Ch. 13

A chilly wind was stirring the branches outside, making them rattle like bones in the winter darkness. Small patterns of frost were forming on the edges of the window panes and the lights of the city seemed covered by an icy haze as New York stood firm against the upcoming cold that was creeping ever closer.

"You sure keepin' the club open on Friday is a good idea?"

"I am already closing Saturday, Centipede. I must stay open on Friday as a compromise. But we will be opening and closing earlier due to the storm."

"Storm?" James asked, joining Mr. Grasshopper where he stood by the living room window. "I thought it was just going to get cold."

"Unfortunately not, my boy. There's a horrible storm coming and it will likely hit Friday evening. My guess is that we won't be able to leave the house Saturday."

"No matter," Mrs. Ladybug reassured them. "We'll just make sure the larder's fully stocked beforehand and we'll be fine. We'll be safe at home all day."

"Let's hope," Earthworm sniffed.

"Knock it off, we'll be fine."

"So you say, but-"

"I wanna watch TV!"

James felt two of Mr. Grasshopper's arms encircle him at the sound of Dylan's demand. Since his and Mrs. Ladybug's return home from the hospital, Dylan had been in an especially sulky mood. After tossing his backpack and coat to the floor, Dylan had flopped onto the couch, crossed his arms, and pouted, glaring at everyone who passed by. The only thing that had stopped the older boy from turning on the television set was the fact that Centipede had already made himself comfortable on the other end of the couch in order to prevent such an action from taking place. To James's relief, Dylan hadn't thrown a tantrum, but it was clear from the expression on his pudgy face that the approaching snow wouldn't be the only storm the family would have to deal with.

"Once again, the answer is no. And correct me if I'm wrong, young man, but you have not completed your homework again, have you?"

Dylan scowled at Mr. Grasshopper's question. "Grandma says I don't have to and you do."

"And as I explained to your grandmother, Dylan, she does not get to dictate what we do in our own home," Mrs. Ladybug reminded him. "Now, I suggest you do your homework while you can unless you wish to face the consequences at school again tomorrow."

"Grandma said she's gonna call the school and tell them they can't stop me from going to recess unless he gets punished too." Dylan pointed at James.

"That's enough!"

James shrank back from the older boy's sneering gaze, feeling Mr. Grasshopper's arms tighten around him. Miss Spider, too, made her way over to James's other side, her own eyes narrowed in displeasure at Dylan.

"No one will be punished for something they did not do. Do not even consider asking for such a thing again, Dylan."

"Grandma said-"

"Yeah, we know what your grandma said, Dylan. Sorry to burst your bubble, but if she tries makin' a demand like that, the only thing that's gonna happen is some teachers are gonna get a good laugh."

"Although I think we all know a grown woman asking for a child to be punished for something they are not guilty of is no laughing matter," Mr. Grasshopper said before addressing Dylan again. "I think it's time you went to bed, young man."

"No!"

"That wasn't a request."

"I want-"

"What you want matters not right now. And if you're not going to do your homework, then to bed with you."

"NOOOOO!" The storm that had been brewing inside Dylan broke and the older boy slid off the couch to the floor where he began beating his hands and feet against the carpet. "I WANNA GO HOME! I HATE IT HERE! I WANNA GO HOME AND WATCH TV!"

"Come, James, I think it is your bedtime as well."

"Yes, Miss Spider." The little boy followed Miss Spider out of the room and up the stairs, wincing as Dylan's shrieks seemed to make the windows rattle. "I guess he just really misses his grandmother, doesn't he?"

"Perhaps. But I am starting to think he misses not having rules even more so."

"I guess if you got to do whatever you wanted and nobody stopped you, it must be hard to suddenly have to do what someone tells you."

"Oh, of course, my James," Miss Spider agreed, reaching out to stroke her son's cheek. "But better he learn that now than later. If he does not learn to follow certain rules when he is older, it will be much harder for him."

James nodded, leaning into Miss Spider's touch. "Do you think... his grandmother really will call the school?"

"I do not think so." All the same, Miss Spider pulled James into a comforting hug. "And if she does, we will deal with it then. But you need not worry, James; we are not going to let anyone punish you for what Dylan does."

James held onto Miss Spider and while he felt a bit better, there was a dark pit of fear in his stomach that was refusing to go away.

You're going to get in trouble.

No! No he wasn't!

Are you sure about that?

Yes!

You never know. Dylan could-

"James?" Miss Spider pulled back, peering into James's eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, I'm okay. I think I'm just tired."

"Ahh. Well, it has been a long day for all of us, I think. Come, let's get you ready for bed. You will feel better then."

Indeed, one hot bath later and James found he was feeling a good deal better. The heat seemed to ease the fear inside him and silence that nagging voice in the back of his mind. Plus, now that he thought about it, it was rather ridiculous to think that Dylan's grandmother demand he not be allowed to go to recess because Dylan hadn't done his homework. And if that meant Dylan had to sit in again at recess tomorrow, well, that was Dylan's own fault.

It's like Centipede said. When people do bad things, it's okay to want to see them get in trouble because that's only fair.

And anyway, wouldn't it be worse if Dylan didn't do his homework and didn't have to face any consequences for it? James thought so. Maybe... maybe Dylan needed to get in trouble now because he'd never been punished before. And hadn't his mother said something about that?

"Am I ever glad I learned how to mend at such a young age. I'm seeing so many young ladies who tear their clothes and can barely yet wield a needle. It'll be harder for them going forward."

Maybe it was the same for Dylan. If his grandmother hadn't taught him how to behave properly, then it was going to be hard for Dylan to do so now. But, well, he could learn right?

A muffled cry came from downstairs, but it was clear Dylan was fast losing steam. Not too surprising, really, considering Dylan had barely eaten any of the roast chicken and potatoes served at dinner that evening, only nibbling at a piece of poultry when allowed to smother it in ketchup. Still, at least the older boy wasn't going to bed hungry and with any luck, his tantrum wouldn't last much longer either.

Feeling a bit better, James made his way to his bedroom, where Miss Spider was waiting for him. She was looking up at his shelf with a slightly bemused expression on her face as James settled himself into bed.

"Is that the otter on the truck?"

"Yes. She likes it there."

"I can see that. I wonder why."

"I don't know. But whenever she raced on that truck, she always won. And I think she looks sad whenever she can't sleep on the truck."

"Is that so? Well, then, I am glad she is happy and that you both will sleep easy tonight." Smiling, Miss Spider tucked the blankets around her son and leaned down to kiss him goodnight.

"Sleep well, my James. I promise all will be well."

"Goodnight, Miss Spider."

James closed his eyes as Miss Spider left the room. He heard her make her way downstairs, no doubt to help settle Dylan down as best she could. Thankfully, James couldn't hear the older boy's yelling anymore, which meant Dylan had probably worn himself out. James could feel himself drifting off to sleep as well, despite the wind still rattling the branches outside his window. But so long as he was safe and warm in his room, nothing could harm him.

Nothing at all.
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"Thankfully, that's over." Earthworm let out a groan as he flopped onto the rug in front of he newly-stoked fire. "I swear, I don't know how much more of that boy's squalling I can take!"

"Unfortunately, we may need to deal with Dylan's behavior a bit longer than we anticipated," Mrs. Ladybug said with a sigh as she brought a tray covered with mugs of coffee and tea into the living room. The rest of the family took their drinks and settled into their respective seats as Mrs. Ladybug opened the file Ms. Gould had given her earlier that day.

"I take it Mrs. Anderson isn't doing well, then?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

"We won't know for sure until tomorrow. But recovery time aside, Amelia Anderson likely won't have custody of her grandson much longer."

"What?"

"What happened?"

"Is there something else wrong?"

"Rachel sat in on Dylan's visit with his grandmother today. She came to the same conclusion I did: Amelia Anderson is not fit to raise Dylan as she is putting his health and future in jeopardy." With the family listening intently, Mrs. Ladybug told them what had occurred during Dylan's visit, noting how everyone's expression ranged from shocked to disgusted to downright furious, mainly at Amelia's attitude toward James.

"Well, my dear lady, in that I case, I quite agree with you." Mr. Grasshopper sipped the last of his tea as he leaned back into his armchair. "Mrs. Anderson clearly has no idea how to properly raise a child."

"Didn't she already have a kid?" Centipede asked. "You think she woulda learned her lesson."

"Rachel and I were both curious about that too, Centipede. That's why she looked into the Andersons' living situation and talked to a few of their neighbors. Mind you, a few of them have moved from the city, but she was able to get the full story."

"I am guessing it is not a happy one, then?" Miss Spider asked.

"No and what's worse is that if I had to guess, the reason Amelia spoiled Dylan the way she did was because of the way she raised her daughter."

"I don't follow."

"Let me see. Ah, yes." Mrs. Ladybug scanned one of the papers. "Amelia and her husband John had one child, a daughter named Dorothy, who was mostly known as Dottie. From what Rachel learned, Amelia and John were fairly strict with Dottie. She was rarely allowed to go out with friends unless there was a chaperone present and most of the parties she attended were school events."

"Huh, never would have guessed that," Earthworm mused.

"Yeah, well, I can guess where this is goin'." Centipede smirked and leaned against the couch. "At what age did the fightin' start?"

"Really, Centipede, there's no-"

"No, Centipede's correct."

"Hah, toldja."

"One of the Andersons' neighbors is a family called Clarke and they've lived in the same apartment across from the Andersons for years and are still there now. Mr. and Mrs. Clarke had children of their own, including a daughter roughly Dottie's age. According to them, right around the time both girls started secondary school, there would be dreadful arguments coming from the apartment, mostly between mother and daughter. Dottie was apparently chafing under her parents' strictness and the Clarke girl- Sarah, I think her name is- would often catch her breaking rules at school."

"Oh dear."

"Indeed."

"Was Sarah Clarke friends with Dottie Anderson?"

"I don't think so. According to Rachel, Mr. and Mrs. Clarke advised their daughter to keep her distance from Dottie once these fights started. Apparently, Sarah needed little encouragement because, as she told them, Dottie had fallen in with a particularly rough crowd and would often cut her afternoon classes to spend time with them and not come home until late."

There was an uncomfortable silence as the family traded glances. Mrs. Ladybug sighed, pursuing the social worker's notes once again.

"I can see what you're thinking. No, Dottie didn't end up in trouble at that point. But when she was seventeen, there was a horrible argument that ended with a lot of yelling and the sound of items being thrown and broken. The police were called, but by the time they got there, Dottie was long gone. The Andersons reported her as a runaway, but no one was able to locate her."

"How close was she to bein' eighteen?"

"Still several months out and at least six months away from completing her schooling."

"And no one had any idea where the girl might have gone?"

"Apparently, there were rumors that some of the people Dottie associated with had homes in Connecticut and Massachusetts, but nothing was confirmed. And no one heard from Dottie Anderson for the next three years."

"Three whole years with no contact at all?"

"None. Not even a postcard or a telegram asking for money."

"Hmmm. Teenagers running off usually regret their situation once they have to live in the world of adults, but I've no doubt there are still plenty of runaways who regret their situation and yet, their pride keeps them from admitting their mistakes."

"True, Mr. Grasshopper, but it wasn't the fall that comes after pride that brought Dottie back home."

"It was Dylan, was it not?" Miss Spider asked.

Mrs. Ladybug nodded. "This we were able to confirm. Dylan was born to Dorothy Anderson nine years ago at a New York State hospital. No father's name is listed on the birth certificate, but Dottie wasn't in a destitute state and Dylan was born healthy. But roughly a week after his birth, Dottie returned to her mother."

"What about her dad?"

"Sadly, John Anderson died about a year after Dottie left home. According to several neighbors, he took to heavy drinking and took a bad tumble down the apartment stairs coming back from a bar."

"How awful."

"Huh, foolish man, but he didn't deserve that."

"No, and from what I can tell, his death took a heavy toll on Amelia. She had no other family and rarely left the apartment after her husband's death. I know there was some sort of settlement regarding John Anderson's passing, but I guess the couple had enough savings so that Amelia could live on her own without having to seek employment. Of course, the neighbors tried to help then, but many of them noted how Amelia constantly blamed herself for her daughter's running off and always said she'd do better if given another chance."

"And she got her wish, didn't she?"

"Well, yes, I suppose she did. But Dottie stayed just long enough to give Dylan to her grandmother and then left again. She hasn't been back since and Amelia was awarded official custody of Dylan when he was six months old."

"That was it?"

"Yes. And what you said about her learning her lesson, Centipede? Apparently, Amelia did learn from how she treated her daughter and strove not to drive away her grandson in the same manner."

"Thus, rather than keeping Dylan on a tight leash and monitoring his every action, Amelia saw fit to spoil him, give in to his every demand, and keep him completely content so long as she got to keep him with her, correct?" Mr. Grasshopper asked.

"That's certainly what it seems like. When Rachel spoke to the Clarkes, they told her they felt badly for Dylan at first and tried to introduce him to their own grandchildren when they came to visit. But Dylan showed little interest in bonding with other children and would throw tantrums when he didn't get his way. Mind you, this happened when he was much younger- around three or four years old- but the Clarkes had little to no contact with Amelia as Dylan grew. Mostly, they would just see the two entering or exiting the building on occasion."

"Which would explain why Dylan's horrible behavior was unknown."

"Exactly. In fact, the only person to have regular contact with the family was the twice-weekly housekeeper Amelia hired. In fact, she kept an eye on Dylan when Amelia was first admitted to the hospital, but that was only for a day or so and with Dylan occupying himself in front of the television, he gave her no trouble."

"What about with his schooling? You mentioned Amelia took it upon herself to complete Dylan's homework, but I would imagine his teachers would have some concerns regarding his behavior and lack of attendance?"

"He was held back twice, hence why he's a year above James in school despite being two years older, soon to be three years older, by the way. He's had to repeat both the first and second grade. This is his first trip through the third grade."

"Hasn't the school raised concerns with Amelia about this?"

"I imagine so. Rachel is gathering more information about Dylan's schooling in order to build her case, but Amelia freely admitted not being concerned that Dylan's already had to repeat his first two grades. What his teachers will say will be another matter, I'm sure."

"No doubt." Mr. Grasshopper shook his head. "I admit, I feel a bit more sympathetic toward Dylan now, but we can't just overlook his behavior."

"No we cannot. And you hinted, Mrs. Ladybug, that we will have more time to possibly correct Dylan's behavior?" Miss Spider asked.

"Wait, what?" Earthworm looked even more nervous than usual. "How long are we talking about?"

"I don't know. But Rachel did ask if, depending on what happens with Amelia's hospital stay, we would be willing to continue caring for Dylan until a more suitable foster family could be found for him."

"Ain't we a foster family already?"

"Technically, yes, but ours is a temporary placement. Unless we wanted to make it more permanent, that is."

"Speak for yourself."

"Yeah, but at the same time, it feels kinda wrong just to throw the kid to the wolves."

"We would do no such thing," Mr. Grasshopper said. "But at the same time, I think we can all agree that when it comes to handling Dylan, we are a bit out of our depth."

"True, but we have only had him for a few days. It will take longer to unlearn all of his bad habits," Miss Spider pointed out with a sigh. "And though he has not said much, I can tell this has been hard on James."

"Yeah, I think we can tell, Angel Fangs."

"Indeed. And hard as it is, James's welfare has to come before Dylan's in this case. And if just a few days of Dylan's behavior has had ill effects on our son, is it fair to subject him to that behavior for an unspecified length of time?"

"Exactly," Earthworm agreed with a nod. "Personally, I think there are families far better suited to Dylan than we are. Oh, we've done well for ourselves, true, but we've still lived among humans for less than a year. Dylan is more than any of us can handle."

"I do have to agree with you on that, Earthworm. However, I do also see what Centipede means. Simply casting him aside when we know he's going to have to leave his home for good does seem a bit cruel." Mrs. Ladybug straightened the folder on the coffee table as she she met the faces of her family. "As such, would you all at least be willing to continue to host Dylan until Rachel can give me a timeline on finding a more permanent placement for him?"

"How long will that take?"

"She's going to try to do so within two weeks, with a hearing regarding custody of Dylan by the end of next week."

"A fortnight, then? Hmmm..." Mr. Grasshopper frowned. "Not too long, I'll admit, but these past few days have felt longer than normal. Tell me, Mrs. Ladybug, if Amelia Anderson is discharged from the hospital before then, will Dylan be returned to her?"

"Yes. It'll be temporary, but yes."

"I see. Then could we re-visit the subject tomorrow evening, once we know for sure?"

"I think that's an excellent idea."

"We should also see what James thinks about this," Miss Spider said. "I will not stand for Dylan telling him he should suffer for something he did not do."

"Agreed. Kid's been through enough of that."

"Of course," Mrs. Ladybug agreed. "I won't stand for that either. And like Mr. Grasshopper said, James's welfare has to be our main concern, hard as it may be for Dylan. Still, let's hope for the best."

"As in, hope Dylan wakes up tomorrow all sunshine and rainbows?"

"Very funny, Centipede. More like we can do our best by both of the boys and ensure that neither one of them have to go through more hardship than necessary."

Once again, though, such a hope would not come to pass.