"Anakin, I'd like you to meet your new foster parents, Cliegg and Shmi,"
The man stepped aside to reveal a couple, both in about their forties. They both wore great big smiles, and stood arm in arm. Beside them was a young man, about the age of 20. He wore a tentative smile. Anakin couldn't help noticing that he looked like a younger version of Cliegg. The older woman, Shmi he thought her name was, stepped forward and held out her hand.
"Hello, Anakin. My name is Shmi Lars. This is my husband, Cliegg Lars, and our son, Owen Lars." Both Owen and Cliegg nodded at him. "We're delighted to meet you." Shmi kept her hand out, ridiculously friendly smile still etched on her face.
Anakin just stared at the ground until the hand disappeared. He vaguely heard his social worker, Henry, tell the pair quietly,
"Anakin has gone through quite a lot recently. His parents were both arrested for slave trafficking and drug offenses a week ago. This is his first foster home. We're hoping you guys can make him come about of his shell a bit. He hasn't said a word to anyone since we took him out of the house." Henry's voice lowered to a whisper.
"We suspect that he was beaten by his parents, judging by the scars and bruises on his body."
Anakin waited for the couple to respond. Instead, he heard nothing. At first. Then, all of a sudden, he was wrenched into a restraining hold, squished up against someone's chest. He couldn't move, and he felt his throat constrict. Panicking, thinking they were trying to smother him, he struggled and pushed the figure onto the floor. He heard a small shriek as Shmi fell to the ground hard.
"What the hell were you doing?!" Anakin backed up, wary, as Shmi was helped up by Owen and Cliegg. Cliegg was giving him a hard glare – the type any normal teenager would flinch away from. Anakin just returned the glare and waited to hear words of criticism and anger. Instead, Shmi put a hand on her husband's arm and smiled a concerned smile at him.
"I was just hugging you sweetie. It's a –" Anakin cut across her roughly.
"Don't call me sweetie! You don't know me! Stop touching me and leave me the kriff alone!"
Shmi slowly walked back up to him, smiling and reached her arms out to him.
Are you kriffing kidding me? Do I need to hit this stupid woman?!Anakin again pushed her away roughly, this time only enough to send her away, and bolted out the door of the foster centre, yelling abuse and swearing at anyone who got in his way.
What is wrong with that family? Anakin didn't run because he didn't want to be there. He ran because he was scared. Terrified actually. No-one had ever tried to do that… crushing body on body contact. A hug? What a horrible word for a horrible deed. Trying to smother him like that.
Shrugging off his thoughts, Anakin ran through the city centre, nearly being hit by a silver Porsche in his haste. He ran down a side street, and sat down, panting in fear.
They… tried to kill me. They tried to kill me. They tried to kill me.
-
Two hours later, Anakin was sitting – well, okay, maybe not sitting. More like being held in place – in the back seat area of the Lars' rusty Holden Ute. On either side, sat Owen and Cliegg, both holding one arm in place.
After Anakin had recovered his breath and was a little more composed, he had begun to run to his friend, Kit's, place. Kit always let him hide there when he was running from his Dad's alcoholic episodes. However, when he arrived, he saw the strangest sight he had ever seen. A rusty, blue Holden ute sat in the driveway. On the tray of the ute held by a chain was an American Rottweiler, sitting passively watching his surroundings. Sitting on the roof of the ute was Owen Lars, and talking to Kit and his mum were Shmi and Cliegg. Dumbfounded, Anakin froze in place. Suddenly, Kit noticed Anakin.
"Hey, Anakin!" Everyone turned to look at him. Cliegg and Shmi waved as if nothing was wrong in the world, and Owen grinned somewhat cheekily at him.
"Come here, Anakin, you must be thirsty after all that running!" Shmi waved him over, that same stupid friendly grin in place.
Anakin had never been in this situation before. Here he was, trying to escape from this murderous family of clowns, and there they were having a friendly conversation with his friend and his family! Anakin tensed and slowly began to back out of the drive-way. Kit, completely clueless to Anakin's tenseness, yelled,
"Anakin, come meet my aunt and uncle, Aunty Shmi and Uncle Cliegg. And there's my cousin, Owen!"
Anakin paled significantly, if one could pale any whiter than what Anakin already was, and stumbled backwards faster, willing himself out of the driveway and on a different planet.
Owen noticed Anakin's movements and called out,
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Anakin. We're not going to hurt you or anything, just come say hey to Kit. It's obvious you guys know each other."
Anakin shook his head mutely, too shocked to reply. Shmi stepped towards him, hands out, pleading.
"Anakin, we'll stay here until you're comfortable to leave with us. You won't even have to talk to us. You and Kit can have some time together."
This was too much. His best friend… family with the crazy people who tried to kill him? Anakin's head was spinning out of control. He felt himself stumble backwards, felt his feet leave the ground and fall backwards. He heard someone yell,
"Anakin!" He heard rather than saw people running over to him as his head hit the hard asphalt ground.
-
Anakin woke up in Kit's room. He knew it was Kit's room because of the various model aeroplanes hanging off the ceiling. Blankets were covering his face, and he could hear voices in the room, talking about him.
"…worried about him. Henry told us that he has severe social anxiety." That was Shmi's voice. She had this soft voice, kind of like the voice he heard in his dreams when he was dreaming of a loving family. Next he heard the deep, gravelly voice of Cliegg.
"That's not why he fainted, Shmi. Did you see the way he reacted when you hugged him? It was like he thought you were going to hurt him."
Well, what else was she going to do? Anakin thought sulkily. His head hurt. There was a dreadful pain in his temples, and he felt like if there was any more pressure in his head his brain would explode.
"I know, Cliegg. He acted as if he'd never been hugged before." Anakin heard them move closer to him, and decided to feign unconsciousness. He felt rather than saw them looking down at him.
"We should take him home, Shmi. If earlier is any indication of his intentions of staying with us, we should move him as fast as we can away from here."
Anakin was startled into opening his eyes when he was lifted off the bed like a baby. His eyes widened in shock and he stared up, terrified at the older man looking down at him. He felt Cliegg's grip around him tighten, and he faintly heard Shmi say,
"It's okay, Anakin. You're safe… You're safe…" Anakin heard no more as he wrenched himself out of Cliegg's arms and onto the floor, grunting in pain as his throbbing head hit the tiled floor. He instantly pushed himself up and found the exit of the room blocked by Cliegg and Owen.
Where the kriff did Owen come from? Anakin wondered in his hazy state. He backed away from them, and stumbled into the dresser behind him. Shmi broke stepped through the two men blocking the door and offered her hand to Anakin.
"Anakin, if you take my hand now, Owen and Cliegg won't have to force you to the ute. If you don't, they will force you into the ute and someone will most likely get hurt."
Anakin looked from Shmi to the door. Shmi to the door, weighing up his chances. Suddenly he decided. Shmi noticed his decision, and discreetly moved to the right, to avoid being bowled down. Anakin made a break for the door, pulling out from behind his back a small metal lamp he had grabbed when he hit the dresser. He smashed the lamp into Owen's face and slammed his body into Cliegg's in a desperate act for freedom. To his dismay, Cliegg wrapped two arms around Anakin's waist, crushing him up against him. Owen recovered with surprising ease, and forcefully pried the lamp from Anakin's fingers. They then proceeded to half-carry, half-drag Anakin down the stairs and out the door, all the while Anakin was kicking and screaming. He vaguely heard Kit yell,
"Anakin! Stop! They're trying to help you!" as he was dragged out the back door.
"I hate you! I hate you! I'm going to kill you!" He screamed, tears streaking down his face. Anakin knew what was next: They were going to beat him. Beat him to teach him a lesson. Anakin struggled as hard as he could, tears staining his cheeks, as he was pushed into the back of the ute.
Owen climbed in next to him and held him tightly in a restraining hold while Cliegg walked around the other side and climbed in.
Shmi walked out of the house, waving and smiling to Kit's parents as if there wasn't a hysterical fifteen year old in her vehicle, and climbed into the driver's seat.