Chapter 4
It took Skye a few days to settle into a routine. She woke up early every morning and would go down the stairs with the intension of helping Phil in the kitchen. She’d freeze and then Phil would notice her. He’d tell her to start setting the table while he worked on the other side of the kitchen. Or he would send her to check if Melinda needed more time with her Tai Chi. By the time, the table was set, Melinda and Bobbi would join them. All four of them started with the breakfast. Natasha and Leo joined them before they finished. Melinda would leave for her training institute and the rest of the day was filled with playing boardgames and watching movies and reading books.
There were so many books in the house that Skye couldn’t believe it. There were two big bookshelves in the family room, all filled books of different genres. There were comics which Skye learned were Phil’s favorite. And there were mystery thrillers, which were Melinda’s favorite and Natasha’s too. Science fictions for Leo and romance for Bobbi. To Skye’s delight, all seven Harry Potter books were there too. They were everyone’s favorite except Phil. He always got outvoted when he suggested to watch a different movie – which had been every day of the week. Personally, Skye was not much of a reader but she could read Harry Potter books anytime of the day.
There were also things that Skye found weird. Like how Phil and Melinda always wanted to say goodnight to her before they went to bed. Like how they always asked before touching her. It didn’t happen often. Melinda asked every morning if she could hug her before leaving for the training institute. Which was weird in itself. Skye was not used to being hugged but she was growing fond of how safe she felt when Melinda’s arms wrapped around her. Phil was yet to touch her though. Her foster siblings asked too. This was weird to Skye. She didn’t know what would happen if she said no but she liked having the choice. Another weird thing was Melinda coming to ask her if she was okay with people visiting them for dinner.
“I know I said we will take things as slow as you want. But Phil’s mother really wants to meet you. Our good friend, Maria, is also looking forward to meeting you. If it’s alright with you, they would like to have dinner with us tomorrow.”
Skye had nodded in response. She had no reason – or right – to say no. But she did wonder about these two people. At the end her curiosity won and she went to Natasha for some answers. The secret siblings meeting had allowed her to bond a little with all three of them. They had ended up talking late into the night and ended up falling asleep in Bobbi’s room – Natasha and Bobbi on the bed, Leo on the pull out and Skye on the bean bag. They had slept in and ended up worrying Phil and Melinda, since Skye and Bobbi were both early risers. They had come to check on them, eventually waking her up along with Natasha – Bobbi and Leo slept through the entire thing.
Natasha opened the door and allowed Skye to enter. The room was still quite messy. She noticed ballet shoes in the corner and also some ballet posters on the wall. She raised her eyebrows at Natasha. “I learned as a kid. I still do it sometimes, when I am feeling too stressed.” Skye nodded in understanding. “Sit,” Natasha said. Skye obliged her and sat on the bed. Natasha sat a little far away from her. She pulled her legs up and sat facing her. Skye copied her movements.
“Melinda said Phil’s mother and someone called Maria are coming for dinner. I was wondering if…” Skye paused. She didn’t know how to frame the question. But she didn’t need to. Natasha understood.
“Dad’s Mom, Julie Coulson. She is,” Natasha paused for a minute. “You know how Dad is. Nicknames. Mine is Peanut.” She paused again, looked at Skye in the eye and spoke, “No other person calls me that.” Skye nodded seriously. “Bobbi is Sunshine and Leo is Monkey.” Skye remembered the nickname Phil had given her. Angel eyes. “And Dad also has this smile that just eases your mind.”
Skye nodded. “I thought I was the only one who thought that.”
“Nah. It used to infuriate me a lot when I first came here. I didn’t trust anyone and then he’d smile or grin and it always made me feel better. And I didn’t want it to.” Skye knew what Natasha meant but did not say anything. This was not why she was here. Natasha seemed to sense that. “Dad gets all of that from her. She will always address you as sweetheart, darling.”
“What should I call her?”
“Julie is fine. Unless you are comfortable with calling her grandma.” Skye wasn’t.
“And Maria?”
“She was with Mom and Dad in FBI. She still works there. She is a very good friend to both of them, almost like a sister to Mom. She is fun.”
“And they are…”
“They are good people Skye,” Natasha assured her.
Skye really wanted to believe her but found it difficult to. She had been lied to by too many people to believe that. Good people also hurt you when you are bad.
Melinda hurried to the door as the doorbell rang for the second time. “What took you so long?” Maria asked as soon as the door was open. Melinda rolled her eyes as her best friend entered the house and shut the door. “Where are my godkids?” Maria asked as she rushed into the house.
“Bié jǐnzhāng,” Melinda muttered. Take it easy. Maria turned to her with a glare but slowed down her pace as she stood in front of the kids. Bobbi and Leo immediately jumped to hug her. Natasha high-fived her. She was still not comfortable with hugs. Melinda held her breath as Maria approached Skye.
“Hi! I am Maria Hill,” Maria offered Skye her hand. Skye shook it.
“Skye.”
“Nice name.”
“Picked it myself.”
“I like you,” Maria said with a grin. She turned to look at Melinda. “I like her.” She raised her hand to high-five Skye. Melinda released a breath. She was nervous about this day. She didn’t want to overwhelm Skye and the girl was not very good at defining her boundaries. Or maybe she just wasn’t sure what those boundaries were supposed to look like.
“Skye, Bobbi,” Phil called out. “Why don’t you come and help me set the table. Mom should be here soon.” The two girls obediently followed him to the kitchen and soon returned with plates and cutleries. They were eating at the living room dining table today. Phil placed the lasagna on the table and the girls carried in the garlic bread and salad.
The doorbell rang again and Melinda let Julie in. “Melinda,” Julie greeted her with a hug. “It is so good to see you.” Melinda returned a hug. Julie was a good friend and almost like a second mother to her.
“It’s good to see you too, Julie.”
“And how is it having a new kid in the house? You make any progress?”
“Nothing major. Although she is close with the kids. I just want to pull her into a hug and take away all the pain.”
Julie patted her arm. “What about the rules?”
“Same as Natasha.”
A sad smile appeared on Julie’s face and she nodded. The two women walked into the dining area. Phil hugged his mother, kissing her on the cheek. Maria too hugged Julie and so did Bobbi and Leo. Natasha and Skye stayed behind, opting to wave at her. Julie smiled at them and offered her hand to Skye to shake, which Skye accepted.
Skye liked these people. They were good. She liked living with them. She knew she was probably gonna do something wrong and mess this up. But she hoped, it wasn’t for a long time. She felt heard. She felt…cared. She liked spending time with her foster siblings. She liked that Phil and Melinda listened to her rules. No one tried to touch her. Melinda asked before hugging her. Phil never entered her room - like never - he said good night from the doorway. Even the guests today were good. Skye liked it here.
She focused back onto the conversation. They were talking about Bobbi’s basketball games. Skye enjoyed that too. She hardly contributed to the conversation but she still felt a part of it. Phil often asked her if she liked the food. He and Melinda would always offer another serving. That was good too, knowing that she could eat as much as she wanted. And Melinda’s hugs were nice too. Skye always felt safe.
“Skye,” Maria said. Skye looked at her. “Tell us something about yourself.” Skye was stumped. What was she supposed to say. “Melinda said you chose the name Skye yourself?”
She could answer that. “Yes,” she said.
“It suits you,” Julie said, with a smile and Skye smiled back at her.
“Sports? Arts?” Maria asked.
“I like to draw.”
“You read books?” she asked again.
“Harry Potter.”
“Is this an interview, Maria?” Melinda asked. Skye ducked her head to hide a grin. She caught Natasha’s eyes and they both grinned at each other. Everyone else was chuckling.
“I need ideas for the Christmas gift,” Maria said with a shrug.
Skye was surprised at that. Maria expected Skye to be here till Christmas. She focused on her food, trying to wrap her head around this. She liked these people. And it would be awesome if she could live here for some time. But people often got frustrated with her. Skye wondered if she could really stay this long and still like this place.
She kept her head down and focused on eating. When the dinner was over, she helped clear the table and with the dishes. When she re-entered the living room, Julie called her. Skye approached cautiously. Julie handed her a bag. “This is for you. To welcome you to the family,” she said. Family. Skye didn’t know what to think. She looked at Melinda who gave her a small smile and a nod. Skye accepted the bag. It has a plush toy inside. A dog. Skye muttered a small thank you.
It had been a long day. And it wasn’t over yet. At least there was nothing to worry about right now. It was just her husband and her kids. No Julie. No Maria. Melinda loved them but she had been so stressed about their first meeting with Skye. She was still stressed. After Julie and Maria had left, Skye had excused herself to go to her room. It was not weird. Melinda understood the desire to be alone sometimes. But she was still worried. She walked up the stairs and to Skye’s room. Everyone else was in the family room. Melinda gently knocked on Skye’s door and entered when she heard a ‘come in’.
Skye was sitting at her desk, her drawing copy opened up and her pencil in her right hand. She was looking at her expectantly. Melinda had meant to ask her if she was alright but decided to do something else.
“You don’t have to do that, you know?” Melinda said. Skye continued to look at her. “Hold the pencil in your right hand. I know you draw with your left.” Skye’s eyes widened in surprise and Melinda couldn’t stop herself from grinning.
“How did you know?”
“You draw from right to left. If you had been using your right hand, you’d have smudges.” Melinda smiled before asking, “The nuns made you do that?” She gestured towards Skye’s right hand.
Skye nodded. “I can write with both hands. Most of the stuff, I can do with both hands. But drawing is something I can only do with my left hand.”
“You don’t have to do that,” Melinda repeated herself. “You can write and draw and do everything else with whichever hand you like.” Skye nodded. Melinda noticed a small smile on her lips. “Do you want to talk about today?” Melinda asked.
Skye looked at her for a while. Melinda could see so much emotion in her eyes. She could see hesitation, she could see fear, she could see hope. “How long will I be staying here?” she asked finally.
Natasha had asked this too. Melinda hated this question. The only thing she hated more than this was not having found these kids sooner. “I hope you will be here forever. Unless of course, you want to leave?”
“No,” Skye exclaimed. “I like it here. But…,” Skye paused. “What if I mess up?”
“Then we will talk about it. Figure out how to avoid something like that from happening again.”
“And punishments?”
“Discipline,” Melinda gently corrected. “Everyone makes mistakes, Skye. And our actions have consequences. So yes, there will be consequences for your actions. But no one here is trying to hurt you. You will have a say in what happens.”
Melinda saw disbelief on Skye’s expressions. She wished she could remove it. She wished she could hold this girl and shower her with lots of love. Patience Melinda. She had to wait for Skye to feel comfortable with her. The girl still looked surprised when Melinda hugged her before leaving to work.
“You ready for the school tomorrow?” Melinda asked. Skye gave a small nod. “It’s okay to be nervous, you know,” Melinda said. Skye looked dubious. “It is. You can ask the others. When I went to the academy…”
“What academy?” Skye interrupted.
Melinda smiled at her when it looked like Skye was regretting the question. “FBI has an academy in Quantico. It is a twenty-week program with classroom and practical training.”
“Woah!” Skye exclaimed. “So, they teach you how to be a spy?”
Melinda grinned at Skye’s fascination. “No. They teach about federal law, investigative techniques, firearms proficiency, physical fitness, defensive tactics, and operational skills. Then there is intelligence training. It includes courses on analytical methods, critical thinking, and understanding threats. Phil was at the top of those classes. There was specialized training too.”
“So cool.”
Melinda smiled and ruffled Skye’s hairs. Skye grinned at her. She was a good kid and her heart at the right place. Her file indicated some behavioral problems but Melinda didn’t believe them much. Running away from a bad home was not a indiscipline and whatever words they had mentioned.
“Like I was saying,” Melinda said, bringing them back to the original conversation. “When I first joined the academy, I was nervous. I always had trouble making friends. Then I met Phil, Izzy and Vic, and later Maria. We became a team. My advice? Just focus on settling in for tomorrow. I am sure Leo has told you about Jemma and Trip?” Skye nodded. “Just focus on getting to know them, or someone else. Friends make things easier. The grades and everything else, you can work on it slowly. And if you need help, we’ll arrange something.”
“I’ll try to do my best,” Skye whispered. She was overwhelmed, Melinda could tell. So with another ruffle to her hairs, Melinda left her youngest daughter alone in her room, with her pencils and drawings.
The dinner was pizza, like it had always been on the day before school started for the kids. Phil was in the study, finalizing things for his own first day. He had skipped going in a few days early for preparation, citing the need to be home. Skye had needed time to settle as the placement had been merely a week before the school started.
Melinda took out the plates and called everyone for dinner. They all took their places on the table - Phil keeping his distance from Skye. Melinda’s heart ached to think what must have happened to make the girl so wary of men. As they settled down for dinner, Melinda and Phil took turns in explaining the plan - mostly for Skye’s benefit.
Leo and Skye would be given phones, only to be carried when they left the house. The phones had emergency contacts. Phil would give them the phones before he dropped them off at school and they would return the phones as soon as they entered the car at day-end. No social media was allowed. They could use the phone to contact their friends for study notes but for social conversations, they were to use the home phone.
Then there was the schedule. The kids had to wait for Phil to finish his work before he would pick them up. Bobbi and Natasha would wait in Phil’s classroom, while Leo liked waiting in the library. Skye had looked thoughtful about that. Melinda would pick them on Thursdays, which meant no waiting.
Her day ended peacefully in Phil’s arms. Melinda was a little nervous about Skye’s first day and Natasha’s first day at high school. She had no reason to worry, logically she knew that, but these were her kids. How could she not worry?
The morning was hectic like all return to school morning. Melinda hated seeing the nervousness on Skye’s face. She knew that the pre-teen had not had the best experience at school. That was obvious with all the switching, which is why they had insisted on getting the placement being before the session started. Melinda could almost see how much effort it was taking Skye to push the cereals into her mouth and chew them. She tried to keep things calm but Leo was too excited and his excitement seemed to be making Skye more nervous.
Melinda hugged all her kids and wished them good luck. She hugged Skye extra tight. The girl seemed to enjoy the hugs and even today, Melinda noticed her breathing calm a little after the hug. She kissed her husband and waved them off as they all left. An hour later, she herself was driving to her training institute.
“First day of school?” Akela asked as soon as Melinda walked in. Melinda glared at her and continued walking to her office. To her dismay, Akela followed her. “You know they are going to be fine. They’ll meet their friends and enjoy the day.”
“It is Natasha’s first day at high school. And Skye’s first day Millennium Middle School,” Melinda told her. She put her bag on the couch and pulled out her phone, checking it for any new messages. One from Phil - he had dropped the kids safely.
“Natasha will have her friends and Bobbi and Phil. Skye will have Leo and his friends. All of them have phones. There are teachers to help them if something really goes wrong. And did I mention friends?”
Melinda glared at her. Logically, she knew Akela was right but did that help? No. She had been an agent for twenty years. Things could always go wrong, no matter how good they seemed to be. She had seen enough missions go south to know that. Her phone rang and Melinda almost leapt to it. It was Izzy. Akela laughed at her behavior and left her alone.
“Melinda Qiaolian May. How could you do that to me?”
Melinda rolled her eyes at her friend’s behavior. “I will answer that question as soon as I know what I have done.”
“You let Maria meet my goddaughter before me,” Izzy proclaimed.
“One, I thought you were Leo and Natasha’s godmother. Two, I did not let Maria do anything. I invited Julie and Maria invited herself through her.” Melinda heard Izzy hum and knew what she was thinking. “No. You are not inviting yourself over. It is the first day of school. And Skye was already overwhelmed.”
“I thought her name was Mary?”
“She didn’t like the name. So, she gave herself a new one,” Melinda told her friend. She settled down on her chair and logged into her computer. She had to go over the accounting records. Then she had three classes back to back. After that was lunch and then a few more classes. She finished her conversation with Izzy and got to work, her thoughts remaining with her kids.