Not Just an Omega

Encounter

Chapter 3

   This is weird. Reily's 'cousin' had to climb through her window because her parents didn't want to be bothered with house guests. More suspicion in my corner, I'd say. She scaled the gates of the yard, then jumped over the tops and sped to the trellis outside of her bathroom window. It was cat-like and graceful, surprising when she doesn't look like either of those at first glance. No offense to her.

   "Okay, now tell me what the deal is with you two," I order, shutting the window. Reily and mystery girl sit on the edge of the bed. They look like toddles who just got caught stealing cookies from the kitchen. Except one of them looks ready to kill me.

   "Kaila, this is Jess. I've been helping her get by. She's homeless basically," she confesses. I continue to look at her. "Don't tell my parents!"

   I look over at this Jess girl and she slightly shrugs her shoulders as if to say, Yeah basically what she said.

   "So no secret thing going on between you two?"

   "What? Like she's my girlfriend? Good heavens, Kaila, no!" Reily gasps, looking horrified. Jess looks down at her shoes at Reily's reaction. Curious...

   "Sorry, just had to check."

   Then I helped smuggle food upstairs, claiming to Reily's parents she and I were hungry. Jess looked very appreciative as she basically inhaled the food we brought her.

   "Why can't you just go to a homeless shelter? Does our town even have a homeless shelter?" I ask, leaning on the bedpost. The last part was more to myself. Jess looks at me incredulously.

   "Are you joking? Is she joking?" She looks at Reily, who shakes her head. She turns back to me. "You think they'd let me stay there? I'm a minor, which means that I could be at risk of going to the foster house. You think someone's gonna foster someone like me? People take one glance at me and turn their head. To them, I look like a troublemaker. People don't put up with trouble-makers. They kick 'em right out on the street. How you think I ended up like this? "

   "What happened to your parents?" I know I sound nosy, but curiously kills the Kaila. And her story sounds similar to mine, so I want facts.

   "They died in a car crash when I was younger. Bounced from foster house to foster house until I got my crap together to run away. Reily here's been helping me for a few months," she explains, glancing at Reily with a small smile. So she's, what, sixteen? Seventeen at most, and the same age as Reily, who is also seventeen and a few months younger than me. Which means in a year or so she'll legally be an adult.

   "I could help you?" I offer. Jess snorts and turns a scowl on me.

   "Like how? Push me on a swing like a kid? I don't need your help."

   "You need Reily's help," I point out. "Mrs. Sawyer—my foster mom—might be able to help you. I could talk to her."

   "You're a foster too?" She asks, her voice turning softer. I nod and she looks down. "Appreciate it—Kaila is it? But I can't risk that. Even if you vouch for this Mrs. Sawyer lady. I'll stick with Reily." My redheaded friend blushes at Jess's reply.

   "If I may ask, where do you live, Jess?" She frowns at the question and Reily answers for her.

   "Jess lives in an abandoned gardening shack on the edge of town. I've helped her fix it up to be livable, and lend her clothes when it's cold. Maybe we could visit you sometime later next week?" Reily asks, looking at Jess hopefully.