Across Acheron

Session 21

The rest of the days after that were quite mundane. It wasn't hard to fall into step with the rest in the group home; they had a set schedule that never seemed to change, save for the rare panic attacks or tantrums from the kids. There were chores we had to do but they were easy, like doing the dishes after dinner or helping out with breakfast. Keenan never joined any of them.

I hadn't seen him smile during the first week we spent there, mostly because he couldn't get Isaac to confide in him. Cillian had been easy; a broken man trapped in the hell he created for himself. He was desperate, but Isaac was smart.

It was obvious that Keenan wasn't used to the cold shoulder Isaac gave him. He had grown accustomed to getting everything he wanted without much struggle, but Isaac was a different case. It showed with the way he stared at Keenan as if he knew what he truly was, even though he couldn't quite see it.

I had gotten more than three words out of the kid two days in a row. A lucky streak, much to Keenan and Lorna's surprise. I figured that taking things slowly was better for a kid like him, and slow wasn't part of Keenan's vocabulary.

So I ended up being in charge of getting him to accept the deal.

Isaac wasn't a bad kid, believe me. Small conversations offered me a preview of his mind, and let me tell you that it was something spectacular. Maybe that was why he trusted me enough to even say a word; he knew that we both thought the same way. We saw things in a parallel light. It must've made him feel good, but it made me feel like a bigger bastard than I already was. I may seem like a bad guy to you, but just know that I still have a heart.

I was standing in the tub around this time. It was a Friday morning, if I remember correctly. I shut off the shower with my head hung low, allowing the water to drip out of my hair. There was a moment of silence, a sort of calm that hadn't been around for seven days straight. It felt good at first. It made forget the new troubles we had to face and how we were going to fix them. But then it got kind of suffocating so I opened the shower door, dried off, and dressed before exiting the bathroom. I didn't want Finn seeing the scars.

That day, I walked out into mayhem. The screams in the hallway had been dimmed while the shower was running, so I was stricken with confusion when the sounds filled my ears. I stood beside Isaac and Robyn—Finn's good friend, in which he also had an intimate relationship with—as we watched two housemothers hold Finn down at the doorway leading to our room.

"Give it back! Give it back!" he was screaming, but they paid no attention to the words he said. He struggled, bit, and flung, but the women kept their ground.

Lorna exited the room, holding a small baggy filled with orange capsules. She looked down at Finn with hollow eyes, bending down to match his gaze. "I thought we told you not to bring these things in the house anymore," she said evenly. "Any medications you need shall be kept with us. You are prohibited from keeping these in your room."

"It's just Adderall, damn it! Fuck, get your dirty fingers off of me!"

Lorna stared at him for a long moment, gripping the baggy in her hands. "Release him," she finally said. I swear, during the whole thing, she didn't bat a single eyelid.

The women did as they were told, bracing themselves as Finn got up to his feet gingerly. Lorna straightened herself and kept her eyes on him. They had a silent stare down for minutes, Finn gritting his teeth while Lorna gave him a twisted smile. There was a moment where he lunged for the pills, but Lorna moved away so quickly that he ended up falling. If I had blinked, I would've missed the whole thing.

"Where did you get these from?" she asked him. "Those visits to your parents...they weren't visits, were they?"

Through clenched teeth Finn said, "I stole them. Just give them back—I know you don't care about what happens to me or the others."