So, if you've read any of my 3 other stories, I've said that I've always tried to stay away from writing some 80 chapter epic. Oh well. It wont be 80 chapters, I'm aiming for maybe 25-30.

My other stories aren't dead. I promise. I'm still writing them, just at about a sentence or two at a time.

I own nothing. Enjoy.

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"I don't even understand why I'm here." Mark said standing at the end of the driveway, refusing to follow the social worker.

"We don't feel that you're safe in your own home, and we're placing you here pending an investigation."

"My father did not hit me! I-I fell down the stairs. The basement stairs! And, the wall at the bottom is made of concrete and I hit the wall."

"You told the nurse that your father did it."

"I never said that."

"So she was lying?"

"Yeah, she was. He didn't do anything to me."

"Whatever the case may be, you're going to be here until we go to court on Thursday morning. Mrs. Jenkins is really great. She's taken in dozens of foster kids over the years. Both short-term and long-term."

"I don't need to be in a foster home!"

"Your black eye, sprained wrist, bruised ribs, and 3 stitches tell me different. If nothing else, we need to protect you from your stairs."

Mark glared at her for a few more seconds before giving in and following her up the driveway and to the house. The front door swung open before they even could get there.

"Is this Mark?" An older woman with very white hair said a little too enthusiastically for Mark's liking.

"Yes. Mark Cohen. He's 14. His court date is scheduled for Thursday morning, I'll probably be back tomorrow night to talk to him some more."

"Alright, come on in dear."

Mark stepped into the house and looked around while Mrs. Jenkins and the social worker lady whose name he couldn't remember talked. There were toys and kid's clothes all over the house. He heard the door slam shut behind him.

"So come here. Let me get a look at you." Mark heard her say. He turned to face her.

"You're adorable, too bad someone had to go and bloody up your face like this." She said reaching out to touch his shoulder.

"No one did anything to me!" He said jumping back from her, wincing in pain as he did.

"Ok ok, don't blow a gasket, you're going to wake everyone up. Why don't you come and try to get a few hours of sleep." She said as she started heading down the hallway.

"How many other kids are here?"

"Just 3. I can really only take about 4 at a time."

She opened the door that the stopped in front of a flipped on the light, which was followed by a few groans. Mark stepped into the room. There were 2 sets of bunk beds, 2 dressers, and more toys.

"You can have that bed there." She said pointing to the empty bottom bunk on the other side of the room. "I'm pretty tired, so just go and lay down and try to get some sleep."

Mark nodded and she shut the light back off and left the room. There was a nightlight in the corner which cast enough light so it was possible for Mark to make it to the bed without killing himself. He slowly sat down on the edge of the bed and laid down, trying to keep from screaming out in pain. He noticed the kid on the bottom bunk on the other side of the room staring at him. Mark just looked right back at him.

"Take a fucking picture!" The kid yelled. Mark quickly looked away from him and rolled over, not wanting to get his ass kicked again today.

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Mark awoke the next morning to the sound of the kid that was in the bunk on top of his jumping to the floor. He looked maybe 9 or 10 and he had this crazy curly black hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in a week. He stared at Mark for a second before turning and leaving the room. The boy from the other bunk got down and left the room too. Mark didn't really get a good look at him though, as he was attempting to sit up without causing too much pain. To his surprise it didn't hurt as much as it had the night before. The other kid who had been staring at him the night before hadn't moved yet.

Mark stood up and walked out into the hall and then into the living room. He realized that he was still wearing the clothes that he had been wearing the day before. Under his sweater was a white t-shirt that was stained with blood, which Mark found kind of disgusting.

"Mark, come in here and eat something." Mrs. Jenkins called from the kitchen. Mark walked over there and sat down at the end of the table.

"This is Eddie." She said putting one hand on the shoulder of the kid with the crazy hair and placing a plate of pancakes in front of him with the other. "And that's Jesse."

Mark got a better look at the other boy, who was currently stuffing his face. He looked Hispanic maybe, he couldn't of been more than 5.

"Do you like pancakes dear?" Mark just shrugged. He actually hated pancakes, but he could probably choke one down. "Are you going to say anything?" She asked turning back around to the stove.

"Who's the other kid in there?"

"Oh, that's Roger. He's a good boy. Quiet. He sleeps a lot. You and him are just about the same age, maybe you can try and coax him out of the room later."

"Oh yeah." Mark said sarcastically as he scratched at the cast on his arm.

"Are we still going to the zoo?" Eddie asked.

"I don't know. We have Mark here now."

"What?" Mark asked at hearing his name.

"She was supposed to take Jesse and me to the zoo cause they just got tigers!"

"Oh, well, I don't care if you go."

"You can come with us Mark." She said setting a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"No, that's ok. I'll be fine here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine, really."

"See, he'll be fine! Can we go?"

"Well, I guess. Finish your food and then get dressed, then we can go."

Eddie smiled and finished the rest of his food.

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A few hours later Mark sat in the living room not quite sure what to do with himself. He took a shower and changed after getting the courage to go in and ask Roger if he could borrow some clothes. He still really didn't know what Roger looked like, since he just answered him from under his blankets. He wondered what the hell was wrong with him. Maybe he was horribly disfigured or something.

Mark sighed and leaned his head back on the back of his couch. He had seriously debated just leaving and going home. It really wasn't that far, he could probably walk there in under a half hour. He thought that might cause more problems though. If he just went to court tomorrow and said that nothing had happened, maybe his father wouldn't get as pissed? Maybe. Hopefully.

Suddenly the phone rang. Mark reached over and grabbed it.

"Hello?"

"Um, hi, do you know if, I mean, is Roger Davis there?"

"I think so, why?"

"This is his mom, I really need to talk to him, can you put him on the phone?"

"Yeah hold on." Mark said before setting the phone down and quickly walking over to the bedroom.

"Roger, I think your mom's on the phone."

"Really?" He asked throwing his blankets off of him and standing up. Ok, so he wasn't horribly disfigured. He was actually pretty perfect.

What? Did I just think that? Mark wondered to himself as Roger blew past him and out into the living room. He sat down on the couch and ran his fingers through his hair before picking up the phone. Mark being as nosey as he was, walked into the kitchen so he could hear what he said without him noticing that he was standing there.

"Mom?…Yeah yeah I'm fine. Yes…ok…w-what? Paroled? What? Why…I don't…no I…but mom, why would they do that? How could they let him out? What if he…you don't know that! You don't know anything!"

Roger slammed down the phone and stood up and started pacing back and forth. His hands were shaking. He could feel his heart start racing.

Mark just stood in the kitchen, not quite sure what had just happened. Roger's voice seemed to get more and more panicked with every word that he said. "Hey are you ok?"

Roger turned around and looked at Mark, unaware that he had been standing there the whole time. He didn't answer him though. He leaned up against the wall, slid to the floor, and pulled his knees up to his chest. "They let him out." He said out loud, not really talking to Mark. "They-they let him out."

"Let who out?" Mark asked, walking over to him.

"My father. They let him…don't fucking come near me!" Roger yelled, noticing that Mark was coming a little to close for comfort.

"Alright calm down."

"I'm not going to calm down, stay the hell away from me and don't touch me!"

"I-I wasn't going to touch you."

"Yes you were! You had that look in your eyes!"

"Look? What look?"

"Nothing, Christ!" Roger yelled standing up. "Just stay away from me." He said before going into the bedroom and slamming the door shut.

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Later that night Mark laid in bed staring up at the wood slats holding the other mattress above him, trying to figure out what exactly he was going to say in the morning. He was just going to stick to his story. Falling down the stairs. Hitting the wall. He's a klutz.

Suddenly he heard Roger let out a small scream. He looked over and Roger was sitting straight up in bed breathing heavily. He stood up and left the room.

Mark laid there for a minute. Jesse and Eddie didn't wake up. He didn't really scream that loud. It was more of a…yelp, or something. Mark got out of bed and went to find Roger. He wasn't really sure what made him go after him, he just did.

He found him standing by the big glass sliding doors in the kitchen looking outside.

"Are you ok?" Mark asked in a low voice.

Roger turned around to look at him, wiping his eyes in an attempt to hide that he had been crying. "I'm fine."

"People don't usually wake up screaming in the middle of the night."

"Really?" He asked looking directly at Mark. "I do it all the time."

"Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"Horrible." He said quietly turning back to look outside. "Look, I'm fine. I really am. I just wanna be alone."

"You're not gonna like, try to kill yourself or something are you?"

"No. Go away."

"Is it because they let your father out of jail?"

Roger quickly turned around and grabbed Mark by the shirt. His other hand balled up into a fist. Mark winced and closed his eyes, preparing himself for the pain he was expecting.

"It's none of your business." Roger said, letting him go. He thought Mark looked like he'd been punched enough. Mark stepped back and took a deep breath.

"Just go back to sleep."

Mark nodded and turned to leave.

"Hey, Mark?" Roger said. Mark stopped and looked at him. "If I don't talk to you before you leave, I guess I'll see you in another life."

Mark smiled before turning back around and heading into the room.

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