Adopted by Janiel

Chapter Twelve

I can hear it outside my room; Joey and Daniel are fighting.

I sit on the floor of my new bedroom, curled up in the corner, hugging a pillow against my chest, sobbing silently, and violently shaking.

It's pitch black in my room, for maybe they're fighting because they forgot I was here...forgot about my past. Or maybe it is about me.

The walls shake as someone is pinned up against it and the screaming continues.

I fear that someone has gotten hurt, yet stay where I am, not threatening to move.

"Ow!" One of the voices screams out...my suspicions were correct.

I hear more muffled screams, followed by "No!" and the slamming of the door.

"Fuck!" I hear Daniel cry out and he sinks down against the door.

I can't help it anymore, Daniel hurt Joey. Is everything I thought about him a lie? I let out a loud sob and Daniel lets out a cross between a gasp and a sound of suprise.

My door opens, and there stands Daniel. His eyes are wide and bloodshot, tears reforming in the corners of them as he lays eyes on me. I was right. He did forget.

"Cassie" Daniel whispers and starts staggering towards me.

"No!" I yell, shoving past him and running to Joey's room, trying to open it. It's locked. I pound on the door.

"Go away Daniel!" Joey sobs and my heart contracts.

"It's Cassie!" I cry out.

The door is quickly unlocked. Joey wraps me into his side, pulls me in, and relocks the door. I look at Joey, wincing once I see the extent of his injuries.

"Can I help you?" I ask him carefully, seeing as he's struggling to even stand on his own two feet.

Then, Joey can't anymore.

He crashes to the ground, and hits with a loud cry of pain and a crash.

I quickly help him up and onto the bed before saying that I'll be right back.

I head to the attached bathroom, wetting a cloth before heading back to the bed.

Dina, an elder at the orphanage (elders are 16+), taught me a year of nursing, so I could clean up my beat marks without being yelled at by Miss Bethany. That's coming in handy at this moment, now I know how to take care of Joey...how to help him.

"Sorry if this hurts" I sigh, knowing it will and apologizing in advance.

"It's alright, Cass" He smiles up at me.

I start with the large, deep looking cut running through and just above his eyebrow, sighing. This one's gonna be bad.

I dab the washcloth there repeatedly, Joey flinching in pain underneath me every time.

"Sorry..." I whisper before holding it down against his cut. Joey winces, trying not to have me notice. But I do.

Once it stops bleeding, I grab some gauze, carefully holding it there for a while before taping it down. I have to move on.

"Does it need stitches?" Joey asks, immediately panicked as I return to his cut. He's already bled through the gauze.

"No, I can fix this. Just might hurt a little" I say and Joey sighs before nodding.

I pick up a bottle of the stuff I most commonly used at the orphanage, New Skin.

"Why do you have all this? Gauze and New Skin and stuff?" Joey asks.

"My beat bag from the orphanage" I try to explain before flinching as my past comes back.

"I'm sorry for asking" Joey sighs and I rest my hand on top of the back of his before slowly layering the New Skin on his cut.

I Neosporian everything else, then elevate his ankle before heading towards the door and flicking off the lights.

"Where are you going?" Joey asks, panicked.

"It's alright" I reassure. "I'm just going downstairs to find somewhere to sleep. You just get some rest, I'll be right back once I find some place" Joey nods, not fighting it and I close the door, using my emergency key to relock it before tiptoeing into the hall.

Daniel is sleeping out in the hall, on the floor, cuddled up in my comforter. He deserves this after what he did to Joey.

I walk downstairs, searching for my desired phone number. I catch a glimpse of the time, 1:20 a.m.

God, I hope it's okay if I call. I dial them, and he answers.

"Cassie?" Shane mumbles, width awake and I let out a sigh of relief as I realize I didn't wake him.

"Shane, I need somewhere to sleep" I explain.

"You're not running away already, are you?" He asks on the other side of the line.

"No," I let out a sigh as tears appear in my eyes. "Daniel and Joey got into a big fight and Joey got hurt, so now he's sleeping and Daniel's sleeping in the hall and I just want to go. I'm sorry Shane. I just don't know what to do. I didn't know who to call" I say quickly before letting out a sob.

"Hey, it's alright, Cassie. I'm here now. I'll be there in ten minutes and you can stay in my guest room. Quickly now, don't wake Daniel up. Let Joey know where you're headed and get on the porch. Be there soon" Shane's gone then and I silently journey back upstairs, creeping past Daniel, unlocking the door and slipping in.

"Joey" I whisper, shaking his shoulder.

"Hmm?" He stirs before wincing and returning to his previous position.

"I'm going to Shane's"

"Alright, that's okay, I'll get you in the morning" I head back out after a final hug and repeat the process: relock, tiptoe, journey.

I sit on the porch, look the main door, and wait for Shane, who pulls up rather quickly.

"Hey, Cass...sorry 'bout everything in there" He says and I sigh, biting on my bottom lip as he pulls out.