Chapter 1: The Beginning

The clock had struck 4:00, and my little sister Sabrina and I were still waiting for our mother. She usually didn't take this long to pick us up from Latchkey, but it wasn't totally unheard of. I figured she must've gotten caught up at my other little sister's daycare or stuck in traffic. So we waited, until Sabrina and I were the only two kids left in the gym.

Worry started to creep in. I sat on the bleachers, staring at the entrance, waiting to see my mother's familiar face walk through the doors. But it never did. Sabrina's face tightened with confusion, mirroring what I felt.

Eventually, two women walked through the doors and were greeted by the teaching staff. After a quick conversation—during which one of the women showed the staff some kind of badge—the teachers pointed toward Sabrina and me. The women began walking in our direction.

One was tall and slim, with black hair pulled into a ponytail. She was very pretty and held herself professionally, dressed in a black suit and carrying a binder. The other woman was heavyset with loose curly hair, dressed in comfortable clothes with a dark green scarf.

As the sound of their heels echoed closer, nervousness filled my stomach and tickled at my heart.

"Hi guys, how are you doing?" the skinny woman asked as they approached.

"Good," Sabrina and I answered together, studying the strangers.

"Good. My name is Amanda—I work at Job and Family Services. And this is Kathy. She works with me." Amanda gestured to the heavyset woman, who gave us a little wave and a warm smile.

"Job and Family Services?" Sabrina repeated. I shared her confusion, but for different reasons. I already knew who they were. Sabrina didn't.

"Yeah, we work for the state. We're social workers. Do you know what that is?" Amanda asked gently.

"Yeah, I think so," Sabrina replied. I just nodded. I knew something was wrong. Questions flooded my mind, but I held them back, hoping—praying—they were looking for someone else. Sabrina didn't have that restraint.

Her concern spilled out fast. "Why are you here? Is our mom not coming? Did she send you guys?" She fired questions one after another.

"Well," Kathy said softly, "like we said, we're from JFS. And yes, we're here to pick you up. Your name is Sabrina, right? And you are Jake?" She looked at me.

I nodded, staring at my feet.

"We're going to get your sister Josephine from daycare next," Kathy continued, "and then we can talk about everything in the car, okay? Can you grab your stuff so we can head out?"

Amanda smiled at Sabrina. "I really like your shoes."

My sister smiled back, shy but flattered.

We grabbed our bags and walked out of the gym. The teachers waved goodbye, locking the doors behind us. We followed the social workers to a dark navy blue minivan. Kathy unlocked the doors and motioned us in. She helped Sabrina into the back seat, and Amanda led me around to the other side.

When Amanda slid the door open, I froze. There was a booster seat.

"In that??" I blurted.

"Yeah, silly. Why? What's the problem?" she asked with a smile.

"I don't sit in a booster seat. I'm twelve years old!"

My mom hadn't made me use one in years. Sabrina had only recently stopped, and she didn't seem bothered. But I was twelve—old enough to feel embarrassed, especially in front of a pretty woman like Amanda.

"I understand, buddy," she said kindly. "But I've got to follow the rules. It's the law—kids under a certain weight have to ride in a booster. I know you're twelve, but you're still a little guy, so we have to."

"Fine," I muttered. "If I have to. But I can sit on my own, y'know."

I climbed reluctantly into the seat. Amanda buckled me in, leaning over me to click the strap into place. I stared straight ahead, pretending not to care.

The workers climbed into the front seats, and I glanced around. There was a loose car seat in the van—not strapped down yet. It had to be for my three-year-old sister, Josephine.

"So we're gonna get Josie and then where are we going? Where's my mom?" I asked.

Amanda looked back. "Yes, we're going to pick her up now. Then we'll go to the agency so we can talk, okay? We'll answer your questions there."

"Is our mom okay?" Sabrina pressed.

"She's okay," Kathy said gently. "She just has some things she needs to deal with right now."

Amanda shifted the subject and asked about our day at school. Sabrina answered eagerly—she always loved attention—while I stared out the window, letting my thoughts race in circles. A million what-ifs. A million fears.

The ride to the daycare was mostly Sabrina talking about herself and the workers doing their best to comfort us. I was grateful my sister handled the talking.

When we arrived, Amanda went inside and came out some minutes later holding Josie's hand. She opened the side door.

"Jake, can you unbuckle and move the third row so I can get Josie in?"

I climbed out of the booster seat, helped move the third row, and watched Amanda secure Josie in her car seat. Then I buckled myself back in.

With all three of us loaded up, the van headed toward JFS. My sisters chatted with the social workers. I drifted into daydreams. Josie—still too young to understand any of this—asked the same question we all had:

"Where's my mommy at?"

Amanda and Kathy shared a quiet look.

"Mommy just has some stuff she needs to deal with right now," Amanda told her.

My thoughts had built up to a breaking point. I finally spoke.

"What kinda stuff? Where IS she?!"

The workers exchanged another look. After a pause, Amanda said softly, "We'll talk more when we get to the agency, okay buddy?"

Not satisfied, I sighed and stared out the window again.

A moment later, Kathy spoke up. "I'm sure you guys are hungry. How about we grab a bite before we get to the agency?"

Of course, I thought. Leave it to the big girl to think about food. I rolled my eyes.

Kathy pointed. "How about McDonald's? We can grab some Happy Meals."

Amanda smiled at our reactions. My sisters lit up immediately.

"Ooh, I want chicken nuggets!" Josie cheered.

"I want apples with caramel," Sabrina said.

"Ooh, caramel—that's my fave," Amanda added playfully. "How about you, Jake? What do you want?"

"I just like their fries," I said quietly, still staring out the window.

"How about a cheeseburger with them?" Kathy suggested.

"Sure. Thank you."

I wasn't hungry, but I didn't want to be rude.

We went through the drive-thru. Amanda only ordered a drink. Kathy got a Big Mac—of course. We headed toward the agency again. They told us we'd eat when we got there, since it was a company car.

Finally, we pulled into the parking lot.