Chapter 15
Skye drew in a deep breath and exited Melinda’s car. Today was the parent teacher conference. She could feel the butterflies in her stomach. Her hands were clammy. What if the teachers said that she was too stupid? What if Phil and Melinda got angry? What if they didn’t like her anymore? What if they didn’t want her anymore? What if they sent her back?
“Skye,” Melinda’s voice cut through the dark cloud that seemed to be lurking around her. Skye turned to the voice, desperate for the comfort she provided. Melinda was holding her hand, rubbing soothing circles on her palm. “I am proud of you. And so is Phil,” she said. “And nothing will change that. Okay?” Skye nodded, letting the words calm her. She was still nervous but the voice in her head was quiet now. Leo took her other hand, adding his own support and Skye gave him a grateful smile.
As soon as Phil joined them, all four of them entered the school. Leo walked ahead with Phil, leading the way to the classroom. The school was bursting with life as other students walked around with their parents.
Their first stop was Ms. Harington’s classroom. “Shall we get started?” Ms. Harington asked politely. Skye nodded as Leo said an enthusiastic yes. “Which one of you would like to go first?” Leo volunteered. “Fitz has been a remarkable student. His grades, as I am sure you are aware, have been A plus in English, whether it’s comprehension, summary writing or reflections. He has been doing very well.”
“Anything we should be concerned with?” Melinda asked.
“Not really. His work has been exemplary. I would like to see him participate a little more in my class. It’s not an issue, just an observation.” Skye looked at Leo and noticed a sheepish look on his face. Phil had a hand on his leg. Leo didn’t like talking in class. He liked working in silence and it worked for him. It really shouldn’t be an issue, Skye thought.
“Moving to Skye,” Ms. Harington continued and Skye straightened up. Melinda tightened her grip on her palm momentarily - a squeeze to reassure Skye. “Skye is a very bright student and I am very glad to have the opportunity to teach her.” Skye looked at her teacher in surprise. These were not the words people used for her. “I have particularly enjoyed her reflections on the chapters we have been reading in the class. She has a unique way of looking things. She has maintained A in English and her efforts are clearly visible. She is a hard worker.”
Skye couldn’t believe it. Ms. Harington had all good things to say about her. She had been getting A in English but to hear that her teacher enjoyed reading her answers was so cool. Melinda squeezed her hand and Skye grinned, the butterflies in her stomach calming a little.
To Skye’s surprise, her science and math teachers too had positive things to say about her. They had noticed the efforts Skye was putting into their subjects. Her grades stayed C in science and B minus in math (Leo was among the top students in the class, but that was hardly surprising). They had taken a dip earlier last month with all the new information she had learned. Phil and Melinda had explained that to the teachers, and also explained about the lack of consistency in her education. The teachers had accepted that answer and also assured Skye that they would be willing to solve her doubts.
Their social science teacher was not so talkative. He mentioned their grades - A for Skye and A minus for Leo. (Skye was just a little proud to have beaten Leo in the grades.) Mr. Harrington explained that Leo needed to pay a little more attention in class, and Skye needed to work on Geography.
“It’s boring,” Leo complained.
“It’s not,” Skye argued. “It’s interesting to learn about different cultures, how the things evolved into what they are today and how the government works.”
“See!” Phil explained, grinning broadly. He always enjoyed when Skye defended his subject.
Their next stop was the computer class. Mr. Jeffords welcomed them with a broad smile. “Skye. Fitz. And you must be the guardians.” He shook hands with Phil and Melinda. “You have two wonderful children. You should be proud of them.”
“Thank you,” Phil said. “We are.” Skye’s heart warmed with his words. Her stomach had settled a lot. That could also be because only arts and French. She was doing quite well in arts and since Melinda helped her with French, she was performing decently in that too. Melinda was a good teacher.
“Fitz and Skye have been doing remarkably well in class. They have both been maintaining top grades and I have absolutely no complaints. It is always a pleasure to teach students who take so deep interest in the subject.” Skye grinned. Mr. Jeffords had been quite vocal about how much he enjoyed teaching them.
“Now, I do have a few suggestions,” Mr. Jeffords said. “Firstly I would like to suggest you two enroll in some online courses.” He rummaged through his desk and handed them a few brochures. Skye took them. They ranged from simple certifications to professional courses. “These courses are self-paced and will provide you with real-world skill and certifications. If you complete them and continue to maintain your grades, we can talk about a high school level course next year.”
“Really?” Skye asked.
“We can take a high school course in middle school?” Leo asked.
“Yes. There are some pre-requisites but you two are fulfilling all of them. You will need to have anything above C in math. I have talked to Mr. Reed and you two are already doing that.”
Skye couldn’t believe it. She could take a high school course next year. She was not just doing well, she was doing excellent. Melinda was squeezing her hand and Skye squeezed back. Leo was grinning at her and she grinned back. This was awesome.
“Another thing. I would like to offer Skye a chance to work on an independent project.” Wait what? “It is quite obvious that you are not finding the subject matter very challenging,” Mr. Jeffords explained. “This will allow you to explore specific topics of interests. You are natural with a computer and I would love to encourage this.” But he wasn’t offering this to Leo, Skye noticed. “This opportunity is available for you too, Fitz, but Miss Evans is hoping that you will choose her subject.” Mr. Jeffords grinned. “I don’t mean to discourage you but she and I share the opinion that while you are excellent with computers, engineering is something you are natural at.” Leo was nodding enthusiastically. “Now these are only my recommendations. You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to.”
Skye thanked the teacher, along with the others and then left the room. “I am so proud of you two,” Phil said. “So so proud. I could burst with it.”
“Well don’t,” Skye said, trying to sound as if his words hadn’t warmed her heart. “I don’t wanna go to the hospital again.”
Phil laughed at her quip while Melinda smirked. They parted ways - Skye took Melinda to the arts classroom while Leo dragged Phil to the Spanish classroom. “Melinda?” Skye called. Melinda hummed. “Do you think I can really take the high school class next year?”
Melinda looked at her, her eyes gleaming with pride and something that Skye didn’t recognize at that time (later she would remember that she had forgotten to wonder if she would still be here next year), and said, “I am sure you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Skye had not expected Miss Taylor to remember that Melinda had encouraged her to try this class, but she did. She complimented Melinda on that. There wasn’t much to talk here. Miss Taylor told them about the mid-year art exhibition in January - something she had already told their class. She encouraged Melinda to attend it as it was supposed to be encouraging. Skye had no doubt that Melinda would attend it. As would Phil.
The meeting with Mr. Williams went okay too. He was fine with Skye’s grades and just wanted her to keep working hard. She also met Mrs. Kane, Piper’s mom. She invited Skye for a visit over the weekend and Melinda agreed to figure something out.
“Hello Skye, good to see you,” Dr. Morgan said, taking her seat in front of Skye. Skye liked her. She was not like the other doctor she had to talk to. Dr. Morgan listened to her and didn’t tell her she was stupid. “How was your week?” Dr. Morgan asked.
“It was awesome,” Skye answered with a grin. She told about the swimming lessons, the mani-pedi and the movie. She also talked about Julie’s home and then about the parent-teacher conference. She talked about her nervousness during the mani-pedi, and also how Julie had caught her by surprise when she said that Phil was proud of her. She also talked about how nervous she had been before the conference.
“I am happy for you,” Dr. Morgan commented with a smile. Skye knew a question was coming. “Can you tell me why you were nervous?”
Skye thought about it. She remembered all the times the nuns or a foster parent had looked at her grades or had seen the mess she had created while doing a chore and told her that she was useless and worthless. Everyone told her that she was a waste of time and space and money. Sister Beatrice used to tell her that she would never find a home and that at the end, everyone would give up on her. “But I believe Phil and Melinda now,” Skye said. “I believe that they wouldn’t send me back. I know I got nervous but I really believe them.”
“That’s very good, Skye,” Dr. Morgan said. “And it’s alright to get nervous. There is nothing wrong with it. It doesn’t show that you don’t believe them. It just shows that you have been hurt in the past.”
“When Mr. Jeffords talked about taking the high school class next year, I didn’t even wonder if I would be here next year. I just thought how cool it would be when I did that.” Dr. Morgan smiled. “Phil said he was proud of me. I could see it, like it was oozing out of him.” Skye paused there. “Phil and Melinda are weird.”
“How so?”
“They…ask. They didn’t force me to come here. They didn’t even force me for the medical check-up. They asked if I wanted to do the online courses and the study project. They asked if I wanted to go to Piper’s place.”
“And why is that weird, Skye?”
“No one did before. Last time I had to talk to a doctor like this, I was just told to do so. I haven’t ever been to a friend’s place and I did make some friends at my previous schools. But none of the fosters would have driven me to their place. Sometimes, I was too afraid to ask. No one ever asked me if I wanted to study a subject or not.”
“They should have,” Dr. Morgan said. “Talking to me would be useless if you didn’t want to do it. I can’t help you unless you want that help. Going to a friend’s place should be your choice. Of course as your guardians, they need to ensure that you would be safe there. But even if they don’t want you to go, they should give you a reason.”
Skye nodded, wondering why her previous fosters hadn’t been like that. She was glad she had found Phil and Melinda but it would have been good if the others hadn’t hurt her so much.
“I asked Bobbi, Natasha and Leo about the time they called Melinda mom for the first time,” Skye told the doctor.
“Okay…”
“I keep wondering if I should call her mom.”
“Let’s talk about it?” Dr. Morgan suggested. Skye nodded. “Tell me, Skye. What do you feel when you are with Melinda?”
The answer presented itself almost immediately. “Warm and safe,” Skye whispered. “Like…you know like in Harry Potter, when the dementors are near they feel like they will never be happy again. And then Harry eats the chocolate and warmth spread to the tips of his fingers and toes. Like that. Like everything would be fine.” She paused and took a breath. “She doesn’t mind if I ask her to stay with me. Or if I ask her to explain the same thing again and again. Or if I can’t get a form right in Tai chi. Isn’t that what moms are like?”
“They can be, yes.”
“So, I should call her that,” Skye said. “It feels weird though.”
“It is okay if it does. This is a big step. It is important that you do what feels right for you.”
“How do you think I should do it?”
“You can talk to her. Tell her how you feel.” Skye made a face at that. She wasn’t really fond of talking about her feelings.
“Natasha suggested to just drop it in the middle of the conversation,” Skye told her.
“That can be a way.”
Skye wanted to try it. She wanted to see the surprise on Melinda’s face. And everyone else’s too. Mom. Yeah! That described Melinda.
Her foster mom was waiting for her in the waiting room. She greeted Skye with a hug. Say it. Skye ducked her head and followed her to the car. Say it. The journey back home was mostly silent. That wasn’t something unusual. Melinda often gave Skye her space after the sessions. The conversations were initiated by Skye herself.
When they arrived home, Bobbi was getting off her bike. Skye hopped out of the car to greet her. “I am so tired,” Bobbi groaned. Skye chuckled at her and took her bag. They walked in and inhaled the delicious smell of tomato soup. Phil was making his grilled cheese. Skye’s mouth watered. She had eaten an apple on the way to the clinic, so thankfully she could wait for dinner.
Skye rushed upstairs and quickly changed into some comfy pajamas. She finished her social science homework. That left French, science and computer. She would do the reading in English later and for computer she needed Melinda’s laptop. Science or French? Nah! Doing science homework right now sounded tiring. French it was.
“Dinner time,” Phil’s voice called from downstairs. Skye had finished her French homework. She put it in her bag and hurried downstairs. Phil had already set the table. Skye sat next to Leo and served herself. The food, as usual, tasted awesome. Phil was a good cook.
“Skye, Leo. Have you two given any thought to Mr. Jeffords’s recommendations?” Melinda asked. Skye had. And she wanted to try everything. Leo echoed that thought too. “Okay. Then you two should figure out which course you want to try. And also talk to your teachers about the individual projects.” Skye nodded. She had given some thought to it but she still didn’t have a clear idea on what to do.
The conversation flowed around normally. Phil and Melinda told them that they could earn extra allowances by volunteering for extra chores, starting next week. They also asked for everyone’s Christmas lists, in case they wanted something specific. Skye didn’t contribute much to the conversation. They didn’t really did Christmas at Saint Agnes. They went to the church and there were few soft toys for the younger kids, but the older ones rarely got anything. Skye was looking forward to celebrating Christmas with the family. She had a family now - and a home. She began wondering about the presents, when Bobbi offered, “I can help you with the presents if you want.” Skye smiled gratefully.
Skye borrowed Melinda’s laptop to work on her computer homework. They had all brought their stuff to the dining table. Bobbi and Natasha were busy with their studies while she and Leo worked together, moving from computer to science. Phil was going through some papers while Melinda had stepped away to answer a call.
Skye still didn’t like science but between Bobbi’s lessons and working with Leo, she was doing okay in the subject - at least better than she used to. She would never enjoy the subject the way Jemma or Leo did but she wasn’t failing it anymore. That reminded her that she needed to think of presents for Jemma, Trip and Piper too. And everyone in the family. Julie? She needed to talk to Bobbi about how many people she needed presents for.
“That was mom,” Melinda said, as she walked over to them and sat between Phil and Natasha. Skye looked at her, along with everyone else. “She and dad will be arriving on 16th - next Thursday - and are planning to stay till New Year. They have already rented a place nearby.”
“They won’t be staying here?” Skye asked, surprised at that piece of news. She already knew that Melinda’s parents liked spending the holidays with her.
“No,” Melinda answered. “I love them but over a month with them in our home will be a little too much. This way they’ll have their privacy and we will have ours.” Skye nodded, wondering what kind of people they were.
“Is Lao Lao still upset that you joined FBI instead of the CIA?” Bobbi asked Melinda with a grin.
“I am sure she will always be a little upset over that,” Melinda answered.
“Why?” Skye asked. What did CIA have to do with all of this?
“My mom was in CIA. She wanted me to follow her footsteps,” Melinda told her. Skye opened her mouth to ask the next question but Melinda answered it herself. “She was one of the best agents in the agency and I wanted to be something more than her daughter.”
“What about your dad?” Skye asked.
“He was in the Air Force.”
“So cool.”
“Did you know mom has a pilot’s license too?” Tasha asked, grinning.
“Woah!” Skye exclaimed. Melinda smiled.
Everyone went back to their work but Skye’s thought remained on her foster mom’s parents. Ex-CIA and ex-Air Force. She wondered what they would think of her. What if they didn’t like her? What if they told Melinda and Phil to send her back? She had never really met any relatives of her previous fosters. A few friends maybe but she never lived at any place long enough to celebrate the holidays. But it wasn’t like that here. Melinda had introduced Skye to her employees within the first week. Julie and Maria had visited just to meet her. Phil talked to his mom about Skye. Izzy had cornered them at the high school so that she could meet Skye. I am your godmother, don’t let Maria tell you otherwise. They both did that. Remember who your favorite aunt is. Bobbi and Tasha’s friends knew all about her. And Leo had shared his friends with her.
No. These people wouldn’t send her back.