The first few days of having Levi in the home were strange. He seemed reluctant to talk to people, even Ms. Fields. He stayed in all the places where people weren't, and that meant that a lot of the time, he was where I had showed him, up in the attic. 

I was happy I'd offered him that space where he could feel safe, and I was certainly happy that he liked it up there, but he was taking it a bit far. If he spent all of his time up there, Ms. Fields and the others would get suspicious of where he was disappearing to. 

In turn they'd keep a closer eye on him, and on me, because I was the only one he willingly went to (though even that wasn't terribly often). We'd get found out. Our spot would inevitably get found if anyone just so happened to see us go up there. And I didn't really want that to happen.

The younger ones liked to swarm him when he did make an appearance, but he was hesitant to tell them anything. I didn't blame him. I'm sure that he'd been through a lot, most of which he didn't want to ever talk about, but those kids were persistent. There was very little that would actually deter them, aside from just... removing yourself from the situation. Which he did. Often.

Once again, it wasn't as though I could blame him for that. They were terribly nosy, as most kids were, and they annoyed me quite a bit, too. So I understood the need to get away. I was far more used to it than he was, but even I had to just get away from everyone sometimes... which explains the hiding spot in the attic. I only wish he didn't risk getting that spot found in the process of him getting away all the time, though.

There had been some progress, however. He began to slowly settle into life here. He had his meals with us, and occasionally came to seek me out. If I was with the younger kids, he'd stay close to my side, not saying anything but just observing. Otherwise, though, he was on his own.

Things were... progressing. Progress was progress, I knew that, no matter how slow it was. So I was happy about that, at the very least.

I started formulating some kind of plan to get closer to him, to make him feel more comfortable around me and the others. It would be easy, or so I hoped, and would break the ice that separated him from the rest of the house. 

Because we were a family, to some extent. Not by blood or name, of course, but because we all lived together and had to help each other a lot of the time. There was a close-knit community here, supportive and loving, if he would only allow himself to breach the wall he'd formed to maintain distance between us all.

What I didn't realize was that while I was doing that, he was formulating his own kind of plan.

Except his was different. His plan was something more drastic, a little more immediate, than the one I was formulating.

Levi's plan was... to get out of here.

Simply put, he wanted out. And fast. I'd only found out about this plan of his on accident. 

Him following me around the home over the past few days was less about him trying to just get closer to me, which is what I thought, and more about trying to find the best ways to get out. I supposed I'd been naïve to just assume that he wanted to get closer to me. Yes, he'd said we were friends, but... perhaps that was all. It was easy to lie. I wasn't well-versed enough to tell if what he'd said had been a lie, but... now I couldn't help but wonder...

I'm getting ahead of myself.

It was getting late, one night... that night. Not terribly late, but Ms. Fields was making her final rounds upstairs as she went around to say goodnight to everyone. She kissed all the kids goodnight as she went, making sure everyone was settling in for bed. 

Being somewhat older, Levi and I were allowed a bit more time to be up. Not like Levi would allow her to give him a hug or a kiss goodnight anyway, nor even a pat on the head, but that was beside the point.

We were downstairs. I was reading, and so was Levi, I think, or at least that's what he'd been doing. For all I knew, he might've just been pretending. But after Ms. Fields stopped downstairs to lock everything up and tell us goodnight, then went back upstairs, he started getting antsy.

"Levi?" I called quietly. From the other end of the couch, he looked at me briefly.

"What?"

"What's wrong? You seem... nervous."

His answer came quickly.

"I'm not."

"Ok... so what is it, then?" His confused eyes told me he didn't know what I meant. "You're not nervous, so it must be something else."

"I'm fine. Stop asking."

"Ok," I said hesitantly. But then he stood up. The book he'd been reading was placed gently onto the couch, and I watched him as he did. "Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"Well, no," I muttered, "but now I'm curious."

"There's no point," he replied, icy blue eyes piercing through me and keeping me rooted to my place on the couch. "I'm leaving. Don't follow me."

"Wait, you're... leaving? How? You-You weren't adopted, you can't-"

"I can, and I am," he spat. "Don't come after me."

"But..."

I stood, my own book forgotten as he took off at a brisk pace through the house. He was heading to the back door. Something compelled me to follow. He glanced back at me once he reached the back door. He knew that one didn't creak, so long as you opened it quickly enough. Had I told him that? Maybe I had.

Shit, maybe my first clue to what his plan had been when he'd asked about it. Who the hell would ask about whether a door creaked or not? Who would care, except for someone who would later use that information?

Hindsight was 20/20, I supposed. God, I was an idiot.

He didn't even put shoes on as he unlocked the door and slipped outside. I didn't, either, as I followed.

But as soon as I slipped outside too, I was met with angry eyes. "Go back inside," Levi hissed. "You're not ruining this for me."

"But... what are you doing?"

"Leaving."

"Why?"

"The hell do you mean, why? I don't belong here."

"You're an orphan, aren't you? This is where we go."

"Will you stop talking so loud?"

"Will you tell me what you're doing?"

He pulled the door shut gently behind me and then took my wrist. He all but hauled me out into the yard after him. I had no choice but to follow. I didn't put it past him to just drag me across the dirt if I hadn't. 

The evening air was brisk, the dirt cold under my bare feet. Somewhere, an owl called out into the night, only to be answered by crows even further away. The breeze blew cold across the yard. I shivered lightly but continued to follow him.

"I'm not staying here," he said, releasing my wrist once we were behind a tree and out of sight of the house. And with the short distance from the house, we could speak normally now, instead of in hushed whispers. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Because," he spat. "I have to go find my uncle."

"Find him? Is he lost?"

"No," Levi muttered, averting his gaze. "He left me."

"He left you," I repeated lowly. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't do it, so don't apologize," he said. "But I have to find him."

"How will you do that? It's night, and he's an adult, right? He could be anywhere."

"I know where he likes to be," Levi argued. "He's a piece of shit, he can't go that far."

"If he's a... a piece of... shit," I struggled to say. Ms. Fields didn't like us swearing, she said it was for adults. "If he's that, and he left you behind, why would you go find him?"

"Because he's all I have left!"

My eyes widened. "Oh," I said softly. "Well, that makes sense, but... if he doesn't want you, then..."

"He told my mother that he'd take care of me," Levi said, his eyes downcast. I wanted to reach out, to hug him, to do something, but I couldn't do that. I still only barely knew him. Something told me he wouldn't like that. "He wouldn't promise something like that and not do it."

"Adults do stupid things all the time," I said.

"But he wouldn't do that!"

"Levi," I sighed, "my own parents left me here as a baby. I think that was pretty stupid of them, but they did it."

Levi's eyes widened slightly. "You've been here all this time?" I nodded. "Why haven't you tried to leave?"

"Why would I?" I shrugged. "I wouldn't last out there by myself. I don't know how to live on the streets, and it's not like someone would just pick me up off the street and care for me. I'd just be brought back here anyway."

"Don't you want to leave?"

"Of course I do," I told him, sadness lacing my tone. "But I couldn't... I wouldn't last on my own. I've always been here."

"Have you ever tried?"

"What? No."

He looked at me with something like disdain. "Then don't say you want to leave if you've never tried."

"I... I do want to leave! But I know I'd die if I went out there! I've just been waiting for a family to come in and adopt me."

He scoffed. "No one's adopted you yet."

"I..." I trailed off, immediately. Well... that was obvious. Levi took off again, heading to the closest fence. That inspired me to move again. "Wait, Levi!"

"Stop following me," he barked as he reached the fence. He hopped up, starting to pull himself up, but I grabbed his shirt, tugging him back down. "Let go!"

Wait, his voice... it clicked.

I hadn't heard him... shout quite yet. He'd only ever spoken, calmly. But now, he was a bit frantic, a bit upset, and hurried... just like...

"Hold on," I said, smiling now. "Are you the one I saw run by weeks ago? Being chased by the police? You were with two others, right?"

He stopped momentarily, then doubled down on his efforts to pull himself up out of my grip. "Don't talk about them!"

"Don't follow, don't talk, don't do anything! Is there anything I'm allowed to do around you?" I asked, mostly as a joke.

"No," he spat. "Just stop! Let me go!"

"No," I spat right back. "You're just going to get hurt again if you go out there, aren't you? You were all beat up when you got here!"

"Stop acting like you care!"'

"Why wouldn't I care?" I asked, keeping a firm hold on his shirt. He met my eyes, looking down at me over his shoulder. "I'm not acting. I do care, d-dumbass!" A furrow worried his brow as he regarded me. "You were hurt when you got here, but you're getting better! And besides, we're friends now, right? Of course I care!"

"Why does it matter to you if I leave or not?"

"It's because I care that it matters! It's your choice, but... I don't like the thought of you getting hurt again!"

"I don't get you," he muttered. "What happens to me has nothing to do with you."

"I know that," I said, "and you don't have to get me. It's not a bad thing to let people care for you, you know. There are lots of people who could care if you let them here. Ms. Fields does already. I do. The little kids are all annoying, but they can care, too."

"There's no point," he said. "I lose everyone I care about."

"Like your uncle? He lost you. On purpose. Didn't he?"

He didn't reply.

"We won't abandon you, Levi, I promise. All of us here, we're like a family. We're all orphans and just waiting for our forever home, sure, but right now, we all care for each other. We can't just leave you, not even if we wanted to. But we don't want to. You can be part of that."

There was a long, long pause, where we just stayed where we were, staring at each other. His eyes were admittedly very pretty in the moonlight. The way he was looking at me was unlike the way he had before. Where disdain had been, there was now confusion in its place. Where there'd been hesitation before, now there was consideration.

I smiled at him. For a moment, I think he might have let down his walls, just a bit.

But then he spoke up again. "Let go of my shirt."

The walls were back up.

We were back to square one.

Fantastic.

I did as he said, though hesitantly. I didn't go far even once I had let go of his shirt. I just stayed where I was, offering him the space to get down if he wanted, but staying close enough to grab him again if he tried to get out. 

But he did something to surprise me. He did neither of those things. He adjusted how he was hanging on the fence, hooking an arm over the top, then reached his other hand towards me.

I looked past his hand and at Levi. He met my eyes determinedly, gesturing with a movement of his head towards the other side of the fence. "Come on, brat. Before I change my mind."

Perhaps the walls had been torn down. Or, if not that, then perhaps there was a gate now, allowing me passage through. But only if I took that chance.

"What do you mean? Where are we going?"

"I want to show you something. We'll come back."

We'll come back? So, that meant...

"Ok," I said, though still a bit reluctantly. Still, I took his hand. He tugged me closer to the fence and I hopped up, grabbing the top with my free hand. The splintered wood dug into my palms, but I didn't let go. My feet scrambled for purchase along the face of the fence as Levi started to pull me upwards.

With a bit of work, I managed to get up and over, dropping the few feet to the other side. Levi dropped down next to me only seconds later. He dusted himself off lightly, then took my hand again, tugging me along after him. We were out. We'd left. I turned my head to look back at the fence as Levi led me away.

"Don't worry, we'll be back," he assured me, and I returned my attention to him. "I want to show you my... um... favorite place. In the city."

"Oh, ok," I replied. "I trust you."

He glanced sidelong at me. "That's probably a stupid thing to do."

"You haven't done anything to make me not trust you," I said to him with a smile. I picked up the pace a bit, walking right alongside him instead of being led along. "I'm excited. I showed you my favorite place, and now you're showing yours. This will make us best friends."

He flushed slightly in the cheeks. "Don't you think you make friends too easily?"

"No, I don't think so," I said. "I am picky. But I like you, so far. So you're going to be stuck with me, ok?"

He only looked at me dumbfounded in response, before nodding slowly. My smile erupted into a grin and I giggled, bumping shoulders with him lightly. He cleared his throat and narrowed his gaze, looking resolutely forward again. He picked up the pace slightly, but I matched his stride easily.

We walked for a long while. Our journey led us through the city, parts I'd never seen. He led me down seemingly deserted roads, through alleyways, and we even cut through a park. The moon watched silently as we walked, and we were equally as quiet.

Finally, we reached another alley, though he let out a breath, as though relieved we'd made it. We weaved through the narrow space, carefully dodging piles of broken glass and startling slightly at the sight of a tomcat crouched on a trashcan, eyeing us carefully.

Levi came to a stop next to a dumpster. He climbed up, getting down into a crouch to reach for me once he was up. I accepted his help up, then let him leap up and pull down on a fire escape. When the stairs were lowered, he let me climb up first, and he stayed close behind.

We climbed up as far as we could on the fire escape, and when we reached the top floor, he pulled the window open. "Levi...?"

"The building is abandoned," he said. "It's fine."

Once again, he let me in first. I climbed through the window and he came in after. The space was dark. It was a small apartment, the only furniture left inside covered by dusty cloth, and there wasn't much to begin with. 

The hardwood floor was dusty and scuffed, and a ripped carpet sat in the center of what would have at one point been a lovely living room. There was an overturned couch, the springs and bars inside exposed as the lining covering them had been ripped open. 

There were white curtains covering the windows, though now they seemed silvery in the moonlight streaming in and as the light came in, so did the wind, swaying the curtains. A door further into the apartment creaked, likely from the wind rolling through, so I paid the noise little mind though if Levi had noticed the way I flinched slightly from it, he didn't mention it.

The room we had climbed into was what would've been the dining space. Only an overturned table and two chairs were left. It would really have been a nice space, if furnished and lit properly. 

But right now... nothing occupied the apartment. The entire building was silent. I let myself wonder briefly about who might have lived here. The furniture left was sparse but it wasn't stuff someone would leave behind if they simply moved. Perhaps they'd been in a hurry.

Levi kept walking. Clearly, we weren't at the destination yet. I reached his side just as he pulled a door open at the end of a hallway to reveal stairs leading up. We went up, of course, reaching another door which Levi opened. And we found ourselves then on the rooftop of that abandoned apartment complex, under the pale light of the waxing moon that continued to watch us carefully.

"Oh, holy..." I trailed off, suddenly at a loss for words.

"Shit?" Levi offered.

"Yeah, that," I said absently. Looking up, all I could see were stars. I could pick out a few constellations, ones I could vaguely remember from a few summers ago when Ms. Fields took some of us outside on a clear night with a telescope to look at the stars. It was beautiful.

We were higher up than we were on the roof of the orphanage, so there was less light pollution, especially in this part of the city. Not to say that it was abandoned, but it was a poorer part, one considerably less well-kept than where we were, situated closer to the main hub that was downtown.

Things were quieter here. A little darker. But that made for an incredible view.

Looking out, the expanse of the city was drawn out in front of us. It was so picturesque, so pretty, it seemed to be plucked out of a painting. "Oh," I said suddenly, pointing towards a roof I recognized. "There's the orphanage."

I hadn't realized just how far forward I'd walked until Levi grabbed the back of my shirt, pulling me back away from the edge of the roof. "Don't fall off, stupid," he muttered, though not unkindly.

I looked at him with a sly smile. "You do care."

"I don't," he said. "It'd just look bad if you fell off the building and died. It'd be my fault."

I laughed. "Well, and then I'd haunt you."

"Oh, good."

"You know," I said, sitting down, "you're not so bad." He crossed his arms and continued to look down at me. The look in his eyes told me he had no idea what I was talking about. "You looked super scary when you first got to the orphanage, but... as I said, we're best friends now."

"Do I get a say in this?"

"Sure," I said. "But you don't exactly seem to be very friendly with others. You can at least tolerate me, I think. You brought me here, anyway."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," he said, lowering himself to sit beside me.

I laughed lightly. "You're funny, too." I looked back out over the city. "But you've got good taste in picking your favorite spot."

"We can come back," he mentioned quietly, "whenever you want to."

"Come back...?" I repeated. "Are you..."

"Yeah." He said, somewhat begrudgingly. "Yeah. I'm going back."

I let out a relieved breath. "Thank goodness," I said. "Things finally got interesting back there. I wouldn't ever forgive you if you just ran away."

He let a small smirk grace his face for a moment before it faded. "You were right. I'd only get hurt again, caught again, and brought back. So I might as well save myself the trouble."

"I didn't realize it was so easy to sneak out, before," I mused. "Maybe next time we can stop by the park we saw."

"Next time?"

"Yeah," I said. "Didn't you just say we could do this more often?"

He'd said them, but he seemed taken aback by me agreeing to his words. I couldn't help but smile at him when he met my eyes. "I already told you that you're stuck with me. Your company isn't so bad, you know."

"You too, I guess," he muttered. "Brat."

Once again, I didn't take the odd term to heart. I laughed, finding it more funny than hurtful. If calling me a brat was the worst thing that he would do to me, I think we'd be alright.

---

By the time we ran back to the orphanage, clambered back over the fence, and slipped back in through the back door after he picked the lock, everyone in the home was deep asleep. We padded up the steps as quietly as we could, then stopped by the bathroom to clean our feet off.

Maybe going out without shoes on was a bad idea. He'd only done it because Ms. Fields hadn't taken him for new ones yet, and his were less than ideal, and because he'd wanted to get away as quickly as he could. I'd only done it because I didn't want to waste time.

When we'd been running back, Levi seemed to have been having a good time; maybe it was because he was running, maybe because he finally felt comfortable going back to the home, where a warm bed waited for him with the promise of it being there tomorrow, or maybe it was something else entirely.

I didn't know much about Levi, but what little I did know and could figure out for myself let me know that he'd had it rough. Very rough. Clearly, his parents were gone or didn't want him. I could put two and two together: his uncle had promised Levi's mother he'd take care of him, and his uncle was all he had left. So his mother... more than likely, she... she was probably dead. His uncle had taken care of him until he got abandoned. And he'd been on his own, with others, but they were gone too.

I wasn't sure in what capacity, not yet, and I doubted he'd ever tell me. But that was ok. He didn't owe me anything, and it wasn't exactly my place to ask. Not like it mattered anyway; what he went through had dictated who he was now, but it wasn't necessary to know what it was that had happened to him. 

But running hand-in-hand as we were, there'd been a certain brightness in his eyes, one I hadn't seen before.

And when we perched on the side of the tub next to each other to wash our feet off, he'd nearly pushed me into the tub, risking a loud noise, when I made a funny, off-handed comment about how easily he gave in and showed me to his favorite place to see the city, meaning that I was his friend, whether he liked it or not.

Thankfully, I'd caught myself before I could make too much noise, but when I started to laugh, getting a chuckle from him too, I slipped, and did fall into the tub. That got another bark of a laugh out of him, and I pouted playfully up at him. But when he reached for me and helped me back up, all was forgiven.

When finally we left the bathroom, with clean feet and doing all we could to keep quiet, we went our separate ways and finally, as the morning hours rolled in, went to bed.

I fell asleep with a smile on my face as my body slowly warmed back up in the blanket. It was the most fun I'd had in a long time.

Though next time... I'd have to remember to bring a sweater. And maybe some shoes.

---

Waking up that next morning was slow-going. Ms. Fields had come around to wake all of us up, but she'd needed to come back into the room I was in to gently shake me awake. I was a few minutes late to breakfast, sure, but at least I hadn't missed it entirely. All the kids and Ms. Fields were gathered at the table by the time I got there after showering and getting ready for the day, and everyone was already eating.

But when I reached my usual chair and sat down, I started slightly when I turned my head and was met directly with Levi's gaze. I glanced at his plate. He hadn't started eating yet. I peered curiously at him, but as soon as I started to eat, so did he, without so much as a word uttered other than a quiet "good morning" from me.

I had to fight to eat normally, to keep the smile from my face. But it was just so sweet of him to wait when he didn't have to. Later, after everyone was done eating, I offered to help wash the dishes. Much to my surprise, and much more to Ms. Fields' surprise, Levi offered to help.

The work went much quicker with three people than it did with two, even with the meticulous way that Levi checked each plate after washing it. We all got into our usual morning chores then, and the two of us tended to kind of orbit around each other in some capacity while we worked.

After lunch, when it was our free-time, I... didn't really have free-time. Ms. Fields made sure that even during summer, we had schoolwork to do. Not anything new, no, but refreshers to make sure we didn't lose what we learned the past year. She'd given a workbook to Levi, but when he sat down next to me to do it, he... didn't get very far.

"Levi?" I asked quietly, looking up from my math work.

"What?"

"What are you doing?"

"My work."

"You're not really doing anything. You've been on that page for a while. Do you want help?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't want help."

"Do you need help?"

There was hesitance in his voice when next he spoke. "...Yes."

"Ok. What do you need help with?"

"It's stupid."

"I'm sure it's not. But I can't help you if you don't tell me what it is."

"I... can't read."

"Oh," I said. "Is that all?" He looked at me with flushed cheeks and narrow eyes. I smiled warmly at him. "I've helped teach the younger kids to read before. I can help you." I set my own work aside and got out a fresh sheet of paper. "We can teach you to write after."

I brought my chair closer to his and started to teach him to read. It was, thankfully, something I had done before. And my luck continued, because everyone else was outside playing, burning off their afternoon energy. That meant the inside of the house was quiet, and the two of us were able to sit and quietly work through letter by letter, and soon, word by word.

After dinner, we did a bit more reading, then sneaked away to the attic to talk some more. It was more just me talking, but he sat quietly and listened. I'm not sure how much he absorbed, but he seemed to enjoy just sitting in the quiet. He had told me that tomorrow he'd bring a dustpan and broom up because it was filthy up there, and I assured him I'd help him, if he wanted. The hours passed by quickly, and soon it was time for bed.

As days went by, this pattern continued. Levi and I would take to our studies, and I'd teach him slowly to read, and soon, to write. He seemed uncomfortable with the idea of having Ms. Fields help teach him, but that was perfectly fine with me.

The summer wore on, and it became more and more clear to me that Levi was naturally bright. He was an incredibly hard worker, and I found him reviewing the notes I'd helped him take whenever he had free time. It was a lazy summer, sure, but it was wonderful.

Only three weeks had gone by when Ms. Fields had approached us as we were quietly doing our work. Levi was slowly working through the beginning pages of a children's book. He snapped it shut quickly as soon as she stepped into the room.

"Levi, (Y/n)," she greeted happily. "I've finally managed to convince my sister to watch the others, so... Levi, I think it's time we go and get you some things of your own."

I smiled at him, but he blanched slightly. "What?"

"I was going to take you to the mall," she said. "We'll get you some new clothes, shoes, and some extra goodies that'll make you feel right at home. We'll stop and get lunch too, wherever you want to eat."

"I'm only going if (Y/n) goes," he said immediately.

"Levi...?"

"Oh," Ms. Fields said, "alright. That's fine by me. The more the merrier."

The front door opened then, and in stepped Ms. Fields' sister. "Hello," she chimed. "I'm here to watch the children!"

"Alright, you two," Ms. Fields said to us, "go on ahead and get ready. We'll head out as soon as you're set to go."

I smiled at Levi, and he looked at me almost warily as I stood. He followed my lead and the two of us went upstairs. I was surprised he'd wanted me to go. Though I was excited, of course, because it offered me a chance to get out of here for a bit.

I didn't realize how long I was taking to put my shoes on until I noticed a presence in the doorway to the room. I looked up as I finished tying my first shoe, offering him a smile. "Huh? Oh, sorry for taking a minute. I'm just excited."

"(Y/n)."

"Hm? What?"

"This isn't... um. This isn't a trick, right?"

"A trick? What do you mean?"

Levi chanced a glance behind him, then came further into the room, only stopping to crouch in front of me. His eyes were serious, his lips pressed into a thin line. "This – going with Fields – isn't a trick. Right?"

"No tricks," I assured him. "We're just going to get in her car, go to the mall, and shop around. Is that ok?"

"It's fine," he said. "Sorry."

"Don't be," I said, finishing typing off my other shoe. I set my chin in my hand, looking down at him fondly. "It's ok to be nervous, you know. Nothing to be ashamed of. But I promise we'll be fine."

"Ok," he breathed out, mostly for his own sake. "Ok. Let's go." He stood up straight, then offered his hand to me. "Are you ready?"

"Are you going to hold my hand the whole time?"

The tips of his ears burned red, and he glared down at me. "Shut up. It's just so you stay close."

"...While we're still here?"

"Are you going to take it, or not?!"

I laughed and reached out, taking his hand. He pulled me to stand up beside him, and then – though he acted standoffish about it – refused to let go until we had to get in the car. Then he took my hand in his again, only letting go so we could get out, and from there, only letting go of me until he had to go try something on. Not that I minded.

His hand was warm, and I couldn't deny that it felt nice for him to rely on me, just a bit. He seemed to be rather independent, which made sense, given that he was on his own for a while. But to be the person he chose to trust, even after only this short time, well... it was certainly something strange, and yet terribly special.

It was a fun trip, and I managed to convince Ms. Fields to let me get a few things, too. Levi seemed to let his guard down around her, just a little bit. But... progress was progress. Maybe it was slow going, and maybe he was the weirdest person I'd ever met, but there was a lot of good in him, too.

He was trying. He'd been so ready to leave, to run away, to escape back into what he knew. What he knew didn't work, it was only a temporary fix to the problems he was facing. But here, today, I could tell he was trying to trust her. He trusted me already, by some miracle.

Maybe it was because I hadn't fallen for his words and convinced him that even if you'd suffered losses before, it didn't mean you couldn't open back up to people. Being the kid here the longest, I'd seen lots of kids come and go.

Some liked me, some could only tolerate me, but through it all, we all cared for each other. We were all strangers in the start and were likely to never see each other again once we all got adopted, but I would always care for them.

Though, obviously, I knew that what I'd gone through was very small compared to what he had. He knew his mother but she passed. He knew his uncle but had been discarded. He expected us to leave him as well, but we wouldn't. I was happy I at the very least convinced him to try.

That was all I could have asked him to do, anyway, and I was happy to see the progress he'd made already.

Ms. Fields seemed happy by the slight changes she could already see, too. And I couldn't remember how many times I'd caught her looking at our joined hands. In the instances in which she realized I caught her staring, she'd smile at me cheekily, and send me a wink.

Embarrassing.

But even I couldn't deny it. Holding his hand was nice. There, I said it.

It didn't mean anything, though, no matter how much I'm sure Ms. Fields wanted it to.

She really was embarrassing.

But I could bear it, if it meant I got to hold his hand a little longer.