Between Us and These Bones

20

SKYLER'S POV

I had a little brother and I had no idea whether to trust him or not.

Sam and I drove to the group home he was supposed to be at, two hours away from the farm house. We kept checking to make sure no one followed us. No one did, but my anxiety was through the roof.

"We're here," Sam said and I looked up to see a large two storey house, painted a midnight blue with a white fence around the yard.

"Okay. Here we go," I muttered and got out, walking up to the front door, Sam moving ahead of me.

"Hello, I'm agent Calloway and this is Skyler Callisto. We're here to take Haisley Rosales into protective custody," Sam said to the woman.

"Yes, the agency called. Come in, come in, I'm Sandra Lopez, the group home supervisor," she said, opening the door for us both to enter. It was mid afternoon, a few boys roamed the halls. "Haisley is upstairs, he'll be down once he's packed everything. He's a bit nervous."

"I would be too, if I were him," I said, nodding. "This is a lot to take in."

"Yes it is," she said, dropping a sympathic smile. "Follow me, my office is at the end of the hall." Sam and I followed her down the hall, my nerves rising with each step. Sam grasped my shoulder, squeezing it.

"Don't worry," he murmured. "Everything will be okay."

Sandra lead us into her office, gesturing for us to sit in the chairs on the other side of the large oak desk. "Do you have any questions?"

"Do you know if Haisley has had contact with his father, Wayne?" Sam asked and held up a photo of my siblings biological father. "This is very important,  there's an ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Haisley's mother and the murder of his stepfather, Jedidiah."

Sandra shook her head. "No. From what I know, he hasn't been in contact with Haisley for the over two years now. Wayne couldn't provide a stable home for Haisley."

"Did the system not know to look for family?" I hissed, letting my temper out.

"Unfortunately, Haisley talked a little about living in Canada up until he was ten. He spent some time with friends of Wayne who took him in until they passed in a car accident. After that, he lived with Wayne for about two years before he went to jail. Haisley has spent the last five years in foster care."

"Why didn't the police figure out he was kidnapped at four?"

"Wayne had fake IDs, changed their last names; l
and his finger prints were only taken in Ohio. That's why the system is so difficult. I have no idea where his father is now."

"Is there any chance Haisley does?" I asked, not certain whether I wanted the answer to be yes.

Sandra frowned. "I truly don't believe so. Haisley had some issues with neglect with his father, if he does, I guarantee he will tell you."

Sandra finished signing the documents to have custody signed over to me. Sam have her two other forms, one to release his school records, the other his hospital records. "Look, Haisley is a good kid. He's been dealt a difficult time in the system, but he's a good kid."

Good. All we need is another troublemaker in the family. We had enough of those.  "Is there anything I should know about? Any medical history or illness that I should know? Any allergies?"

"He's allergic to shellfish. Other than that, he has a clean bill of health, physically. He struggles with depression, but he's been doing really well," Sandra said and pointed to the folders in front of Sam. "I've written down his medications in there, first page, including dosage and his doctors number."

"Okay, thank you."

"Sandra?" A voice called. I turned and noticed a boy, Haisley, walked out of the hallway, casting an uneasy glance towards Sam before his gaze landed on me. A lump formed in my throat. He'd grown tall, over 6ft, possibly even taller than me. He had short brown hair that curled his ears and the same identical hazel eyes as Tarryn. He wore a dark jean jacket and grey sweatpants, a backpack slung over his shoulder. He reminded me of a younger Matthew.

"Are you all packed, Haze?" Sandra asked, looking at my brother with a smile. Haze. My brother had a nickname.

Haisley nodded. "I am, Sandra. Thank you for everything." Sandra pushed the paperwork aside and walked to my brother, giving him a hug.

"Take care, kiddo."

I offered to take Haisley's bag but he declined. Sam walked ahead of us out of the house and towards the SUV. I walked beside my brother, hoping he didn't feel too uncomfortable or awkward.

We got into the car in silence and I took a deep breath. I can do this, I thought. I didn't imagine yesterday I would have custody of my little brother who was kidnapped thirteen years ago. Mom will be happy when she finds out we found him.

***

We were on the road again and I shifted in the passengers seat to face my little brother. We stopped at McDonalds, getting food for the three of us for the drive back to the farmhouse.

"How long have you been at the group home?" I asked, curious.

"A few months." He answered, staring out the window. I glanced at Sam, who shot me a sympathetic smile.

"Did they ... did they treat you well there?" I asked, hoping they did. If not, we'd have to turn this car around and I'd have some ass to kick.

"Yeah. Sandra treated us good," he said, a small shrug. "Why did you only now find me? Why didn't you find me sooner?"

"Trust me kiddo, we've been looking for a long time," I murmured. "I'm sorry it's taken us this long." I told him everything then, because he deserved to know the truth. I watched his expression morph into anger and sadness and back to anger and shock. "I know it's a lot to take in but we're happy to have you back with us."

"I have more brothers and sisters?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

I smiled. "You do. Carson and June are twins, they're the oldest. Then there's me, Matthew, Trey, and  Tarryn. You and Tarryn are twins."

He blinked. "I have a twin?"

I chuckled. "Yes. And she is very, very excited to see you again." I knew it was an understatement, given all the messages Carson left on her behalf.

"I hate him. I hate him for taking me away. I - I thought I was alone," my brother blurted.

I shook my head. "You won't ever be alone again."

***