Foster's

Chad 4

Angelica and Kyle laid out all the rules for the new monster under the couch.

All the normal ones, like no scaring her, no access to her bedroom, or the washroom while she was in it. No eating people unless they were bad guys and only if she said so. In return she'd get him food, apparently his favourite was pizza. Which meant she'd be getting him a pizza on the days Kyle got his chicken.

They were like reptiles that way. They didn't have to feed every day. Every two to three would do just fine. Luckily for her otherwise she was going to have to get one of them to get a job if she was going to be spending that much on food.

She went over how Kyle was in charge of security, but it could help if it wanted to. It's main duty would be to keep the living room clean. Dusting, keeping things in order, no food on the floor, stuff like that.

In return she'd feed it and keep it company and if it wanted it could play games with her and Kyle or watch TV and what not. She had also asked it to pick a name and a gender. She made sure to tell him she didn't care what it was it picked, she just wanted it to pick something it liked.

She had put the baby book down on the floor for it to go through, and then she wanted out of the living room.

Kyle walked around to the entrance of the living room that was by the front door and then reached an arm out to her.

She didn't quite trust her new monster to not try and grab her again. It was rude, she knew she was being rude, she just didn't care. She grabbed a hold of Kyle's arm and he lifted her right out of the living room and back to him. But she didn't let him go.

Holding onto Kyle's hand she took him towards the stairs leading up to her bedroom and bathroom.

"Can you come with me?" she asked softly and he nodded to her.

He was very good at not following her and this was pretty much the first time she had ever asked him to. When she was upstairs and she was certain she was far enough that the under monster couldn't hear them, she turned back to Kyle.

"Did he follow?"

Kyle looked around. He didn't lift anything but she could tell, just by the way the air seemed to grow heavy around him that he was opening up some kind of sense to check for her.

When he was done he shook his head.

"Okay. Look, I'm not gonna lie, I'm worried," she whispered and Kyle just peered at her. "Do you think you could stay with me tonight? Just to make sure that it doesn't show up in my room and try to eat me or something?"

From her bedroom her clock radio hissed and she heard the words ... don't... think... it... would...

"Okay, and that's great, but I'm still worried and I have work early tomorrow and it would just help me sleep better if I knew you were keeping me safe? Can you? Can you stay with me I mean? Please?"

She stood there waiting for him to say something, either through the clock or not, but he simply nodded to her.

Oh great. Wonderful he had agreed.

"Oh great!" she cried and then lowered her voice. "We'll play a game tomorrow when I come home from work, what do you say? Your pick!"

It was always his pick but his featureless face lit up in excitement anyway. He nodded vigorously his body almost bouncing up and down in his excitement.

"Okay, let me get ready for bed and then I'll let you in okay?"

Kyle nodded blinking out of view to go, well wherever he went when he blinked out of view. Angelica got herself ready for bed, went through her nightly skin routine, got herself into her pjs and in bed and then softly called for her shadow monster.

Kyle appeared right away beside her bed.

Angelica almost jumped.

She forgot he could do that. Jump between places, that shadows were like doorways to him.

And her new monster was the same.

This was why she wanted Kyle to stay with her tonight. To make sure that this new monster didn't sneak into her room.

Sorry... came out of her alarm clock and she smiled.

"Not your fault, I'm just you know... nervous," she said and he nodded.

... he won't... come... up here...

"How can you be so sure?"

... he... likes... the couch...

Huh. Well... that made her feel better, but only a little bit. She'd feel even more better if Kyle stayed with her though and she didn't want him to think that he could leave her alone now that she was feeling slightly less nervous.

She sat on her bed, right in the middle of the queen bed she had treated herself to because she was worth it. Kyle squatted where he was staring at her.

... he... just wants... a home...

Angelica smiled almost sadly. She knew how that felt. She had been that kid once, who just wanted to be home. Not in a foster home with foster parents who were only interested in the cash she brought in. Truly wanted, by people, that's what she had always dreamed of. A mom and a dad who didn't act like she owed them the world because they had opened their house up to her. A mom and a dad who just wanted her.

She had never got it though.

"Fine," she said with a sigh. "But this is my last monster. I'm not brining in anymore monsters, so... put the word out. We're at capacity!"

She settled herself under the blankets, the lights blinking off for her, clearly Kyle's doing.

"Good night," she whispered as the darkness settled around her.

... Good night... Angel...

It was his new nickname for her. Cause sometimes she'd call him Kye. As soon as she had given him a nickname, he had given her one. It always made her smile.

And though she was nervous, she found that it was easy to fall asleep with Kyle watching over her because with him, she felt safe.