"boys, I have wonderful news for you" a worker said as she came into the boys bedroom.
"we're getting a new roommate?" Butch asked.
"I'm getting a new hat?" Brick asked.
"we're getting adopted?" Boomer asked.
"no, no, not exactly. you're getting fostered!" the worker replied with a smile.
"yipee!" "hooray!" "woo-hoo!"
"wait, did you say fostered?" Brick questioned.
"yep. you'll be staying with them for a week and we'll see how it works out from there" the worker explained.
"yipee!" "hooray!" "woo-hoo!"
Butch bounced up and down on his knees as he carried a dark green backpack by its handle, moving in a flurry of green light. he wore a dark green shirt, black pants and black sneakers.
Boomer sat against the wall of the orphanage next to a taped up box and a bag of clothes. he wore a dark blue shirt, black pants and black sneakers while his blonde hair was loose and partially hiding his eyes.
Brick was standing next to Butch while holding a black bag in each hand full of stuff. he wore a dark red shirt, black pants, black sneakers and his bright pink beanie.
"Butch, calm down. why are you so excited? they'll probably realize how bad we are and send us back" Brick queried.
"Brick, they have a dead tree. a dead tree! I won't get in any trouble for beating it up!" Butch replied, stopping his bouncing for a moment.
"that is a very good perk!" Boomer commented.
"mhm, okay, thank you" Emily spoke before hanging up the phone, sitting in the passengers seat of a bright red car.
Antony inhaled deeply.
"who was that?" he asked in a wheezy, crackled voice just as they were coming out of the driveway.
"it was just the social worker in charge of their adoption giving some last details. Brick got a haircut yesterday and he's self-conscious about it, Butch will often do little tasks for money and Boomer hates being by himself" Emily replied.
"good to kno-" Antony commented before he began coughing loudly, stopping the car with a screech.
"Antony, you know you're not supposed to talk with your voice, it'll only make your throat hurt more then it normally does" Emily told him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"how long have we been waiting?" Boomer asked, sitting upside down as he gently tapped his feet against the wall in a repetitive rhythm.
"about..." Brick trailed off as he looked up at the clock tower at the top of the townsville orphanage.
"ten minutes" he concluded, noticing the long hand having moved a bit.
"he's still doing that" Boomer complained, noticing Butch still bouncing up and down on his knees at a fast pace with his backpack on his back.
"Butch, stop" Brick commanded.
"ey ey, sir!" Butch replied, saluting as he stopped bouncing.
"don't call me si-Butch!" Brick cried out when Butch suddenly sped away, slamming against the side of a bright red car with two familiar people in it.
Emily screamed when something slammed against the side of the car, Antonys foot doing the same against the breaks.
she sighed with a mix of relief and frustration when she saw Butch pressing his face against the window.
"hey Butch" Emily uttered with a small laugh.
"hi!" Butch replied, fogging up the part of the window his mouth was pressed against.
"go back to your brothers will you? we'll pick you up from there" Emily told him before he sped off towards the orphanage without a word.
"what the f-ck was that?" Brick asked as Butch arrived next to him.
"the f-cking car had Emily and Antony in it!" Butch explained, continuing his bouncing motion.
"Mary had a little lamb, little lamb, little lamb. Mary had a little lamb, its fleece was white as snow" Boomer quietly sang through his boredom.
"what are you singing?" Brick questioned while Butch waved at the approaching car, his arm in a flurry of green light.
"a song I heard one of the workers singing to some younger kids" Boomer replied.
they turned their attention to Emily and Antonys car as it pulled up a few feet away.
"hey boys!" Emily said as she opened the car door and unclicked her seatbelt.
"Emily!" Boomer squealed as she came out of the car.
he launched at her, slowing down mid-way to not hurt her as he hugged her gently, feeling tight to her.
"hey Boomer" Emily reacted, hugging him back just as tight.
Boomer then pulled away, floating just in front of her.
"come put your stuff in the trunk. we'll be making a stop in townsville before going home to farmsville" Emily explained, walking to the back of the car and opening the trunk.
"where are we going?" Butch asked, doing a single flashing bounce.
"to get you boys some new clothes" Emily replied, staring judgingly at Bricks shirt.
"what's wrong with our clothes?" Brick asked, looking down at his burnt and tattered clothing.
Antony signed something, which Brick recognized.
"yeah, you have a point there" he replied, confusing his brothers.
"what does that mean?" Butch asked.
"oh, I've been learning sign language from books. he said my clothes are barely usable" Brick explained with a shrug.
"well its true" Boomer remarked.
Boomer sat in the middle back seat, the bag of clothes on his lap. Brick sat in the left back seat, watching through the window. Butch sat in the right back seat, bored out of his mind.
"why are we taking the car? we can fly!" Butch complained.
"well me and Antony can't. also, it's a good opportunity for bonding" Emily replied from the passengers seat.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with...T" Brick spoke as a truck loaded with broccoli drove past them.
"truck?" Boomer asked.
"yeah!" Brick replied.
"heh, that's easy. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with...S" Butch declared, looking down.
"shirt?" Emily guessed.
"nooo" Butch hissed.
"seatbelt?" Brick queried.
"close, but no" the raven-haired boy replied.
"shoes?" Boomer asked, kicking his feet against the seat gently.
"no where near close" Butch giggled.
"seat?" Emily asked.
"yeah!" Butch cheered.
"okay boys, we're here" Emily said as Antony parked the car in a parking spot.
"hooray!" Butch cheered, unbuckling his seatbelt.
he rolled down the window and flew out, confusing his brothers.
"since when was Butch so excited about fashion?" Boomer asked, removing the bag from his lap.
"I think he's just excited to get out of the car" Brick replied, unbuckling his own seatbelt.
"makes sense" Boomer shrugged as he closely copied the motion.
the two boys then flew out the same window their brother had, the cars engine still running.
Antony signed something, to which Emily nodded and got out of the car as well.
she opened the door with the window open and rolled the window up before shutting it again.
"all good" Emily told him before he turned off the car.
Antony got out of the car and the pair turned their attention to the nearest wall, where the triplets were waiting for them.
"I thought you three went off to the store" Emily commented.
"we don't know where it is" Brick replied.