Guisppe and Abby's first child was born and just six months later Abby was pregnant again.
Bonnie slid two slices of plastic covered cheese underneath the space between the hall closet door and the floor. She stood up fully and dusted her hands off on her skirt.
"Did you get those, Damon. Momma and Guiesppe went to church." She bit her lip and listened for a response from her step-brother. Damon had been locked in the hall closet a day and a half ago for back talking deacon Charles. She honestly couldn't understand why he kept getting in trouble on purpose but knew this time he had done it to take the attention off of Nathan who couldn't remember a bible verse in Sunday School.
She used to hate Damon a year ago. Thought he was just another stupid boy who made stupid jokes and who made up stupid nicknames. Then she noticed how he protected his brothers from their father and protected 'her' from his father and realized there was more to Damon than silly goofiness.
"Why are you still here if everyone's gone to the church?" He finally responded. She could hear him removing the plastic from the cheese.
"Nathan pretended to be sick so we could sneak you some food, I stayed with him. Stefan, mom, Susan, and your dad left." She shifted on her feet, digging her dirty pink and white sneakers into the floor. She bit her lip. "They havin' a meeting here tonight. So I think they'll be letting you out."
"Sucks. Its not so bad in here. I mean, no annoying little brothers, no crying baby, and most importantly no pouting Guiseppe. Me being let outta here ain't good news, Bonbon, I'm just gonna go right back in."
Bonnie frowned at the chipping, white paint on the door. "Saying stuff like that is what gets you in trouble, Damon." She said, trying to get him to understand.
"What? Are you saying Pa doesn't walk around here like a cat with a fur ball stuck in its throat?" He asked thought the door, mouth obviously filled with cheese.
"Damon?"
"What, Bonnie?" He snapped, voice tight. "If you don't find the funny in this stuff, you cry."
Bonnie frown deepened and she felt her eyes sting. She took a step back and rubbed her eyes. "This sucks," she sniffed before quickly leaving.
(GR)
Two weeks after they had moved into their new home in a new neighborhood was their first visit from Child Protective Services.
Bonnie watched, her emotions on edge, as her mother ushered her and Nathan into a chair at the dining room table and while balancing a crying Susan on her hip. Her mother looked so frazzled as she talked to the social worker with wild hair and wide eyes.
"Its not usually so messy in here." She lied picking up unfolded clothes off the table as she balanced a plate of peanut butter sandwiches. "I just had a baby and we just moved in here two weeks ago, I haven't had the time or energy."
Bonnie glanced at Damon who sat on the other side of the table next to Stefan. He looked sick.
"I completely understand." The woman in the dark blue suit said with a plastic smile. "Can you show me the rest of the house? How many bedrooms are there? Do all of the children have their own bedroom?"
Abby sat the plate down, and ran a hand through her hair as she bounced Susan. "Yeah, I mean, we moved to this house for the reason of giving the children their own rooms. Though right now the boys share a bedroom, but they all have their own bed." She began showing the woman out of the dinning room. "I'm not sure why you're here. Can you tell me who called? I can't imagine why anyone would call CPS on us."
"It was an anonymous call, Mrs. Salvatore," the rest of the conversation was out of Bonnie's earshot.
"Who do you think called?" She whispered watching Nathan reach for and bite into a peanut butter sandwich.
Damon was still staring at the open doorway both women had vanished out of. "I dunno," he mumbled.
"Someone at church?" Stefan offered, voice small. He was the quietest one in the family, which was why Bonnie had such a soft spot for him.
"No way," she shook her head.
"Probably one of the neighbors," Damon sighed. "Nathan had that bruise on his face when he played with that neighborhood kid last week. Pa freaking out when he got home and saw probably didn't help matters either."
Bonnie cringed at the memory.
"Its not my fault." Nathan cried out, causing the other children to shush him. He folded in on himself at all of the negative attention. "sorry," he whispered.
Just a few minutes later the woman in the blue suit was walking by, Abby right on her heels. The front door opened and closed.
Abby appeared a second later, obviously mad. "Hold her, Bonnie." She handed the unhappy Susan to her. "Try getting her to sleep or something. If Jacob wakes up just change him and fix him a bottle."
Bonnie glared at her mother. "Where are you going?" She struggled to hold onto her little sister who wasn't that much smaller than her.
"Just do as I say, Bonnie. I'm going to call your father and tell him someone called CPS on us." She huffed. "I bet it was one of those nosy ass neighbors." The woman grabbed her cell phone off the table and bolted out the door.
Bonnie fumed. She wanted to shout after the woman that Guieseppe wasn't her father, but kept her mouth shut. Damon appeared in front of her, interrupting her thoughts of rebellion and took Susan from her, balancing the eighteen month old on his hip easily.
"Hiya, suzy-dozy, your mean big sister was gonna drop you on your head, huh?" He cooed. "Good thing your great big brother was here to save the day." He tickled the no longer crying child, making her explode with giggles.
Bonnie pouted. "I was not going to drop her."
"She was tipping dangerously, wasn't she Stefan?" Stefan looked put on the spot, green eyes bouncing between Bonnie and Damon. Damon rolled his eyes. "You're no fun, Stef. She was practically upside down, wasn't she, Nathan?"
"Yeah," the younger boy happily agreed, always eager to get on Damon's good side.
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "He doesn't count, Damon."
"Why don't I count?" Nathan shouted loudly and glared at her. The three older children shushed him again, not wanting to wake the baby upstairs.
"Though loud, he's right, why doesn't our dear brother Nathan opinion count?"
Bonnie crossed her arms and stood. "Because his opinion is your opinion. You've brainwashed him to think everything you think?"
Damon smiled. "You really believe that. I have the power of brainwashing others?"
Bonnie gave him a dry look. "Yeah, if they're seven."
(GR)
"The brownies are a dollar each and the cookies are fifty cents, Mrs. Further." Bonnie explained to the judgy eyed elder standing over the table filled with their mother's homemade sweets. Her mother sat behind her in a lawn chair nursing Jacob underneath a thin blanket. All around them were their church members, mostly women and children, taking part in one of their monthy bake sells. This was the first one her mother was taking part in and the other members didn't seem to have a lot of faith in her if how the other members were steering the visitors away from Abby's table.
"What type of cookies are these?" Mrs. Further asked, picking up one of the cookies wrapped in a small, clear bag. Her face one of disgust. "They don't seem done."
Bonnie bit her lip and pressed her hands into the table before her, fighting back the urge to say something rude. Her mother and herself had worked all night on these sweets at Guiseppe's request. She burned a couple of batches but in the end they all came out fine.
"I think that one is oatmeal raisin, Mrs. Further." She answered. "They're good, I tried one earlier myself."
The woman shook her head. "What would you know about baking, child?" The woman asked tossing the cooking back on the table before walking away with her head up in the air.
"Stupid old,"
"Don't finish that statement, Bonnie." Abby appeared beside her, a sleeping Jacob in her arms. Her mother gave her a stern look. "I got this, run along inside with your brothers and sister."
Bonnie frowned at her mother. She would rather stay outside considering Guisepee was inside the church at the moment and she hated being around him. "She was insulting you, mom." She waved her hand around at all of the others selling baked goods. "They're all insulting you behind your back." she said in frustration. "I heard Ms. Tunnel saying to a visitor not to go to your table."
Abby sighed, bouncing the baby when he began to squirm. "I can't have you out here with me, Bonnie, if you continue to try making trouble. Go on, now."
Bonnie huffed unhappily before spinning on her heels and marching into the church. The halls were empty and dark considering everyone else was outside. She hated being in the church by herself, it was too big and to dark at those times. The only light came in from small windows high on the ceiling.
She moved down the hall, her heart slightly faster then normal with unreasonable fear. She forced her legs to move faster in hopes of reaching the nursery where her siblings were as quickly as possible. She came to an abrupt halt and flinched until she realized the noise she had heard was just voices.
She frowned. The nursery was still on the other side of the church. She crept forward quietly until she came to an open door and peeked inside. Her eyes widened.
Inside the small office was Beth, the woman that made the announcements, and Guieseppe. The two were hugging, but it wasn't a normal friendly hug she was sure because Gueiseppe's hands were on the woman's behind. When her step-father kissed the woman on the neck, she knew it wasn't a friendly hug.
Before she could sneak away and pretend as if she had seen nothing, Guiseppe lifted his head from the woman's neck and caught sight of her. Bonnie quickly darted out of the doorway and started fast walking down the hall.
"Bonnie, come back here," she kept walking and was almost around the corner. "I know you heard me, girl, come back here, right now. We have to have a talk."
Bonnie came to a stop, her chest heaving. She hesitated a moment before turning around and watched as the large man stalked towards her.
"What did you see?" He asked once he was standing directly in front of her. He stared down at her, face blank.
Bonnie shook her head and took a step back from the man. "Nothing, I didn't hear anything, Father." She cringed at having to call him father, but her mother had told her it wasn't really a choice.
"Good, because I don't think you saw what it is you think you saw," he said. "And telling anyone what it is you saw when you're not sure you saw what it is you saw would be as good as telling a lie. We do not tell lies in this family, do we, Bonnie?"
Bonnie shook her head. "No," she answered in a small voice.
"You know what I do to liars, Bonnie. But this type of lie would be a big lie, so your punishment would be harsher, Bonnie. Do you understand me?" Bonnie nodded, feeling sick. "Good. Now, where were you going? Why are you sneaking around the hallways by yourself."
Bonnie bit her lip nervously. "I was going to the nursery, mom sent me in."
"Then go," he said, "I don't want to catch you wondering the halls aimlessly again, you here me?"
Bonnie quickly nodded again before scurrying away.