Family

Chapter 12

Days after, Claire ask me why Pa put Mack in the room. It made Claire scared. I ne'er wanted Claire to be scared. She was too young to see it, and she too young now. I wish Kate jus' stayed in bed like the rest o' us. This would ne'er have happened. Claire would ne'er have seen another thing like that again. I also wish Kate know what she doing to the others and think twice 'bout doing something wrong again. I know what I gotta do to make her understand that she can't e'er do that again.

It take a while 'fore Pa come downstairs to talk to Kate. The rest o' us sitting on our own beds, 'cept Claire, she leaning on Megan. We all watching Pa. "Kate," he say to the door.

"Yes?"

"Will ya e'er do try that again?"

"No sir."

"I ain't sir. I'm Pa."

"No...," she hesitate, but she find it in her to say it. "Pa."

"Are ya sorry ya tried?"

"Yes... uh, Pa."

"Good. Now ya know what'll happen if ya do anything bad, child," he say as he open the door.

Kate step out slowly. She looking around as if she ne'er seen the place 'fore. Her eyes look like she been crying all night. Her eyebrows say she gonna cry some more, but she holding it in.

"Kate, come o'er here," I tell her when Pa go back upstairs. She walk o'er, and I pat my hand on my bed. She sit next to me.

"What do you want?"

"I jus' wanna talk to ya."

"About what? It better not be about what I did. I get it, you are worried about my safety, but don't be. I am going to be fine."

"It ain't 'bout your safety, Kate."

"Then what is it?"

"It 'bout the rest o' us."

"Are you saying Pa is going to hurt you if I risk anything else."

"No."

"Then, what are you saying? Because right now I'm confused."

"I haven't e'en said nothin' to make ya confused."

"Okay. Well, say it already so I can be confused."

"Ya best not interrupt me. I'll say when I done." Kate nods in acceptance. "Jus' hear me out. We family now."

"I'm sorry I'm interrupting but we are not family. I have a real family back home."

"I know ya say ya do. But the rest o' us don't got no other family than here. The five o' us, Ma, and Pa are each other's family. We love each other. We don't hurt each other. That room our only punishment for being bad. And when one o' our siblings go in there, it hurt the rest o' us. We scare for 'em when we can't see 'em. Ya scared Claire. She only seen one other person go in there, and she was too young, and she still too young. Ya gotta think o' us too, Kate. Ya with us now. We think o' ya, and ya think o' us. We will care for ya when ya need us, we jus' ask that ya think o' how what ya do can hurt us too. Please."

"I didn't know I scared Claire. I'm... I'm sorry. I'll think more next time."

"Kate, there can't be a next time. No more tryna run. Jus' live with us. If whatcha say is true, e'en though it crazy talk, the right family will find ya, but right now, we can be ya family. Jus' to care for ya."

"Okay. It will just be like having my own job, right?"

"Sure. Whate'er will get ya through this."