearly, I had to contact whomever that horrid woman that dropped her off was and ask some questions. And if she didn't give me answers that could help, I'd keep searching until I found someone who did. Obviously they didn't put much merit to Kinley's welfare - both before and after her mother's death. I'd expected some sort of background check or something when they put her in mine and Emily's care.

I was wrong. They asked no questions, except whether or not I was willing to take her in. That was it. No making sure we were okay, nothing. Simply because we were listed as siblings somewhere in the system. Kinley would be great with us, but I hoped to all that was holy they took better care of other children they placed with new people.

And if they showed no care with Kinley's living conditions after her mother's death, they definitely never began to consider she may have had a negative experience before. Which was crazy, considering her mother took her own life. Wouldn't that give off warning bells?

Something wasn't right. We just had to figure out what, and then deal with it. Maybe then Kinley's mind could be more at ease. Maybe then Kinley could sleep through the night without waking in a terror.

That was what I hoped, at least.

When the barest light of dawn began to brighten the sky through the window, I slowly slid out of bed, careful not to wake Em. Before heading into the kitchen, I peeked in on Kinley and Embry. The sight of them had a smile tugging at my lips.

Embry was now stretched across the couch, legs hanging off at the end since he was so damn tall. I could relate. Kinley was curled into his chest, his arm folded around her. She nuzzled peacefully into his shirt, face pressed to his neck. His nose was buried in her hair, as if he'd fallen asleep in the midst of kissing her head. The comfort they clearly had with each other already gave me more hope that we'd be able to help Kinley.

Spurred by that thought, I moved into the kitchen to start some coffee. I had a couple more hours before I could call anyone and actually get an answer, but that didn't mean I could plan out who I'd contact, specifically what I'd say, and whatever else. I wanted to get this figured out and dealt with as soon as possible. The sooner we made things right, the sooner Kinley could move on.

Or that was what my mind had convinced me of. I needed a purpose, a decided method with which I'd help my new found baby sister. I'd failed her already, but I would not fail her again.

When the clock was a hair away from eight in the morning, Emily breezed into the kitchen, stooping to give me a peck on the cheek before grabbing her own coffee. "What are you up to?" she asked softly, apparently having taken note of the two sleeping imprints in the living room.

"Preparing," I said vaguely, knowing she'd deduce what I was preparing for without a problem. There weren't any other issues really going on in the pack at the moment. Sure, sometimes a vampire ended up nearby that we had to take care of, but that wasn't anything that demanded loads of time. The Cullens had settled, and while they still had their home in Forks, at least they were tame over there. I liked them as much as the next wolf, but I had to admit that there were worse things that could be living in the next town over.

Though maybe it was more accurate to say that there were worse "people" that could be living in the next town over. The Cullens were civilized. Polite. Okay. Sort of.

But then there was the fact that they drank blood, and that just messed up that whole thought process, didn't it?

Emily's face turned fierce, and she said, "I hope this all gets taken care of soon." I felt a swell of pride at my beautiful imprint. This wasn't the first time she'd shown how much she already cared for my sister, and I knew it wouldn't be the last, but every single time without fail it hit me straight in the chest. I loved her so much.