Chapter 1
Beth was in the middle of the championship game when Art shows up, sitting off to the side, a grim look on his face. It was never a good sign when the chief of police showed up at events as more often than not, he was the bearer of bad news. This time was no different and when they went into halftime, he pulled her and the coach aside.
“There was an accident...” He murmurs softly, frowning as he relays the little information he knows about the wreck. “Beth, I need you to come with me...” He says afterward, his chest heavy with grief as he leads his best friend’s daughter out of the gym.
Beth is numb, nothing seems quite real as she settles into the front of Art’s cruiser, the only sound between them is that of the engine rumbling softly under the hood. Her mind starts to race as she realizes that she may have to see them...broken and battered and she’s not sure she can handle the sight.
“Art.” She says finally, her fingers pulling at the fabric of her shorts. “I-I don’t want to see them...not like this.” She explains, tugging at the mesh until she creates a large hole, flinching at the soft tearing noise it makes.
“Don’t worry, nobody's going to make you go in and identify them, I already have...” He replies, eyes still on the road, gripping the wheel tightly. “I’m taking you to the station, I have a CPS agent who has found somewhere you can stay for the night, don’t worry, it’ll only be for the night, it’s protocol.”
Beth nods her head, the world seeming to fall away as she fights to wrap her head around the whole situation. “I’m seventeen, why do I have to stay with a foster family if I’m almost an adult?” She asks, thinking of the eight months she had before her eighteenth birthday.
“Because you’re almost an adult, almost being the operative word.” Art explains, pulling into the station’s parking lot. “It’s just how the system works, tomorrow we can go through the paperwork and get you placed with whoever has been named your guardian.”
She lets out a soft sigh, nodding her head again, accepting her fate. “Alright, do you know who I’ll be staying with for the night?” She asks, wanting at least some kind of certainty for the night.
“Her name is Mrs. Siobhan Sadler, she’s been a foster mother for quite a few years and has two adopted children, I think you’ll get along just fine.” He replied, moving from the car and to the other side to open the door for the girl.
“What am I supposed to do for clothes?” She wonders aloud as they walk into the station. The fluorescent lights give the otherwise warm room a blueish hue.
“Your aunt dropped off some of your cousin’s things that you can borrow until we can collect yours from the house.” Art says, patting the top of her head.
Beth managed a slight smile, trying to look brave for her family friend as he leads her to a chair.
He seemed to have answers for everything, which both unnerved and calmed her, she liked having a plan, but her own behavior toward the news scared her a little. She should be sobbing, right? On her knees, begging whatever higher being there may be to bring her parents back and yet, she didn’t feel a thing.
She was jolted from her thoughts by a warm hand on her shoulder. “Hello Beth.” A soft voice said, causing Beth to look up at the older woman. “I’ve got your things, let’s get you back to my place and we’ll get you fed.”
Beth was slightly taken aback by the woman’s accent. “Are you Irish?” She asked abruptly, thinking back to every St. Patrick special her parents had made her watch as a child.
“I am; how could you tell?” Siobhan asks, a smirk on her lips as she watched Beth try to form an answer before realizing it was a joke. “Come now, let’s get you out of here.”
Beth nods, following the woman out of the building and to a red pickup truck. She smiles softly at the worn paint, declining Siobhan’s offer of help before climbing inside of the cab. The seats were leather and smelled of tobacco and some sort of cologne, the scent calming any nerves that had sprung up upon meeting her guardian for the night.
“Mrs. Sadler, what are your children like?” She asks finally, breaking the comfortable silence once they were a decent distance from the station. She needed something to focus on beside the numb sort of feeling that had settled over her body.
Siobhan chuckled softly, pausing at a red light. “First of all, you can call me Mrs. S, everyone else does.” She replies, digging her wallet out from her back pocket. She flipped it open before handing it over. “That’s Sarah and Felix.” She explains, continuing through the intersection.
Beth looks at the picture, it’s of a girl around her age, a dark mane of waves frames her grinning face, her eyes like soft chocolate. “Sarah as in Sarah Manning?” She asks as a spark of recognition registers through her hazy mind.
“The one and only, do you know her?” Mrs. S asks, smiling over at Beth who is mulling over the picture with a look of confused determination on her face.
“Yeah, she boxes for the school, we have a few classes together but I think I’ve only talked to her a handful of times.” Beth replies, biting her lip as her eyes shift over to the boy.
Felix is slim and looks as though he is all limbs, and looks to be about chest level with his sister. His smile is all dimples and his eyes are almost as dark as the girl standing next to him. “Are they blood related?” She asks, though she can tell by the difference in their features that they aren’t, but still feels the need to ask.
“Unfortunately they aren’t, though you could never tell.” Mrs. S says fondly, “Sarah is very protective of her little brother, I found them when Sarah was nine and Felix was just a wee little lad, she had taken to helping the staff with him, I think she grew attached to him because he gave her a job to do.” She explained, shrugging her shoulders.
Beth smiles at the comment, looking at the siblings with a sort of fondness. “I’ve always been an only child, the closest thing to a sibling I have is my cousin Alison.” She says softly, setting Siobhan’s wallet on the seat between them.
“Siblings can be nice to have; they give you a support system that’s different than ones you form with friends or even other family members.” Siobhan starts to say, before her phone starts to ring. “Oh bother, Beth would you mind?”
Beth blinks at the phone that sits in Siobhan’s hand, before taking it and reading off the caller I.D. “Uhm, it’s Sarah.” She says, answering it after a nudge from S. “H-hello?”
“Uh, hi, who is this?” A confused voice says over the receiver, the slightly muddled accent throwing Beth off once again.
“Oh, sorry. This is Beth, Mrs. S is driving and asked me to answer the phone.” Beth says quickly, biting her lip when a soft sigh breezes through the connection.
“Okay, well, will you tell her we’re out of milk and that we need another box of bandages? Felix has used the last of them.” Sarah replies and Beth can almost hear the eye roll from the other end.
“Sure. I’ll let her know..erm, is there anything else?” She asks, feeling a little stupid afterward. She didn’t know this girl from Adam and yet here she was, asking for a grocery list.
“No.” There’s a pause where Beth can hear some rustling in the background, before the voice starts up again. “Actually, see if she’ll pick up a movie or something, thanks.”
Before Beth can answer the line goes dead and she’s left feeling confused and slightly offended. “She said that you’re out of milk and bandages and uhm...asked if you could pick up a movie or something of the sort.”
“You don’t mind stopping at the store, do you?” Siobhan asks, glancing over at the girl, brows raised.
“Not at all, I’m just a guest.” Beth replies, eyes trained on the orange mesh on her shorts, which she is once again picking at.
Mrs. S frowns slightly, but nods, making the necessary turn toward the store before speaking. “I know your current situation isn’t the greatest by any means, but just know that you have people who are willing to support you, in any way that you need.”
She doesn’t know how to reply and instead just nods her head, ignoring the throb of pain that settles in her chest. She can’t tell if it’s physical or emotional, or perhaps an odd mix of the two, but decides it’s not important and instead focuses on the task at hand. Siobhan is pushing a wad of bills into her hand and telling her to go and find a movie in the rental section. “But...I don’t know what they like..” She mumbles, looking up at the woman with a slight frown.
“Get whatever pops out at you.” Mrs. S winks before nodding toward the other side of the store. “I’ll meet you back here after I’ve grabbed everything I need.”
And with that S was walking off toward the dairy section leaving Beth to wander through the shelves of DVDs to rent. She settles on one of her father’s favorites Turner and Hooch, feeling a sort of connection with the classic as soon as the cover caught her eye.
She manages small talk with the cashier before taking the film and waiting for Siobhan by the entrance, drumming her fingers against the case in an attempt to keep her hands busy. Being idle drove Beth up the wall almost as much waiting for people did.
“I see you’ve found something.” S says, making Beth jump slightly, offering a pained smile to the older woman. “Let’s get back to the house.”
Beth nods, holding the case against her chest as she follows Siobhan to the truck, wondering just how this night was going to go. She couldn’t even remember anything before Art had come to get her, not what the score had been when she left the game, nor the faces of her competitors. Everything just seemed to blur together, the only real thought that seemed perfectly clear was the glaring reality that she would never see her parents again.