The holidays had come and gone, and everything was coming to a calm. Fitz and Bina went somewhere warm and sunny, Lihn and Tam did something together, Keefe went MIA, and Dex and I together with our families. It was a good holiday, doing a lot of nothing and being with my family. Somehow Grady wrapped me into giving Verdi a bath, which was not a pleasant experience. With the break coming to an end, along with this year, I decided to throw a New Years Eve party.
"Hey, Sweetie?" Called my mom from inside the house.
"Yes," I called back, trying to hang up some very stubborn lights outside.
"Can you come in when you get a second?"
"Coming." I put down the lights in frustration and nearly fall when going down the ladder.
"Whoa, their Foster. We don't want to start the new year with you in the hospital, now would we?"
I turn to see Keefe standing behind me, hands in his pockets, and a mischevious grin on his face. "Keefe!" I barrel into him, giving him a big hug.
"Hi there." He chuckles awkwardly, "Who knew you would be so excited to see me? I mean you must have been so deprived without my good looks, hair, and an amazing sense of humor," he said gesturing to himself.
"Oh, just shut up, you," I say and hit his arm.
"Ow," he complains and rubs his arm in mock hurt. "You totally deserve that. You went completely off the radar. I mean you must have had a really good holiday then."
He rubs the back of his neck looking sheepish, "Actually-"
"Sophie?" Edaline calls again.
"Comming mom. Totally forgot I needed to go in. Come on." I grab his hand as I drag Keefe into the kitchen, where Edaline stood, hands full of flour.
"Edaline, this is Keefe," I say introducing the two.
"Hi, their honey. Sophie, I need to know; I made mallowmelt but I need to know whether or not to make raspberry or mint riffle puffs."
"Ugh. Why do you leave me with all the hard choices? Keefe, would you rather have raspberry or mint?"
He stood with confusion etched into his face. "I'm sorry what are Mellon-rift-puffs or whatever you just said?"
"Sorry I forgot you don't know what those are." I facepalm myself repeatedly mentally, "they are family recipes that are so delicious and I never get enough of them." I get a dreamy look on my face just imagining being able to eat them in a couple of hours.
Edaline laughs, "you and Grady both."
"And Grady what? Oo! Is that mallowmelt I smell?" Speaking of which, Grady walks into the room.
"I was just telling Sophie's new friend here how I have two mallowmelt monsters living in my house."
Grady finally spots the new person in the room. "And who might this be?"
"Hi, Mr..."
"Ruewen"
"Mr. Ruewen. I'm Keefe." He sticks out a hand to shake, which Grady obliges, but with a look almost like resentment on his face. He steps back and silently judges him not looking too pleased.
I try to stop this Mexican standoff going on in my kitchen, "How about mint? That's Fitz's favorite right?"
"Good idea. How about you two go and finish up the lights now before everyone else arrives." My mom suggests, most likely also trying to diverge the situation the is going to happen.
"Common, Keefe," I say as we run back to the front. I turn back to mouth a 'thank-you' to Edaline, who in return gives me a knowing smile. I roll my eyes and go back to the ladder I previously abandoned.
"Here. You can pass the lights up to me."
"And what if you fall, which you most likely will do."
I roll my eyes at him and put on the mot blank face I can manage, "Well, it's a good thing that you are below me. You'll make a really soft impact."
"You can't be serious. I'll just be Batman and catch you, like always."
I roll my eyes and climb up, "here pass me the- ow! Jeese!"
"We haven't even started and you're already hurt?" he asks accusingly.
"Nah. I'm fine. Just a little cut."
"Come down, and I'll evaluate it for myself."
"Ugh. Fine."
I jump down and hold out my hand which had a small cut with beads of blood starting to form. "Yeah. I think you'll be fine. Just wait until the bleeding stops ok?"
Keefe kept a hold of my hand, watching the blood come, with a look unnatural to his face, concern. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you have a different last name then them? And why do you sometimes call them by their first names?"
I could barely hear him, he was so quiet, and so unlike Keefe. I sit on the grass, leaning my back against the tree, the lights dangling from its branches. He sits down next to me, still not meeting my eyes, but I wasn't looking at him to notice. The sun was burning into my eyes, as it gave its last life before plunging into the darkness. I was hoping to burn the memory away, leaving me in the darkness I so often confined to.
"Well, before I moved here, I lived in San Fransisco. I was on a field trip, that's where I met Fitz for the first time, when my parents and sister got trapped in one of the major fires that were burning throughout the city. I was the 'lucky' one, because I wasn't even in the fire. I jumped through the foster care for a little while, before landing with the Vackers. They housed me for a couple of days, before deciding that Grady and Edline would be a better fit for me. I moved in with them and instantly fell in love. It took them a year and a half to finally adopt me, and It took me years after to even start calling them 'mom' and 'dad'. I still sometimes don't because I lost my real ones a long time ago. It feels like I'm betraying them. I-" At this point my face was wet, and I was holding back a sob. If I opened my mouth again, I wouldn't be able to hold myself together.
The sun had set, and all that was left were the fleeting rays, giving their last hurrah for the day. I felt arms wrap around me, as I laid my head on their shoulder. Tears leaked, but the waterworks never came. "Foster. I'm- I don't know what to say. And to think my family situation was messed up. Man, you are really one tough cookie. I never knew. Well, I mean I knew you were strong, but I didn't know about your past- and I think I'm going to stop talking now."
I give a small laugh, "And to think that I would be the blubbering idiot."
"Now I never said that I was an idiot."
At this point, I laugh. "How about we talk about something less depressing. How was your holiday?"
"I don't think that is very cheery either," he said with a distant look on his face.
"Oh. Do you want to talk about it, or no?" I ask, curiosity boiling inside me.
"Not now. How about another time when I have really bad Mommy and Daddy issues. Then you definitely will get the whole rant."
"Ok then. So a raincheck," I laugh. Then an idea sprang into mind, " I have someone I want you to meet."
"Um, ok?" He said with a grin back where it should be.
We run into the house, I dragged him up three flights of stairs to my attic room. I look around my room until I come across a purple fuzzball hiding between my pillows.
"Keefe, I would like to introduce you to Iggy. Iggy this is Keefe. Please don't eat his face ok?"
The fuzzball only responded with a yawn, to which Keefe exclaimed. "what in the world is that smell?"
"Oh, only Iggy's breath," I shrug.
Keefe bends down to get a closer look, "why would their breath be that - WHY IS THEIR A PURPLE FERRET IN YOUR BED!"
"Like I said, this is Iggy. The purple is because Dex gets bored so he makes hair dyes for him."
"BUT HE IS A FERRET!" He yelled.
"You got a problem with that?" I cross my arms over my chest.
"No, it's just that you don't seem like the type of person to own a stinky ferret. Now who is my good boy?" says a voice from my bedroom doorway.
"I see how it is Biana. The little imp is more important than me."
"Now don't listen to mean old Sophie. She's just jealous that you like me better, now don't you?"
"That' because you make him fat with all the treats you give him." Said a new voice.
"Oh, hi Fitz. But let's back the t-rex up a bit, shall we? Biana loves this little rodent?" Keefe exclaims.
Tam comes into the room to answer the question, "I think out of the two of them, Biana is more pissed about the no pet rule that their building has."
"Oh, most definitely. I can live without the chainsaw snores by my head every night, thank you very much. And the torn up pillows. And the 'surprises' that he sometimes leaves when he being a spoiled little brat." I stick my tongue out at Iggy, but he doesn't seem to notice with Biana cooing over him.
"Hey Sophie," Lihn says, "Dex told me to tell you that the triplets got into his lab, so he'll be running a bit late. And he is bringing a surprise for later."
"Ok. cool. Now, let's bring his party somewhere where there is actual room to move around. I declare, leading everyone outside with me.
everyone helps put up the rest of the decorations, Dex arrives, and the party goes into full swing. Apparently, Dex's surprise was fireworks, so after we had our countdown, he set them off into the air, creating a range of colors in the sky. Keefe slid next to me, and in a low voice only we could here he said, "Here's to a new year. One of a fresh start, and happiness ahead."
I smiled, ready to bring on whatever life wanted to throw at me.