Chapter 11: Displacement

(FLASHBACK)

I sat silently in the backseat of the moving station wagon. My suitcase, filled with my few possessions, lay unmoving in the lap of my tail. I was 14 fish-years-old, and this was my 7th foster home.

I had never exactly been the ideal child, and was almost always picked by the foster homes as a last resort. I wasn't attractive, I wasn't an athlete, and I wasn't the most engaging fish around. Instead I was a scrawny, "nerd" of sorts who was also a recluse. After arriving at the 4th house, I'd stopped unpacking my bag. I'd simply count down the days until the couple would ship me on to the next home. I intended on repeating the process when I moved into this new house.

I looked up in the rearview mirror, hoping the driver wouldn't notice me inspecting them. She had wavy, pale green hair and soft peach-colored skin. She was a seahorse, like me, which was a first. She was also my new "mother". She glanced up in the mirror, spotting my staring eyes. I quickly looked away, embarrassed.

"How you doin' back there?" She asked.

I didn't respond, not exactly knowing what to say. I was nervous, tired, depressed, angry, and every other emotion in the book. How could I ever choose just one?

" You could at least tell me your name." She smirked.

"You first." I said.

"Ah ha! So he does speak! Well, my name is Anemone. You can call me Ann for short." She chuckled.

"That's quite a mouthful." I commented.

"It is, but it's a family name. Your turn!"

"…Daniel. My name's Daniel." I replied.

"Daniel, huh? You got a nickname? Danny, or something?"

"No, just Daniel."

"Alright then, Daniel. So, how many homes you been in?" Ann inquired.

"Er…6. This is my 7th." I answered.

"Is that so? That sounds tough." She commented.

I didn't reply.

"Hey, you can talk to me. Anything you say won't be held against you." She laughed.

"You don't have to pretend to like me." I said.

"I'm not pretending." She smiled.

"Bullshit," I snapped, "you're just going to send me back to the agency within a month! Just like all the others!"

"Well, with that attitude, I certainly would!" She replied.

"Then do it already! I'm tired of being kept in suspense; just ship me off to the next house like cargo!" I cried.

Suddenly Ann slammed on the breaks, and the car screeched to a halt. Being slammed against my seat knocked the water and the cynicism out of me. I unwillingly began to cry out of pure anger.

"Look, Daniel, I'm not exactly a fan of your obscene language, but I'm not gonna' send you back." Ann said, sounding a little sad.

I was shocked at how she continued to be nice, even after I had just acted like a complete ass.

"You have no idea what it's like. You foster home parents never do." I grumbled, continuing to be a jerk.

"Hey, you know something? I was a foster kid, too." She admitted.

"Huh? Really?" This was another first. Two in one day.

"I was in as many foster homes as you are years old."

"That's…that's a lot, I must admit." I said, wiping my eyes.

"Yep. So, I decided helping kids like you would be my life goal."

"Pretty bland goal." I muttered.

"I know you don't want to trust me yet; I get it. I just really want you to know that, once you get to my place, you're not going anywhere." She grinned.

"You mean, I'll be OK to stay for a bit? Maybe a few months?"

"Maybe until you graduate, silly."

"You're serious?" I asked.

"As the dropsy." She joked.

"Wait, how many other kids are there?" I wondered, trying not to let myself get carried away in my own excitement.

"Only about nine."

"How many will I be bunking with?"

"Just one other kid. Don't worry." She informed me.

"Only one? No fooling?"

"Mm'hm. Sounds good, eh?"

"Sounds…unbelievable." I said, truly not believing her.

"I guess you'll just have to see it to believe it."

"I suppose I will. I probably won't even get to stay long enough to enjoy it." I sighed.

"Hey, there's no need to be negative. You're staying, alright?" She assured me.

"If you say so, Anemone." I said.

"Please," she said, reaching back to pat my hand, "call me Ann."

(PRESENT)

"Mom!" I snorted, waking up from my doze.

I realized quickly that instead of being in a comfortable bed, I was asleep at my desk. A desk that was covered in ungraded papers.

"Urgh…" I groaned, looking up at the clock. It was 10:30 at night. My bed looked so inviting from where I was sitting.

'Maybe I'll grade these later.' I thought.

I scooped up all the papers off my desk and shoved them into my bag, then flipped off my desk light. I tiredly slipped off my shirt and slipped on my night tee. I was just about to take off my glasses when the phone rang.

"Oh fish sticks! Who is calling me at ten pm?" I cried.

'Who calls you at all?' My mind asked.

"Shut up, thoughts." I voiced, feeling pleased I was alone.

I snatched the phone off of the receiver, and clapped it to my head.

"Hello?" I growled.

"Daniel? Is that you?" A very feminine voice asked.

"Mom?" I asked, still in my dream stupor.

"What? No Baldwin, it's Marlene!" Marlene snapped.

"Great. What do YOU want?" I asked, slightly disappointed it wasn't my mother.

"Is it true you're still…pregnant?" She asked.

"I think the bump under my shirt proves that to be a 'yes'." I sighed, tapping my stomach.

"I knew you wouldn't do it. You never go through with anything!" She responded. I knew she was rolling her eyes.

" I came close to it." I grumbled.

"So if you're still pregnant, when are you due?"

"Well, I'm five weeks right now, so…four weeks, I think." I replied, counting on my fingers.

"Really?"

"Mm'hm. Hope you're ready for this kid." I muttered.

"Dan, about that. I think we need to talk; maybe face to face?"

"More talking? Can't you just show up when the kid arrives and I just hand it over to you?" I groaned.

"Daniel, we really need to have a discussion. Soon, or maybe even now." Marlene said.

"It's really late, Marlene." I muttered.

"How about dinner tomorrow then?"

"Aren't you wanting to have dinner with your fiancé?" I asked, irritated.

"He's working late tomorrow. So dinner at the Hokey Poke then?" She offered.

"Well, I don't have morning sickness anymore. I guess I could suffer through one meal with you." I said.

"I really appreciate it." She said.

"You know you're paying, right?"

"Whatever you say, Dan."

"See ya'." I said.

"Wouldn't wanna' be ya'." She finished, her line clicking off.

I hung up the phone, and exhaustedly swam back over to my bed. I gratefully sunk down under the covers and tossed my glasses onto the bedside table. My head hit the pillow and I waited tiredly for sleep to come. I felt the beginnings of rest start to hit me when I felt a strange fluttering on my stomach.

Irritated, I pulled off the covers to make sure it wasn't some sort of parasites in my sheets. I found nothing of the kind, but the fluttery feeling remained. It took me a moment to realize that the feeling was coming from inside my stomach.

"What the-?" I muttered, staring at my belly.

I cautiously pressed my hand against the side of my bump. Almost immediately, something pushed back. After a moment of sheer confusion and near panic, it finally dawned on me that it was the baby. I breathed a sigh of relief, but I was still irritated as she continued to squirm and punch.

"Great," I groaned to the fetus, "you move now. Lovely."

I collapsed back on the bed. This was going to be a long four weeks.