Jude POV

I was laying on my stomach on the bed, the pillow squished underneath my head. It was too painful to sit or to just walk around. The welts on my upper thighs and bottom hurt. It felt as though pants were too heavy and pressed on the skin too hard where the belt had left it's marks. Sleeping helps, it's the only time I forget about the pain. The dreams allow me to live in a world where Callie and I together, our mom is alive, and dad isn't an alcoholic, and everyone is happy.

Hearing the light and fast footsteps that belonged to Oliver coming down the hallway, I raised my head up and looked at the doors. Oliver stopped at the doorway. His fingers fidgeted. He couldn't look me in the eye for too long.

"Do you need anything?" He asked, still full of remorse even after we had talked about it. Oliver still felt very much guilty about what had happened. We talked about it, I told him he doesn't need to apologize, I told him that I cared about him and I would do it again if it came to it, I told him it was okay, we hugged it out, he cried on my shoulder, I consoled him, but still, the young boy wasn't convinced that I didn't hold a grudge against him for what happened. He comes to check up on me almost hourly.

"I'm okay," I assured him with a small smile "You can go back outside and play." With play I mean sit on the porch and stare at the street, watching other people live their lives.

"You sure?" he stammered back

"Yeah, I'm…I'm good," I replied "Thanks for checking up on me." If it was Callie in my position, but I was in Oliver's, this would be the time, when I would crawl up on the bed next to Callie, lay beside her and cuddle with her for couple of minutes. Sometimes we would fall asleep next to each other in each others embrace and comfort.

Oliver quickly hurried towards me and gave me a quick, one sided, slightly awkard hug before telling me again "I'm sorry." I patted his forearm gently before giving it a soft squeeze, telling him again, that's okay. After the hug, Oliver hurried out of the room.

Once he left, I reached for my phone Lena had given me, which I had hid in my pillow case. Holding it in my right, I opened the messages. While my eyes were on the screen, I was listening closely to everything that happened around me. If I heard any noise that would suggest someone was coming inside the room, I would hide the phone in my pillow case.

Reading the small, sweet messages Lena or Stef had sent me made me forget that I was in pain. In fact, reading those messages made me smile. I hadn't received one today, which made me a little bit sad and for a brief moment, I wondered if Lena grew tired of it.

My trail of thoughts were interrupted by a knocking sound on the front doors. What followed were some annoyed mumbles coming from the living room, where Kathy and Benjammin were. Not wanting to risk it, I hit the phone in the pillow case and laid my head down on the pillow, face turned away from the doors. With one ear, I continued to listen to the indistinct chatter, while I stared at the closest wall. I couldn't understand what was going on, but it sounded as if one party was not happy about what was happening. I closed my eyes once I heard footsteps coming towards the room. It felt safer to pretend that I was asleep.

I heard a soft knock on the doors, even though they were left open by Oliver once he left. Neither Kathy, nor Benjammin ever knocked, they barged in, but Byron, Kyle and Oliver had no reason to knock, it was their room as well.

My body was stiff, I held my breath and my eyes were squeezed shut as I listened to someone walking up to my room. The bed shifted, when the person sat down on the side of the bed making the bed shift slightly.

"Jude," I heard a whisper, but then a hand stroked my hair gently

It can't be - I thought to myself before my eyes snapped open. I turned my head to the other side as I pressed up from the bed with my hands.

"Lena?" I asked in disbelief, not believing my eyes. Lena being here seemed more likely to happen in a dream, not in real life.

"Hey," she placed her arm on my upper arm and softly ran it down then back up

I wrapped my arms around her neck. Lena's wild, curly hair tickled my neck. Squeezing my eyes shut, I fully embraced the hug. It was only when I leaned out of the hug, I noticed Stef standing in the doorway, smiling at us.

"What are you doing here?" I asked looking back at Lena

Lena placed her palm on my cheek "We're taking you to our home…your new home."

Callie POV

I was sitting on the bench out on the front porch. Waiting. Staring at the street. Listening to the life around me - birds, cars, wind, faint chatter, cats meowing from the alley behind the house. Counting the cars that go by. Watching how the clouds change forms. Thinking up a life story for the people, who walk by the house. Nursing the now empty cup of coffee in my hands, because I was afraid if I go back in the house, I would miss Jude. And I did not want to miss Jude.

Stef and Lena were gone for a very long time. It seemed strange, because whenever I think back to the time when we were in foster care and being relocated to a new foster home, it usually didn't take up much time. Our case worker came, not more than 10 minutes were spent on packing and then we were off. No time was spent on goodbye's. Case worker was not there to chit chat over tea. They had a job to do and they all wanted to get it done was fast as possible, because they have 50 other cases on their hands that they need to deal with.

When the black SUV appeared on the street, I stood up, setting the coffee cup down on the bench for now. Lena smiled at me through the window as the car pulled up in the driveway. By the time the engine stopped completely, I was already walking down the stairs on the porch. Lena climbed out. Stef climbed out. Only then the back doors of the driver side opened up.

I was standing in the middle of the lawn, when Jude finally walked around the back of the car. My brain started to put the things that I saw together, piece by piece. He seemed slow. I know him…I know his smile. Jude's smile hid pain. I noticed him wince in pain with each step he took. Lena and Stef's worried look didn't go unnoticed as well. Stef was carrying his bag. Jude was hurt. They hurt him.

But whatever had happened to him, could wait. It can wait till he gets in the house. It can wait till after the hug.

Instead of waiting meeting in the half way, I hurried to him. Pulling him in a tight hug, wrapping my arms around him, while he buried his head in my shoulder. It was a long hug. Neither one wanted to let go. Words could not describe how happy I was to have my brother back.

"Are you okay?" I asked, leaning out of the hug, cupping his cheeks with my hands, gazing deep into his eyes. We stood so close, our forehead nearly touched.

Jude nodded as he put his hands on my upper arms "I will be."

With tears in my eyes, I pulled him towards me once again. Jude held on to me, his arms around my waist. One of my hand was wrapped around his shoulder, with other I stroking his hair as he rested his head on my shoulder again.

I was watching him sleep from the doorway, thinking about what he told me had happened to him. The worst part was that I remember exactly what the pain from a belt felt like. I remember it like it happened yesterday. I know, how the welts on his body look without him showing them to me, because I have had the same exact welts. I know how they look, I know how sensitive the skin is to touch. My blood boiled in anger for what Jude had to go through.

I was angry at the foster parents, who did it.

I was angry at the foster kid, who Jude had to protect.

I was angry at his other foster brothers, who let it happen.

I was angry at the CPS, for putting him there.

I was angry at our father, who is the main reason he was even there.

I was angry at Stef and Lena, for not getting him out of there in time.

I was angry at the universe, because it is not fair that we were dealt this kind of life.

But mostly, I was angry at myself, because I wasn't there to protect him.

For years, I was protecting him from that kind of stuff. Doing everything in my power so he doesn't have to experience physical abuse. And now, now he went and protected his younger foster brother. Someone, who he barely knew. It feels as if, all that I did - I did for nothing. Because in the end, Jude got hurt and I was not there.

What he did was right, it was courageous. It was also stupid, incredibly stupid and I hated that he put his neck on the line in order to protect his younger forester brother. But I was so damn proud of what he did, so I could not possibly stay upset about it for long.

It felt as if he had grown up and graduated from being a child.

I closed the bedroom doors and walked down to the living room. Stef and Lena were watching the news. Jesus was there as well, but unlike his moms, he was busy with his phone. He was texting someone constantly. I kind of felt bad for him, because he was the one who had to share his room with Jude. He didn't seem to mind now, but I had a feeling he was not so supporting when his moms talked to him about it the first time.

"I'm going to go for a walk," I let Stef and Lena know, before walking over to the hallway to get my shoes

"Going anywhere specific?" Stef asked, when she appeared in the doorway the next moment

"Just around the block. I need to clear my head." I replied slipping my right foot into my sneaker

"Do you want company?" Stef offered, I could tell she was ready to go if I agree

"No, thanks. I kind of want to be alone for a while." I answered standing up tall

"Okay,' she nodded "But don't stay out too long, okay? It's starting to get dark." The worry in her voice did not go unnoticed by me

"Sure," I smiled back, at this point, I had no intention of wandering the streets for long. I simply wanted to stretch my legs, breath the fresh air, clear my thoughts. That's the reason I had left my phone in the house. All I wanted was to be alone for a while. These last few days have been a lot to handle, so much happened. I needed time to process it.

But somehow, I ended up standing in front of my childhood home just shortly after it had gotten dark. Knowing that the front doors were locked, I made my way around the house. My bedroom window was at the right side of the house, same was the window in Jude's room, facing the neighbors house on the right.

I pressed my hands and forehead to Jude's window. If I concentrated hard enough and squinted my eyes just the right way, I could tell things apart in Jude's room. His bed, the desk, pile of comics that stood on the floor. A moment later, I moved on to the window to my room. I peaked in the same with I did with Jude's room.

I needed to get inside there. I wanted to grab some more stuff from my and Jude's room.

I took a step back and looked around the yard, looking for something I could break the window in my room. My eyes stopped at the silly garden gnome by the flower bed. Dad bought it, after I won't stop talking about it while we were in the store. Mom found a place for it, next to the flower bed she had just made. The Sun had drained colour from it. It used to have red hat, blue shirt and green pants, but now it was all white-ish, grey-ish. Neighborhood dogs pee on it, birds sit on it, it has been kicked over multiple times.

Figuring the gnome would do the trick, I went to pick it up.

Walking back up to the window, I took off my sweater with the thought that if I press the fabric to the window, when I smash it with the gnome, it would make less noise and not alert as much unwanted attention. I wouldn't call this breaking in, because this was my home, but still, other people might seem to think different. Especially cops. So I wanted to avoid getting caught.

With the sweater in one hand, gnome in other, I took a step closer to the window, getting ready. I glanced to the street and the homes near by to see if anyone is there. When I was convinced that no one was looking, I pressed the sweater to the window.

I took a deep breath in, trying to calm down my fast beating heart.

To balance myself better, I moved my left leg slightly in front of my right.

Raised my hand up and moved my arm back, ready to swing the gnome at the window.

Turned my head a bit away from the window, worried that shards of glass might hurt me.

And held my breath as I was about to do it.

But my blood ran cold at the sudden noise just by the house. Someone was there! I'm going to get caught.

"Run! Run you fool!" My brain was yelling at me, but I was frozen completely out of fear "At least drop the fucking gnome, you idiot!" But all I managed to do, was lower the gnome down and keep it hidden behind my leg

When I heard someone angrily smacking against the front doors repeatedly with a palm, the fear started to fade slowly. Like the dumb characters in all of the horror movies, I started to move towards the sound not walking away.

"Who dares to break into my home? No one is allowed to do that beside me!" I thought to myself as I sneaked closer

When pummeling the doors with a fist didn't work, whoever it was, started to pull on the doors, trying to open them. The next bang was so loud, it sounded like the doors were kicked with a foot.

I reached the corner of the house just in time for me to witness, my drunk father falling flat on his ass after he lost his balance "This is my home…you have no fucking right to keep me out of it!" he yelled at the air

I stood silent by the corner and kept watching, how he struggled to get up to his feet and walked back to the doors, resuming to smack his hand at the doors angrily "Callie…open up!" I flinched at the shrill sound. But I don't think he saw me standing there. He hasn't looked at me. Dad thinks I'm locking him out of the house.

Donald pressed his forehead to the doors after he stopped pounding at the locked doors "Jude!" his voice was much more quiet, much softer "…I know you are in there…open the doors! Come on, bud, please…it's me!" Donald pleaded

I wrestled with myself as to what I should do. After what Stef told me, after learning that Donald was done with us, I wanted to be done with him as well. I never wanted to see him again. I hated him and I had never hated someone so intensely in my whole life. All the pain that he has caused, it resurfaced - all the nights he left us alone, all the times he ignored us, all the nights he came stumbling through those doors drunk, him being responsible for killing mom, him walking away from us - made me want to scream at him: why...why are you doing this to us?

I should be walking away and never look back. I should be leaving him the same way he left us, without saying a single word. I should not be spending any more time and energy on him, because he hasn't given a damn about us.

They say, you should cut toxic people like him out of your life, so you could spend time with people who are worth your time. Jude, for example. I should be with Jude right now. I should be there when he wakes up.

Yet here I am.

Walking up to him and helping him get back home safe so he doesn't hurt himself. Not being able to walk away.