Beyond

Now Autumn

Ace was used to this part. Packing up all his stuff in his suitcase loading it into the back of his sister's car and saying goodbye to his foster parents. Aces older sister Autumn had made a deal that as long as Ace stayed nearby Autumn and she was able to see him. She would allow the foster care system to take care of him. Of course, taking care of him meant sending from house to house every few months.

"So this time you will be staying with a gay couple in an apartment building. Apparently one of them is a teacher and that's the school you will be going to this year." Autumn told her little brother excitedly. Ace, however, was not excited. This would be his tenth time being a new kid in six years. "Look, Acey. I know you don't want to be the new kid again and I promise I will do my best to make sure you aren't one again but I really do think you will like this place."

"Autumn I saw the paper. I know he isn't just some teacher. This is the guy who was kept in the cage. Not even the guy, one of the guys. There were seven of them. You really think I am going to fit in with them?" Ace snapped at her.

"Look, Ace. I don't want to hand you over to strangers either but we both know it is what's best for you. Alright?" Autumn looked quickly to her brother who was slouching and looking out the window.

"Yeah..." Ace mumbled

"And besides at least you will have some kids around your age to start with at school." Autumn looked at him again. Trying to still focus on the road. "Ace...please look at me."

Ace looked to his sister who he could tell was really begging him. The rain pattered on the roof of the old car as Autumn pulled into the parking lot in front of the apartment building.

"I love you, Acey," Autumn told him.

"Please don't call me that." he rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Oh come on Lacey Acey. Tell your sister you love her." Autumn's puppy voices at him. 

"I love you, Autumn." Ace said to her.

"Alright enough with this let's go see your room," Autumn said opening the door to the loud rain outside. The two of them buzzed inside and tried to shake off some of the rain. They took the elevator up to the sixth floor and walked to the door with the number 18 on it. Ace knocked on the door and they both waited.

"Hello! You must be Ace and Autumn!" A man opened the door and greeted them. "Come in! Come in!"

"Hi," Ace says quietly. Autumn noticed that Ace became quiet as they walked into what would be his house for a while.

"Hi! I'm Apollo and this is Connor and uh..." A tall man with light eyes and dark skin started. "Sorry, we did not think that we would actually get a kid especially so soon."

Autumn noticed Apollo and Connor exchange a nervous glance.

"Listen. I know that hosting a foster kid can be very stressful for anyone let alone a case like ours. Let alone with everything you went through in your childhood." Autumn said to Apollo.

"Now you get to listen." Apollo started. "The stuff that happened to me and my family is the reason I wanted to do this. To make sure that no kid ever has to go through what we did. That's why I'm here. Why we are here."

"Anyway. My name is Connor I work part-time at a bookstore in town. Basically, I would be here almost every day after school and if for whatever reason I wouldn't be you would probably go with Raven and Annie and them." Connor looked at Apollo.

"And Raven and Annie, these are the kids of the people you were kept captive with?" Autumn asked.

"Correct. Raven is actually the daughter of my best friend Red who when she moved to England, where I am from, she needed a place to stay and so we became flatmates and eventually friends." Connor said.

"Alright. What about you Apollo what do you do? What's your story?" Ace asked. Knowing that there is more to a person than who technically raised them.

"Well after finishing High school I went on to become a teacher at my own high school which will be the one you go to this fall," Apollo said. "But enough about us tell us about you. Oh and let's look at your room." 

"Well my name is Ace and I am 15. I like to go running and uh... that's basically it."

"Oh come on. There's more than that." Connor said.

"Not really. I'm generally pretty normal."  Ace said.

"Alright..." Apollo said. "This will be your room. It's not much. Just a bed and Connor's old sheets. A friend of ours should be here soon to bring some covers for the winter. Um...this was the old office so we have this desk here. Obviously, we don't know if you wanted to have because we didn't know what you already had but we got you some basic school supplies." 

"Oh dang it," Connor said reading his phone. "We have to uh... go to see the family. So if you guys want to come with us or you could get dinner or something."

Ace and Autumn looked at each other. At that moment they realized that these people were going to be an adventure. And wow, how right they were. (12/4/18)