Foster Care [COMPLETE]

Starving rat

Friday
April

My fingers were cold and stiff. Auto, Puck and Kieran were all stuffed onto my bed in a big pile. Puck was at the bottom with Kieran using his legs as a pillow. Auto had her head on Puck's stomach and my head was in Kieran's lap with my legs over Auto's thighs. We were tangled together in a square on my bed. Everyone was quiet. The window was open and the chilly April breeze was brushing over our bodies. Everyone seemed sad.

"Max..." Kieran whispered. I looked up at him and he stroke his hand through my hair. "I'll always be your brother... no matter what..."

"Max isn't leaving..." Auto whispered. "You make it sound as if you're saying goodbye..."

I grabbed both Kieran and Auto's hands, squeezing them gently. Everything felt confusing and messed up. My timeline had gone from a swift line to a rough and patchy map of strange occurrences and unclear feelings. My mind was burning with all the thoughts I kept inside. I had only been with the Crosswise family for a bit over a month yet they were already such a big part of my life that I couldn't even imagine living without them. The shooting, the break-in, Susanne, Leon, it all felt distant and surreal. My details about the situation were blurry and surreal.

"Hey..." I whispered. "Do you know if the police spoke to Leon yet?"

Both Auto and Puck stayed quiet for a moment and I could tell that they were looking at each other, debating what to answer.

"He's gone..." Puck mumbled after a moment of silence from the twins. "No one's heard from him since the shooting... his things were packed up and there's not a trace of him or his dad..."

"Of course..." I tiredly chuckled. "I wonder if mom's with them..."

"How come you don't hate her?" Auto bluntly asked. Puck gave her a weak smack as she spoke, hissing at her that she was being rude.

"It's fine..." I muttered. "She's my mom... there were moments when she was the most loving parent I could've asked for... then... then there were the other moments..."

Kieran's hand cuddled up in my hair and I felt Auto stroking my legs. "I don't hate our mom, either..." She whispered. "But I wish I did... it would make it easier to forget her..."

"I don't hate mom... just dad..." Puck growled.

A knock on the door pulled us from our conversation. Kieran shifted under me, moving my head on his firm stomach. "Come in!" He called, making my head vibrate with his deep voice. I giggled faintly.

Cheryl peeked into my room and smiled at our cuddle pile. "Kieran, are you going to your kickboxing practice?" She asked.

"No..." he mumbled. His fingers were gone somewhere in my wavy hair and he gave me a slow, gentle massage.

"Patrick, Anika, are you guys staying for dinner?"

The twins looked at each other, silently agreeing on whether or not to stay. "We'd love to if you don't mind..." Auto said shyly after looking at her brother.

"Of course we don't mind! You guys are welcome anytime!" Cheryl said before leaving.

Kieran went back to playing with my hair and I picked at my cuticles. The breeze from the open window was cold as it blew into my room.

"I'm scared, Max..." Kieran whimpered. The three of us all looked at Kieran as he siped a tear from his cheek. "I'm scared that they'll take you away from me..."

"Kieran stop..." I mumbled. "If you cry, I'll cry..."

"My parents are really trying their hardest to adopt you..." He whispered.