School went by in a daze for Callie. While her body may have been present, she can hardly remember any of the information her overbearing teachers had thrown at her about the upcoming midterms, her mind occupied by the odd string of events that had played out this morning. She spent first period Math trying to piece together the time between saying bye to Jude and waking up in the street, which was like trying to see through a pair of grimy spectacles; the missing minutes were clearly there in her mind, but so vague they were almost blurred. But she soon gave up on the hopeless attempt to recover her dizzy memories and turned her focus to the bigger issue; the cop.

All through World History, she had been recalling the fare-haired woman's curious stare and analysing words. Although she hadn't shown any reason for Callie to fear her, the apprehension around such an authority figure isn't something Callie can control; it's a default setting that she knows will never really disappear, and why should it when all through her life, they've never done anything but let her down?

But although Callie didn't exactly fear for her safety, she worries about the sudden interest the woman took in her. Why her? What makes her any different from the usual drug users who curl up on the street corners at night after receiving their latest fix? Something about the way the woman looked at Callie scared her. The look wasn't exactly bad; it just felt odd. It took until halfway through her lunch hour for Callie to recognise that the look the cop had given her was something she hadn't had anyone give her for a long while: genuine concern.

By Spanish, Callie found herself crediting the police system – the people she had grown accustomed to hating – for the second time in less than twenty-four hours. If that cop hadn't found her, god knows who would have found her and what awful things they could have done. The thought sent Callie into a silent fit of incredulous laughter despite the fact the issue isn't remotely funny, though the way it sits with her, it might as well be; surely nothing can match up to the dire hand she's been dealt in life, and if anything came close, then she'd win just for the fact that she hadn't salvaged the many desires her mind had to run away, or even off herself. She'd thought about it a couple of times, the idyllic way to defy the system that had come to control her whole life would quite obviously be to take the ability to do so away from them, in essence, taking the control she'd yearned for to end the misery that was her life. But of course, she would never go through with it – she'll never leave Jude.

She wonders if this was what Gregor Samsa from The Metamorphosis felt. If he felt so alone in his new body, so disregarded and controlled, that things would be better if he just disappeared. She makes a mental note to finish reading the text, maybe during lunch tomorrow before English class – she'd be too far ahead, but something about the little background knowledge she has on the protagonist draws her in and almost brings her a sense of comfort, despite the horror he appears to have gone through. It is, after all, only a book, but Callie feels somewhat of a connection with the young man.

Now she exits the school, shaking her head she to clear it of the tactless thoughts clouding her judgement. As she stills herself she notices an ache, as if the insides are rattling around her skull, and recognises it as a starting symptom of dehydration. At lunch, she'd eaten a sandwich and washed it down with a box of apple juice, and for the moment it had revitalised her enough to get through the afternoon of classes, but it had never fully dampened the fiery sensation of hunger that lingers in her stomach.

She sees Jude perched on a wall outside the middle school, back curved in a way that would make her mother cringe, and head looking down at something in his lap. She picks up her pace to close the distance between them, pushing her hair off her hot face, the sun still beating down hard on her neck. They're lucky, really, how close their schools are here in San Ysidro – in previous placements, the middle school and high school had been miles away from each other, so neither of the siblings complained about the system they'd created when they'd first moved here over three months ago. Jude's school let out a good fifteen minutes before Callie's, but he'd wait on the wall by the bus stop for her so they could catch the bus home together. Today is no different, and Callie smiles, glad to be in the presence of the younger boy once again, especially in light of the events that took place last night.

"Hey, baby," she says, wrapping her arms around him in a quick embrace and peering over his shoulder. He's studying a piece of paper intently, but before Callie can see what it is, he folds it over and puts it back in his bag.

"Hi," he replies, hopping off the wall and swinging on his backpack. She notices immediately that his voice lacks its usual enthusiasm, and her brow furrows.

"How was school?"

He shrugs, beginning to walk towards the bus stop. "Fine."

"Your math homework?" Callie questions, eyebrow raised as she follows close behind him.

"I handed it in. I won't find out my grade until Monday."

Callie nods, accepting his answer, but albeit confused about the sudden atmosphere between them. It isn't like Jude to be so closed off – she is the master of that trait – and it worries her.

The bus ride is silent, and Callie dreads the thought of returning to Lance's house. He probably won't be home, but that doesn't make the place feel any safer. Standing abruptly, she pushes the stop signal on the bus and looks down at Jude's confused face.

Flashing him a smile, she asks, "Did you eat lunch at school today?"

"Yeah, I had some pasta," he replies, following suit with his sister and rising from the seat. "Why are we getting off here? Our stop isn't for another five minutes yet."

"I thought we could go grocery shopping." As the bus pulls over, she begins to make her way to the exit. "It'll keep us out of that house for a while."

As the siblings wander the store, Jude's truncated answers turn into high-pitched chortles as the two engage in a game of 'cart surfing', a game they play each time they come to the store. Jude stands on the shopping cart's frame, and if the lane is free of people, Callie will pick up her pace before lifting her feet too, allowing the cart wheel them fast down the aisle. They'd done it their whole lives; it had been something their mom had always endorsed, and from time to time even joined in with their gleeful charades, seeing how much joy it brought to their faces. Of course, with Jude now nearing thirteen, and Callie having just recently turned sixteen, the pair are probably considered too old to be messing around in such a childish manner, but they wouldn't let that stop them. Just seeing Jude let loose once in a while is enough to make Callie carry on with the traditions, despite the fact they could easily be thrown out the store.

Breathless from their games, Callie begins to search the aisles for the best value supplies. She sends Jude off to gather some cans of soup for the pantry while she finds her way to the drugstore section of the shop. In previous homes, if she needed pain medication, she'd be able to find a bottle of something prescribed to previous foster kids that did the job just fine in a bathroom cabinet, but Lance's house is different. The man barely even kept toothpaste or soap, never mind Tylenol, and as Callie browses the brightly coloured boxes of medication, she can see why; the smallest bottle costs over ten dollars. Looking desperately in her wallet, she sees that she only has around thirty dollars, and no way is she willing to spend a third of her precious money on those pills when the money could be put to better use, like feeding Jude a nutritious breakfast for the next fortnight.

She picks up the bottle, studying it evidently in her hands. Before their antics with the shopping cart, she had almost forgotten about her aching in her back and ribs, but the excess movement has brought back the pain she felt this morning as she'd woken up, and once again, Callie feels like she could collapse in a heap at any moment. Her throat is dry and her head is tinny, and just looking at the bottle of painkillers in her hands brings comfort to her raw body. But she knows they can't afford it. She just has to toughen up – she'll be fine if she just walks it off.

Steering the cart away, she heads back over to where she said she'd meet Jude to see him balancing at least six cans of food in his hands. She laughs as he pulls a face when one of the cans slip slightly from his grasp, only just catching it by the skin of his teeth. "You got enough there, buddy?" Callie teases, ruffling his hair as he places the cans in the cart.

Jude sticks his tongue out at Callie cheekily. "Hey! That was an efficient trip I made. Besides, I got your favourite!"

"Oh yeah?" she questions, trying to hide the little niggle of pain that's coming from her ribcage as she laughs.

"Yeah, look! You used to love spaghetti-O's, remember?"

Callie gulps, staring down at the cans before her. It's the truth; as a child, they had been her favourite food, and the taste always brought fond memories to Callie, but now the desire to taste the sweet tomato sauce is overshadowed by the price.

"Jude…these cost nearly one-fifty a can…" To maximise their small budget, Callie always chose to buy food from the value ranges, figuring it does the same job, but just might not look so pretty. These, however, were branded, and the six cans that Jude had loaded into the cart would add up to nearly nine dollars.

The smile falls off Jude's face almost so quickly she can't bear to look at him. "Oh…I'll put them back, then." His voice has lost its chirp, and he begins to unload the cans from the cart, trudging solemnly along the aisle.

"Jude, wait!" Callie calls after him, her heart breaking at the sight of his disappointment. It's only ten dollars, right? And with the week they've had, they deserve something special.

Her brother turns around, his movements caught in suspense. "Go on then, put them back in."

The look of pure elation on his face enough to make Callie forget about the fact they're spending money they probably don't have, and makes her smile to herself. Seeing Jude happy never fails to raise her mood, and right now, he's doing a good job. "As long as you don't mind having them for dinner for the next week then it's good with me," she adds humorously, before Jude begins to tell her about some cool comic book a boy in his class showed him today. She listens, waiting for the dreaded climax that's bound to arrive, but is surprised to hear that for once the story isn't about someone teasing her brother, but about him making a friend.

Jude continues to tell Callie about the boy as they pick up the last of the groceries, and only stops for a breath by the time they reach the checkout. When they stop, Callie is surprised to find herself more breathless than Jude, despite the fact he'd been animatedly talking non stop for the past fifteen minutes, and winces slightly as she lets out a breath.

"Callie?" Jude nudges his sister's side, oblivious to the shooting pain his elbow creates as it digs into her achy ribs when trying to grab her attention. "Look, over there! That's it!"

She presses her hands to her eyes, forcing the tears to stay inside – the last thing she needs is for Jude to see her like this. She knows he didn't mean it, and she does love to see his excitement, but times like now where her head is pounding and her body is aching, she wishes she could just take a break. She loves her brother, and more than anything she loves to see him actually act like a kid, but right now it's too much. "What is it, Jude?" she asks, her voice slightly harsher than she'd intended.

But Jude doesn't pick up on her tone, and wanders over to the magazine stand adjacent to the checkout point, calling over the noise of the beeping tills. "It's the comic book that Carlos had today! I have to show you the main guy, you're gonna love him, Cal!"

As Jude begins to flick through the comic book, she feels a nauseous sensation creeping in her stomach. She hasn't felt this bad in ages – normally after a beating, she was able to go through the day with minimal upset, only the occasional ache or pain. But after passing out this morning, and the shortness of breath in the store earlier, the ache from this beating is really taking a toll on her. Suddenly, she's not so sure she'll be able to make it home at all without some kind of pain killer, never mind whatever Lance could have in store for her tonight.

"That's really great, buddy," she says weakly, forcing a smile as Jude points out another cool fact about the superhero he's suddenly begun to idolize.

"You know, I think I saw over there that it's on sale…" Jude says quietly, glancing towards Callie questioningly.

"Jude…" she says, torn between her heart and her mind. They really can't afford it; they are barely able to get the groceries as it is, never mind luxuries like comic books. "We can't."

"I know." He sighs, closing the comic and tucking it under his arm.

She looks at him sympathetically and wraps her arms around his neck, tucking his petite body into her torso. "I'm sorry, baby. But if we save up, then maybe next week we can come down and see if they have it on sale still, okay?"

She can tell Jude's trying to mask his disappointment, and it breaks her inside knowing that she can't give him the things most parents wouldn't even think twice about. He's just a kid; he deserves to have something nice once in a while. But she really can't afford it. Once again, she curses whoever gave her this life.

As she moves forward in the line, Callie is reminded of the dizziness that's clouding her mind, and knows that she has to address the thought that's been lingering around her head since she was over by the drug stand. She pulls three ten-dollar bills from her wallet and slips them into Jude's hands.

"What are you doing?" he asks, examining the dog-eared money in his hands with a frown.

"I need to use the bathroom," she lies, biting her lip. "You pay for this, okay? I'll meet you outside."

Jude looks sceptical, and worry creases his face. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah; I'm fine. I just need some air, that's all," she assures him, smiling weakly. "Just hand over all the money if you can't work it out, okay? There's not much change to get anyway."

"I got it, Cal," he says, shaking his head in embarrassment, although they both know he would struggle in the heat of the moment to hand over the correct amount of money to the cashier.

Nodding, she slips out of the line and retreats back to the medicine aisle. She'd only shoplifted a handful of times before, and each had been for trivial things like candy or toy cars for Jude, but now she finds herself thankful for her small amount of experience in the business. This time, however, her theft is out of desperation rather than for childish enjoyment, and if she were to be caught, she'd pay a much higher price than for stealing a chocolate bar.

She walks down the aisle slowly, trying her hardest not to draw attention to herself. Glancing around, she's thankful to see that the security camera is far from her position by the medicine shelf, which will make picking up the bottle a little easier.

Don't act suspicious.

Make it look like you're doing nothing wrong.

Don't make them think you have something to hide.

Act natural – grab the loot, and walk away.

She runs the rules through her head and forces her arm out towards the shelf, wrapping her shaking hands around the darkly tinted bottle. She looks around again, and, just like before, there is no one to be seen in the aisle. Quickly, Callie pulls the bottle from the shelf and stuffs it deep into the darkness of her open backpack, then zips it up and plasters it to her chest as she continues her walk down the aisle.

The thrill she'd felt the time she stole the candy bar is nowhere to be seen this time. Instead, it has been replaced with a guilt so strong Callie feels like she could throw up her lunch at any moment. And, considering the circumstances, puking in the middle of the grocery store would not be a good idea.

Swallowing the bile that threatens to rise up her throat, Callie walks out into the open checkout area and towards the exit. Her knees shake with nerves as she passes the large, round security guard and the way he follows her with his eyes makes her shiver. Just keep going. Act like you've done nothing wrong and they won't suspect a thing.

Just as she's slipping out of the store, a cough sounds behind her and her face drains of blood. She hovers for a moment, debating whether to turn around and address whoever is waiting behind her, or make a run for it right now. Ultimately, though, she knows she won't make it far in this state, and she can't just leave Jude behind, so she turns slowly, crossing her fingers in a prayer that she hasn't just been busted.

"Miss," the security guard says, his face unreadable. Right then, she's sure she's been caught. She's been busted for stealing drugs – she could be sent to jail or a group home, and Jude could be placed somewhere even worse than Lance's house and she won't be there to protect him. All because she couldn't just put up with some stupid aching in her back.

She can feel herself struggling to breathe and is well aware that she now looks extremely suspicious, but before she passes out with panic, the security guard finally speaks. "Your shoelace is undone."

Callie looks down to her worn out converse, and then back up at the guard. "Oh," she says, shaking her head. "Thanks."

He gives an authoritative nod as Callie stumbles away. She can tell just by the raised hairs on her neck that he's still watching her as she rounds the corner.

Now in the shade of the side street, Callie leans against the wall and sucks in the cooler air. Her heart rattles in her chest, and she knows that she has to try and compose herself before Jude gets out – seeing his sister so distraught will only frighten him, and she doesn't have the energy to try and console him.

With shaking hands, she reaches into the backpack and pulls out the bottle of pills. "You better do your job after all the trouble I've gone to get you!" Callie warns in a whisper, aware she probably sounds and looks delusional, but her sanity is the least of her worries – at least until she can rid herself of the aches and pains.

She swallows down two pills dry, wincing as they scratch her throat, before closing the bottle and returning it to her bag. She looks around and catches sight of a police cruiser in the parking lot, and the vehicle instantly makes her stiffen. What would the cop from this morning think of her now that she'd truly broken the law? Would compassion still fill her blue eyes, or would it be replaced with repulsiveness, now that Callie had lived up to the stereotypical trashy foster kid?

As the cruiser door opens, Callie does't stick around to see who exits, instead hurrying round the back of the store.

She didn't get caught this time, but the success does nothing to encourage her to engage in the act again. She could have lost it all and ruined both her and Jude's lives, and that's a price she's definitely not willing to pay.

Thanks for reading and for the great reviews and my apologies for the longer wait for this chapter - I'm currently wifi-less! Anyway, I love hearing from you all and it would be great to see what your thoughts on this chapter are, so please leave a review!

- K :)