Skrawl grumbled to himself as he made his way through the plains outside of the edge of ChalkZone City. He was still fuming from the last defeat that he suffered at the hands of that genius girl. Even without Master Tabootie by her side, she could still pack a whallop. Well she did manage to outsmart him that one time, so perhaps this shouldn't be that shocking.

But still, he would love to get back at her at some point. He would love to show her that you can't just keep crossing the line with him. He will find another way around, even if he had to face her multiple times. With Rudy temporarily gone, he had a chance to conquer this world while he could not do anything to help it. He was not going to let this chance slip from his fingers.

But honestly, on some level, he did kidn of miss Rudy. It was getting a little boring around here without him. He never realized just how much excitement Rudy had brought to him...

...those thoughts were rapidly overpowered by the feeling of joy, of being in power and control. All that would be his soon if he played his cards right. For now, he had to prepare and keep an eye on ChalkZone City. If Rudy were to make a 'triumphant return', this would be where it would most certainly happen.

As he inched his way closer, he noticed some shadows moving along the wall. He stopped and tilted his head a little. He soon recognized some zoners, like Bath Tub Granny. He blinked a few times at this before moving in closer, wanting to see just what was going on.

The closer he moved, the more he could hear them speaking. The zoners were riled up about something. That much was clear. But just what were they all upset about? He assumed that it had to deal with Rudy Tabootie.

Well he was right, but not in the way that he had expected.

"We need to help free him!"

"We need to go there and stop them!"

"Who is with us?!"

Skrawl flinched as he heard the zoners shouting loudly. He growled and turned his head away a little. He paused for a moment before he moved in slightly closer. Soon he was able to peer over the corner of a wall and see the zoners all gathered up into a group.

A rather large group at that. Skrawl knew that there would be a good number, but he didn't think that it would be this much. And they were all clearly upset, judging from their expressions and their shoutings regarding Rudy. Something about him being in some sort of situation and needing to be freed or something... It was difficult for him to fully grasp it. But this did give him an idea...

Skrawl knew that this was going to be risky. He knew that the zoners might not approve of him. But if they were really this desperate, if they were really wanting to help Rudy, then perhaps... some arrangements were in order...

Skrawl didn't hesitate for much longer. He strode himself forward, making his way towards the crowd. He did little to hide himself and soon he marched right into the middle of that meeting.

"Hello there..."

All the zoners present immediately jumped or stiffened at the sound of the large jellybean calling out to them. The sight was almost amusing. Skrawl had to hold his hand to his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud at just how funny this all was. He did manage to shut his trap and keep from making too much noise. But that didn't stop him from laughing internally.

Oh how funny all these zoners were. He shows up out of nowhere and they all freak out. He could see the fear in their eyes. He could see how they were backing away from him, ready to fight. A few of them looked around as though they were expecting Rudy to come in and save them. But of course, Rudy was nowhere to be found.

Skrawl waited for a few moments before he attempted to speak. He wanted to wait until everyone here had settled down, his mouth curled up into a twisted smile. He loved being feared by them. He loved being in control. And soon, he was going to have a little bit of fun with them. They were going to be like putty in his hands. Er, claws, whatever.

"Sorry to barge in like this." Skrawl lied. He motioned towards the zoners. "I couldn't help but overhear that you've got...a problem with Rudy Tabootie...?"

One of the zoners glared at Skrawl. "Y-Yeah... What's it to you?"

Another zoner nodded. "Why should that bother you?"

Skrawl motioned to himself. "Well I figured...maybe I could help you."

The zoners did not look convinced by this. In fact, a few of them even looked downright angry at the very idea. This was the sort of response that Skrawl had expected initially.

"You?! Help us?!" A dog-like zoner shouted incredulously. His eyes were wide, a mixture of shock and anger glowing brightly from them. "Give us one good reason why we should trust you on this!"

Skrawl just continued to smile at them. The jellybean zoner straightened himself up, folding his arm behind his back. "Well, I can see why you would find me untrustworthy. But..." He looked down at the zoners. "Just how willing are you to help Rudy Tabootie? How far are you willing to go?"

A bird-like zoner motioned her wing arm towards Skrawl, her beak gritted in disgust. "Not far enough to join the likes of you!"

"Yeah!"

"Get lost!"

"We don't need your kind of help!"

Skrawl looked around and he could see the zoners were starting to come towards him. His smile immediately dropped and he could feel a frown forming. This isn't how he had expected things to go. He thought that they would have been so desperate that they'd turn to him for help. Had he truly misjudged them?

...no, he could tell that they were still desperate. They were just hiding underneath a mask. They were saying that they did not need his help. But deep down, at least some of them did want any sort of help, even from him. Their own voices were tinged in desperation. That much was really obvious. Now, if he could just figure out how to bring that to the surface...

Skrawl let out a sigh and took a step back. "Well fine. If you don't want my help..."

"Of course we don't!" A humanoid zoner shouted. "Don't think for a second that we do!"

Skrawl just shrugged his shoulders. "Well, fine then. And meanwhile, Rudy will continue to suffer. You really want to help him. I offered. You refused. So I guess Rudy suffering for a little while longer doesn't matter to you."

This seemed to have gotten the zoners' attention.

"What? We never said that!" One cried out.

"Where did you get that idea?!" Shouted another one.

A zebra zoner formed tight fists with their hoof-like hands. "Is this some kind of a trick? What exactly are you planning, Skrawl?"

The jellybean-like zoner just shrugged his shoulders, his hands raised up at his sides. "I'm just merely saying the truth." He closed his eyes for a few moments as he curled his claws inward. "From what you're all saying, Rudy is having some...issues. And he requires assistance. I may have an idea, but you would have to be willing to listen to me."

The zoner that spoke up this time was someone that Skrawl recognized. That stupid white bear named Lars, the same one that his robot had attacked before. He looked so much better back then, Skrawl thought with amusement. "Why should any of us listen to you, after what you have done?"

Skrawl didn't take long to give an answer. This was a rather easy one. Convulated to some. Easy for him to understand. If these idiots thought about it, they would understand it as well.

"Precisely."

Skrawl noticed how confused the zoners all looked from this. Well of course they were confused. Their little pea brains couldn't comprehend it. They were too busy thinking in closed minded terms that they weren't able to see what was obvious in front of them.

Well, it was time to open up their mind.

"Think about it. You all know what I do, right? You all know that I will become your future ruler." Skrawl ignored the hisses, boos, and growls he got in response to that statement. "Without your precious Master Tabootie to help, what will stop me from taking over?"

"Penny!" Bath Tub Granny shouted. Many other zoners shouted in support of this.

"Oh I see... Then why are you trying to get Rudy back, then?" Skrawl asked, addressing the zoners who had spoken up in defense of Bath Tub Granny's statement. The zoners did not attempt to respond. Skrawl took this silence, this hesitation, as further proving his point. With a broadening smile, he continued on, "If you are so confident in Penny saving you, why are you so desperate to get Rudy back so soon? Is your confidence in Penny as strong as you say, or are you just hiding your own insecurities with her? Are you pretending to support her while you go behind her back to get Rudy back as quickly as possible?"

None of the zoners could respond to that. They could only just look at each other, some of them murmuring softly, others showing a mixture of emotion. They didn't try to oppose what Skrawl stated. And Skrawl knew exactly the reason for this. They knew that he was right.

Skrawl could see them all starting to break. He could see the zoners showing signs of falling apart internally. His words were obviously abuzz inside their heads, refusing to let them go. And if Skrawl continued to play his cards right, he should be able to manipulate them further, take this all further than before. It would be so easy.

Skrawl took a step forward. "It's clear that you all don't think Penny will last long as your protector. You think that she will fail and I will take over." He moved his head a little further back as he gave them all a smug look. "But I can save you from all of that. I can bring you back Rudy. I can offer you a chance to escape what I'm capable of."

"B-But... How can we t-t-trust you...? How do we know that you won't try something?" A nervous stick figure zoner asked.

"Well gee that is a good point." Skrawl tapped his chin thoughtfully with a single claw. "That is something worth something about..." He sneered as he moved his clawed hand back towards the zoner. "But is the alternative worth it...?"

At this, the zoners no longer seemed resistant. Suspicious sure, but not resistant. They looked at one another nervously before looking back at Skrawl. If their expressions were something to go by, it would seem that they were fighting amongst themselves what path to choose. Skrawl had shown them their options.

They could either run with the risk and let him help and get Rudy back or...they could refuse his aid but then have Penny lose and he take over.

Neither were favorable, but as far as Skrawl informed them, that's what they were looking at. Maybe there was a third option, but Skrawl was not going to bring it up. Oh no, that was going to ruin his fun. Regardless of that the zoners chose, Skrawl already was formulating plans in his mind. It didn't matter which way this whole thing went. He had something planned for both.

He was going to enjoy himself.

"So..." Skrawl said as he broke the awkward silence. "What's it going to be...?"

More silence followed. More confused and uncertain looks. More zoners talking softly with each other. More small debates amongst themselves. This lasted for a while, but frankly, Skrawl didn't mind. Even this in of itself was entertaining. He slowly folded his arms to his chest as he awaited for the zoners' response.

Finally, one of the zoners moved forward. She didn't seem to be the ring leader of all of this. But she was the one who decided to be the one to speak to Skrawl. She tried to make herself look authoritian with her posture and her expression. But Skrawl could see right through her little disguise and he smirked darkly at her. He towered over her, his shadow casting upon her. She tried not to look freaked out as she glared at him. But her hand fumbling showed another story.

After a few seconds, this female zoner, who was doing whatever she could to look brave, tightened her hands into fists as she relayed her response to Skrawl.

"...so you really want to know what we think...?"

Skrawl just smirked darkly at this. "Lay it on me." He listened to the zoner give the final answer.

sss

Rudy couldn't stop glaring at the woman before him. There wasn't a single ounce of him that could trust her. It didn't matter that he had never met her before. It didn't matter that he really had no place to judge to her. That's exactly what he was doing right now, and he could not trust her. To him, she was just getting in the way of things. She was assigned to them and thus was an intruder. She would rather this woman leave as soon as possible.

But that wasn't going to happen, now was it? This woman had been assigned to them and it didn't seem like she was going to leave anytime soon. He doubted that anyone aside from his parents and friends had his best interests in mind. If they did, then they wouldn't have done this. They would have just left him and his parents alone.

The woman did seem nice, Rudy had to admit. The blonde tall woman didn't seem to have an ounce of mean spirit inside of her. She didn't even seem upset when Rudy showed that he did not like her. His parents were a bit more accepting of her, but even they were skeptical. Even then, this woman was just...pleasant.

But was that a good thing or a bad thing? For all Rudy knew, this woman was deliberately like this in order to hide her true intentions. For all he knew, she was just trying to trick them all, lower their guards so that she could do something. After all, she was assigned by the same people who tried to rip their family apart. How could they trust that this woman would not do the same thing?

Ms. Sharence didn't seem like that kind of person on the outside. But on the inside, it was a whole different story. Rudy narrowed his eyes into slits. He was not going to let his guard down, no matter what.

He and his parents had already left the Child Services building. They were presently heading down back home. The ride seemed unusually fast than before, much to Rudy's dismay. As soon as they would get home, they would have one extra 'family' member. Rudy refused to think of Ms. Sharence as part of the family. She was a stranger and that was all she was going to be.

Ms. Sharence was sitting down next to him in the car. She had tried to make conversation with him, but he refused to listen to her. He turned his head away and folded his arms to his chest. His teeth ground up together and he released a few low growls. The woman seemed to have gotten the point. Though there was a small part of Rudy that felt a little guilty about doing that.

Before he realized what was going on, they had already pulled up into the drive way. Rudy could feel the ground below him rubble as car wheels moved over small rocks. Then it came to a complete hault.

"We're home." Came his father's droned voice.

Rudy could hardly pay attention to what was going on. He was barely aware of his surroundings. He could only tell that this stupid woman was still with them and that she was getting out of the car as well. He could hear her beginning to talk to his parents as they headed towards the house. He could feel his own legs propelling him to the open door, soon joining his parents as they entered the house.

But this time, with one more person.

Ms. Sharence walked in further into the house. She looked left and right before she sat down her suitcase against the ground, leaning up against the wall. She then turned around and smiled back at Mr. and Mrs. Tabootie, her hands holding onto each other.

"Do any of you mind giving me a tour of the house?" Ms. Sharence asked.

There was some hesitation, but Mrs. Tabootie moved forward, gesturing out to Ms. Sharence. "I'll show you around."

Rudy narrowed his eyes as he watched his mom give this stranger a tour of the house. He grumbled softly and he turned his head away. He couldn't believe that this was really happening. He wished that he could just wake up from this nightmare.

He felt himself jolt when his dad placed his hand upon his shoulder. Rudy looked up at him, seeing his concerned face. Rudy lowered his head and turned away. Slowly he raised his own hand up, placing it on top of his father's. He held it there tightly and firmly, letting his lip be sucked into his mouth, pushed up against his teeth. He couldn't think of anything to say.

But his father did. "Now Rudy, I know this is all a big change. Your mother and I need some time to adjust, too. But we would appreciate it if you didn't our ne... our guest... so coldly."

Rudy growled at this. "I just don't want her to be here, dad. She doesn't..." Rudy paused for a moment. Then he said, "...she just doesn't belong here..."

Mr. Tabootie let out a small gasp of shock at this. "I'm surprised at you, Rudy. I know that this isn't the ideal situation, but she's still a person and she's trying to be nice and she's trying to make this easier for us and..."

Rudy whirled away from his father, his eyes glaring at his dad's blurry face. "If she really wanted to help, she would get out of here!"

"Rudy, please... Just..."

"I hate her!"

Mr. Tabootie immediately froze at this. "R-Rudy..."

Rudy gritted his teeth and snorted heavily. He could feel hot tears forming in his eyes, making his already bad vision even worse. He didn't stand there for much longer. He tore himself away and began to bolt up the steps. He ignored his father's shouts for him as he jumped into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Rudy soon felt himself climbing up the ladder and fall into his bed. He could feel the frame of it shaking a little as his body pressed up against the covers and mattress. His body sunk into the mattress and he could feel its warmth covering him. He laid there like this for several long seconds before he started to shift himself around, trying to get into a comfortable position.

Emotion rang heavily through his mind. The recent events still weighed upon him and he couldn't make it stop. His mouth opened up wide as he took in several shaky breaths. His mind felt like it was spinning and he felt his teeth becoming gritted tightly. He shifted his eyes left and right before he soon pressed his face up against his pillow.

Hot tears fell from his face like a waterfall. He could feel his body convulse and shake as he started to cry heavily. He mourned the loss of his eyesight, the loss of control, and the loss of his real family. He mourned the fact that he was forced to live in a new type of prison, one that was within his very own home. And he mourned the fact that there was nothing that he could do about it.

Why did life have to be so unfair? He had asked himself that over and over again. That stupid Ms. Sharence... Why couldn't she just go away? She had no place here. This was not her home. It was never going to be her home. There was no way that he was going to accept her. How could his parents even give her a chance?

Rudy didn't care how long he was crying bitterly for. He didn't care how badly his throat was hurting. He just continued to let it out, and slowly, tiredness began to descend upon him. He could feel his eye lids growing heavy and his tense body loosened up and began to relax. Soon, his eyes shut completely and he let out a small exhale.

Tomorrow, something needed to be done.

sss

"What had happened?!" Mrs. Tabootie shouted. She had heard a loud slam and a part of her worried that they were under attack. She didn't know why that was the first thing that came to her mind. It just did and her heart pounded as a result of that thought.

Mr. Tabootie peered up in her direction. "Rudy's...a little upset right now..."

Mrs. Tabootie felt some relief coming over her. It wasn't as serious as she thought. But it was still very serious. Rudy being upset enough to slam the door like that? What had gotten into that boy?

She knew what it was. It had to be related to their new 'family member' of sorts. He didn't like the idea of having to live with Ms. Sharence. He had been defiant the entire time and tried to do whatever he could to change their minds on letting her stay. Mrs. Tabootie knew that they had no choice but to let her join. But Rudy had refused to believe that.

She let out a small sigh as she stared over at the boy's bedroom door. That's what had been slammed. That's where Rudy had run into. She shook her head sadly. She knew that this would be quite the adjusment. But she had hoped that Rudy would at least try to learn to accept Ms. Sharence. She really wasn't a bad person. She wasn't doing this to hurt him or anything.

But she knew that with Rudy, sometimes it just takes a bit of time. This hadn't been the first time that he didn't act the way that he should have. The Christmas party came to her mind immediately. A part of her silently hoped that Rudy would eventually come around and try to be more welcoming. If not, she and him were going to have to have a serious talk.

"I'm sorry about this." Ms. Sharence stated softly. "I didn't mean to upset the boy."

Mrs. Tabootie turned and stared at her with wide eyes, her mouth open. She couldn't even try to respond.

"I'm the reason he's like this, aren't I? I'm not stupid." Mrs. Sharence turned her gaze downwards. Her face was contorted with guilt.

Mrs. Tabootie shook her head rapidly. "Oh no no no... He's just.." She reached out and placed her hand on the woman's shoulder. "He just has a hard time adjusting... He's not really angry at you. He's just mad at the whole situation." Mrs. Tabootie bit her lip firmly, unsure if she sounded convincing or not. "He'll... He'll be fine."

Ms. Sharence didn't look too convinced. Her frown was still apparent, as was her guilt. She stayed that way for several moments, her breathing getting slightly heavy and forced. The sight of it made Mrs. Tabootie feel even worse. She wished that there was something that she could say to help the situation.

She couldn't really blame Ms. Sharence for feeling like this. She must feel horrible barging into their lives like this. It's not like she had much of a choice. She couldn't just say 'no'; she was the only good fit. And this was court ordered.

Ms. Sharence lifted her head up and turned to stare at Mrs. Tabootie. "...do you mind if I talk with him?"

Mrs. Tabootie blinked a few times at this. She could feel her teeth grit. She looked down at her husband to see what he thought. But he had apparently gone away, perhaps into the kitchen to get a drink of water. She could hear the water running in the kitchen. Reluctantly, she turned her attention back to Ms. Sharence.

She tried her best to think of a response. "Are you sure about that? He's...not really wanting to see anyone right now I'm sure." Mrs. Tabootie tried to explain. She raised her hand up in gesture. "I think he would rather be alone for a while."

"The sooner he learns to accept this, the better. Letting it go will just make him feel more resentful. Trust me, I've handled other cases in the past." Ms. Sharence took a small step forward. "If your son is upset with me, then the best thing that I can do right now is to speak with him. Help him accept this situation we're all stuck in. I'm sure you want him to handle things better than this, don't you?"

Mrs. Tabootie nodded. "Of course I do. It's just that..."

"Then please let me talk to him." Ms. Sharence stated, a sense of authority to her voice.

Mrs. Tabootie still wasn't sure how good of an idea this was. She knew how stubborn her child could be. Rudy wasn't one to just accept change that fast. But at the same time, she knew that Ms. Sharence was right. If something wasn't done soon, it could get worse. And it wasn't like her son was particularly violent. Would it really be that bad?

Letting out a sigh, she took a small step back and motioned towards her son's door. "He's right in there. Head in slowly. I'll wait out here. Let me know if you need any help."

Ms. Sharence nodded her head in silence. She didn't reply to Mrs. Tabootie. She merely exchanged an understanding look with her before she turned and began to head towards the door slowly. Mrs. Tabootie watched in silence and tensed herself up as the woman began to knock on the door.

She hoped that this would go over well.

sss

This was going to be very difficult. More so than she had initially believed.

She wasn't oblivious. She had interacted with other patients before, or clients or whatever people would call them. She knew what difficult meant. But this was a different kind of case. Never before had she been assigned to help a family whose parents were accused of neglect but the child still defended them fiercely.

Ms. Sharence couldn't lie to herself. She knew that Rudy, the son, probably hated her. Mrs. Tabootie's words did little to shake that out of her head. Why wouldn't the boy hate her? She was an intruder. Children could be very territorial. This was why it was important to get things established quickly. The las thing she needed was for Rudy to try something extreme.

There was no answer to her knocking. She tested the door knob itself. She found that it was loose. Did he not have a lock on his door? She slowly turned the knob and pushed it open. Remembering Mrs. Tabootie's words, she made sure to go into the room slowly. She didn't want Rudy to think that she was just barging in. She made sure to shut the door behind her, ensuring that this was private. Between her and him.

She took a moment to look around the boy's room. He had a nice place here. Not really too messy, which surprised her considering his age. His parents must have done a good job with encouraging him to keep his room clean. She moved in further as she continued to eye everything.

What got her attention the most was his art. There were pictures piled up on a nearby desk and an easel with some paints on it. She didn't attempt to move any closer to the art but even from this distance, she could tell how well detailed they were for a ten year old's work. She felt a smile cracking up a long her face. The boy had talen, that's for sure.

But then she felt her heart twist tightly. Wasn't he legally blind now? Did that mean that he would stop making this beautiful art? Oh that poor child...

That got her thinking. Was it really her that he was mad at, or was he just using her as an outlet to what happened? She didn't receive full word on the issue. There was a lot that she didn't know about what happened.

Perhaps it was time that she educated herself.

"Hey Rudy? Do you want to talk?" Ms. Sharence spoke up as she moved closer to the bed. She could see the lump up there. She knew this was Rudy. "I'm all ears if you want to speak."

There was a low groan. The lump shifted around. It rose up and the blanket fell off. Rudy's face was unmistakable as he turned to glare at her. There was some dark coloring underneath his eyes and his cheeks were stained red. It was clear that the boy was crying, apparently near to the point of falling asleep. Her intrusion must have prevented him from completely going into the dream world.

"What do you want?" Rudy grumbled. "Haven't you caused me enough trouble?"

Ms. Sharence sighed softly. "I know you aren't happy with me being here."

Rudy just glared at her. "Then why don't you leave? Can't you tell we don't want you here?"

Ms. Sharence was about to say something, but she realized it would be best not to bring it up. She knew that saying something like that might make Rudy feel antagonized further and that wasn't what she was trying to do. Ignoring that question, she moved herself a little closer to the bed. "I don't wish to be your enemy here, Rudy. I can tell you are very angry about all of this. Do you want to talk about it?"

Rudy seemed to scoff at this. "Yeah right... I already told my parents that I didn't want you here. But they didn't listen. None of them listened!" Rudy put his hands to his face. "Am I really that worthless that no one cares about what I think?!"

"That's not true." Ms. Sharence shook her head. "In fact, this whole thing is mostly for your well being. They were worried about you. They..."

"Well they should have just left me and my family alone!" Rudy called out, cutting off the woman. "We were fine without their or your interference!"

Ms. Sharence could hear the distress on the child's voice. She could hear the pain and the misery and the anger. His face was even more apparent with his emotions. Even his eyes seemed to glow. There was no way that this boy was faking these emotions. She was witnesssing a raw, purified reaction.

And that made her even more relieved that she had took the time to try to cut this off before it got worse. She didn't think Mrs. Tabootie was a liar, but with how desperate this boy looked right now, was it really out of the question for him to try something drastic later on?

"Why can't things just stay the same? Why did we get forced to be paired up with you? Why did they... Why did they..." Rudy couldn't continue to speak. His voice began to distort and he soon began to cry softly.

This caused Ms. Sharence to flinch slightly. Rudy looked even more distraught now and his crying irritated her ears. But despite that, she didn't try to leave him. The boy was in pain, obviously suffering. It didn't matter if she had something to do with it; she couldn't just leave him.

She didn't know what caused her next action. She couldn't even stop herself as she moved in closer to Rudy and then reached out to stroke his hair. Rudy stiffened up at this sudden touch and he looked at her with wide eyes, his eyebrows still narrowed a little. But he didn't try to move away. He only watched her cautiously as she tried to soothe him.

"Hey now, I'm not your enemy here. I know you're angry. I want to assure you that I'm no threat. I'm not trying to hurt you or your family." Ms. Sharence whispered in a low, non-threatening voice. "I know you don't believe me, but I do want to help. Will you let me try to help you?"

Rudy let out a small growl. "Go away."

Ms. Sharence was taken aback by that cold statement. But she wasn't too surprised. She had her doubts that her words would have gotten through to the boy that easily. He was still quite bitter about the whole thing. This was going to be a slow process. But a part of her hoped that she could at least try to ease into things a little better.

"I understand how you feel. And so do your parents. I hope you can understand that." She reached out and gently caressed Rudy's head again. This time, the boy didn't try to jerk away from her. His expression was softening up slightly. "I promise, I'm not trying to make you suffer. I only wish to help. Please let me help you."

Rudy slowly turned his head to look at her more directly. He was silent, the soft glare being the loudest response that he'd give her right then. His eyes seemed to pierce through her soul, like he was trying to reach inside and tell her something. She let her hand slide down his cheek a little and began to caress that area.

Rudy jerked a little at this tough. But he still didn't try that hard to pull away. It was hard to tell if it was because he was really trying to protest against the touch or if it was something else. He didn't look like he was enjoying her being that close, and yet perhaps, he was finding something about her touch to be comforting. This second thought was confirmed when, even with his reservations against her, Rudy still ended up leaning agaisnt her hand.

With a few sniffles, he whimpered, "It just isn't fair... Just not fair..."

Ms. Sharence gave him a symapthetic expression. "I know, child. I know." She continued to let her fingers do the work. This did seem to be working, after all. Especially when she rubbed the muscle on his head behind his ear. "But I promise, it will get better."

There was a bit of silence for a while. Neither of them could say anything to the other. They stared at each other, their mouths shut, their eyes filled with a mixture of emotion. Rudy let out a few more tears, letting them drip slowly down his face. The cold tears touched the woman's hand and she let them roll down.

Ms. Sharence continued her gentle stroking for a few more minutes until she felt certain that it was safe for her to move her hand away. At this point, Rudy seemed to be largely relaxed. He was slumped up against the edge of the bed, his chin resting on the wooden from edge. When she stopped, he looked at her in confusion, as though asking her silently why did she stop.

"Are you going to let me try to help you now, Rudy?" Ms. Sharence asked in a gentle voice. "I'll respect whatever decision you make. Just please, don't view me as the enemy."

Rudy didn't respond for a while. At first, it was mostly just silent staring. It seemed to last a few painfully long minutes. But despite that, she didn't attempt to hurry him along. She gave him all the time that he needed. She didn't want him to think that she was intruding. That was the whole point of this talk. She hoped that he understood where she was coming from.

But whatever Rudy decided, well he had the right to. Even if he ended up disagreeing with her help, she could not force him to accept it. She could only suggest that he try. Whatever happened next would be Rudy's choice.

Eventually, Rudy started to shift from his spot. He pushed himself up and he moved closer to the edge of the bed. His legs supported him as he leaned closer to Ms. Sharence. Then he did something that she did not expect him to do, and that was hold his hands and arms out to her. She nearly took a step back at this, her mind reeling. Then she realized... What if Rudy wasn't nearly as angry as he had seemed? What if it was an act?

In the end, he was just a little boy who needed some reassurance. The emotions must be weighing down upon him and he was looking for help anywhere he could get it. Even if it was from someone that he previously came off as not liking very much.

Regardless of what the boy's reasoning was, that didn't stop Ms. Sharence from reaching out towards him and pulling him into a hug, lifting him up from the bed and pulling him into her arms. She held him close to her as she gently rubbed his back up and down, caressing it lightly.

Rudy cried softly against her shoulder. She could feel his tears staining her shoulder. She ignored it as she kept the small child against her. She forgot about where she was and she was only aware of the small child she was trying to comfort. She shushed him gently as she whispered soft, gentle words to him.

Only when Rudy appeared to have calmed down did she even think of trying to move away from him. She carefully released him while still keeping her hands on his arms, a silent way of reminding him that she was still there. She looked at his face, seeing how it was tilted down and he was crying still. She reached over and gently cupped his chin, tilting it up.

"Do you feel better?" She asked gently.

Rudy opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it and looked away.

The woman furrowed her eyes slightly. "Is something else bothering you?" Rudy looked at her. "Did you want to talk about it?"

A few more tears appeared on Rudy's face. "I-It was my fault this had happened... It's not fair my parents are punished for something I did..."

Ms. Sharence asked, "Can you explain this?"

Rudy let out a couple more sniffles as he wiped away his tears. There was almost no reason to believe that this was fake in any shape or form. Not that she thought the boy was making up anything. "I...I was making a diorama a-a-and I used bleach and I.." He stopped for a moment and moved his hands over his eyes.

The implication was very clear.

"Did you... get bleach in your eyes?" Ms. Sharence asked. When the boy nodded his head, she could feel her teeth clenching tightly. She hadn't been informed of this particular detail. Mr. Kurodo had given her the basic information. But he didn't go into heavy detail. "Oh you poor child..."

Rudy had his head lowered. His body became loose and he wasn't even trying to get away from her anymore. Far less so than before. He didn't seem to mind that she could see him crying. It was like he had given up trying to hide his true emotions. Not that she was upset by this. She would rather him be open and honest than hide anything from her.

So it would seem that Rudy accidentally got bleach in his eyes. Probably dropped the bottle by mistake. And now his parents were paying the price for it. That was the gist that she could see right here. Rudy blames himself for what happened. His parents blame themselves. And neither side wanted to see the other punished.

This was indeed going to be a difficult case. More so than she initially thought. She already knew how tough it was going to be. But what she was seeing before her, with this information she was just given, it was still going to be tough to move forward with a plan. If this family had their way, they wouldn't have gone for Child Services and would have just moved on. That wasn't an option for them now, especially with eye witnesses, people calling for them to be punished.

A part of her still felt filthy about the whole thing. She felt like she was an intruder in a world that could have been left alone. She felt like she was pushing in on some private space. More like forced, as this hadn't been her idea.

But she couldn't just leave. Her job was to help this family. If she left, she would be abandoning them. Rudy's situation was still not great, even if his parents were not intending to be abusive. Something still needed to be done to ensure that Rudy was able to get the proper parenting that he required. And his parents needed to have some lessons given to them so they can avoid this tragedy in the future.

But she realized that, if she truly wanted to help, she first had to gain their trust. She had to gain not just the trust of the parents, but Rudy's as well. She had to make this visit less about changing them and more about helping them, like she promised. She was a stranger, and outsider to this world. She needed to tread lightly and she needed to treat them with respect.

In order to symbolize that, she pulled Rudy into another hug. The boy seemed to appreciate this, with how he was huddling a bit closer this time. He held onto her as she gently pat the top of his head and along his back. It was clear that Rudy didn't actualy want to be angry with her. He was just angry in general and was looking for an outlet. Hopefully her words helped to settle him down.

"I am just trying to help you and your parents. If this goes well, then I'll leave and your parents will be free of the charges. Don't you want that for your parents, Rudy?"

The young boy nodded his head slowly, shakingly.

Ms. Sharence gave a small smile at this. "Then let me help you. I promise, I'll get to the bottom of this." She gently rubbed her hand against his soft hair. "And we can all move on from this." She lowered her head until her chin touched against Rudy's head. "I promise."