Algid (#TronnorAU)

Chapter 26: Andrew Graham Foundation

-"He's a top-notch guy, the best of them around."—Ricky said—"Gave me a second chance, and the people behind this door, too... That's why it's called the 'Second Life' initiative."

Connor looked at the door in front of him, wondering who he would meet on the other side. Just thinking about it made his stomach churn the same way it did back at Lisbug's office.

-"What will I be doing here...?"—Connor asked.

-"Basically you'll help me take care of the kids here."—Ricky explained—"We don't have many people helping; only me and other three guys and one girl are here permanently, so it's great to have one extra pair of hands, even if it's only on Sundays."

Connor nodded. It was weird seeing a person from the past after so many years, even more when it was a former foster brother. But Ricky had been the exception amongst all the other foster kids he had to endure in his life; he had been by far the kindest, most mature and the closest thing he'd had to a friend in years. He and Alexis owed a lot to him, so now Connor felt the obligation to pay back by helping out the best way he could.

-"Okay... Just tell me what to do, and I'll try my best."—Connor told Ricky, who smirked at the thought.

-"Now that's something I'd like to see! But who knows...? Maybe helping others is in you after all."

After those words, Ricky opened the double doors and the two of them walked into the hall. There were several couches all over the space, with bookshelves and beds and desks were teenager kids were sitting down doing their homework or napping or talking with one another. There were some computers in which some of them were skyping, probably with their relatives away from this place. Connor walked around in awe looking at how many foster children crowded the space.

-"The program's idea is simple; Andrew was a foster kid himself, and he got into juvie when he was fifteen. After that no family wanted to take him in."—Ricky explained, as he and Connor walked through the space towards the administration offices in the back—"So, in order to prevent that from happening to any other kids, he opened this place. This NGO takes legal responsibility of the kids that they pick out of juvenile detention facilities—that would be me, and give them an alternative with community service the foundation provides to the homeless and the patients of the psychiatric clinic."

As Ricky explained, a thought crossed Connor's mind, which prompted him to ask a question.

-"Wait-does that mean that every kid here has been taken out from juvie?"

-"Yeah, more or less."—Ricky answered—"They spend some time here, until their social worker was managed to find another foster family that's willing to take them in. There's several organizations like this across the States now, this is one of the smallest. But you know how it is up here in the cold north; we work with what we get."

Grace had mentioned that Mikey used to live in this organization before she and her ex-husband had decided to foster him. Did that mean that Mikey used to be a high risk foster kid? One that had spent years of his life in juvie? A delinquent? That's something he had never even suspected out of his younger foster brother, who seemed so naïve and harmless. Connor realized then that there was so much he didn't knew about him, and that perhaps there was a lot more that might surprise him.

Ricky entered the empty office, and returned after a brief moment with two ID cards, one with his name, and another one in blank with a number written on it, and handed it to Connor.

-"That's your visitor card."—Ricky explained, as Connor took it and pinned it to his jacket—"Since you won't be staying here permanently, you'll need this to mark your times of entrance and departure. However many hours you spend here, your guidance counselor will be notified."