ESCAPE PLAN

.04 -- SIMPLICITY

The escape plan was not as easy to come up with as John B. expected. It was times like that when he missed Pope, the man with the rational mind that always knew the right things to say and do, and when to do and say those things. Each day, he played the role of the annoyed foster son, which he was, but began to analyze each aspect of their routine. Diane would leave for work at 8:30, after they all had finished breakfast, and she had gathered the plates for the girls to wash. Marcus would give John B. a chore, sometimes indoor handywork, and sometimes outdoor yard work. When he was outside, he considered the points that Jolie had made, how would they get out? As he rode the lawn mower up the driveway, he found that it took quite a bit of time just to get out of the tree line, and he had yet to make it to a main road. Would they be able to do that on foot, with Sofya? And, if they were able to, what then? It was not as simple as calling his friends to come and pick him up, the boy had no address to reference, not even a city name. They were truly out in the middle of nowhere.

He mentioned to Jolie one day about calling the DCS agents, telling them about the inappropriate behavior that was being aimed at the teenage girl, to which, she crossed her arms and shook her head, saying that she was not okay with that.

"Why not? It's not a lie!" John B. protested.

"Because, then, I get labelled a slut, and separated from my sister! Do you think they're going to take my word over five men's?" She said, gritting her teeth together. It was obvious to John B. that she did not want to discuss that topic, and he did not want to push her.

Days had passed as John B. brainstormed with no help from his new female counterpart. On days that Marcus left the house, typically to run errands to meet with someone from who knows where, they would reconvene with any new plans they may have forged. John B. normally did all of the talking.

"I don't understand why we can't just wait until we're eighteen." Jolie sighed at the kitchen table one afternoon, taking a break when John B. insisted on chipping in with her chores.

"I'm not waiting that long, and I'm not leaving you two here with those creeps." John B. insisted, keeping his voice low. Sofya had no idea of their plan, and Jolie requested to keep it that way until they could actually create something cohesive.

Over the six weeks that John B. had spent with the Truetts, he had found himself caring deeply for his foster siblings. The two girls kept their guard up, maintained a perfect image, but were not afraid to have fun and be themselves in private. He appreciated Jolie's loyalty to her sister, and he wished that his father had the same loyalty to him. However, if Big John did, John B. would never have been put in the situation he was in, a place to make a real difference in the lives of people who needed it.

"Well, with your planning skills, we may not have any idea what to do for another year and a half." The girl joked, earning a faux-shocked look from the boy with the wavy brown hair across the kitchen.

"Okay, you come up with a plan." He shot back, moving a hand soaked with warm water and dish soap reside onto his hip.

"I did, it's wait, but you didn't like that." Jolie shrugged, her body moving to mimic the boy's position.

"Well, yeah." The boy scoffed, turning back to the dishes. "It's a stupid escape plan. Let's just wait until it's legal for us to leave, then there's no need to escape!" John B's voice raised in pitch as he wiggled his soapy fingers and shifted his weight between his legs. "That's not an escape plan, Jo. That's just playing it safe."

"And what's wrong with playing it safe?" Jolie retorted, standing and crossing the kitchen so she could take the dishes from him and dry them, before putting them in their allotted spot. He passed her a dish, but held his grip tight, forcing the girl to meet his gaze.