The flip of a switch || Tommyinnit SBI adoption

Chapter 3

I could feel somebody gently shaking me awake. I was instantly on alert but I opened my eyes slowly,  groaning and trying to pretend I had just woken up. In reality I had been awake for about 10 minutes, listening to them deciding whether to carry me inside or wake me up. I blinked a few times and then climbed out of the car without speaking to them.  Phil was unlocking the door, and Techno was following him inside. 
"Shall we go in?" Wilbur said excitedly. 

I made no response except to walk inside, stopping just inside the door unsure of what to do and where to go. I wasn't sure whether to take my shoes off, and where to leave them. Angering my foster parent and siblings on the first day wasn't on my to do list. I looked cautiously back at Wilbur, who said "Just leave your shoes here in the hall,"

I didn't really want to leave them there in case they were stolen, or I had to make a quick escape, but I wanted to be hit even less, so I removed them and placed them down into the hallway, next to the other pairs of shoes. 

"Well, welcome to our home Tommy! Wilbur and Techno could you give him a tour?" Phil said, a smile on his face, that seemed just a bit too genuine. 

"Wilbur can show Tommy around, Dad can I talk to you?" Techno said in his monotone voice. 

Oh no they were gonna send me back. He was talking to his dad about my panic attack. They were gonna beat me. 

I let out a small whimper hardly audible, and quickly shut my mouth. Techno frowned slightly but neither of the others seemed to notice so I breathed a sigh of relief. Having had a panic attack in front of Techno earlier I didn't think it could get much worse. 

"Ok!" Wilbur said cheerfully, practically skipping past Techno and Phil, whilst I just followed him meekly. "This is the sitting room!" Wilbur said happily. 

The room was filled with 3 large sofas in a U shape and a TV, with a table in the middle, and some cabinets along one wall. 

"This is the bathroom," He continued on, standing back to let me look through the door into the plain room. He walked upstairs and I followed, treading quietly out of habit, and noting each creak, and which spots made a noise when stood on.  "This is my room on the left, and Techno's is opposite it, that's Dad's down at the bottom and there's the bathroom next to Techno's. This room next to mine is your room,"

I looked in shock at the massive room, there was a large double bed, a desk, and a wardrobe, as well as a few small cupboards. I had been expecting a cupboard under the stairs or something, this was too much. 

"Do you like it?!" Wilbur asked, "I know it doesn't have much stuff in it but we thought we could go and get some stuff tomorrow,"

"It's too much," I said quietly, my voice shaking slightly as I glanced up at him quickly before looking away. 

"This isn't too much, this is just a basic room," Wilbur said slowly, confused. 

"Thank you, sir," I said so quietly I didn't think he would hear it, but he did, or he gave me another confused look before saying, "Dad wanted us to go back downstairs to speak to him I think, do you want to leave your stuff in your room?"

'Temporary room' I thought, but I didn't comment on it. I really didn't want to leave my stuff in my room, but if I didn't he might get angry, so it would probably be best too. I put my bag down just inside the door and turned back to Wilbur, who started to walk down the stairs. 

I followed Wilbur down to the kitchen, where Phil and Techno were sat at the table, talking in low voices. As soon as me and Wilbur walked in, Phil said "Tommy! We just wanted to discuss a few things with you, that ok?" 

It wasn't but I nodded my head anyways, then remembered the beatings I had been given "Speak when spoken to, boy! You will address me as sir! Don't just nod your head at me! REPLY!" A hit, "REPLY," Another hit, a fist descending towards his face. He automatically put his hands up in front of his head to block the hit, before realising he was in the new foster home, in the kitchen, and had been standing there shaking for the past 2 minutes. He backed away to the wall quickly and said, "Y... yes Sir, th... that... that's Ok s... sir, s... so... sorry s... sir" 

Phil looked at me shocked and walked towards me, and I instinctively flung my arms up in front of my face again. He stopped, crouched down to my level a few meters away, and said, "We would never hurt you mate, you know that?" 

I knew that was a lie, a lot of houses were like this at first, fake kindness, but soon enough they turned, and it could take hours, or days, or weeks or sometimes even months, but eventually the hits came, they always came. I  wasn't sure whether they had been planning it all along, or whether I drove them to the end of their tether, but I knew that either way it was my fault, most of the houses only hit when I did something wrong, like burn the food, or not call them sir, or nod instead of verbally reply. I knew all of this very well, and I knew you could trust nobody, but I also knew not to make your foster family mad, so I whispered, "Yes sir,"

Phil gave me a sad look but seemed to realise that I just wanted to get away from the subject and said, "I wanted to talk with you all, Tommy, do you think you could come sit at the table?" 

I quietly walked over to the table and sat down, staring at my hands which were fiddling. I remembered when he would hold my hand to stop me fidgeting, squeezing it to let me know it was ok, and that he was there. I missed my brother. "Right, I wanted to talk about boundaries first," Phil said, snapping me out of my thoughts. 

I looked up, trying to figure out what they were. Techno must have noticed my confusion, because he said, "They are like things you don't like people doing, like one of mine is that I don't like people touching me without asking first,"

I understood now, these were rules that I had to follow. "We have a list of people's boundaries," Phil said, "There isn't much on it, none of us like it when you come into our rooms without knocking, I don't like it when you touch the papers on my desk. Wilbur doesn't like it when you touch his guitar, music or guitar pics, and Techno doesn't like it when you mess with any of his stuff, or go into his room when he isn't there,"

I nodded, trying to remember it, and then quickly said "Yes sir," remembering to give a verbal answer.

"You don't need to call us sir, Tommy. Just Wilbur, Techno and Phil are fine. " Wilbur said gently, giving me a smile. I said nothing but stared down at my hands again, fidgeting anxiously. I found that a bit strange but didn't question it, it didn't really matter anyways, I would get sent back soon enough. 

"So we were wondering what your boundaries are?" Phil asked, smiling at him.

"Ummm," Tommy hadn't been expecting this, and wasn't sure what to say, so he decided on stuff similar to what they had said, hoping it wouldn't make them mad. "Please don't come into my room without knocking, please try to give me warning before you start eating if I'm near, please don't touch any of my stuff, and please try to avoid shouting," then he looked up at Phil to check it was ok. 

"All good mate,  now how about we all go up to bed, it's been a busy day, and in the morning, we can have pancakes?" Phil asked, cheerfully. 

"Yes! PANCAKES!" Wilbur said excitedly, before looking at me sheepishly, and I smiled at him, surprised that he had remembered I didn't like it, even though it was only a minute ago, and surprised that he cared. Wilbur smiled back, looking overjoyed that I smiled at him. What was i thinking though, he doesn't care, it's just an act. 

Techno left to go up to his room, and Wilbur followed him. I was quick to go upstairs too, where I sat down on my bed. I couldn't get attached, it was all just an act anyway, but I couldn't help feeling happy that they asked about my boundaries. I knew they didn't care, I knew soon it would all flip, and I would eventually get sent back, but that didn't mean I couldn't enjoy it whilst it lasted.