Fluctuat nec Mergitur

Chapter 12

*Lauren's POV*

"Are you packed for tomorrow?" Christina asked me, reading down a list.

"I think I am." I pulled my suitcase shut with some difficulty.

"What about Max?" Christina looked at the few things on the floor across the room.

"I think she's done, as far as that goes. She's got her stuff somewhere."

"I hope so." She left the room, writing on her paper.

I went downstairs to sit with my family for one of the last times before we leave tomorrow. It was a surprisingly low-key build up, considering it involves so many people. It's May, and thus close to the end of school for Dani and Max, so there wasn't much fuss about that. Packing felt almost easy somehow, and everyone finished in a somewhat timely manner.

"Lauren, can you get the door?" Dad called from the living room. "Someone's knocking."

"Uh, yeah." I mumbled, twisting the lock. A boy about my age stood on the stoop, exhausted.

"Who's there?" Dani, being her nosy self, appeared behind me. "Oh, it's Jude."

"You must be Lauren." Jude nodded. He was taller than me, with dark hair, and he spoke with a slight middle Eastern accent. "Dani told me about how she dyed your hair."

"That's me." I smiled gently. It's true. Dani talks a lot.

"Come in." Dani seemed confused. I stepped aside and shut the door behind him. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news for myself." He chuckled. "My dad left us yesterday, and I'm afraid my mom is deported. She simply hasn't shown up. I saw her last at 9 yesterday."

"Gosh, really?" Dani was holding conversation better than I was, and I was the one that opened the door. I guess she does know him a lot better than I do, considering we've never met.

"Well, I don't think my dad liked us very much. They married when they were young, and he was in the military, stationed in Egypt. I think he finally realized how incompatible they were together when they moved here." Jude looked around at the house.

"So you're all alone?" I asked, sympathetic.

"I guess so. I found this on the table." He pulled a wrinkled receipt out of his pocket. "You know you can sign people up for deportation if they're being a pest?"

"He didn't." Dani's jaw dropped.

"She wasn't a citizen." Jude looked sad for the first time. "She was also a big scary Muslim. I don't think he would've reported me, but I don't know why he reported her."

"So you don't have a home?" I led both of them to the living room.

"No." He wrapped his arms around himself. "Everything looked normal when I got home, except for that every personal possession of theirs was gone."

Max looked over at the three of us, quite confused but also too tired to make anything of it. I shrugged behind Jude's back.

"Sit down." Dani offered, doing the same. I sat next to Max, wondering what on earth we could possibly give this poor kid besides a roof and some annoying boys.

"You're that kid that Dani was talking about the other day." I said in realization. This poor, homeless, orphan is that Jude.

"I look like I live on the streets, but I promise I wasn't like this twenty four hours ago." He brushed off his sleeve.

"I've heard a lot more of you from Dani than Max." I squinted suspiciously.

"I find that surprising myself." He nodded, raising his eyebrows at Max, who gave me a glare behind her hand.