by Sa'id Salaam
The twins nodded a reply and stared at the food, licking their lips. The social worker sat the food down and they dug in. They scarfed it down quickly and then resumed staring at her.
“So, you guys ready to talk? Can we call your grandma? Your dad?” she pleaded once again. She knew if they couldn’t find any relatives, they would end up in foster care eventually. She didn’t want to see that for them.
Miss Davis gave up with a deep sigh and turned to leave. As soon as the door opened, the kids made their move. Sun shot past her and took off down the hall.
“Hey!” she called after him, giving Shyne the chance she needed to sneak out herself.
Sun led the guards on a Benny Hill Show chase while his sister gathered some paper. “Missed me!” Sun giggled as he slipped past another guard. He was having a ball running them around in circles. They slipped and bumped into each other as they tried to corral him. A karate chop removed any hands that reached him.
Meanwhile, Shyne stacked papers into a pile and lit them. She rolled an aerosol can in and ducked away just before it exploded.
“Isis!” Sun yelled and started a stampede towards the doors. As planned, the guards rushed to investigate the fire. He turned around and snuck into an office instead.
The plan worked and he rushed onto a computer. Actually, the plan almost worked. That was, until Sun got sidetracked. He saw his favorite video game paused on the screen and couldn’t help himself. While the staff worked to put out the fire, he worked on breaking his own record.
“What are you doing in here? You can’t be in here!” a social worker shrieked when she came in and found him. She called a guard who then escorted him back to the medical room along with his sister.
“Did you make it? Did you reach Christi?!” she asked once they were alone.
“Huh? Oh, um…,” he stammered and stuttered just like his father.
“Mortal Combat,” Shyne said, shaking her head.
****
“It’s been a week now. What are we going to do with those two?” Miss Davis’ supervisor wanted to know.
“I have no idea,” the social worker sighed. It had been a whole week and neither child uttered a word in public.
Not only would they not speak, they would not separate either. The twins even showered together by turning back to back for privacy. Every day, they made an attempt to escape or steal a phone or laptop.
“Well, we may have to send them to the Wright’s home. They can’t just stay here.”
“The Wrights! They are far too aggressive for these children!” Miss Davis shrieked at the thought.
Mr. and Mrs. Wright were an old foster couple that specialized in bad children. They could break a wild child like a cowboy broke a wild horse. Usually only disruptive teen boys were sent to them. Never children as young as Sun and Shyne.
“Find a relative or we have no choice!” the supervisor uttered with finality.
Miss Davis was set to go on vacation soon and she didn’t want to have to deal with them herself.
****
“As Salaamu Alaykum, Mr. Forrest,” Asad called out as he pulled into the driveway on his bike. He’d recognized his car and prayed that it meant that his friends were home.
“Wa Alaykum As Salaam,” Killa sighed backed with the frustration of not having found his children as of yet, along with the sadness of having attended the loneliest funeral in the entire world.
Sincerity was sent off by the entire projects, as well as her cousins, aunts, and uncles. Once her funeral wrapped up, Killa had returned to the same funeral home to say his goodbyes to Yolo. She’d believed in there being only one God, but technically had no religion so he hadn’t hired a preacher. Instead, he sat quietly and stared at her casket.
Once enough time had passed, she was taken to the same cemetery as Sincerity and buried right next to her. He felt it was only right since he loved them both equally. He had chosen one of them but now neither who ever know who. The world would never know, either.
“Have you seen Shyne and Sun?” Asad asked hopefully even though he could tell from the father’s demeanor that he hadn’t.
“Not yet, son. Don’t worry, we’ll find your fiancé,” Killa said, trying to comfort him even though he himself was hurting inside as well. It hurt a little more upon seeing Asad drop his head in sorrow. He was too sad to ride his bike so he walked it back up the street and went home.
Christi perked up when the door open but her hopes were quickly dashed when Killa walked in alone. Her face was red and puffy from her constant crying. She was so distraught that she couldn’t make it to the funeral. That meant getting dressed, which required standing up and that was more than she could bear to do.
“They’ll turn up,” he assured her confidently. He could feel them so he knew they were alive and well. For the time being, that is.
Chapter 15
“I want you to take Bruce Lee and the fire breathing girl to the Wrights’ home in Parkchester,” the lead social worker directed to an underling.
“But Miss Davis said…” she protested, but was cut short.
“Miss Davis is not in charge!” she shot back since the woman was on vacation. “Those bad ass kids have been here a month and haven’t said a damn word!’
“Okay,” the woman said, shrugged and called for security. No way was she dealing with those two on her own.
Sun and Shyne blinked in the bright sunshine as they left the building for the first time since entering it a month prior. They scanned the surroundings for danger, weapons, and escape routes. Sun looked left while Shyne’s eyes went right. Finding nothing, they complied and got into the back of the car. Sun warned against moving in haste, which could make a bad situation worst.
“Where we going?” Shyne asked with her eyes. Sun shrugged ‘I don’t know’ as they rode uptown. He discretely tried a door handle in hopes of making a break at the next red light but they were locked tight.
“Here we go,” the social worker sighed in a tone that put the twins on high alert. The threat level went even higher when the stone-faced Wrights came outside to meet them.
He was a retired Marine who still rocked a close-cropped crew cut. It had greyed with age but he was still strong and stern. His wife was the same age and looked like she was either a bodybuilder or a man in her younger years.
Behind them, two teen thugs stepped out and snarled at the newcomers. They had both been kicked from home to home for their bad behavior until they’d arrived here. The Wrights’ hands-on approach had broken them both. Now they wanted someone to break down themselves. Their eyes lit up when they locked on Sun.
Shyne’s eyes lit up when she looked inside their garage. There, past the car, past the lawnmower, stood a shiny red gas can. They had both memorized the way they’d came and planned to leave first chance they got.
“Mr. and Mrs. Wright, this is….um…David and Dawn,” the social worker said, finally giving the muted children names.
“They’re kinda young for our program, aren’t they?” Mr. Wright asked.
“And a girl?” Mrs. Wright asked of the anomaly. Still, she wanted to see if she could do some push-ups.
“It’s only temporary. A week or so, tops,” the social worker pleaded. She’d heard rumors of abuse about the couple but the system was so strained that they were overlooked.
“No problem. They’ll have to share a room, though,” the man of the house announced.
The worker gave the twins a sad sigh and got back into her car. Sun and Shyne scanned the area and tacitly agreed on an escape route.
“Well, come on inside. Get you some lunch,” Mrs. Wright ordered.
The twins were hungry, so they complied and went in. The two teens blocked the door, forcing them to have to squeeze by. J.J thought it would be funny to see Sun fall so he stuck out his foot.
“Hey!” Sun protested and started to attack. The sixteen-year-old had at least fifty pounds on him but it wasn’t enough. Sun would have hurt the boy
if Shyne hadn’t stopped him.
“Not yet,” she said. stepping between them.
A fight now wouldn’t help their cause. They needed a phone or internet service to get out of there.
****
“Is this…pork?” Shyne asked, turning her nose up at the pink meat between her slices of bread. Sun had already taken his out and bit into just the bread.
“As a matter of fact, it is! Do you have a problem with that? What, are y’all some Muslims? Harold, they done sent us some Muslims!” Mrs. Wright shouted.
“Muslims!” her husband demanded as he rushed in with J.J and Herb in tow. “Y’all two some Muslims?”
“No, we just don’t eat pork,” Sun replied.
“You do now!” Mrs. Wright huffed indignantly. “Uppity children wasting good food!”
“Eat it or I’ll make J.J and Herb force feed it to you,” Mr. Wright growled.
The two teens had been accused of both physical and sexual abuse at the other homes they’d been at. They snarled wickedly, ready to pounce.
Sun was ready to pounce as well, but once again, Shyne saved the day. She recalled the even Muslims were allowed to eat pork if it was all that was available or to save their lives. She took a bite of the pink meat and chewed it. Sun followed suit and saved the bloodshed for later.
****
A week of bullying and swine for breakfast, lunch and dinner later, and the twins still hadn’t gotten access to a phone or the internet. Shyne had overheard a conversation and realized that the social worker wasn’t coming back. Miss Davis had yet to return so she didn’t know that they were gone. It was time to take matters into her own hands when the teens began to bully her brother.
“Sun! Sun! Get up!” Shyne demanded as she rushed back into the room they shared in the wee hours of the morning.
“You smell like…gas,” was the first thing he noticed and said when he awoke. Then he felt the heat. “The house is on fire!”
“Duh!” Shyne mocked and pulled him out of the bed. She opened the window and led the way outside. It was the only way out since the rest of the house was now on fire.
“Are they still in there?” Sun asked as they walked briskly away from the burning house. He looked back and saw orange flames shooting out of every window.
“Yup,” Shyne shot back quickly. She’d poured enough gas on and around their beds to make sure they were. Shyne had just killed four people at the age of nine. She was a late bloomer compared to both of her parents.
****
Sun and Shyne made it as far as the Cross Bronx Expressway before finally being caught. They refused to speak to police because anything they said could be used against them in a court of law. It got them taken right back to Child Protective Services.
The twins didn’t even put up a fight. They just walked to their room in medical and closed the door behind them.
“Now what?” Sun asked, shaking his head.
“We have to find Daddy or Christi. Don’t worry, we’ll be okay,” Shyne reassured her brother and gave him a hug.
“You smell like gas,” he laughed and hugged her back.
They went to sleep and awoke to Miss Davis raising hell.
“You sent them where?” she screamed at her supervisor upon returning to work. She’d come back a day earlier when she’d seen the news about the Wrights’ home being destroyed by fire.
“I had no choice! We couldn’t just leave them in there!” she whined in defense of her bad decision.
“Well, I do!” she shot back and got on the phone. She had a friend who worked for Child Protective Services in Long Island so a few strings were pulled and she got them placed out there.
Sun and Shyne were almost home.
Chapter 16
Every day since the twins went missing was another day of agony for those who loved them most. Killa was unshaven and had lost weight from a lack of sleep and food. Christi had deep rings around her eyes from sleepless nights spent searching for her lost siblings. Poor Asad rode his bike to the house every day to check for his fiancé and best friend. To make matters worse, the news of a foster home fire that had claimed the lives of four people and left two more missing only served to add to their misery.
“Good morning, Christi, Mr. Forrest,” Asad greeted hopefully as Christi let him in. He just hoped she would turn and call upstairs to let the kids know he was there, but there was no such luck.
“Good morning,” Christi croaked, her voice was gruff since those were the first words she’d spoken since the day before. She noticed two twin gift wrapped items in Asad’s hand and asked, “What’s that?”
“They’re for Shyne and Sun. It’s their birthday,” he replied and sat the presents on the coffee table. Muslims don’t celebrate birthdays but his friends did, so he’d come bearing gifts.
“Oh my God! I forgot it’s their birthday,” Christi wailed and broke down once more.
Killa, of course, had remembered. He’d been present for all ten of their previous birthdays. Missing this one only fueled the rage burning inside of him. That meant that somebody, somewhere was about to get fucked up.
“How’s school, Asad?” Killa asked to switch the direction of the conversation and lessen the gravity in the room.
“Great! I’m homeschooled now,” he said with a smile of relief. Autism affects social interactions and the loud, rowdy kids made it impossible for Asad to focus. He knew as much karate as Sun and Shyne, but didn’t have to use it.
“No one is picking on you, are they?” Killa asked, eager to go and retaliate on his behalf.
“No. They fight each other a lot, though. Fighting is bad.”
“Well, sometimes you have to fight,” Killa stated firmly, so it would stick. He knew Asad was a good person but the world was full of bad people. “Some people really need their asses kicked!”
“Amen to that!” Christi co-signed. She, too, had been forced to fight when she was in school. The group of mean girls who’d once taunted her hadn’t amounted to a pile of shit. Christi, on the other hand. was in grad school while they were in traps, jails, delivery rooms and welfare lines. Funny how that worked out. They had been so concerned with turning up and now they’d turned up pregnant or infected.
“Okay,” Asad nodded at the lesson. He let out a deep sigh and turned to leave.
“I’m out, too,” Killa announced, and stood to leave as well.
“Where you going? Need me to come?” Christi asked, eager to help.
“I have to go down to Atlanta to see a preacher. I do believe a visit to Reverend Cash will be quite helpful,” he replied over his shoulder as he left.
****
“Happy birthday, Sun,” Shyne beamed and gave him her breakfast tray since it was the only thing she owned.
“Thanks,” Sun said and accepted the extra food. Miss Davis made sure to throw them some extra food from time to time but there’s no place like home.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Shyne huffed, putting her hand where her hip would one day be and tapped her foot.
“Oh yeah! My bad. Happy birthday, Shyne,” Sun said and gave her his breakfast tray.
Miss Davis popped in to check on the kids like she did every day. Every day, she brought a newspaper for Shyne and candy for Sun. Every day, she tried to get them to speak to no avail. Every day was just like every other day until it suddenly changed.
“Good morning!” Miss Davis cheered as she came into their room. Even Sun and Shyne perked up from her cheerful demeanor. “Great news! My friend on Long Island told me about a home that just came open! They have a pool, computers…,”
Sun and Shyne’s mood toned down as she went on naming all the amenities that the couple had. All that sounded great, but there was no place like home. The twins listened until she finished knowing she meant well.
“Tie your shoe, David,” she told Sun like she did every day. He shrugged his shoulders like he did every day, as if he didn’t know how to tie his shoes. It worked
just like every other day and she leaned in to tie it for him.
Shyne just shook her head at her brother as he peeked down the woman’s shirt. The plump mounds of her breast meat always brought a smile to his face. He was indeed his father’s son.
****
“Sup?” Killa asked when Christi took his call. Every day he called to check on his kids. He hoped for the best but so far, it hadn’t come. Therefore, he also prepared himself for the worst.
“Hey. They’re not home yet,” Christi sighed. She frowned up at the background noise on the line. It sounded like someone speaking in tongues with a few curse words thrown in. “Who’s that?”
“Reverend Cash,” he replied as if that explained things. She’d just have to read about it like everyone else.
“Um…okay,” she gave up. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Love you, bye.”
Meanwhile, Sun and Shyne had renewed hope as they rode back to Long Island. They recognized the names of all the towns as they passed by them on the expressway. It felt like they were going home until she passed their exit.
“Ah!” Sun grunted as the Wyandanch exit was sped past. Miss Davis swerved as she looked into the backseat. No more sounds came, so she continued to the town of Brentwood, New York. It was only three stops away on the Long Island Railroad.
Miss Davis followed the GPS while Sun and Shyne relied on their high IQs to remember the route. Sun checked the speed of the car and watched the clock while she memorized the turns and street names. Sun figured it was five miles from the train station when Miss Davis finally stopped.
“The Stevensons are a very nice couple,” the social worker said hopefully.
She could only hope since she’d never met them or knew anything about them. She certainly didn’t know the pedophiles had fled Kansas City before they could be arrested on all kinds of crimes against children. A new name in a new town granted them new kids to exploit. The couple was outside waiting when they pulled up.
“Look at what we have here!” a three hundred and fifty pound woman cheered and clapped her pudgy palms together as she rocked in glee and happiness. She loved kids like a fat kid loves cake. As a matter of fact, that’s just what kids were to her; cake.