Skurdulka's House (a LGBTQ chosen-family thriller)

Part 20: Spy

"Yes. It's your Facebook page." They studied her. "Do you know who doesn't have a Facebook page?"

Chris tried and failed to bite back a smile. "Literally no one?"

Ari's steady gaze slid to them. "Me."

Chris's smirk faded.

"Now, since I don't have a Facebook page, how is that I can see these photos?" Ari pointed to the screen. "These photos of" the next words came slowly, severely, "four runaway minors at my house?"

No one spoke. Ari heard the intensity in their voice, despite their best efforts to control it.

"We had a talk about this," they went on. "We had several talks about this, all of us did. If you had to post pictures online—and you all knew how I felt about that—only to private accounts, and only with your friends. And never with the house!" The fear and anger coiled in their shoulders. They took a deep breath, in and out, through their nose.

"Ari, they're just pictures," Heather said quietly.

Ari's eyes widened. Anger sparked behind their eyes. "Please tell me I do not have to explain—again—why this is so dangerous."

"It's not like we're celebrities or something," Chris muttered. "We've each got, like, what?" They searched the others. "A hundred friends? Two hundred?"

Cocking their head, Ari scowled. "Heather's account has over six hundred." Their glare turned back on her. "I know you don't have six hundred actual friends. That means some of these people, most of them, you don't know well, or don't know at all. And if that wasn't bad enough, this account isn't private, so anybody can find it. Me, in this case. As well as your mother, Heather. Or Lee's parents. Or Storm's father."

"You said my father wasn't look for me," Storm said.

"I said he hadn't filed a police report, and I said that weeks ago. He is looking for you now. And he has filed a police report."

Storm's mouth fell open. "What? When? How do you know that? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I just found out today. I was..." They looked down at the table. "Making inquiries."

"What, like, spying or something?" Storm said.

"Yes. Spying. I have to know what's going on. In this town, with all of you, everything. My only regret is that I didn't do it sooner." They looked at each of this kids. "How many of you have posted pictures like this?"

Chris looked at their pizza. "My accounts are all private."

"You've posted in more than one place?" Ari's voice rose.

"Only my friends follow me," Chris replied.

Ari's eyes narrowed. "How many followers?"

Chris shrugged sheepishly. "I mean, I dunno..."

"How many?" Ari demanded.

"Like... three hundred. Ish."

Leaning back in their chair, Ari took a deep breath.

"Three hundred people really isn't that many, not on social media," Chris objected.

Ari's fist crashed to the table before they could stop it. "It is when you're trying to hide!"

Everyone was silent. No one could look at Ari.

Covering their face with one hand, Ari took several breaths. Their hand slid down their cheek and around the back of their neck. "I'm sorry. But I need you all to understand this. Listen to me carefully." They paused, looking each of their kids in the eye for a moment before continuing, speaking slowly. "You are all minors. I have no legal guardianship over any of you. At best—at best—I am sheltering runaways, which is a misdemeanor. At worst, they could call me a kidnapper. At the very worst, a kidnapper and a pedophile, which David's family has already accused me of." They paused. This time, they felt the naked fear in their face, not camouflaged in anger. "No one will side with some random queer if anyone tries to come for you. Do you understand? And these pictures," they pointed, "show where you are. It's a visual record, it's evidence, and you cannot erase it once it's out there. If I can find it, your parents can find it. Your siblings, your aunts and uncles, your teachers, classmates, their parents. Cops. Anyone who thinks that this," Ari gestured around the table to all of them, and themself, "is wrong. I know you don't think that that will happen, and I hope that you're right. But there are people who hate us. I mean that. I'm not being paranoid. They don't think that I should be anywhere near you." Ari swallowed. "And they will take you away from me."