Kelly's POV:
Phil had made roast dinner. It was really good, like every meal here was. I sat and ate it quietly, listening to their conversations about the mario kart tournament yesterday and the film day we'd had on Friday. I didn't feel much like talking today. Dad had gone home, but I hadn't. The bit that really hurt was that no one had explained why. I thought Phil and Kristin were different than other adults.
I cried myself to sleep that night, trying to be quiet so no one would come in and check on me and make me talk about it. I woke up on the Monday feeling strange. I felt lonely and scared, more than I'd had when I first got here.
Downstairs, Phil and Tommy were having breakfast. Tommy was always up early. I could hear him moving the trains about.
"Morning Kelly."
"Morning," I mumbled.
"What would you like for breakfast?"
"To go home," I sighed, getting up on the stool.
"I know mate, it sucks. I'm hearing you on that. Is there something we could do better to make it easier for you?"
"Let me go home."
"Okay, I'm going to come sit next to you and have a proper chat about this. Do you mind Tommy being in the room?"
"It's fine."
"Okay mate. I am sorry that you can't go home yet, but you know why don't you?"
"No! No one's told me!"
"I'm sorry about that. Can I explain now?"
"Yea."
"Your dad needs a few days to get used to be in the house. Remember he's still in the wheelchair, so he needs to get used to getting around your house by himself first."
"But I can help him!"
"I know you can, and I bet when you do go home, you're going to be super helpful like you've been here."
"Yea."
"But your dad needs to make sure he's safe and happy at home, so he can make sure you're safe and happy at home when you're there." I nodded and felt like it made more sense now. "But you being sad and frustrated about not going home yet is totally okay too."
I nodded again and rubbed my eyes. "Can I have cereal?"
"Of course you can mate, but would you like a hug first?" I leant into him and felt him squeeze me in a nice way that felt like it took all the rubbish stuff away. "Right, which cereal?"
"Coco pops?"
"Good choice. Tommy, did you want something else to eat?" I felt him run up to the breakfast bar and climb onto one of the stools.
"Orange." His iPad said.
"Hey mate, I think you might be missing a word?"
"Please," I whispered. Tommy tapped my shoulder, which felt like his way of saying thank you.
"Orange. Please."
"Do you mean these satsumas?" He hummed and probably nodded as Phil rolled one across the counter.
"'ove 'ou."
"Love you too mate, brilliant talking. Now, what did you two want to do today?" I began to eat my coco pops and just shrugged my shoulders. "Later, Tommy you've got Mumbo and Kelly you've got gymnastics but we are free all day!"
"Am I seeing Dad today?"
"No sorry mate, but we could see if we can facetime him?"
"Okay." I sighed and had another spoonful of cereal.
Wilbur's POV:
I opened the bathroom door and Techno shoved his phone in my face. "What?"
"It's a thing, there's nothing on the whiteboard for today, we could go here?" I blinked and looked at the Instagram post.
"Oh yea."
"Mhm." He took the phone back and looked at it intently. I realise now that all theses behaviours I had just assumed were Techno's quirks were probably his autistic traits. And I was completely okay with that: it just made me think.
"Did you want to tell Dad?" He looked at me like I'd just asked a complex maths questions. "Or I can?"
"Yea, yea, you can, I'll umm, I'll send the link to the family chat."
"Cool. It's kind of hot weather so an ice cream shop is probably exactly what everyone wants."
"Well they do cakes and waffles and other stuff too. They do lots of stuff actually. Do you think there'll be something everyone wants? Or should we just do something else?"
"No, it's fine Tech, it's a good idea. Ummm," I didn't know how to phrase my next question, "have you had your tic tacs this morning?"
"No?"
"As in, Dad says you pop them like they're tic tacs?"
"Ohhhh-" he paused, "no, no I haven't. I only just got up."
"No offence, but I can tell."
"Mhm."
"You gonna take them?"
"Maybe?"
"Are you okay this morning?"
"I don't know."
"Oh."
"I mean, probably."
"Did you want to talk or?" I felt awkward but still wanted to help my older brother.
"Nope!"
"Cool, why don't you come downstairs with me and talk to Mum and Dad about this place?" I said, pointing to my phone where the notification for the link he'd sent was clear to see.
He nodded and chewed on the neck of his t-shirt. I knew things had been difficult for him recently, but he just seemed off.
We found Dad downstairs, with Tommy and Kelly bouncing on the trampoline outside.
"Oh, you're both up, Tubbo and Mum have just gone food shopping. We just needed a few things."
"I've been up for a bit, hence the clean clothes, but Techno just woke up. He's found this cool ice cream and dessert place we could go to?" I said, continuing the conversation so it was easier for Techno.
"Oh cool, have you got a website for it mate?"
"Yea, he sent it on the family chat."
"Oh that's why my phone pinged. Right, I'll have a look in a second, you both need your meds." He started getting everything out the cupboard and I got us a cup of water each. "Thanks for that mate."
I took my hay fever meds but Techno hadn't touched his. He was staring into the abyss and Dad was too busy looking at his phone to notice. "Looks good! I'll ask your mum and brother when they get back and then we will get going but you both need to eat first, you've missed breakfast but we can do an early lunch."
"I'm up for an early lunch," I said, starting to do my puffer.
"I'll get some rice ready to go." Dad finally clocked Techno's meds. "You alright mate?"
"Mhm."
"You sure? You don't seem yourself."
"Guess I'm just tired."
I met eyes with Dad and shrugged my shoulders. Techno hadn't been like this in ages and I didn't know what to say or do. "Okay mate, well you don't have to go out if you don't want to?"
"No, I want to go get ice cream."
"Okay, why don't we get you some water and food. Then we can take a rain check with these meds."
"Oh, I can take them." He shoved them in his mouth, swallowed them without the water. Then sunk the entire glass of water and looked up at the ceiling.
Dad just looked at me and shrugged his shoulders. It was really difficult to know what to do.
Tommy came running in screaming and wailing. "Mate, mate, slow down, what's up?"
Kelly followed him in shortly. "Is he okay?"
"We're not sure," I said, so Dad could focus on Tommy. Techno seemed to have snapped out of whatever state he'd been in and was now crouching down in front of Tommy and getting him to take deep breaths. I noticed something, "what's that on his hand?"
"Where?" Dad asked, leaning down to get a better look.
"On his right one, that red patch."
"He must have been bitten or stung by something. It's alright mate, let's clean it out and make it feel better." Dad began busying around and getting everything he needed out from the cupboards.
"Probably scared you huh?" Techno said. "Want a hug?" Tommy leant in and slowly quietened down as our older brother comforted him. Tommy had a habit for getting injured.
I took my puffer, which I was still holding and finished taking my morning dose. When I finished doing my puffer, I just set it down on the side. "Please don't leave it there Will, you can reach that cupboard." Dad said calmly, getting an ice pack out the fridge. I sighed, nodded and put it back where it belonged in the medicine cupboard. The older you got, the more you understood why the safety measures were in place, and the more you had to be the one doing them. But Tommy was getting tall and it wouldn't be long before he would be able to reach the washing powder in the new utility room without a lot of effort. I think Mum and Dad knew that.
The way he'd reacted in an insect bite, or whatever it was, proved that anything resulting in pain still petrified Tommy. And that was fair enough, but it also meant that extra, extra, extra precautions should probably be taken to make sure that never happens.
Time skip:
"Keep your foot still you little gremlin," I said, laughing whilst I finished helping Tommy put his shoes on. We'd just finished lunch and we're all pretty excited about going out for ice cream.
I went in Dad's car with Tommy and Kelly, meanwhile Techno and Tubbo went with Mum in her car. When I say my car was the better one, I'm not bragging. We had better music, and Dad had sweets! I mean come on, I think it's obvious.
Whilst waiting for the others outside the shop, I held Tommy's hand and Kelly kept a hand on Dad's arm. When they caught up with us, we all went in together. The smell of sugar was overwhelming but I got used to it quickly and it was actually pretty nice.
We got sat at the largest table they had and read through the menus together to work out what we all wanted. There was no longer such a thing as reading something yourself or quietly sitting together as a family, but I was kind of okay with it. Tommy was on one side of me and Kelly was on the other. Now her dad had gone home, I realised it wouldn't be long before she went home too.
I'd miss her at first like I would do most foster kids. But her presence had almost completely taken my mind away from Niki. I hadn't written a letter I wouldn't ever send, for a long time now, or it certainly felt that way.
"Wilbur?"
"Yea?"
"Is the bubblegum blue?"
"Oh umm, I'm not sure, I could ask?"
"I just wondered if it would turn my tongue blue."
"If it's blue like most bubble gum ice cream is, I'm sure it will." She smiled and leant back happily in her chair.
"What did you want Kelly?" Mum asked.
"Oh, please can I have two scoops of bubble gum ice cream on a waffle please."
"Good choice," I commented, then giving Mum my 'order', "one scoop of peanut butter crunch and one scoop of chocolate brownie on a waffle please."
"Got it." She said, continuing to ask everyone else around the table.
I leant back in my chair in a similar way to Kelly and smiled at her, knowing she wouldn't see it. "I remember when I first got here you thought I couldn't see you."
"Mhm, now I know you can see shadows and light."
"Yea, like I can see that you're leaning back like me." I mentally face palmed again. How was I always this stupid?!
"Yea, I am. It's comfy."
"Yea, it is." We sat in a comfortable silence. "I think I might miss you Wilbur."
"I'll miss you too Kelly."
"Do you think Techno will let me take the little house with me?"
"I'm sure he will, we can ask him later though?"
"Cool. I hope he knows how much I like it."
"I think he does."
"Maybe I should tell him before I go home?"
"I think he'd like that."
"Okay then."
"Okay then." I smiled at her.
"People's breathing changes when they smile," she said, beaming back at me. I couldn't help but smile more and more, feeling just good about life. Like nothing could stop me. This year was going to be my year, I just knew it. Things were on the up.
A/n Hey! Struggling to find time to write at the moment, so sorry if the quality of the uploads have been a bit off. I'm going to try and set some time aside this week, because I really love this book and I've got so many ideas. So big things coming, thanks for being patient and supportive!