13. Theodore
13
THEODORE
T he halls of St . Dismas are quiet in the evening.
My shoes scuff against the wooden floors as I make my way to the staircase, hands shoved deep in my pockets. The air smells faintly of damp wood and floor polish.
As I pass Father Calloway’s office, I hear my name.
I freeze. For a second, I think I imagined it, but then, I hear it again.
I press myself against the wall. The door is slightly ajar, just enough for the glow of the office lamp to spill into the hallway. Slowly , I edge closer, my heart pounding in my ears.
Inside , Father Calloway is speaking to another man— Father Gray , from the sound of it.
“ They’re interested in Theodore ,” Calloway says.
I stiffen, my chest tightening. What the hell are they talking about? My stomach twists, and a prickle of unease creeps down my spine.
“ They’ve requested information on him,” he continues.
I lean closer, straining to hear every word, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
“ They’ll want to meet him soon.”
My jaw tightens, and before I can stop myself, I push the door open.
The two priests look up, startled. Calloway’s face hardens when he sees me, but I don’t care.
“ I’m not going,” I say, stepping into the room. My chest feels like it’s on fire. “ Not without Maxwell and Julian .”
“ Theodore ,” Calloway starts, “this isn’t something you have a say in?—”
“ I don’t care.” My gaze locks onto his, unflinching. “ If they want me, they take all three of us or none of us.”
Calloway’s mouth tightens into a thin line. “ That’s not how this works. It’s up to the family to decide who they take, not you.”
“ Then make them decide,” I snap, my voice rising. My hands are shaking now, but I keep them at my sides. “ Tell them if they want me, they take all three of us. We’re a package deal.”
Calloway exhales heavily and glances at Father Gray , who shrugs as if to say, Your problem.
“ You’ve been here sixteen years, Theodore ,” Calloway says, his voice softer now, almost pitying. “ I know you feel a sense of responsibility for those boys, but this decision isn’t yours to make.”
“ Sixteen years,” I repeat, my voice cracking. “ You’ve seen the others come and go. You’ve seen what happens when you split people up. I’m not going to be another one of those stories, and neither are they. They’re the only family I’ve got, Father . Julian and Maxwell are the only ones who’ve stuck, the only ones who matter.”
The silence stretches as Calloway looks at me, his lips pressed together in a hard line.
Finally , he sighs. “ I’ll make the suggestion.”
Relief washes over me, but it’s muted by the weight still pressing on my chest.
“ That’s all I’m asking.”
Calloway nods, his shoulders sagging, as if I’ve somehow exhausted him. “ Go to your room, Theodore . I’ll handle it from here.”
I nod once and turn to leave.
The priests’ voices resume as I walk away, but I can’t make out what they’re saying. My head is spinning.
Whatever this is, I’m going to get to the bottom of it.
I’ll be damned if I let them take me without Maxwell and Julian .
They’re what has kept me sane in this place.
I’m not leaving them behind.
* * *
The conversation from last night circles in my head like a buzzard as I make my way to Maxwell’s room.
The idea of someone coming into our lives and ripping us apart makes me sick, and I’m already plotting ways to make sure that doesn’t happen.
I reach Maxwell’s door and knock once before pushing it open without waiting for an answer.
“ Max —”
I stop dead in my tracks.
There , sprawled across his bed, is Elliot , practically draped over Maxwell like a blanket, his head buried in his shoulder, one arm slung lazily across his chest.
“ Jesus Christ ,” I mutter, slamming the door shut behind me.
Maxwell looks up at me with a lazy grin that only makes me angrier.
“ Morning , sunshine,” he says, his voice rough with sleep. “ What’s got your panties in a twist?”
“ What’s got my—” I take a deep breath. “ What the hell are you doing, Maxwell ? Do you have any idea what would’ve happened if Calloway or one of the other priests walked in here?”
Maxwell stretches, completely unfazed, and the movement stirs Elliot awake. The boy sits up abruptly, his eyes going wide when he sees me standing by the door with my arms crossed.
“ Out ,” I demand, jerking my chin toward the hallway.
Elliot scrambles out of the bed, tugging his shirt down as he stumbles past me. He doesn’t even meet my eyes, just mutters a quick, “ Sorry ,” before darting into the hall.
I turn back to Maxwell , who’s now propped up on one elbow, looking entirely too pleased with himself.
“ What is wrong with you?”
Maxwell chuckles, running a hand through his messy hair. “ Relax , Theo . It’s not like we were doing anything scandalous. I got cold, needed some company. What’s the big deal?”
“ The big deal is, you’re not careful. You think you can just do whatever you want without consequences. You’re lucky it was me who walked in and not Calloway . Or do you want to explain this to him?”
Max smirks. “ If it was Calloway , I’d just flash him that innocent smile he loves so much. Works every time.”
I scoff, shaking my head. “ You’re insufferable.”
“ Maybe .” He stretches again and throws his arms behind his head. “ But you love me anyway.”
I ignore the comment, rolling my eyes. “ You could’ve snuck into Julian’s room like you always do.”
Max rolls onto his side, propping himself up. “ Julian’s been in a mood lately. Didn’t want to deal with it.”
“ You idiot. You forgot, didn’t you?”
Maxwell frowns. “ Forgot what?”
“ The anniversary of his mother’s death is coming up.”
His expression falters, and for once, he looks genuinely guilty. “ Shit ,” he mutters, sitting up fully. “ I —fuck.”
“ That’s what I thought. You’re a piece of shit, Maxwell .”
He winces, rubbing the back of his neck. “ Yeah , okay, maybe. I’ll fix it. I’ll? —”
“ Save it,” I cut him off. “ Just don’t make it worse.”
Maxwell sighs. “ Got it.”
I watch him for a moment longer, waiting to see if he’s going to say anything else. He doesn’t. He just stares down at his hands, looking like he’s mulling over what I said.
“ I need to talk to you about something else.”
Max raises an eyebrow, scooting to the edge of the bed. “ Oh , great. More bad news?”
I ignore his sarcasm. “ Last night, I overheard Calloway and Gray talking. There’s a family asking to adopt me.”
Max blinks. “ What ? Really ?”
I nod, crossing my arms. “ They didn’t go into detail, but I told Calloway we’re a package deal.”
Max snorts. “ Of course you did.”
“ I’m serious, Max ,” I snap. “ If they try to split us up?—”
“ They won’t,” Max interrupts, standing up and stretching. “ You wouldn’t let them, and neither would I .”
“ We need to find Julian and tell him,” I say.
Max doesn’t argue, which is a small miracle. Instead , he grabs his vest from the back of his chair and tosses it on. “ Let’s go.”
* * *
The breakfast hall is loud and chaotic as usual.
Everyone is crowded around the long tables, shoving food into their mouths and shouting over each other like it’s some kind of contest.
Julian is easy to spot. He’s sitting at the far end of the room, away from the noise, picking at a plate of scrambled eggs. His posture is hunched, his hair falling into his face as he pushes the food around with his fork.
“ See ?” Max says, nudging me as we weave through the tables. “ He’s already in a mood.”
I shoot him a look that shuts him up, and we make our way over to Julian . He doesn’t look up, just mumbles, “ What ?”
I sit down across from him, Max sliding in next to me. “ We need to talk.”
Julian finally glances up, his dark eyes jumping between me and Max , and sets down his fork. “ What’s wrong?”
“ There’s a family asking to adopt me.”
Julian blinks, his expression blank for a moment. “ What ? Why you?”
I shrug, trying to mask the unease crawling under my skin. “ I’m wondering that myself.”
Max snorts, crossing his arms. “ Well , they probably want you because you’ve got that whole brooding ‘future serial killer’ vibe?—”
“ Max …”
He holds his hands up in mock surrender. “ I’m just saying.”
“ The point is, I told Calloway I’m not going anywhere unless it’s with you two.”
Julian lets out a humorless laugh, shaking his head. “ You say that like it’s up to you and they won’t just do whatever they want.”
“ I made it clear. They’re not splitting us up.”
“ And what did Calloway say to that?” Julian asks, his tone skeptical.
“ He said he’d make the suggestion, but... you’re right. It’s not up to me. That’s why I’m telling you now, so you’re not blindsided.”
Julian stares at me for a moment, then at Max , who’s uncharacteristically quiet. Finally , he sighs, his shoulders sagging. “ And what if they don’t want us? What if they only want you?”
“ They won’t,” I say confidently.
Julian’s eyes narrow slightly, but he doesn’t argue. Instead , he picks up his fork again, stabbing his eggs.