My Brother

The hallway was silent as the child sat on the bench against the hallway's wall, wondering how much longer she would sit there. How she longed to just get up and leave, despite the fact that she could not. This girl hated spending Halloween night here. She wanted to be out asking for candy like all the other children, but unfortunately, she could not this year, because she was here.

She had shoulder length black hair, wore a dark blue toboggan, a black hoodie, blue jeans, and black converse shoes. The nine year old had to sit there until the social worker came back out and told her what she needed to tell her. The girl sat on the bench that sat next to a door which led to where the social worker talked to another person. This other person was in the adoption business. He had been sending the poor girl from foster home to foster home. This was exactly why the social worker had to talk to him.

"Mr. Grays, I don't think it would be a good idea leaving Joanne with this person you mean to send her to. I have his criminal record right here in my hands. They've been to jail before, they have horrible reputations...are you sure no one else will take her?" asked the social worker, Ms. Bell. Ms. Bell was a tall thin African American woman with a gray dress. Mr. Grays was an American of Asian decent with short dark hair and a light brown business suit.
"I'm sorry, Ms. Bell, but this man is the only family she has left. She's the only family he has left! No one else will take her. She must be placed with him. As much as we both don't want this, this must be done," replied the social worker.

As much as Ms. Bell did not want Joanne to go with her new caretaker, she knew it had to be done. When the decision was settled, Ms. Bell left the room to find Joanne lying on her back on the bench.
"Joanne?" asked Ms. Bell. Joanne stood up and looked at the social worker.
"Yes, Ms. Bell?" asked the little girl. Ms. Bell took a deep breath and announced the news as Joanne rose from her back and sat up.
"As you know," said the social worker as she knelt down to the small girl. "Your foster mother cannot take care of you anymore due to the car accident that had killed her, and since your real mother and father...oh please don't cry, Jo," she said as she tried to wipe away Joanne's approaching tears.
"W-why did she h-have t-to go?" asked Joanne. Ms. Bell frowned.
"What's g-gonna happen to me now? I don't have a mom or pop and...and..." whimpered the poor girl. Ms. Bell placed her hand on Joanne's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Joanne. You will be placed in the care in your adult brother," announced the social worker. Joanne looked up in surprise.
"I-I have a brother?" she asked surprised. Ms. Bell nodded though she did not want to.
"Yes, Joanne, you do. He lives in Townsville. Starting tomorrow, you will be living with him and he will be taking care of you," she said. Joanne felt only slightly better.
"So I'll be meeting him tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yes you will Joanne...however; I must tell you something about your brother. He, unfortunately, has made some really bad decisions in his life. I honestly don't like you going to live with him, but I must put you with him...," said Ms. Bell. She hated telling Joanne this, but she knew Joanne had to know. Joanne had always been raised to do the right thing, and always be kind to others. The fact that she had to go live with the brother she never knew who has a reputation of doing things Joanne had been raised to believe were bad.

"Why does he do bad things, Ms. Bell? And why am I just now learning that I have him as a brother?" asked Joanne.
"Now Joanne, remember when I told you of your parents of their inability to take care of you? Well before they had you, they had your brother almost 10 years before you. A little while after they had your brother, back when they were leaving in Townsville...they...I guess they fell out of love with each other and left each other...do you understand? Because they did not have each other to support, they both were not able to take care of him...in doing so, your brother was taken from them and placed in the Townsville Foster Care, just as you were when they came back together almost 10 years later and had you, except instead of taking you to Townsville's foster care, since they moved here to Metroville, you were placed here in the Metroville Foster Care. They were unable to take care of you both," explained the social worker, hoping that Joanne would understand.
"When I couldn't live with them, is that why they didn't put me with my brother? Because he was in Townsville and I was here in Metroville?" she asked, longing for answers. Ms. Bell took another deep breath.
"Yes because by the time, you were born, they were not living in Townsville. They were here in Metroville. And we never wanted to tell you because we did not want you to feel ashamed or upset like right now, though it is clear that you are now. Do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?" asked Ms. Bell. Joanne nodded, trying to take all of this new found information. She had a brother who many miles away from Metroville, so now she was going to be in the miles away city with her new found brother.

"Alright, now Joanne, what's going to happen now is that I am going to take you back to your foster mom's house and we're going to pack your things. You will stay in a hotel tonight, but tomorrow, you're going to Townsville to meet your new guardian...your brother..." replied Ms. Bell, still doubtful. Joanne nodded, still thinking about her brother.

"...will he like me?" asked Joanne. Ms. Bell smiled.
"Of course Joanne, he'll love you! You're his sister after all," she said sweetly as the doubts flew around in her head.

As the two of them left the hallway and went into Ms. Bell's car, Joanne's mind was only filled with one question now.

"What will my brother think of me?" she thought as she looked at her small green hands.

--

Several hours had passed after this had happened. While Joanne was sleeping in a hotel in a Metroville, her brother was dozing in Townsville. Her brother, a tall young man was counting all the pieces of candy he had stolen from young trick or treaters. He remembered his way of getting their candy easily.

--

"Ding Ding, kids! Before you can pass us, ya gotta pay the candy toll!" said the elder brother, as he and his four friends sat by a Halloween decorated gate in a place where the Townsville suburbs ended and where the city began. Before the young trick or treaters could pass him and his friends, they immediately knew the sacrifice they had to make. The trick or treaters looked around them and knew they were surrounded by the brother and his friends.

The brother was tall and had a long sleeved shirt and a jacket of orange and blue, along with ripped yellowish jeans, black shoes, and black shades that sat on his face, covering his face.

"B-But this is our candy," said a young trick or treater bravely as he stepped out of his group of friends to speak up. The brother did not care for the young boy's excuse.
"And now it's ours," said the brother. He looked at the largest of his friends.
"Big Billy! Hang 'em upside down will ya!" he ordered.
"Duh sure, Ace," replied the friend. The friend, a green young adult with a green t shirt, blue jeans, and red hair that hung over most of his face took the ankles of the trick or treaters and shook them up and down until all the candy that the kids had collected were all on the ground and being collected by the three others. The other three varied in appearance. One was short, had prominent bottom teeth and nicely combed black hair. Another was long just like his black hair, with a snake like appearance to him. The third was physically grotesque with protruding eyes, a hunched back and a black hair that sat on his head uncombed and untidy. All of them, including the brother, Ace, had green skin, the exact same color as Joanne's.

--

Yes the annual stealing-of-the-trick-or-treaters-candy-on-Halloween was a complete success for the Gangreen Gang. It was no surprise of course. They had done it every year for a few years. All the trick or treaters had gotten used to it so, that whenever Halloween would come along, they'd always try to wear dark colored costumes, so that they would not be recognized so easily. Of course that only worked a small percentage of the time. The gang was almost able to identify any of the trick or treaters despite their costumes.

Ace was lying on the couch as he stared at the candy he and his pals had stolen. Ace smiled a sly smile as he thought of their great success. They had tons of candy, the kids were easy to take advantage of, and, strangely enough, the Powerpuff Girls were no where in sight to stop them, probably the main factor that contributed to why there was a smile on Ace's face.

As the gang leader was about to drift into dreamland, a knock came to the door of the small house that was indeed the Gangreen Gang's hideout. Ace's eyes grew wide open, much to his anger. Ace unwillingly lifted himself from the couch and walked to the door. When he opened it, he was shocked to find Ms. Bell standing at the entrance with a document and pen waiting for him to sign. Ace looked at the social worker and became aggravated.

"What do you want, lady?" asked the tired young man. Ms. Bell looked down to her side and from behind her came Joanne. When Joanne took her first look at her brother, she noticed that Ace's green skin, eyes, and fangs matched hers exactly. When she noticed this, she smiled slightly.

"Please like me...please like me..." she thought.