10. Then
10
THEN
Age 6
“ C assie, please, you’re going to get us both in trouble,” Matthew whisper-yelled through the bushes.
“Oh, Matty, stop being a fraidy cat. I thought I saw it this way.” She pointed to a tree even farther from their current location. Matthew groaned but followed her.
They had been looking for Mr. Sprinkles for two hours now. If they didn’t find him soon, Helen would have both of their heads for supper. She liked the fluffy white Persian cat more than the children on a good day.
Cassie ran ahead, trying to see if the cat would recognize the treat container she was shaking around.
Meow.
The cat was in one of the trees above them, but seeing as it was nine-thirty at night and pitch-black outside, they couldn’t tell which tree. The flashlight in Matthew’s hand was no use.
“Cassie, let’s go back. We’re already going to be in so much trouble for letting him out anyways. Maybe if we tell the truth, it will be okay.” Matthew knew that the last part was a lie, but he also knew what her subsequent request would be, and he hated that more than the wrath of Helen.
“Matty, give me a boost. I’m going to climb the tree and see if I can grab him.”
“No, you’re going to get hurt. The cat can wait. Let’s go. Helen will beat us if she realizes we left and let the cat out.” Matthew began pacing back and forth.
Cassie walked over to him, flashing him a grin and grabbing his hand. “Please.”
Powerless to say no to her, he leaned down, cupping his hands so that she had a place to put her foot, and Cassie boosted herself toward the branches. Grabbing the first one she could find?—
Snap. Boom. The branch snapped off the tree, and Cassie was now on the ground next to Matthew.
“Ow, it hurts, Matty, it hurts!” Cassie began crying and reached for her left arm.
“Come on. We need to get Helen.” Matthew dreaded telling Helen about this. He already got cracked for not running the dishwasher before dinner on Thursday.
The doomed pair stumbled home in the dark, leaving the flashlight somewhere in the park, two blocks away. Matthew was doing his best to comfort Cassie but was having difficulty not panicking over Helen’s reaction to this. He hated when Cassie got in trouble.
Despite being in the foster home for the past two years, she never got used to it. Cassie did develop a nervous tic where her hands shook when she got anxious, which was pretty frequently around Helen and Aaron. Oftentimes, her nerves were the cause of a lot of punishment since they made her drop and spill things.
Matthew and Cassie turned the doorknob slowly, thinking that maybe Helen would be sleeping or too busy fighting with Aaron to notice they were gone, let alone her precious kitten, who she had just adopted four months ago. They could pretend Cassie fell out of bed or down the stairs.
However, luck was not on their side. The second the door flung open, they were met by Helen, Aaron, and Flynn. Logan and Lana were probably still fast asleep.
“You bastard! How often do I need to beat your ass before you learn?” Helen yelled before turning to the ignored little girl. “And you, Pippi Longstocking, you worthless little girl, where’s my cat? I saw you petting him this afternoon,” Helen spat in their faces.
Cassie moved her non-injured arm to wipe the saliva from her cheek. Matthew saw the motion and winced, knowing she was adding insult to injury. Of course, Cassie didn’t intend to; she was just horrible at pretending.
“Helen, please, Cassie is hurt. She needs a doctor,” Matthew pleaded, hoping she could spare a lecture and eventual beating for one more day.
“It’s Miss Helen to you. You know better than to talk back.” She rolled her eyes and moved him out of the way.
Helen took in Cassie’s appearance: Cassie’s arm was gushing blood and must have been fractured at the very least from the way the bone was protruding. Her dress was tattered and stained red. That was one of her last good ones.
“How the hell did this happen? I can’t believe you. You’re grounded for the rest of the year. And you can forget about that silly art class at the library,” Helen resounded.
Matthew knew how hard Cassie had pleaded with Helen to let her take the class. She even asked Mrs. Baker to help seal the deal. But now, with this mess, she’d be lucky if she could leave the house before Christmas and it was August.
“I’m so sorry. Please, Miss Helen. I love art class!” Cassie was hysterically crying by this point.
Matthew did what he had grown accustomed to doing—he took the blame. Cassie was often mad when he got in trouble for her messes, but he couldn’t watch her suffer.
“Helen, er … Miss Helen, it was my fault Mr. Sprinkles got out, and I told Cassie to climb the tree, and then she fell. I’m very sorry.” Matthew peered down, afraid to look at Cassie.
“Matthew, that’s not—” Cassie began.
“Cassie, go to the car.” Helen took the keys from Aaron and then looked to Matthew, who shuffled from side to side. “You’re going to get it once I get back.”
Matthew nodded. There was no use in fighting the inevitable.
Once Helen was gone, and Aaron was back in his bedroom, Flynn started laughing and clapping his hands at Matthew.
“Bravo! What a hero, protecting the pathetic baby. Such a good boyfriend. I told Mom and Dad that you both snuck out and how you let Mr. Sprinkles escape. I get to have my curfew extended because of that shit,” Flynn taunted him.
At almost eleven years old, the aggressive boy still hadn’t matured. If anything, Flynn had made a turn for the worse. The anger management counseling three times a week did nothing for him.
“I’m not her boyfriend. She’s my best friend. And she’s not a baby!” Matthew was pissed that he was in this position in the first place, but he wasn’t about to have his annoying foster brother make things worse for them.
“Boys aren’t friends with girls. No real man would ever help a girl!”
Matthew knew he was going to be up early to do his daily chores, plus whatever Helen decided was adequate compensation for his indiscretions, so he made his way to bed. This would be one of Matthew’s first nights alone in two years. Thankfully Helen never checked on the children at night, so she was never the wiser about the pair sharing a bed. Lana and Flynn started sneaking into each other’s room last year which made the chances of him ratting them out slim to none.
Rain hit the house’s siding, which should have lulled Matthew to sleep. Unfortunately, he had difficulty dozing off. In fact, before Cassie came along, he never got a full night’s rest. When he did sleep, the dreams—more like nightmares—took over.
Next thing Matthew knew he was being shaken vigorously. He heard a voice whispering to him, almost pleading. He tried to reposition himself, thinking this was part of his dream.
“Matty. Matty,” the voice bellowed.
Matthew’s eyes popped open. It was Cassie leaning over him, looking very concerned. Once his breathing regulated, he realized that his forehead was dripping.
She gave him a hug and resumed dabbing a wet washcloth on his forehead with the arm that wasn’t in a cast. Having been witness to this a few times, Cassie quickly learned how to help her friend.
“Thank you. I’m sorry,” Matthew whispered, looking Cassie up and down, assessing her injuries. The little girl had a cast on her arm, a bandage on her neck where a tree branch scraped her, and a worried frown on her face. Matthew didn’t want her to frown.
“I’m sorry, Matthew. Helen’s going to hurt you tomorrow. Why did you lie again? You didn’t do anything wrong? It was all me.” Cassie hung her head.
The pair was a mess. They both couldn’t picture the other hurt but still made trouble for one another. It was a theme that would likely carry on into adulthood.
“I can handle it, Cassie. You know what happened last time Helen hit you.” Matthew shuddered, just thinking about the incident.
Matthew decided to go and get a snack from the downstairs kitchen when Cassie finally fell asleep next to him. He peered around the corner as he walked down the stairs, continuing until he heard voices.
“Can you believe the hospital was asking me questions about her history? Like I’m supposed to know if her mother or father had a history of any diseases or shit?” Helen sat at the kitchen counter with her back to Matthew, whereas Aaron was inside the fridge, digging for his last beer.
“What’d you expect? Weren’t they like fifteen when they had the brat?” Aaron snorted.
“They were sixteen. Far as I could find out, they’d dropped out since they didn’t have any family to help with the kid. There was an ‘uncle’ who was older, I think. They got into some shady business together and mixed up with the wrong crowd.”
“Aren’t they all rotting in jail?” Aaron asked unsympathetically.
“No, the parents are dead. The uncle got locked up for murder and trying to run off with the girl. He was sentenced to life, which might not be that much longer. Mrs. Baker said that he has gang ties. They all want him dead,” Helen said matter-of-factly.
Matthew didn’t like how they were talking about Cassie’s family. He heard a different version from Cassie—that her uncle Maverick had locked her in the bathroom when some bad people had come to take her—and despite knowing that life was way more challenging than Cassie wanted to believe, he wouldn’t correct her. She needed to believe in something, unlike him.
Matthew walked back to his room, pretending not to have heard anything.
He was getting good at playing pretend.
“Get up, you bastards!” Helen banged at the closed bedroom door.
Cassie hid under Matthew’s comforter just in case Helen decided to come inside. While she’d pretended to be brave in front of Matthew last night, she couldn’t handle getting hit. Cassie waited until she heard the bathroom door close, and she decided to risk opening Matthew’s bedroom door.
Outside the room, Flynn was leaning against the frame, a sleazy smile on his face. Cassie gulped and looked back to a sleeping Matthew. She didn’t want to wake him, considering he never really slept soundly.
“Please move, Flynn. I need to clean the kitchen before breakfast.” She attempted to walk around him but he grabbed her casted arm and pinned her against the frame where he was leaning a moment ago.
“Don’t tell me what to do.” His face was so close to hers that she could smell his foul breath.
Cassie’s heart rate quickened, and she closed her eyes, afraid. This was one of the first times she had been alone with Flynn.
Before she knew it, Cassie was being moved. Matthew had risen and was now in front of Flynn.
“Don’t touch her.” Matthew mustered up all the courage he could. If there was anything worth fighting for, it was Cassie.
Flynn laughed and pushed Matthew so his back hit the wall. “Lover boy thinks he’s tough.” He motioned to lean forward and scare Matthew, but instead, Matthew remained unfazed.
“Flynn, Matthew, Cassie, get your asses down here NOW.” Helen’s shrill voice sounded from downstairs.
After bumping Matthew, Flynn made his way downstairs.
Matthew grabbed Cassie by the shoulders. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. Cassie always grew quiet after these types of scenarios.
Matthew pulled her into a bear hug until he heard Helen calling their names again and tugged her downstairs.
“You rat bastards! Are you trying to get me in trouble with Social Services? Fucking Mrs. Baker is coming today with a prospective family. They want a boy, so wear your Sunday best.” Helen pinched Matthew’s cheek. “You escape a beating for today.”
Aaron came up behind Matthew and Cassie, addressing all the kids. “We want the place spotless”—he looked at his watch—“in forty-five minutes.”
All the children started running around doing their assigned chores.
An hour later, Mrs. Baker arrived with an attractive Hispanic couple. By the looks of the couple, they had money. The woman, Nancy, and her husband, Jerry, wore designer clothing, and Nancy was carrying a Louis Vuitton purse.
All five children lined up neatly, waiting for judgment day. Cassie and Lana only lined up out of respect. They weren’t even in the running since the couple wanted a boy.
Nancy looked the kids up and down, giving Cassie a nasty glare when she gave her a toothy smile and wave with her hand that wasn’t in a cast. Helen grabbed Cassie and dragged her so she was standing next to her where she couldn’t cause any trouble.
Anne Baker was the first to speak. “Well we have three fine young men right here. I know you said you preferred a boy. Matthew here is turning seven in a few months and has excellent manners.” She always tried to pitch Matthew first, knowing his backstory would cause difficulty.
“How are your grades?” Nancy inquired.
“His grades are—” Mrs. Baker tried to interject.
“I asked the ‘fine young man.’” Nancy made a face of disgust and pursed her lips.
Matthew disliked these visits. While he hated Helen and Aaron, he didn’t know anything else. In his mind, he could handle a few slaps, here and there.
“They … they are fine.” Matthew stuttered, nervously running his hand through his untamable head of hair.
Nancy stared at the disheveled mess that Matthew looked on the outside and felt on the inside and she scoffed. She moved to stand in front of Flynn.
“Well, hello, beautiful.” Flynn purred, always trying to act older than he was.
Nancy attempted to be pleasant. “Hello. Nice to meet you.”
“Did you know that I kissed—” Mrs. Baker covered his mouth with the folder in her hand and shooed him toward Helen.
Logan stood there, quietly waiting with his hands folded. Nancy turned her head sideways.
He spoke first. The quiet little boy spoke. “I’m on the honor roll,” Logan said in a whisper, smiling softly.
“NOOOOO. Please, please take me with you.” Lana cried, grasping Logan’s legs in an iron grip.
“Lana, it’s going to be okay. I got adopted.” Logan gave her a small smile, attempting to help her off the floor, but she was too hysterical.
“You can’t leave me. We’re twins. You’re my brother. I can’t be without you. How am I… How can I…” She hiccupped, not making sense.
Logan crouched down to Lana’s level and hugged her. All he could do was hug her. He was expected to leave soon anyway. Expected to leave behind his twin.
Cassie watched the entire exchange. Before this, she didn’t really understand the repercussions of adoption and what Mrs. Baker’s visits meant. Now she got a bird’s-eye view of the pain and hurt that could happen.
She looked at Matthew, realizing how much she had to lose. This time it was Cassie’s turn to be hysterical.