Basil
Stirring in the top bunk informs me that Chayton is awake, finally. It only took me kicking the bottom of his bed repeatedly for, I don't know, five minutes? But my work has paid off.
"Morning already?" Chayton jokes.
"Morning for you, I've been up for hours."
"Figured that." He climbs down the ladder and looks out the window; shiny, new. But you can't have a hole the size of a fourteen your old version of me in your window. Long story made short, I fell out, with the help of Chayton, the jealous thirteen year old boy, feeling replaced by his new foster brother. I can't blame him, though, because I did get a lot of special attention.
I get out of bed and run towards the stairs, "You coming?" I call.
I'm answered by a crash and a thump.
"Clutz," I murmur, "You okay in there?" I ask, laughing?
He comes into the hall, obviously biting his lip trying to be serious, "Are you kidding? I just tripped over your dresser!"
We break out in laughter, running down the stairs.
"Did you smell the bacon?" Stephanie, my foster mom and Chayton's mom, kids.
"Uh, no." Chayton says, not up for his mom's sense of humor.
I just shrug, and we sit down at the table, where she serves us our breakfast of bacon and pizza. Chayton's not a huge fan of breakfast foods, so this is a typical morning meal for us. I remember last year, my first morning with the Oakham family, I ran down the stairs to find a breakfast of grilled cheese and tomato soup.
"Sorry, no grilled cheese this morning, Basil!" Okay, that joke is getting pretty old; I've only heard it nearly every day since August of last year, my first day here, except when we actually have had grilled cheese.
"I guess that's okay, Steph," I follow, "Get me some for lunch and I might forgive you!"
My foster dad, Kreg, walks through the door.
"Want pizza?" Stephanie laughs.
"No thank you, I got myself a bagel." Kreg doesn't have much of a sense of humor. He doesn't really approve of our dinner-or-lunch-for-breakfast fun, either.
"Suit yourself." Chayton and I make faces at eachother.
After we eat, we excuse ourselves, under the eye of Kreg, to go play outside.
As soon as the doors close, Chayton and I look at eachother. We each know what the other is saying.
"Time to put our plan into action."