TRIGGER WARNINGS IN THIS CHAPTER

Chapter 2

Callen lay face down on the bed, his rear and back burning from where Steve Baker was hitting him with the belt.

"You will not be ungrateful do you hear me boy?" he snapped.

Callen couldn't talk but he nodded, sniffing his tears back, he had figured his stay here wasn't going to be nice, but he missed Rachel terribly.

"Answer me!" Steve snapped.

"S…Sor…Sorry…" Callen sobbed.

He hated this, but he knew the pain wouldn't last. He pushed his face into the duvet and bit down hard to keep from screaming, things always got worse if you screamed.

Suddenly it stopped, Callen panted as he tried to control his sobbing waiting for the man to leave him alone so he could show his emotions without being in trouble.

That didn't happen and from that day on Callen knew that when they left it was a good thing.

Steve got up and walked to Callen's door, reaching up for the lock high on the door and pulling the bolt across.

For a moment Callen thought he was alone, then the bed next to him dipped and Steve sat down gently taking Callen by the shoulders, "I am sorry you made me do that G, Carol worked hard on the room for you and you hurt her and me when you said you didn't like it." He said turning Callen gently and standing him in between his knees facing him.

Callen didn't look up, tears still running down his face as he sniffed to try to stop them.

"I'm sorry Mr. Baker, I like the room, but my favorite color is yellow." He said honestly.

Steve lifted his head and pulled the Callen to him wrapping his arms around him, "We won't tell Carol though, will we, we will let her think you like the blue, it will be our little secret, you can keep a secret can't you G." he said looking into the child's eyes.

Callen looked at Steve, he was scared of him, but he didn't want to get hit anymore so he nodded as he continued crying.

"Shhhh." Steve said pulling Callen to his chest and rubbing a hand up and down his back.

Callen was confused this wasn't like when he had hurt himself and Rachel had hugged him, he could feel the tension in the man, he tried to pull away but Steve held him tighter.

"You haven't finished paying for your mistake, remember this is all your fault, you were bad I punished you and now you are making me do this." Steve said his voice going very quiet.

"Do wha…." Callen started as Steve lifted his head and kissed him on the lips.

Callen shook his head, "No…." he pushed away and Steve looked at him.

"I can stop Callen, but if I do I will have to hit you with the belt again, and Carol will be mad too, it's up to you, what do you want me to do?"

Callen wanted to be left alone, anything but this, but the beating had been his fault. He had misbehaved, and he had seen the hurt in Carol's eyes, he had promised to behave and he was being punished so he must have broken that promise.

Steve stroked Callen's back and thighs, "Your choice Callen. Do you want to be a good boy?"

Callen nodded, "Yes Sir." Callen spoke those words not realizing as Steve's hand moved lower he had just sealed his doom.

By the end of the three weeks Callen was a wreck.

He couldn't sleep, if he closed his eyes Mr. Baker would come into his room, tell him he'd been bad and needed to make it right.

He didn't understand, he did everything he could think of to be well behaved and yet day after day, night after night he was punished.

He went to the bathroom while it was quiet and washed the blood from his body, he wasn't allowed to let Carol see he had been hurt ever, it was a rule.

Don't tell, don't cry, don't show where it hurt.

He picked up his blue t-shirt his eyes straying to the yellow one on the pile. He looked at it with hatred, he hated yellow, and yellow got him hurt. Steve had taken the yellow shirt and tied it around his face to stop him from screaming while he was being punished.

He never wanted to see yellow again and each time he was beaten he'd had to remember that his favorite color was blue.

Sally sighed as she walked up the stairs to the house, Carol had called her and told her that it wasn't working out and that she couldn't have Callen anymore. On the bright side she thought a Naval Captain and his wife had heard about Callen from somewhere and had asked to foster him specifically. Hopefully, he would be alright with this new couple.

She knocked on the door and Steve answered, "Ms Holcombe…I didn't expect you today?" he said with a forced politeness that she noticed.

She saw the scared look on Carols face and the small shake of her head.

"We have another placement for Callen, we need to move him today, is he in?" she asked brightly, making a mental note to check on this family as soon as Callen was moved and away from there.

"I'll get him." Steve said and left the room heading to Callen's room.

As soon as he had left Carol moved closer, "I'm sorry, I didn't know…not till yesterday…take the boy, keep him safe, I'm going to leave him." She whispered.

Sally didn't like the sound of that but knew it wouldn't be a good idea to say anything right now.

She just about held in an audible gasp as she saw Callen for the first time in 3 weeks. He was practically skin and bone, he didn't look like he had eaten, which in all honesty he hadn't. He gripped his bag tight and didn't look at Steve or Carol, but a fierce hope shone in his eyes.

"Do I have to leave?" he asked as he'd been told to do.

"Yes Callen, we already have a new placement for you." Sally said.

Callen blinked a few times, pushing back tears of joy that threatened to fall, "Ok…" he walked over to the door, Carol wrapped an arm around him and he flinched.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in his ear and he looked up at her shocked, she had known. He hadn't realized that she had known and could have stopped it. It reinforced what he had been told, it was his fault.

He nodded once and without a word followed Sally to the car.

As soon as they drove away Sally looked at the scared child in the mirror.

"What happened Callen?" Sally asked.

Callen shook his head and stared defiantly out of the window, he wasn't going to ever break the rules again.

Sally looked worried, but she carried on, "We actually have a nice family for you this time, a Captain in the Navy, Baxter Worthington and his wife Gloria, just up in Alameda, they have a nice house with a back yard, He's been looking forward to having you come stay, I told them about your favorite things, they have got a nice room ready for you. Do you want to stop for a burger before we get there?" she asked.

Callen shook his head, he had been sick the whole time he was at the Bakers and he didn't want to trust eating food in the car.

He worried about the new couple, especially the man, Baxter…so much like Baker…but he would never forget or talk about him again and he would die before he was ever placed with them again.

Sally pulled up in front of the two story house; the lawn was neatly cut and the flowers all blooming.

The Captain and his wife stood in the doorway waiting for them. They smiled as the car door opened and Sally got out.

Baxter grabbed his wife's arm as he saw the boy sat in the back seat.

She thought he was excited; he had been looking for him for so long.

They had talked for years about finding him and bringing him home and now here he was.

Callen got out of the car and stood with his back flush to the car door, he was shaking in fear but trying to hide it.

"My God Gloria, look at him." Baxter said the sadness at the boy's reaction to the sight of him worried him. Did he remember?

"G….come on." Sally said.

Callen followed a few steps behind her not making eye contact or saying a word.

"Hello…G?" Gloria said as she crouched down to be on his level.

Callen took a step away from her and said nothing.

"Callen?" Sally admonished

"Hello Ma'am." He whispered his throat sore.

Gloria smiled, "Gloria, you can call me Gloria."

"Yes Ma'am." Callen breathed still not looking at them.

Sally walked in with them, "Are you sure you want to do this, there may have been some developments since we last talked, his last placement didn't seem to go too well."

The Captain clenched his fists in anger a move that did not go unnoticed by Callen who moved further away and kept a tight grip on his bag. Baxter breathed deeply he didn't want to upset Callen, but he needed to talk to Sally that was certain.

"Let me show you to your room." Baxter said.

He placed his hand on Callen's shoulder and Callen dropped into a ball, covered his head with his arms and screamed.