Chapter five: The house rules

Brenna's POV

The car ride is silent. Even though Helen looked like she has been wanting to strike up a conversation for a while.

I looked at the new kid, Hiccup, sitting next to me. He was small for his age. He has russet brown hair that laid limply on his head and emerald green eyes that seemed to have lost it's spark. He reminds me of myself.

He's wearing an oversized green coat that goes well with his eyes. But I was mostly focusing on his left leg.

He was wearing a heavy blue cast on his left leg. Apparently he got into a car accident with his dad and really shattered it. If he's not too careful, he might get it amputated. Just like my legs.

" I would normally take you guys out to eat but we can't since of your legs and your risk of infection Hiccup. But I think we could splurge on McDonalds drive thru. That okay with you guys?" Helen said.

Hiccup shrugs not caring about it while I said, " Sure but can we can stop at Homer's? I need a real milkshake and the ones at McDonalds sucks."

" You like Homer's milkshakes too?" He said full of surprise.

" They are the best in all of Denver." I said truthfully. They are awesome and remind me so much of the good times.

" We I do have time." Helen smiles. "Okay we'll stop at Homer's."

I think she agreed to stop at Homer's because of Hiccup. It was actually the first time he said something that wasn't full of attitude from him.

After we picked the food, the whole car smells like of fresh french fries. My mouth was watering and I wanted to inhale the food. But we were told to wait till we get home. I sneaked a fry anyway.

We pull through the drive way and I was greeted by a snow wet Sheeta and Meatlug pawing at my car door. Those two dogs are such mother hens.

I love my dog Sheeta. She has been with me since I first came to live here two years ago. She has been here since.

Meatlug was new. We just got her a few months ago. She's a pug puppy that was given to us by our former neighbors before they moved away and has taken a shine to Fishlegs. I like her, even though she's a bit lazy and also gassy.

" Give me a minute to put the dogs away and I will get you two into your wheelchairs." Helen said getting out of the car and leading the dogs away. Leaving the two of us alone.

" Well welcome to your new home." I said looking at the place. It's a decent size cape cod house with a huge backyard. Nothing really fancy. But it is very homey.

" For the next six months." He mutters bitterly. It's clear that he doesn't like the fact that he's now a foster kid. He looks at me and asked, " How'd you lose your legs?"

" How'd shatter your's" I talked back with a glare. He glares back at me and turns away. I know he doesn't want to talk about it. Neither do I. I want him to know that we have a bit of an understanding. If he doesn't want say anything then why should I?

Hiccup's POV

That girl next to me looks to have quite a story on her with her amputated legs. I was curious but then she tried to pry information out of me. But mostly I think she just doesn't want to talk about it. Like me.

Helen comes back and helps me into my wheelchair. She tries to push me, but I made it clear to her that I didn't want the help and wheeled myself to the front door.

After Helen opens the door, my jaw drops. I have never been in a house like this.

It was definitely one of the nicest homes I have ever been in. It was spacious and had a cape cod look to it. The main living space is open. Even the kitchen. It was also clean. Very clean. Usually my house was disorganized and had alcohol bottles covering the tables as a courtesy of my father.

" Ok Hiccup. You stay here while I get Brenna from the car." Helen said as she leads me the dining space. "I will explain the rules of this house during lunch and then I'll help you get settled into your room."

I wheel myself over to a glass cabinet case that was hanging on the wall and look at the millions of pictures in it. Most of them consist of Helen, her husband, and a large blonde boy. Probably her son.

I realize that Brenna is only in a few of these and looks not that much younger than she is now. She also doesn't look anything like the other family members. Is she a foster kid too? Most likely because she wasn't calling Helen " Mom.""

" I can take care of myself. You don't have to help me out of the car." I heard her complain as she wheels into the house.

" Well it's icy out." Helen said as she carries the food in. "I don't want to end up taking you back to the hospital because of a wheelchair on ice. You getting a bone bruise today was scary enough."

Brenna scoffs in response as she wheels over to a bar chair in the kitchen. I can't believe they even have a breakfast bar. She miraculously jumps out of her wheelchair using her arms and into the bar chair. Her face cringes a bit from most likely the pain on her side.

" Okay kids. Let's eat." Helen announces putting the McDonald bags down.

" Finally." Brenna said as she shrugs off her winter gear.

The room is silent as we chow down on our food. The food was a little cold, but the milkshakes from Homer's was amazing. I remember going there as a kid before everything went downhill after my mom's disappearance.

" Hiccup." Helen said to get my attention. " As you know, you will be staying with us for a while until your hearing in family court. Now there are a few things we need to discuss."

" Ok." I said.

" First off. You will be sharing with my son Freddy, so both of you will need to work out on how you want to respect each other's spaces."

I shrugged. Nothing that hard. He stays away from my space. I stay away from his.

" Second is the rules. I want you to know that I am strict about my rules and you have to respect them. Even if it sounds unfair to you. I am only doing this because I care about you."

" Yeah right." I thought. Who cares about someone like me.

" I heard about your smoking habits from the hospital. That is not allowed in my house, so I will ask you to give me all the cigarettes you have when you unpack."

" What?!"I thought. That is not fair.

" The next is that you are not allowed to go anywhere without my permission unless it's school. I want to know where you're going and how long you're going to be out for. This is to ensure your safety." She continues.

It's not I'm going anywhere in this wheelchair, so that could be easily followed.

" Finally trust and respect is big thing in this house. We want to trust and respect you, but you have to trust and respect us. This a major thing in how we run our house. If you disobey any of the rules, there will be consequences. Understand?" She finished.

I look at her reluctantly and said one word. " Crystal." As though it matters.