Battle Wounds

two.

Summer was in full swing as the California sun shined bright in the cloudless sky. Harper sat on the chair by her bed, legs tucked under her as she stared out the window. She watched the street below as cars passed by and kids rode their bikes. Their infectious laughter reached her through the open window. It had been over a month since Harper first entered this house. Four weeks where she felt safe and well-cared for. It was surreal just thinking about it. A home like this always seemed out of reach, a dream she spent her entire life chasing but never quite reaching.

Until now.

The Hudson's hadn't changed at all since that first day. It was something that Harper had been worried about. That they would show their true colors and be like every other foster family in the past. But they treated her like they treated their son. With respect, compassion, and love. Neither of which she was accustomed to because her previous homes lacked in treating her like a human. She was slowly adjusting to feeling like she was part of the family, of living out her days like an average teenager. Most of which consisted of doing whatever she wanted, whether it was reading, listening to music, or spending time with her foster family. She had freedom like never before.

Harper abandoned her spot by the window and went downstairs to the kitchen. She pulled a water bottle from the fridge and went into the living room, where Cole was playing a martial arts game she didn't know the name of. Smiling, she stood by the couch while Cole's character beat up the villain.

Over the last few weeks, Cole had warmed up to her though he was still very much curious about her life before she came to live with them. Whenever a question or thought popped into his head, he didn't hesitate to ask. Despite some questions being overly personal, Harper liked having him around. She enjoyed having a foster sibling almost as much as he did.

A controller was shoved before her, pulling her attention away from the TV. "If you're going to stand there, you might as well play," Cole stated, moving over on the couch.

"Okay." Harper sat beside him and momentarily stared at the controller, trying to remember which buttons did what. He'd explained it to her once a little while ago, but she quickly lost that information. She frowned, hitting a random button, and was disappointed when nothing on the screen happened. "Hey, how do I-" She started, but Cole didn't give her time to finish the question. The game had already resumed, and Harper's character was quickly dying. "That's not fair, I wasn't ready!" She exclaimed, randomly pushing every button to save her onscreen self.

"You snooze, you lose," Cole said with a shrug, easily beating her.

The game restarted itself, and Harper was determined not to lose again. "You're going down," she said with a laugh.

The two played through a few more levels, none of which Harper won. Despite her losing streak, she had fun. And judging from the smile on Cole's face, he did, too.

The normalcy of spending her time doing something as mundane as playing video games didn't go unnoticed by her. She savored every minute of it, not taking an ounce of this new life for granted.

"You two seriously need to get some fresh air," Olivia commented as she and Lucas stepped into the room. She smiled at the scene before her, conversing silently with her husband.

"You know, video games will rot your brain," Lucas added, though he looked longingly at the screen.

Cole rolled his eyes and placed the controller down. "We'll be outside later when we go to Valley Fest." His comment was met with silence, and he looked up at his parents. "We're still going, right? We go every year, and I already promised my friends I'd be there."

Lucas nodded to his question and toddled his hair. "Don't worry, buddy. We're still going."

"Sweet!" Cole said with a smile.