Lena stared down at her plate, food untouched. A loud silence rang throughout the kitchen. Nobody was in the mood to eat; even Jesus who she often joked was a human garbage disposal had left his plate undisturbed. Everyone looked up as Stef entered the kitchen. Lena immediately noticed the signs of distress in her partner's eyes. The blonde took a deep breath before looking up at the four pairs of eyes that stared back at her.
"I assure you," Stef declared as she sat down at the head of the table, "Adelaide will not get away with this. Something is not right and we will figure out what."
"Where's Callie?" Brandon wondered with concern, "Is she okay?"
"She's…resting," Stef replied, folding her arms in front of her, "As you can imagine, she is pretty upset."
"This blows." Jesus muttered harshly, crossing his arms on the table.
"Language," Lena reprimanded but her words held no force. She was drained.
Stef ran her hand through her hair, "I'm going to call Bill tomorrow morning and see how soon we can take this to court. I understand you're all upset, I am too. We're going to get him back." The more she said it, the more Stef believed it to be true.
"Can I be excused?" Mariana asked quietly. She didn't wait for an answer and headed for the backyard. Jesus followed her outside and Brandon headed upstairs for his room. Lena stood up and walked to Stef's side, wrapping her arms around her partner. She kissed Stef's forehead and held her close.
"Let it out, my Love," Lena murmured, resting her chin atop blonde hair. Stef buried her face in Lena's shirt and began to cry.
Callie stirred as sunlight hit her face. She slowly blinked her eyes open as they adjusted to the morning light. For a moment she was blissfully disoriented but then reality came crashing down. Jude was gone. She ran a hand over her face which was covered in dry tears from last night. She hadn't gone to sleep until about midnight, but she remained in her bed so that she wouldn't be disturbed. She had pretended to be asleep when Mariana came in the room although she had a feeling the younger girl knew she was faking. Callie sat up and reached for her phone. 6:45. Stef and Lena had allowed her to sleep in a bit. She pushed the covers back off her body and headed for the bathroom. By the sound of it, everybody was already downstairs and ready for the day.
After a speedy shower and a quick comb through her hair, Callie deemed herself presentable and headed for the stairs. She paused at the top, listening for any signs of conversation. All she could hear were muted tones that were too quiet to decipher. Biting the bullet, Callie descended the stairs and headed for the kitchen. Head down, she made a beeline for the coffee machine. She knew her foster-moms preferred she cut back on the caffeinated beverage, but this morning it was very necessary.
An immediate hush fell over the kitchen when Callie entered. Lena took a cautious step towards the teen, "Morning, Callie. Do you want some eggs?" Callie shook her head, eyes fixed on the coffee pot in an attempt to avoid the vice-principle's gaze.
Stef tilted her head, "How about cereal?" Another head shake. Mug finally full, Callie quietly walked out of the kitchen and back upstairs.
Lena exhaled and put her head in her hands, "She hates us." Stef chose to not say anything because she had the same sentiments.
"What did Bill say?" Brandon asked, eyes flicking between his mothers.
"He is going to set up a court date as soon as possible," Lena answered, "They got to Arizona early this morning."
Mariana looked up from her food, "Could we talk to Jude? Can we visit him?"
Stef sighed, "That is entirely up to Adelaide and considering the way she feels about us, it's not likely." She glanced at the watch on her wrist, "Okay, we have to go. Can someone please get Callie?"
Jesus winced and shook his head as he finished the last of his breakfast, "And face the wrath? No thank you."
Mariana rolled her eyes and pushed back from the table, "I'll get her."
"Hello?" Callie cringed. Bill sounded completely exhausted. He had driven Jude and Adelaide all the way to Arizona last night, after all. As bad as she felt, she couldn't let that stop her.
"It's Callie. I need to talk to Jude."
A sigh was audible through the phone, "Callie…"
"I just want to make sure he's okay," she rushed to explain as she paced the length of her bedroom, "I just need the phone number."
"Callie, you know I can't give you Adelaide's number. I'll talk to her about visiting―"
"Come on!" Callie interrupted, "You know she can't stand me. Please."
"I'm not allowed. I know you're worried for Jude but I'm sure he's fine. I'm sorry, Callie. I―" Callie angrily hung up the phone and tossed it onto the bed.
"Callie?"
"What?!" The brunette turned to see Mariana standing near the entrance of the bedroom. The younger girl's eyes narrowed and she placed her hands on her hips.
"You know, you don't have to be such a bitch."
Callie furrowed her eyebrows and crossed her arms, "Excuse me?"
Mariana walked right up to her foster-sister, defiance in her eyes, "We get it; you miss Jude. We all do, but acting like a jerk isn't going to bring him back."
Callie rolled her eyes and went to grab her backpack from the floor, "I don't have time for this. Aren't we leaving for school now?"
Mariana watched her get ready and a thought popped into her head. Her eyes softened, as did her tone, "Is this because your Dad didn't mention you in his will?" She asked in a quiet manner, "Callie that had to have been a mistake―"
"Shut up Mariana!"
The hurt that flashed in the girl's eyes made Callie realize just how poorly she had been behaving. She took a step towards the younger girl, "Mariana, I…"
"Bitch!" The Latina stalked out the room and down the stairs. Callie pressed her hands over her eyes and took a deep breath before heading towards the car.
Jude sat on top of one of the nicest beds he had ever slept in. The room Adelaide had set up for him was the type of bedroom he had dreamt about while in various foster homes. It was large with a walk in closet, an en suite bathroom, a desk on which a laptop sat, and of course the full sized bed he was sitting on. It was the nicest room Jude had ever had, but he would give it up in an instant if it meant going back home to Callie and the Fosters. There was a knock at the door and Jude looked up as it opened to reveal Adelaide, dressed for the day and smiling.
"Good morning, Jude," she greeted as she walked in, "Did you sleep okay?"
Jude nodded, "Yes."
Adelaide took a seat next to him on the bed, "Well, I was thinking we could eat breakfast and then we could meet with your tutor…"
"Tutor?" Jude asked, eyebrow raised.
"Oh, yes," Adelaide replied, "You have some catching up to do if you want to be at the same level of the other boys at Holy Cross Prep."
"Is that a church?"
Adelaide chuckled, "No, Dear. It's a school, one of the best schools this state has to offer actually. I'm sure you are going to love it."
Jude looked down at his hands before looking up at Adelaide, "Could...could I call Callie? And Stef and Lena?"
Adelaide's mood instantly stormed over, but she tried not to let it show, "There's no reason to call them, Jude. They aren't your family. I am."
"Callie's my sister," Jude insisted, although her words were making him think otherwise, "We have the same mom."
Adelaide sighed, "Half sister, then. Jude, Callie is not a good influence for you. I've seen her file and the things she's done in the past...those are the makings of a criminal. And those two women living their life in sin...it's unfortunate, really." She patted his knee and stood up, heading for the door, "I expect you'll join me at the table for breakfast in a few minutes. We have a great deal of work ahead of us today."
Jude waited until she was headed towards the kitchen before flopping back on the bed. This was a nice life but it wasn't his. He wanted two sisters, two brothers, two moms…not one grandmother who he barely knew and was the picture of judgment. Jude sighed. If he was more like Callie he would do something reckless and try to run away, but he wasn't. Besides, he knew reckless actions led to bad consequences as his sister often faced. He sat up and headed towards the expansive window that provided a view of the quaint suburb he was supposed to call his 'home.'
Callie would figure this out. She always did.
I wake up at 5:45 AM every morning because I have to leave my house by 7:00 AM for school. I woke up. I heard the phone ring. My dad picked it up. NO SCHOOL! SNOW DAY! This is the third one this year! I have not had a full week of school since December! Whatever, I'm not complaining. Even though they are taking away vacation days…
No school, no work, The Fosters is on tonight AND I beat my high score on Flappy Bird.
#TURNDOWNFORWHAT
-Liv
P.S.-Thank you for the reviews guys! They make my day! Please keep reviewing, they make me update faster ;)