Chapter 15.

Later that afternoon, Callie was sprawled on her bed, reading Romeo and Juliet for English class. She didn't know why she was even bothering. In a matter of days, she'd no longer be attending Anchor Beach, so doing her homework was a waste of her precious time with the Fosters. But at the same time, part of her wanted to hold on to normality as her world was crumbling around her, and what could be more normal than homework? At least it was something to distract her from her troubles.

She was turning a page in her book when Brandon walked into the room. "Hey, Cal," he said. "Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah," she said, setting her book down. "What's up?" Brandon leaned down and kissed her. She would miss his kisses so much when she left.

Sitting on the edge of her bed, Brandon took her hand in his. "You know, I've been thinking," he began. "And I came up with a plan so you won't have to be sent away."

"What is it?" Callie asked, curious.

"I thought of it earlier," he told her. "It might sound crazy, but just hear me out."

"I'm listening," she replied.

"You and I," said Brandon, pausing for effect, "will run away together and elope."

"What?" Callie gasped. "We can't, Brandon. We're only sixteen. No one will marry us."

"I'm sure we could get fake documents, somehow," Brandon told her. Even as he said it, he realized how farfetched that element of his plan was. "Okay," he admitted. "So, we can't elope. But we can still run away. If you're not here, they can't take you away or separate us."

"I don't know..." Callie fretted, a knot growing in the pit of her stomach.

Brandon picked up her book, which lay haphazardly on the bed. "We'll be a modern Romeo and Juliet."

"Brandon," said Callie. "You know they both die at the end, right?"

He waved away her words. "Don't you want to be together? I love you, Callie. And I don't want to lose you. It kills me to think that you could be gone tomorrow, and we won't see each other every day."

"But I can't leave Jude," she pointed out. "He needs me." She was the only biological family he had.

"You know he'll be fine here," Brandon told her. "Moms will take care of him."

"And then there's your moms," she reminded him. "I don't want to hurt them. They've been good to me. And I- I love them." She sighed. She knew Stef and Lena were upset about losing her. If they lost both her and Brandon, they'd be devastated.

"Will you at least think about it?" Brandon asked.

Callie chewed her lip in thought. "Okay. I'll think about it. But I still don't know."

That night, Callie couldn't sleep. Nighttime was when the sadness was unavoidable. With nothing to occupy her mind, all Callie could do was lay awake and think about the family she was about to lose. How much loss could one person take? She'd been forced to leave other foster homes in the past, but none of those mattered. In most cases, she was happy to leave them. And at least Jude went with her those times. But she had so much to lose this time, more than she'd ever had. She'd just been starting to let herself dream about a permanent life with the Fosters. The definitely seemed like they wanted to keep her and her brother. It was stupid to get so attached to them, she thought. If she'd kept her distance, didn't get to know them, leaving wouldn't hurt so much.

Her mind went back to Brandon's ridiculous, but admittedly romantic, plan. She imagined the two of them, living off the grid, traveling like gypsies. Maybe his plan wasn't so impossible? Whatever she did, she would still be leaving, so why not go on her own terms, with the boy she loved? They'd only have to stay away for a year and a half, just until they turned eighteen.

Her decision made, she slipped out of bed and worked silently in the dark, trying not to wake Mariana. She stuffed some things in her backpack, and dressed in the clothes she'd worn that day. Carrying her shoes, she slowly, cautiously walked down the hall to Brandon's room, and let herself in. Brandon was awake and dressed, as if anticipating her. "I decided," she whispered to him. "Let's do it."

Meanwhile, Stef sat in the dark kitchen, drinking a glass of wine. She was heartsick about Callie, so much so that sleep was unimaginable. Alone, she thought back to the sad events of the day. Jude's reaction to the news was especially troubling. She knew he would take it the hardest, but that didn't make it any easier. Lena held him as he cried. She had a way with him, anyone could see. The two shared a special bond, much like she herself shared with Callie.

She was lost in her own thoughts when she heard movement, punctuated by hushed whispers. The noise was coming from the living room, and it was the distinct sound of someone trying to sneak around. She stood up, and went to investigate. What she found was Brandon and Callie, shouldering backpacks, ready to go out the front door. She sighed with relief, glad for her insomnia. Because of it, she was there to stop them from making a terrible mistake.

"Guys," she said, calmly, trying not to lose her head. "Don't run away. It won't solve your problems. It will only make them worse." She studied the two scared faces before her, and reached out to them. "I know it seems like an easy solution to just take off, but it's not. Callie, if you're in the group home, there's at least a chance that we can get you back home. But if you run away, you'll break your parole, and be in a lot of trouble. That could send you back to juvie, and we don't want that." She turned to her son. "I'll let you off with a warning this time, but neither of you better pull a stunt like this again." She placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "B., go on back to bed. I want to spend a little time with Callie." She waited for Brandon to go up the stairs, then sat down on the sofa. "Come here by me, sweetheart," she said. "I want to hold you for a while." If Callie was close to her, she couldn't try to run away again. She knew she should be angry with both her and Brandon, but she wasn't. Just unspeakably sad. She wrapped the young girl in a tight hug, covering them both with a throw blanket.

"I'm sorry," Callie whispered. "For trying to run away. I didn't really want to, but I didn't know what else to do."

"I know, Baby," Stef replied. She kissed her foster daughter's temple, softly. "And I understand. But I want you to know something important. Even in the group home, you'll still have all our love. No one can take that away from you. This will always be your home, and we'll always be your family." She cradled her close. "I'm going to keep my promise to you, Angel. You'll be back here before you know it." There was no response from Callie, so she continued holding her, relaxing into the sofa. Soon, she heard Callie's soft snoring, telling her she'd fallen asleep in her arms.

To Be Continued