The System

Chapter 2

Miranda's pov

I stole a hot dog from a cart vendor. I broke pieces off for Chris and we shared the hot dog. "Sissy sad?" He asks, touching my cheek, sitting in my lap. "Yeah buddy Sissy sad." I say. I set him down and we walk to the fountain near the park we've been staying in for a few weeks. I wash him off as much as I can before scrubbing the dirt off my face. "Sissy!" Chris gasps, grabbing my jacket sleeve. The October air is already getting cold. Chris was pointing to a piece of paper taped to a telephone pole. "Oh no." I whisper seeing the pictures of us. I grab his hand and tear the paper off. "Let's go." We hop on a bus and keep going til I feel we're a safe distance away. "Mommy." Chris whispers in my arms. I shakily hug him. "We're all we've got left." I whisper kissing his head. Then to my fear, our social worker, Max, was standing about a mile away with posters, talking to people. Tears well up in my eyes. I don't wanna go back and be rejected again! I'm so tired of being told I love you and it not be true. "It's you and me against the world." I whisper, walking as quickly and carefully as I can across a set of train tracks. "I cold." He whimpers. I wrap my jacket tighter around him and zip it up. "Better?" He nods. "I love you Sissy." He says hugging my neck. And the dam breaks. I burst into tears. "Don't cry Sissy." He says brushing my tears and looking about to cry himself. "I love you too, little man. So much."

Max's pov

I sit on my sofa back home, feeling defeated. What do I do? Where could they have gone?! My wife Chrissy walked out with a fresh stack of missing posters. "I'm so scared for them." I whisper. I shakily stand up, terrified. They're probably cold and hungry. I don't know what to do.

Jason's pov

I was fishing at the lake with my wife Brittany. She was setting up for the BBQ we were gonna eat for supper. "What do you think will happen to those kids? The ones that went missing?" She asks sitting beside me. "I dunno. I just hope they're found before it gets really cold." "Those poor kids." They've been all over the news. "Sad. Very sad indeed." I say with a sigh. Brittany walks back to the truck to get a blanket. I hear soft crying. Who's that? I set my rod down and investigate.

Miranda's pov

I cry into my knees while Chris sleeps. I'm so cold and hungry. I wrap my arms around my legs to keep from freezing and check Chris to make sure he's warm enough. Then suddenly the leaves we were hiding under are moved apart. I scream and back up next to Chris. "Wake up!" I gasp, grabbing my coat and picking him up. "Wait!" The guy gasps. "Back off!" I yell, standing up and stumbling. Chris was crying and clinging to me in fear. "Sissy!!" He cries, shaking. I take a step back and trip over a tree root, falling to the ground and holding tight to my brother. The guy walked closer. "Hey Brittany!" He called over his shoulder. "Get my phone!" I crawl away. "No!! No more!!" I cry. "I can't take it!! I just can't!" I scream at the top of my lungs and cover my ears. After a few seconds of hysterics, I get to my feet and take off running. But he grabs my shoulder and I can't get free. I bite his hand and take off running. But seconds later, he grabs me again. I'm so scared. Chris is scared. "NO!!!!!"

*A few hours later*

We were waiting in the social worker building again. Max came in and hugged me. "We were so worried." "I don't wanna go to another foster family! I don't want us to get attached only to be disowned again!!!" "I want mommy!" Chris cries in my arms. "You shouldn't have run away like that. You could've died!" He says.

Jason's pov

I worriedly wait in the lobby with Brittany. "I'm glad we found them." She says, laying her head on my shoulder. "I wonder what's gonna happen to them." I murmur, biting my lip with worry. Britt yawns. "No more!!" I hear the little girl distressedly yell from down the hall. I worriedly walk over and look in the open door. "People will only hurt us." "Sylvia and Dakota didn't do it to hurt you. They loved you!" Fire lights up in that small girl's eyes. "Don't say that to me! If they loved us, they wouldn't have given us back!! My mommy loved us. She was murdered!! Stolen away from us!! I hate you!!!" That poor girl has so much anger built up. Then she sees me. "What're you looking at?" Max pushes the door open. "You owe him an apology for biting him!" He says. Oh man. "No! I hate you!! And I hate him!!! I hate you all!!!" She yells holding the crying blonde boy tighter. "They're all the same! They say they care but they don't!" Man. So much hatered for such a little girl. "You and Chris would have died in the cold!" "No we wouldn't!" "Yes you would!" The frustrated man says angrily. He sighs. "Get some rest. You've got a long day ahead of you." He walks out. I don't know what to do now. "GO AWAY!!!! LEAVE US ALONE!!!! I HATE YOU!!!" She yelps glaring angrily at me. "I want my mommy." She whimpers crying quietly while holding the little boy. Poor kid.

*The next day*

I'm nervous. I decide to go check on those two kids. As soon as I get there, I see someone holding the girl back while she desperately tried to get to her crying brother while he was in the arms of another guy. "What's going on?" Max sighs sadly. "They've got to go to separate foster homes. We don't have anyone that will take them both." Oh man. That's gonna kill her. I bite my lip. Britt's gonna be pretty ticked. "I'll take them both!" He eyes me oddly. "No offense but I don't have any info on you. How do I know you're capable?" "I'll answer any questions. I just... I don't want them to be separated." "None of us do. OK give us a second." The guy sets the boy down who rushes over to his sister. They were both in a crying heap. "I've got you Chris." She whimpers that over and over, stroking his hair. Poor kids. "I can't bear the thought of splitting them up." I whisper.

*2 hours later*

After a long two hours of questioning and tests, he grants me foster custody of them. I worriedly call Britt. "Honey you might get mad but I've got foster care of those two kids." "What? How?" She gasps surprised. "Well I came up here to see how they were doing and they were gonna get separated. I couldn't let that happen."

Miranda's pov

I look out the door caught off guard. "Now I know I shoulda called you first but it was a now or never kinda thing." He says into the phone. He glanced back. I slam the door backing up to my brother. He opens the door. "Hey. Ready to go?" He asks. Remember. Don't get close. No more heartbreak. He gets on one knee in front of me. "I know you've been through alot. Stuff that no little girl should ever go through. I know it's gonna take a while to trust me but I promise, I'm gonna do what I can to make you feel at home." "We'll never have a home." I say, stepping back, putting up the wall. He smiles sadly then turns his attention to Chris. I stand in front of him. "Leave him alone. I don't want him getting attached to someone who will eventually abandon us!" I say. He sighs and shakes his head. "You poor confused girl." I glare at him angrily. "Leave us alone!" "Sissy!" Chris whispers burying his face in my shirt. Max walks in. "I've packed your things. Try to behave Miranda." The guy stands up. "Thanks for doing this for them. We'll try to find them a forever home soon." "Don't even come to my house with a couple unless they're intending to adopt them both. I will not let them get separated." I'm caught off guard by that statement.

Jason's pov

I get them in my truck. I was about to drive home when Britt texted me.

B: I'm not mad.

J: Good.

B: I'm worried.

J: About what?

B: What if we can't handle this?

I sigh sadly and leave the question unanswered. Chris had a small bag with hot wheels cars. "You like hot wheels, bud?" I ask, turning around to look at him. "Matchbox. No hot wheels." He says shaking the bag. I smile. "Well maybe I'll get you a race track. Do you like Batman?" "I love Batman!" He says smiling. I smile too. Miranda still doesn't trust me. I know that's gonna take some time. Probably alot of time and work. My biggest fear. What if Britt is right? What if we can't handle it? I don't want to confirm her fears of giving them back. I wanna help them find adoptive parents. I turn around and begin the drive home. I send up a prayer. "Give me strength, Lord. These kids need me."