Life as we know it Chapter 7, a tribe fanfic

Chapter Seven

"Catch!"

Cloe turned to see Patsy tossing the volley ball to her. She reached out and it landed softly in her arms as she grinned. She then turned to Paul and sent the ball bouncing toward him.

"Catch."

Paul, who sat reading a comic book, didn't look up as the ball bounced over him and landed next to Bob, their sleeping golden retriever, some feet away. Realizing he hadn't heard her, Cloe blushed slightly embarrassed. Patsy placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"He has to be looking at you."

Cloe watched as Patsy knelt next to her brother and signed out the situation to him. He smiled up at Cloe and he and Patsy continued their conversation of hand gestures. Cloe tried to smile back but it slowly turned to a frown as the siblings became lost in their own world and forgot about her. Though Cloe liked the twins, there was no denying the fact that the two kids preferred the company of each other and no one else.

Since coming to live with Salene's family, Cloe felt greatly isolated. Patsy and Paul had grown up in a grand home full of warmth and love. Their parents tragically died in a boating accident a couple months before. Despite the fact that they were officially orphans, neither felt alone because they had each other. Even now, Patsy still crept out of the room she and Cloe shared at night so she could snuggle up with her brother and Bob.

Cloe felt the exact opposite. After her mother was labeled criminally insane by the state when she was four, Cloe went to live with her father. He wasn't the most nurturing man but he did his best to provide for his illegitimate daughter. He worked two jobs and Cloe was left to her own devices most of the time. She made a hobby of taking in stray animals of all kinds and to keep her happy, her father indulged this. When she was nine, her father found himself in prison after being drawn into an illegal gun ring. Now here she was in her third foster home less than a year later.

Salene glanced out the window and briefly noted that Cloe was again playing by herself. She wondered why the little girl found it so difficult to get close to others. Salene found all three kids to be sweet as pie and enjoyed playing mother hen to them. If only her parents didn't expect her to do it all the time. She didn't understand why they bothered taking in foster children when they could hardly find time to spend with them. At least Bonnie and Jess had been her age and could look after them themselves. These younger ones needed almost constant supervision. Especially Cloe who had a habit of wandering off.

Salene gave the kids one last look before turning back to her homework. She silently kicked herself for waiting until the last minute to do it. Usually she did her homework on Friday nights to get it out of the way but she'd spent the whole weekend visiting Trudy, Brady and Bray.

Bray. Salene sighed and gnawed at her pencil. He was so handsome and kind. He was the perfect hero with his tall, strong frame and gentle brown eyes. It was no wonder so many of the girls at school pined for him. What a waste for him to be a father at such a young age. Salene frowned for she couldn't help but envy Trudy. Not that Salene wanted a baby right now but if it were Bray's baby... well that was a different story entirely. She felt almost willing to give up her youth if it meant being with Bray forever. Salene gazed into space as she decided to fore go reality and fantasized about kissing Bray on some romantic beach. As his imaginary lips touched hers, she closed her eyes and dropped the pencil.

"Salene,"

She jumped as she turned to see her mother in the doorway. "What?" Salene wondered if her flushed face gave away what she'd been thinking.

"I'm heading out, keep an eye on the kids will you. Dinner's in the oven. Just heat at 350 for thirty minutes."

"Mom," Salene made a face as her mother turned to leave. "I can't. I told you I was going over to Trudy's later."

"Again?" Her mother looked at the teen with slight irritation. "You've been over there everyday since school started."

Salene closed her notebook realizing she'd scribbled she and Bray's names over and over. "Well Trudy needs help with the baby."

"I understand that but she's got her parents and Bray. I know she's your best friend but it isn't your responsibility." What Salene's mother didn't say was how thankful she was that it wasn't her own daughter who had a baby. "Now I've got to go before I'm late..."

"But Mom," Salene whined.

"If you really want to help Trudy, bring the kids along. They'll enjoy seeing the baby."

"But,"

Salene didn't get to finish as her mother left the room in a flourish. She couldn't believe her parents were doing this to her. Talk about something that wasn't her responsibility. Salene never asked for foster siblings and yet she was always stuck taking care of them. She sighed and slammed her book closed. Looking out the window once more, Salene could see Patsy and Paul tossing the ball back and forth but Cloe was not in the yard.

"Now where did she go?" Salene muttered.

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Cloe watched the car drive by though her foster mother didn't see the little girl standing at the side of the road. Salene's family lived on a back road on the outskirts of town. The few homes out there were old with a welcoming warm look about them. Aside from the houses, there were patches of woods and grazing fields for miles in both directions. Some families owned cattle and sheep. There was a horse ranch up the way where Salene took riding lessons nearly every morning before school. Though it was a commuter road, it was pretty quiet at the moment.

Cloe kicked at some rocks as she walked past Lex's house. Despite the fact that this was the nicest foster family she'd been with, Cloe wished she were anywhere but here. She walked sullenly along lost in thought for awhile, not caring how far she wandered from the house. Suddenly a low mooing caught her attention. Cloe stopped and listened intently. She heard it again. It was coming from a small thicket of trees up ahead.

"Hello?"

Cloe cautiously stepped forward, her heart inflated with exhilaration. She knew it was a cow that made those noises but she hadn't expected to set eyes upon the cutest little calf ever. A short length of rope had been tied around it's neck like a makeshift harness. It dragged along the ground full of burrs and thorns from the calf's wanderings.

"Are you lost?" She asked the animal sincerely, stepping forward slowly. "Where's your mummy?"

The calf answered with another moo and started to trot away.

"Wait, don't run away." Cloe took another step while the animal continued to retreat. "I'm coming." Every step she took forward the calf countered by moving in the opposite direction. "Here," She beckoned in a sing song voice. "Come here. Come to Cloe. Don't run away. Come back!"

The calf ignored her pleas and trotted off faster. Frowning Cloe took up chase, pausing to look behind in case she'd been seen. Satisfied she was alone in her pursuit, she ran after the farm animal.

Lex groaned as another high pitched squeal entered his subconscious. He'd been trying to nap on the couch for the last hour but those stupid kids next door were playing in their back yard. It had been a late night for he and Ryan and Lex was trying to recuperate before school tomorrow. All he felt like doing was lying down and drinking apple juice. Damn it if those kids were ruining his plan.

Patsy lined up her sights and gave the ball a swift kick towards the goal her brother had set up. It shot through Paul's legs and he cheered for her success despite the fact that they were supposed to be on opposite teams. Patsy laughed for her brother's loyalty knew no bounds. He jumped up and down in triumph shouting.

"Yay! Yay!"

"Shut it!"

Patsy and Bob both jumped and looked up to see Lex leaning over the top of the fence. She glared at him as Paul continued his cheering. Lex, now in an annoyed rage came through the small door which connected his yard with theirs and shouted again.

"Shut up you!"

"He can't hear you stupid." Patsy made a face. "He's deaf."

Narrowing his eyes at the little girl, Lex stepped forward and grabbing Paul's shirt shouted into the face of the startled boy.

"Read. My. Lips. Shut up!"

Paul nearly fell backward not understanding what had set off the older boy. Lex then grabbed their ball and dropped kicked it over the back fence. It bounced and then leisurely rolled down into a ravine. Smirking, Lex mocked Paul's dance of celebration by raising his own arms in triumph.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." With smug satisfaction he left Paul cowering in the arms of his sister.

"Come back! Don't run away."

Cloe stumbled through tall brush as she continued her chase. The calf had led her quite some distance from the main road and she was no longer certain where she was. There were scratches all along her bare legs from tree branches and wild bushes. Still, no matter how sweetly she called, the calf continued trotting further away. At one point Cloe found herself in a dead sprint as the animal charged ahead.

"I wont hurt you." She called pleadingly but was only answered with a moo.

For a short while Cloe lost sight of the calf in the woods but refused to give up her pursuit. It never crossed her mind that the calf didn't wish to be caught by a little girl. That perhaps the animal had no desire for a new Mummy and was enjoying it's freedom. She was sure that her hard work would pay off eventually. Truth be told, she finally spotted the creature in a clearing.

"There you are." She smiled. "Come on."

Cloe was finally able to get a hold of the rope which was tied around the animal's neck. The calf, tired of the chase, surrendered with a low grunt. The little girl smiled and patted it's head before looking up at her surroundings. Past the rolling hills she spotted the road and was relieved that she had a direction in which to go. Off to the right she could see a cattle farm where many cows were out grazing and lying about. Cloe narrowed her eyes. Her father had mistakingly told her about cattle farms where innocent bovine were slaughtered. Since learning that Cloe hadn't touched a speck of red meat. She could only imagine what they might do if they were to get their hands on her new friend.

"Come on." She urged the calf gently pulling the rope. "It's okay." They trotted off together, the animal now happy to run along her side. "We'd better get you back, you lucky girl. You could've been hamburgers."

The walk back was quicker considering it was a more direct route compared to the zig zag trek the calf had led them both on. All the way to the road Cloe talked to her new pet in a sing song voice about the happenings of her young life. The calf mooed along with Cloe's happy little chirps and the young girl found herself smiling for the first time in weeks. She hoped no one would take notice to a little girl and her pet calf walking on the side of the road and she got lucky. The few drivers that passed were too absorbed with their coffee coolata's and cell phone calls to think that either child nor animal were out of place.

Cloe slowed her pace when they approached Lex's house. It now dawned on her that she had no place to hide her furry friend. If her foster parents found the calf they were sure to return it. That's when she noticed the bulkhead in Lex's side yard. She knew enough that it must lead to a cellar under the house. As she crept towards it with the cow in tow, it never occurred to her what Lex's mother or father might do when they heard the creature and found it in their cellar. Like the innocent child she was, her only concern was keeping the calf a secret from her foster family.

She was slightly despaired to find the latch padlocked but then smirked when she realized the lock was rusted clear through. A hard kick and she was able to pull open one of the heavy doors. Choking dust along with a horrible musty smell seeped out from the darkness. Obviously the cellar hadn't been used in quite some time. After grimacing Cloe tugged at the rope.

"Bluebell, come on." She encouraged the reluctant calf. "This way."

She managed to get the animal down the dark steps all the while keeping an eye on the windows above. There was no life in the house and for that she was grateful. It took a few minutes for her to adjust to the light and the calf mooed softly obviously not happy with it's new surroundings. When she spotted a string hanging from a light fixture she strode forward and pulled it filling the room with a dim, dingy glow. Looking around at the empty, neglected space, Cloe found a pipe in which she could secure the calf to.

"Come on." She tugged Bluebell along and tied the end of the rope to the dirty pipe. "You'll just have to stay here. I can't take you inside, okay?" She knelt down and gently hugged the calf. "I'll bring you some food when I can. Now be a good girl, please? And don't worry. I'll look after you."