Forgotten

Jonathan walked down the pristine hall nervously. He had been summoned to Mr. Taylor’s office and he didn’t know why. He took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

“Come in!” Taylor called. Jonathan sheepishly opened the door and entered. Benjamin gestured for him to sit down in one of the leather seats in front of his desk. Jonathan sunk into the one on the right and waited for Mr. Taylor to say something.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on you and I have to say you’ve made great strides since you first came in,” he said with the usual grin.

“Thank you sir,” Jonathan said humbly. “I didn’t realize just how far from God’s path I had strayed. At first I hated the thought of being here but you’ve all helped me so much.” Jonathan knew he was laying it on thick but he also knew that Mr. Taylor was lapping it up.

“That’s wonderful, Jon! I think you’ll be ready to go home soon.”

“Really, sir? That’s great! I --”

“Yes, another month and I think you’ll be free of any remaining temptations. We’ll have imbedded the tools to fight them within you; prayer and self reflection, self control --”

“I don’t mean any disrespect sir, but I feel that I have learned those tools from everyone here. I’m ready to go home. I-I really miss my family.”

“Oh, Jonathan, I understand. But I know what’s best for you and I’ve spoken regularly with your parents and they absolutely agree with me. Of course they miss you too but they want you to be right again.”

It took all Jonathan’s self control not to scream at Taylor. He had managed to put up with this brainwashing cult for two weeks now but he couldn’t handle another month. He missed Caden more than words could express. He felt tears stinging his eyes and prayed that Mr. Taylor hadn’t noticed.

“Alright, well that’s all Jon. You should report to Erica, she’s expecting you.” Jonathan nodded and quickly exited the office. He made his way up the stairs to Erica Marshall’s office, the Prodigal Home therapist.

“You look upset,” she said as way of greeting when he entered her office. He took his usual seat in the corner, farthest from the large leather chair she always occupied.

“I’m okay,” Jon muttered. She gave him a skeptical look. “I just miss my family and my friends and… home in, in general.”

* * *

“Caden, I want this to be your home. Not just a place you can crash but your real home,” Stacy said as she held Caden’s hands tightly in her own. He looked up into her kind eyes questioningly.

“How?” he asked.

“I’ve been speaking to a contact at Child Protective Services for quite a few years. They have thousands of cases a month, they’re far too busy to look into every complaint lodged but I’ve been begging this woman to help me and we’ve finally filed the paperwork that’ll bring your case to the court and remove your father’s guardianship of you and transfer it to me.”

“S-Seriously?” Caden asked hopefully, looking from Stacy to Liv.

“Yes sweetie. This would’ve been set in motion much earlier but I was afraid to just report your father and let you get caught in the foster system which is often worse than the original home situation.”

“S-So the court will declare my dad unfit to care for me and then what? Give you temporary guardianship until you can legally adopt me?”

“Exactly.” Caden could barely see through the tears that were swimming in his eyes and he grabbed Mrs. Gibbons in a hug. Her warm arms wrapped around him and she whispered words of comfort in his ear. Liv pulled her mother and best friend into a hug, squeezing them tightly.

* * *

“Now Jon, we’ve been taking a look at the computer logs,” Erica began. Jonathan chewed on his lip nervously. “We’ve seen that you’ve broken past some of our firewalls and have been looking at sites regarding… the emancipation of minors?” Jonathan tried to hide the panic he felt.

“I, um --”

“There’s no need to explain. We can understand how you might feel that you’ve been treated unfairly by your parents for sending you here --”

“No, I, it’s…” he knew there was nothing he could say to escape her suspicion.

“Now I’m here to assess if you’ve actually benefited from your time here. Up until now I believed you were but now I’m not so sure.” Jonathan shifted uncomfortably in his seat but remained silent. “When you think of that boy back home do you become aroused?”

“I -- what?!” Jonathan asked, stunned by the blunt question. So far all his sessions with Erica had been rather polite and reserved. He never expected that question to come out of her mouth. She studied him carefully.

“It’s alright if you do. That’s why you’re here. We can rid you of these urges if you open your heart to the way of the Lord.”

“I’ve tried. I-I am trying,” Jonathan said through clenched teeth. Erica continued to watch him skeptically. Why the hell did I have to rock the boat? I should’ve known they could find my history on the computer, he thought angrily to himself.

A week passed and though they all smiled encouragingly at Jonathan he knew that he was being watched every second. Tiffany, the group therapy leader decided to lead everyone on a walk through the woods behind Prodigal Home. Jonathan clenched his jaw as he tried to ignore the psalms that were being recited by the other ‘Prodigal children’. He was ready to scream as Tiffany proclaimed God’s grace and beauty in all the nature around them. The fifteen or so teens followed her deeper into the woods until the gravel path had given way to a thinner dirt one.

Jonathan lagged behind, impulses taking over him as he stealthily snuck away from the group. He quietly stepped through the brush and hid himself behind trees. No one noticed his disappearance and within a moment or two the group had vanished from sight. Jonathan got back on the path and ran to the edge of the wood where Prodigal Home was clearly visible.

He followed the path of the secluded driveway for a few minutes before reaching a small side road. There were no signs, just trees towering over him. God, please help me get out of here and back to Cadey. It was the first time he had honestly prayed in all his time at Prodigal Home.