"Application"

46. Protect .46

Day 32 - Saturday

Three days until the flight.

"Room service!"

You opened the door cautiously. "For who?"

"Um... it says here... Adelaide Jacobson? Is that your name?"

You allowed the young man to enter with your lunch.

Yes, you had registered under a fake name. Yes, you were being a bit paranoid. So what?

Surely you were entitled to some amount of paranoia, considering your situation.

"Is that all, Miss?"

"Yes."

"Alright, enjoy the rest of your day!" The door closed behind him, and you heaved out a breath of relief.

You ate your food in silence, entertaining yourself by watching a random cartoon that you'd managed to find on the T.V.

You really fucking missed Candy Crush.

Maybe you could buy yourself a new phone? (a very cheap one, mind you).

It would be nice to have a phone that wasn't being monitored by your best friend. You couldn't remember the last time you'd had such privacy.

Then you realized that you would have to leave your hotel room to buy a phone...

On second thought, a phone could wait until you were safely in another country.

You finished your food and set your dishes out in the hallway.

You had to continue reminding yourself, over and over, that a little bit of boredom now would be well worth it when you were finally free of Andy.

___

"Kayley!"

The girl felt a smile pull at her lips, albeit a small one. "Cara."

Cara grinned and pumped his little fist in the air. "It's today! Did'ya hear? We finally get to go to our new mom and dad! And we'll be siblings! You're, like, my big sister now!"

Kayley rolled her eyes. "They won't keep us long. Trust me."

"Why?" Cara's eyebrows furrowed cutely.

"Well... maybe they will want you. It's not a good thing though, trust me.

"Why?"

Kayley frowned sternly at her friend. "Cara, listen up... it's in your best interest to make them send you back as soon as you can. These 'foster families'? They're no good. The ones that want you... they want you for the wrong reasons. I've been in the system since I was two, and I can say that..." her eyes darkened "just... make them hate you so much that they can't wait to get rid of you, yeah? That's what I'll be doing. We can come back here together and look after each other, just like we do now. How's that sound?"

Cara, sensing the bad memories stirring within his friend, placed a delicate hand over her own and gave her a bright, childish grin. "Then I'll do that! An--and we can stay together forever!"

Kayley's eyes widened briefly, before relaxing into an indescribably soft look. "Yeah," she whispered, "we will."

___

Kayley was right. Their new mom and dad barely spared them a glance when they arrived before calling their teenage daughter down the stairs and departing.

Bianca Boisen.

That was the daughter's name.

She had soft, rose-gold hair and bright blue eyes, like a princess in a fable.

Kayley hated her instantly.

Cara thought she was lovely.

"You're my new siblings?" Her voice was sweet and light like wind chimes.

It suited her.

Kayley's eyes narrowed and she stepped protectively in front of Cara. "Not for fucking long." She snarled.

Cara tentatively peeked out from behind his friend to once again catch a glimpse of the girl who seemed to have stepped directly out of a fairytale.

Bianca stepped closer, bringing a single hand to caress Kayley's cheek. "You..." she murmured. Kayley jerked her face to the side, teeth latching furiously onto the teenage girl's flesh. Bianca's lips tilted upward blissfully, not taking her hand away, nor expressing any amount of discomfort at the bite. "Oh, you're perfect."

Kayley's eyes widened and she wrenched herself far away from the girl, bumping Cara back in the process.

Bianca's gaze finally settled on the little boy, the strange adoration in her eyes quickly shifting to disgust. It was an emotion that seemed utterly out of place upon her fair face.

Cara jolted at the attention, one hand awkwardly coming up in a semi-wave. "Um-- he--hello?"

Bianca's cold gaze passed over him as if he were a speck of dust beneath her shoe, and back to Kayley. A smile bloomed once more on her pretty face. "I'll show you to your rooms."

Cara gulped and melted back into Kayley's shadow. The girl that had at first seemed so perfect now seemed almost dangerous in his eyes.

Said eyes flitted up to Kayley with a newfound timidness.

He could only hope that his elder sister figure would be able to protect him from what would happen next.

___

Looking back on it many years later, Carmen just wished more than anything that he'd have had the strength to protect her.