Above and Below: Battle Plans

(Sterling’s P.O.V)

Slamming the car door, I immediately noticed two things: it was super cold and I already hated everything about this new town. All of the buildings had that medieval kind of twist to them; with their small plated shingled roofs and the little wooden chimneys…it was almost cute, in some sick sort of way. Almost. I bet I could have liked this place, if not given these circumstances.

“Well,” Trevor asked, “what do you think?”

I shot him a look. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Sterling, look, I tried, okay? But to be honest, after all the homes you’ve gone through…this town is towards the end of the barrel. Maybe you’ll think twice before you fuck up again.”

I swallowed down what I was going to say. As mad as I was, I knew it wasn’t right to point fingers at Trevor, after all, he was only trying to help out. This was all on me. Trevor was right, I really did screw up. “I know. I’m sorry.” I said, hoping he would accept my apology.
I couldn’t lose Trevor. With everything that kept going on I needed him. For as long as I could remember I’ve lived without parents, going foster home to foster home. The word “home” was anything but, places like that were only temporary. Like it or not, Trevor was my only family.

So, in a three word summary: my life sucks.

But what pissed me off the most was that even after sixteen years no one told me why I had no parents or why I could never settle down. I was completely in the dark and it sucked.

“Oh, Sterling, don’t be like that,” Trevor made his way over and wrapped his big arms around me.

“It’s going to be okay; maybe you’ll like these people.”

I snorted. “Yeah, and maybe all the children in Africa won’t go to bed hungry—Trevor, you can stop acting all optimistic, I’m not a little kid anymore. Stating the impossible isn’t going to help anything.”

“It will give you hope, and hell do you need it.”

I gave him a funny look. “So, you’re going to give me shitloads of hope and just watch as it gets shut down? Your theory seems a little backwards.”

“Sterling, you’ve got to stop pushing people out. There are only so many homes that will take you in. With your age and everything else you weigh in…adults just don’t want the baggage. You are only hurting yourself.”

I squeezed his hands. There was no point in fighting it, I wasn’t going to get anywhere with an attitude like this. “You’re right. Fine, okay, I’ll give this family a shot.”

“That’s all I’m asking for.” Trevor grinned and helped me with the rest of my bags. “Who knows, this could be exactly what we’ve been looking for. You’d be surprised.”

I only snorted.
_____

“Trevor, come in!” A lady cooed, pulling the door wide open, shuffling us inside. “My, Trevor, is this Sterling? You never told me how lovely she is.”

“Nice to meet you, ma’am,” I said stiffly, shaking her warm hands.

“Oh, please, call me Nana, all the other kids do.” The lady said with laugh. I mustered up a smile. I actually kind of liked this woman.

Trevor just grinned, stepping into Nana’s arms. “It’s good to see you again.”

“Wait a minute, you guys know each other?” I asked, blinking up at them.

“Why yes,” Nana said, clearing her throat. “Trevor was one of my favorite children here. Always so quiet and kind, he was such a sweet boy.”

“Trevor was a child here?”

He nodded. “I was for about…eleven years? I came here when I was nine I think. I loved it here; Nana makes the best food ever.”

“I didn’t know you were an orphan, why didn’t you tell me?”

Trevor winked. “You never asked.”

“Those aren’t the kind of things you just ask someone,” I told him.

“The girl is absolutely right, Trevor, shame on you for never telling her. She had every right to know.”

I nodded. “Nana’s got a point.”

“You bet I do,” Nana smiled, patting my hand.

“So, how many people live here?” I asked her, trying to switch the gears. I didn’t really want to hear about Trevor’s “golden years.”

Nana thought for a moment. “Oh, not many, I normally only take in five or six children at time. I don’t think it’s fair to have too many children here because then not all of them get the attention they need.”

“That makes sense,” I agreed with Nana.

She nodded. “Children that come here already have a pretty big barren to carry. It is my job to make their life a little easier, even if it means narrowing down the members here.”

“I told you that you would like it here, Deuce,” Trevor defended.

“Then how come I didn’t come here before?” I asked.

This time it was Nana who spoke up. “The house was full. It wasn’t until just recently one of my children graduated. Trevor here put you in the second he heard Ally left.”

“Oh,” I glanced at Trevor. He really did want what was best for me. “Well that was nice of you. Thank you.”

Trevor smiled and kissed the top of my head. “Don’t thank me, Deuce, just promise you’ll give Nana a chance.”

Later that night I lay in a new bed under a new roof in a new town. Ally’s room was a faded gray, the furniture accenting in comforting blacks and whites. I liked it; it wasn’t a vibrant hot pink like my last room. The parents in those homes I had been in never even showed an ounce of love like Nana did.

I couldn’t believe it myself, but I actually liked it here.

“Alright, Trevor, you win,” I whispered to the ceiling. “I promise to give this dinky little place a chance.”
_____

(Jake’s P.O.V)

“Do you think she’s asleep?” Sage hissed in my ear.

We all knew this was a bad idea, but no one could help it, Nana hadn’t accepted a new kid in ten years, everyone was extremely curious.

“Probably,” I told her, “you talk loud enough to wake the damn dead.”

Tyler punched my shoulder. “Would you guys just shut the hell up? I just want to see the new girl and go to bed. It’s four o’ clock in the fucking morning.”

“Oh, don’t get snippy with me, Tyler Bennett; you were the one who wanted to do this in the first place!” Sage snapped. “And where the heck is Damon?”

Both Tyler and I shushed her. “He’s sleeping. I don’t think he cares about this kid anywhere near as much as we do.”

Sage sighed. “Whatever. Okay, Tyler, open the door.”

“Whoa, why me?” Tyler asked.

“Um, duh, because you made this whole plan in the first place?” Sage ran a hand through her mousy hair. “Just turn the damn knob before I jam it straight up your ass.”

I stifled a laugh. “Ouch man, guess you better open the door.”

“Shut up.”

Holding our breaths, Sage and I waited as Tyler turned the door. Once it was open we all slipped in, shutting the door behind us.

Ally’s room looked about the same; accept for the cloths thrown around the room and the band posters strung up above the dresser. So far I liked what I saw, the girl had taste.

“There,” Tyler pointed to the girl cozied inside Ally’s old bed. Even from this position I could see she was super beautiful, and by the looks of Sage and Tyler’s faces, they were thinking the exact same thing.

“Well dammit,” Sage gasped. “She’s kind of pretty.”

Kind of? This girl was extremely gorgeous…in a crazy unique way. Her hair was a deep auburn, streaked with a shimmery gold; a complete contrast to her ghostly fair skin. There was something about her that I just couldn’t tear my eyes away from.

“Kind of?” Tyler sputtered, thinking the exact same thing I had.

Sage slapped his arm. “Oh, shut up you pig.”

“Just be glad she’s asleep.” I told them. “Now can we go? We’ve seen all we can.”

“Yeah, okay.” Tyler picked himself off the ground and made his way back out into the hallway.
“Coming?”

Sage and I nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
_____