Chapter 4

As Callie walked back to their new foster home, Jude safely in tow along with the others, it occurred to her that it was the cleanest place they'd ever been at. In fact, this was probably the nicest neighbourhood they'd lived in, with the swankiest of schools to boot.

She had thought for sure she wouldn't get in after the placement exam. It'd been that hard. But by some miracle she had and Jude had too, and now they were at a school on a beach. One she fully planned on exploring during the day when there were no crowds so she could enjoy it.

Lost in thought, she didn't realize they had arrived until they were crowded around the front door. Remembering that as the oldest two she and Brandon were keyholders, she shoved her hands in her pockets for her copy. It was another privilege she didn't take for granted. While it was nice they didn't have to wait around to be let in, getting a key wasn't always a good thing either. In the past, unlimited freedom to come and go had meant she and Jude being left to fend for themselves. Although, depending on who their foster parents had been, that reprieve was welcome.

Callie liked that they sometimes walked together to and from campus so she could check out her new stomping grounds. Mostly, they would get a ride with Lena because she worked there. Today, however, her foster mom had to stay for a late meeting. They were to go straight home and start on their homework right away.

Too slow, Brandon beat her to it and unlocked the door. The last one in, she kicked off her sneakers and put them into the hallway closet before locking up.

"What?" she said when she turned around and saw Brandon and Mariana gaping at her.

"You don't have to do that. Mom's gonna be home soon," the younger girl said.

Callie rolled her eyes at the hand on Mariana's hip; she looked just about as obnoxious as she sounded. "Didn't your Mama teach you about home invasions and petty crime? She's a cop," she enunciated, itching to tell her off even more when the girl scoffed. All those years of living the good life had obviously gotten to her head.

"First of all, that's Mom. Secondly, we live in Pacific Beach," Mariana shot back. "If you haven't noticed, stuff like that doesn't happen around here. Maybe where you came from..."

"Yeah, well it doesn't mean stuff like that can't," Callie said, engaging the deadbolt the whole way until it clicked. She was responsible and would look out for them whether they appreciated it or not. She wasn't going to let anyone get hurt because of some naive stuck up kids who didn't have safety awareness.

Noticing the younger girl's shoes strewn in front of the closet, she picked them up and tossed them in the closet. "You're welcome." She could've sworn she was going to smack someone when Mariana rolled her eyes and Brandon started snickering.

Sensing the tension between them, Jesús piped up to mediate. "It's true. Mom always says to lock the door when we're home alone. Callie's just trying to help, Mari. You don't gotta give her a hard time bout it."

"Whatever. You guys are paranoid," his sister rebuffed before spinning on her heel to walk away.

Callie stared at Jesus. They hadn't spent much time together but so far he had been the nicest to her and Jude. Brandon and Mariana, though polite enough, could be kinda mean. "Thanks," she mumbled.

"No worries. I dunno why she gets like that," he said about his twin, "but you can always tell me and I can talk to her."

"Thanks, but I can hold my own."

Jesus shrugged. "Yeah. But just because you can doesn't mean you should." He grinned at her before they parted ways. "See ya, Callie."

"Later."

In the family room, Callie let out a breath. There was no door but it was quiet and private enough, and she had the couch to herself except for the few hours Jude would come in at night. She cursed when, in the process of slinging off her backpack for her stuff, a seam popped. Just as she was about to check out the newest rip, the bouquet on the coffee table caught her attention. It hadn't been there that morning. Nestled in the flowers was a little card with her name on it, and beside that a paper bag with tissue paper poking out the top. Curiosity getting the best of her, she peered inside and saw the item. The tags were still on, telling her it was brand new. Uncertain about what she was supposed to do, she told herself to leave it alone and grabbed her binder. Lena's instructions had been to start on their work.

In her rush, she nearly barrelled into Stef upon rounding the corner. "Sorry, didn't hear you," she mumbled, sidestepping to get out of the way. She prepared herself for the verbal assault for not being more careful and not watching, but none came.

"That's alright. Nothing to apologize for," Stef assured. Two more bodies around meant more foot traffic to get used to in the house. "Oh, hey. Hey, I was meaning to ask you this morning but forgot. How is your finger doing?" Callie had come to them with staph infections in both her thumb and index fingers that had been left untreated for some time. Draining and drying it out had helped but she and Lena were still trying to check it every day, as long as Callie would allow them to.

"Good."

"We'll take a quick look later, okay?"

"Okay. Later," Callie said as agreeably as she could. A quick look meant squeezing and disinfecting with stuff that stung. But although she hated it she didn't know them enough to refuse.

"How was school?" Stef asked, moving on in an attempt to continue their conversation. Anchor Beach had granted both kids a graduated entry; today had been their first full day.

"Okay," Callie replied, fidgeting. She didn't like being stuck in a cramped hallway with the police. Stef's gun and baton and what she assumed was her taser were in her belt, and she felt faint thinking about it.

"Just okay? Didn't you have some new classes?"

The girl nodded. "Math and Science 8."

"Both very important. Though maybe less exciting," Stef sympathized, seeing the girl was less than enthused.

"Thank you for the present," Callie blurted out, still in shock that they'd gotten her one. With flowers! While she didn't feel right accepting something from people she didn't know, she wanted to show her appreciation.

"You're very welcome, love. Hope you like it and get good use out of it."

Callie nodded. "I do, it's really pretty. Thank you."

"Lena and I are so sorry we missed your birthday. Is it alright to have a bit of a party? We'd love to, if that would be okay with you."

Party? "Uhm. Okay." Feeling awkward, she shifted in place. "What—what do you need me to do?"

"Absolutely nothing. For all intents and purposes, It's your birthday today." Seeing Callie become increasingly uncomfortable, she let her go. "Get started on your homework. Pizza will be here soon."

Callie stared. Pizza?

Half an hour flew by. As usual, homework around the kitchen table was noisy and filled with constant fighting over personal space. She hated it. Someone always had her eraser and everyone talked over one another, making it hard to think. When food came, there was a mad rush to clear the table and replace it with plates, cups, and napkins. She understood why once she had that first bite. It was the best she'd ever had, with cherry 7Up and chips and popcorn chicken—none of which she thought Lena allowed. She had eaten more in one sitting than she had in awhile, and she couldn't help but feel proud of herself when she realized Stef and Lena were so happy because of it. Then the cake came with candles and they sang while she sat there awkwardly. Lena kept apologizing it wasn't homemade but Callie hadn't expected one, let alone one that was homemade. A cake was a cake, and she'd rather she had one than none at all. When it was all over, she got up to do her part in clean up but was sent off. In a daze, she went to shower.

When she got back, a card had been left for her on her pillow. At first she had hesitated to open it but was glad when she finally did; inside were birthday messages from everyone, including Jude, filling it from corner to corner. Mind abuzz over what had take place, Callie could barely focus on the rest of her homework.

She'd actually belonged.

The women weren't surprised to find Callie asleep at the coffee table when they came to tuck her in. All of the activity had worn her out.

"Callieee. Honey," Stef called, trying to rouse her. After Jude's reaction to getting too close the night before, she knew better than to tap her on the arm like she would with the others. When that failed, she and Lena busied themselves picking up, drawing the curtains closed, and making Callie's bed.

The noise eventually brought the girl out of her slumber, and bleary eyes followed them around the room "Get what you needed to get done?" Stef asked. The worksheet Callie had been working only had writing partway down.

"Yup," Callie automatically replied. Unlucky for her, that worksheet was due tomorrow but there was no way her foster mothers would know that. Not wanting them to get nosy, she shut her binder. It'd be no problem to finish it off in the morning. Still used to a 6:00 AM start from when she was in juvie, her body would wake at that time. At many foster homes, they also had to be up and out of there early so they would arrive at school in time for hot breakfast.

"It's alright if you didn't," Lena said as she exchanged a knowing look with Stef. The hasty denial had been telling, but other than making sure it got done, it wasn't too much a concern for them—especially since festivities had cut into the kids' homework time. Homework took precedent on most days, but always came second to time with family.

Callie's gaze flicked up to meet hers. "No, it's finished."

Realizing the girl wasn't going to be forthcoming, Lena went along with it. The day deserved to end on a high note. "Alright. We'll check it off in your agenda first thing tomorrow." She wouldn't belabour the point, but wanted to make it clear they kept tabs on anything that had to do with school and that open communication was valued.

"Sorry we tired you out. But really, you got the condensed version," Stef quipped, winking at Callie. "Birthdays are usually bigger than this if you can believe it, but someone didn't tell us."

Callie gave her a shy smile before looking away. "Sorry…"

"Stef is just teasing, sweetheart. There is absolutely nothing to be sorry about," Lena reassured. "We feel awful for missing your birthday," she said honestly, still struggling with her guilt.

"It's really not a big deal," Callie told her foster mother. Tonight had brought comfort in its familiarity but she couldn't get used to this.

"Honey, of course it's a big deal," Stef affirmed in the same way she had with Jude. She could tell Callie was growing uncomfortable with the direction in which their conversation was heading. "You only turn thirteen once. It's important to celebrate these milestones."

Callie frowned. That stuff stopped being important when her mom died. "Why?" She really had to know why it was important.

"Because...it marks the end of a year and the beginning of a new one," Stef suggested gently. "It's a way to honor all the successes that came with it and all the ways in which you grew, and all to look forward to in the year to come." She was well aware that she was speaking from a position of privilege. "I know you probably didn't always get a party every year," she acknowledged before being suddenly cut off.

"You don't know anything about me," Callie scoffed, bristling at the forwardness with which her foster mother was judging.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say I know what things are like for you," Stef said immediately, trying to de-escalate. She wasn't new to working with youth. In the life skills groups she was sometimes assigned to run at the precinct, she'd learned quickly that an assertion of 'you don't know me' translated into one that she didn't know what it was like to be in their shoes.

Her attendees were right, of course. She didn't. It was always best for rapport to acknowledge that truth, right off the bat.

As brief as the moment of conflict was, that her foster kid had let her guard down gave her hope for their ability to form a bond. This was the first peek at the embers of Callie's fiery personality that'd been temporarily dampened due to uncertainty over her new surroundings. It'd only be a matter of time before their foster daughter would be comfortable enough to be herself. "I do get the sense that you've lived, Callie. Much more than most thirteen year olds I've met. And that that had to have come at the expense of some of this stuff," she went on, waiting to see how the olive branch would be received. Callie stared at her a little longer this time before breaking eye contact.

Just like that, some understanding and respect had been gained.

"Yeah. Something like that," Callie mumbled, lifting one shoulder in an unenthusiastic shrug. She was slightly annoyed with herself for agreeing with the cop.

Lena held the blanket up so Callie could climb in without shifting the sleeping pad around too much. It was almost lights out. It was then she noticed their present tucked behind one side of the couch, its wrapping untouched. "Oh, sweetheart. You didn't even get to open your present."

Taken by surprise at the regretful tone behind those words, Callie's guilt bubbled. "Mm, I was gonna but then I thought maybe I should save it. 'Cause you know, mine still has lots of life left in it," she explained. To be honest, she was touched that they'd gotten her something and grateful for an item she both needed and wanted. But in her experience, foster parents usually didn't do gifts; when they did, things were often only theirs for as long as they were allowed to stay. Once they had to move on, what had been given needed to be returned. There was no point in getting attached. The other reason Callie wanted to keep the bag in mint condition was purely practical. In the event she'd need money, it'd be easier to sell if it was brand new.

"That sounds like a very responsible idea," Lena agreed, not wanting to push.

"Almost too responsible," Stef piped up.

"Stef. It's up to Callie when she wants to open it," Lena established. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the beginnings of a smile creep across her foster daughter's face—presumably at Stef being told off.

Now it was Stef's turn to frown. She had not spent her breaks running around to fill this bag, only to have its treasures go undiscovered. "But how will you know if you'll like it or if it will even work for you if you don't at least check things out?" she protested. Selfishly, she wanted to see Callie's reaction. "Or what if the day comes you need it but it turns out there aren't enough pockets for all your pens and pencils and calculator. Then what?"

"I don't have a calculator," Callie informed her. "That's dorky."

"You don't have one now, but once you have space for one—believe me, you'll have a calculator in there. And more! Maybe a protractor." Her playful enthusiasm eventually won the girl over and Callie sat up—much to Lena's ire.

"Stef," Lena mouthed, displeased at her wife for undoing her efforts to have Callie get enough sleep. Stef grinned, sheepish but far from apologetic.

"What? It's her birthday."

Callie giggled at their exchange. As intimidating as Stef was, she was acting like a silly kid right now.

Not long after, the present was set on her lap. She wasn't sure she could do this without getting too attached but it was too late to back out. Plus, a part of her very much wanted to open it. Eventually, she pulled out the tissue paper, filled with awe and gratitude when she caught a glimpse of the whole thing.

"Thank you...this is so nice," she gasped. The nylon fabric was the perfect shade of lilac, contrasted by a brown suede base and matching zipper pulls. Unzipping revealed white fabric printed with tiny blue whales. The backpack was heavier than she'd expected and the reason for that made sense when it hit her that the bag was filled. Feeling like she couldn't accept the gift again, she closed it up and tried to explain as much. "I—I—thank you. But I can't take all of this from you, it's a lot."

Lena gave a sympathetic smile. "You're not taking anything from us that we're not choosing to give you. It's yours, honey. Some of it are things you might need and others we hope will make your stay more comfortable." In the end, she and Stef couldn't agree, so some extras had been thrown in last minute.

Callie fiddled with her fingers. "You didn't have to do that. I don't deserve any of this," she said, worried that they'd think she was being ungrateful.

"We didn't have to but we wanted to," Stef replied. She sensed a few things behind the remarks. "And that's not true, sweetheart. Your happiness, as well as having your needs met is important to us. You're very deserving of both." Callie had moved around a lot and that probably meant a great deal of loss.

"Can we look at your gift together?" She was determined to turn this into an opportunity for Callie to have a normal childhood experience, and hopeful that engaging with her over the present would do just that.

Callie obliged her suggestion. Stef looked like she was looking forward to it and she didn't want to let her down.

"Alright!" Stef said excitedly. She made herself comfy on the coffee table as both Lena and Callie looked at her warily. "May I?" she asked before taking the backpack. Laying it flat and unzipping the main compartment again, she took things out one at a time, heart warming at how awestruck her foster daughter was. "Okay, Miss Callie. Here we have some socks...hair ties...a t-shirt...and a new comb."

"I know you already have a brush, but a comb might be better for those beautiful waves," Lena said. She had previously found Callie struggling to pull the hairbrush through tangles before giving up. Her offer to assist had been declined, with her foster daughter insisting she'd gotten it all out even though mats had still been visible from the back. One day, Lena hoped to be allowed to help. For now, she would offer the right supplies. Growing up, it was a rule of thumb her mom had always referred to: combs were kinder to curly hair. Brushes turned curls into a frizz factory.

Callie nodded politely. She didn't care about her hair as much as Stef and Lena did, but she was curious about what else they'd thought of and was looking forward to the rest. She broke into a smile when her foster mother dug out another t-shirt. This one had piano keys printed up the side. "That's cool!"

"Thought you might like that," Stef said. "Buy one get one fifty off," she told her disapproving wife before continuing to rummage. Finding the clear pencil case she had filled with fruit-shaped erasers and gel pens, she held it up. Callie didn't have one and was always searching for a writing utensil. "For school. And art."

"Thanks," Callie said. That was a nice thought, too.

She was far less enthused when Stef handed her a paper canister. On it was a print of a girl wearing a birthday hat, blowing up a balloon. She gave it to Lena who seemed like she knew what it was all about.

"You found it!" Lena said to Stef as she popped the lid off. The set was called Birthday Girl and the same as what they had purchased for Mariana. While she didn't feel great about bubble baths in general due to the risk of UTI, the fact that it also doubled as a shampoo would make it easier on Callie's routine. They would have her rinse off afterwards.

Callie avoided rolling her eyes as Lena pointed out the cake-scented bath goop. Judging by how particular her foster mothers were about showering, she had a feeling it'd be harder for some of her habits to fly under the radar. She was neither a bath or shower person, preferring to be in and out quickly.

"I did. The line up at that store was awful, though. I don't know how you're able to shop there." Unlike her wife, Stef didn't think Callie would use this but the purchase was pretty low risk given that Mariana would. Their daughter was going through a phase where she was hyperfocused on her body. The girls were night and day.

Wanting to give Callie something a little more exciting, Stef pulled out a pack of silicone no-tie shoelaces. Callie was a shoe masher: instead of untying her laces, she would stand there and wiggle her feet until she could get them into her shoes. This had done a number on the heels of her sneakers. "What's that?" the girl asked. Interest was captured!

"Shoelaces that stretch so you don't have to tie and untie them," she said, winking.

"Oh, coool!"

"They are pretty neat, if I do say so myself." Hunting around some more, she pulled out snacks she had successfully acquired from the vending machine at work: twizzlers, Cheez Its, caramel popcorn, and dunk-a-roos. She held them up to her ears, thrilled with Callie's bright expression.

Lena, on the other hand, was staring daggers. "Stef!" she scolded, only to be met with a pair of mischievous grins.

"I have some healthier options here, don't worry," the cop replied, locating the granola bars and juice pouches and showing Lena. "See?"

"Mhm. Nice save."

Poking fun, Stef pointed at her wife as she spoke to Callie. "I see that she is not all pleased," she remarked as their foster daughter cracked up. She was loving this affect their exchange was having on Callie, bringing to the forefront a side of her they hadn't seen before. Callie was normally shy and quiet—at least around them.

She turned back to Lena. "Thank you. Which reminds me, I saved the best for last." She held up a finger before searching for the box. "Wait for it…" It emerged, slightly squished.

"Seriously? Lucky Charms bars?" Lena said incredulously, horrified at the sugar content.

"What? They're magically delicious. And it's her birthday!"

Callie grinned from ear-to-ear as Stef tossed the marshmallow goodness in her direction. She caught it, hugging it to her chest away from her other, disapproving foster mother. "You're after me Lucky Charms!" she told Lena.

Exasperated, Lena gestured at the 'food' they were referring to. "Believe me, I am not. But you are not going to be allowed to eat all of this at once, sweetheart," she established.

"But it's my birthday!" Callie parroted cheekily.

Lena raised her eyebrows at the perfect replica of Stef. "You didn't mention any of this before," she said, directing her comment to her wife.

"You okayed snacks. And I said I'd get some granola bars, not that I would only get granola bars," Stef replied.

"Clearly," Lena said, unimpressed. "Finish up, please. It's getting late."

"Alright, alright. What else do we have here?" Leaning in towards Callie, she put a hand up to her mouth as if to indicate this was between them only. "If you explore all the pockets you might find a gift card in there to a certain establishment that starts with an upside down W," she whispered loudly.

Callie sat bolt upright. "MICKEY DS?!" Lena was gonna lose her shit. Not at her but at Stef!

"STEF!" Lena snapped in annoyance.

Stef cringed sheepishly. Unlike the snacks, she had explicitly agreed upon not including McDonalds. "Mistakes were made," she conceded, "but I'm only a little sorry." She pointed at Callie. "Because she might get hungry."

"I might get hungry," Callie copied, nodding.

Suppressing a smile, Lena swiped the backpack from Stef. She knew exactly what her wife was doing by teaming up with Callie against her—bridging the gap between them. And it was working. Callie was giving them a glimpse of what she was like when her guard was down.

"Not by yourself," Lena said firmly. The closest Golden Arches was a drive away.

"Okay."

Finding what she'd been searching for, Lena handed her the zippered fabric pouch. "You might need these," was all she said of the supplies. "Refills under all three bathroom sinks; no need to ask, just help yourself." She didn't want Callie to go without.

"Thanks for another pencil case!" Callie couldn't figure out why this one was way smaller and why she'd been given two. Opening it, she peered inside at the plastic squares before noticing the other things. "What's with the paper bullets?" she asked, grabbing one for a closer look.

Lena was hard pressed to keep a straight face at the innocent confusion, and even more so when Callie took aim and launched it at Stef. Her wife, who was left speechless, sat there with her mouth agape. "Honey, they're tampons," she said quickly to save Callie from further embarrassment.

Callie held her hands up, dropping the pouch as if was offensive. "Ohh. I don't need that stuff yet," she said, cheeks burning.

Reaching in, Lena pulled out The Care and Keeping of You. She had gathered that Callie was a bit of a late bloomer but had also expected puberty to be starting. Now she was glad she had insisted on the book. Also there were copies of the Hunger Games trilogy and The Giver.

"Reading is educational," Stef said with guilt. She was running out of excuses for getting carried away. "You read a lot so I thought you might appreciate having more options," she said to Callie, who was staring at everything piled onto the coffee table and her lap.

"You okay there?"

Callie nodded. "Yeah. Thanks so much. This is like, the best present—I mean, presents, ever." Reflecting on the whole evening, it hit her that she hadn't had a birthday party like this since her Mom was around. She frowned, feeling like those memories were foggy now. Soon, she'd be alive more years than the time she'd had with her and that was a scary thought. It was weird not having her around. Mouth like cotton, she cleared her throat. "I really appreciate you going out of your way to do what you did for me today."

"You're very welcome, but listen." Thinking through her response, Stef gathered items on top of Callie's new pack. "Look at me," she said, leaning in as she waited for the girl's full attention. Intimidated, Callie recoiled into the cushions. "Hear me when I say this, Callie, that none of this was out of the way at all. Lena and I were more than happy to celebrate your birthday. We would not have had it any other way." Right on cue and as per family tradition, Lena walked over to place Callie's birthday card on the fireplace mantle. As long as Callie was living with them, they considered her as one of their own.

Satisfied she'd gotten her point across, Stef patted the couch. "Time to pack it in for the night, kiddo. School tomorrow." She watched fondly as Lena tucked the blanket up and around Callie's shoulders once she had laid down. "All good?" she asked before flicking off the lamp. The hallway light coming in allowed just enough illumination for her to see the smile on the child's face.

The affirmation came easily. "All good."

"Alrighty. Sleep well, birthday girl. We'll see you in the morning."