Chapter 1

It's funny how life tries to knock you on your ass whenever you're not expecting it. Sometimes it's good, other times it's bad, but almost always it's unexpected.

For John Michaels, one of those good turns came when he was 16, when he was adopted by his newfound family. He had lost his parents and sisters in an accident when he was 12, and had no living relatives. So the state, in their infinite wisdom, put him in a foster home, where he was regularly berated, called "slant-eyes" "mutt," "twinkie," and always treated in a way that made him feel like he was lower than trash.

John was a mix of Asian and Swedish... an uncommon paring, to say the least. He often was astounded by the fact that his father managed to land such a beautiful wife, blond-haired and blue-eyed. She was tall, elegant, and possessed a gentle soul. His father was from Taiwan, and a businessman, but always made sure that he had time for his family. He was caring, gentle, and soft-spoken, but solidly built, with the physique of a smallish linebacker, but mostly muscle. Both were second-generation Americans, by parents who came to America looking for opportunities for themselves, and education for their children.

John knew that, after the accident, his parents left him very well off. He had no real access to it, as all the money was tied up in trust funds, and he couldn't access to it until his 18th birthday. The committee who oversaw the trust funds did made sure that John did have some money in the form of a monthly disbursement, though his foster-family managed to wrest away the checks when they came, using it on their own purchases and expenses. All that changed one day, though, with a surprise visit from Social Services.

John was home that faithful day. His foster family, the Westwoods, was out at the mall, spending his money, leaving John at home, saying that he already had enough clothes. They left, laughing at the hurt expression on his face, saying, "Oh, don't be a crybaby John. We'll be home in, oh, 5 hours or so!" laughing as they closed the door.

When the social worker arrived, she asked John where his family was. Normally, whenever anybody from Social Services came to the house, his foster family would know beforehand, and John would be surrounded by them, making sure that he kept quiet about his situation, threatening him beforehand about what would happen if he were to say anything.

"They're out at the mall," John replied.

"Oh I see. Not in the mood for shopping?" Mary Young, the Social worker, asked.

"No, it's just that they don't like me going out with them. They usually leave me home whenever they go out for 'family' stuff."

This got Mary's attention in a hurry. "Why don't they like going with you?"

John was quiet for a bit while he thought about what he should tell her. He didn't want his foster family to find out that he told the social worker about his situation, but at the same time, he felt the need to tell somebody. Then he decided that it couldn't get much worse here, so he decided to tell her. "Well," said John, "they don't want me around when they spend my money. They barely want me around, even at home. I'm supposed to get a check from my parents trust fund, but they take it from me and spend it on themselves and their children. I have to beg them for school supplies and money for clothing."

Mary was shocked. From all appearances, this seemed like an ideal foster family for John. All previous reports seemed to show that John was happy and well treated by his foster family. This was the first time that she heard anything contrary. She thought about it for a bit, and asked him a question.

"John, how long has this been going on?"

John again thought about what he wanted to tell the social worker. 'In for a penny, in for a pound, I guess.'

"Well, it's been like this as long as I've been here."

Mary heard this, and made a quick decision. Although normally an investigation would take place before removal of a person from a foster family, she figured in this case they could sort out the investigation afterwards. Besides, if what John said was true, it would be easy enough to confirm with the bank, and the holders of John's trust fund.

"John, why don't you pack up whatever you'll need for a day or two? Since it's summer, I guess you don't need your schoolwork or anything." She smiled at John, and then continued, "Make sure you bring anything that is valuable to you. I have some good news for you, but we can talk about that later."

"Where are we going?" John asked. He was unsure what was going on, thinking perhaps that he was in trouble for telling on his foster family. "I'm sorry if I said anything wrong." His eyes were downcast as he said this, and he spoke very quietly. Mary barely heard what he said, but saw the expression on his face.

"Oh, no, John, don't worry. You're not in trouble. I just think it would be better for you to get out of the house for a little bit, and get some fresh air." Actually, Mary thought, as she looked at John's tattered clothing, that he was in a dangerous situation, and wanted to get him out of the house ASAP. She was going to take him back to Social Services, and report the abuse to her superiors. She smiled a bit at this. She hated foster families who thought they could take advantage of those they were supposedly 'caring' for, and was anticipating the repercussions that this family would be enduring shortly.

John went upstairs to grab an overnight bag, then went downstairs to the basement and filled it with some clothing and a few personal treasures he had. A small silver frame, with a family picture in it, was packed away. 'Happier days' he thought. He started sobbing softly, surprised at the emotions buried away. He thought that he already had said his goodbyes, and had come to terms with the passing of his entire family. However, maybe such things never went away. He quietly sobbed as he packed some other things.

As Mary watched John come back from the basement, she noticed that John had been crying. She quickly walked over to him and gave him a hug, wanting only to comfort the boy. Although strictly not professional, Mary also understood the loss of family, as she lost her family right after she finished college. She had her aunts and uncles to thank for helping her through that hard time, and felt sad that John didn't have anything like that to draw upon. 'Perhaps I could spend some more time with John, show him that he isn't alone in his feelings.' Mary mused.

"It's alright John... things will be better soon. I promise you that." She said softly to him as she held him.

"Thank you, Miss Young." John replied as she held him. He felt her let go, and wiped his eyes before picking up the bag he put down when she had come over. "I'm ready to go now."

"Ok John, let's go. The car's outside. You got everything?" She asked.

"Yeah, think so. When am I coming back here?"

"Probably in a few days, to pick up the rest of your stuff. We'll have some help moving you out, if you'd like"

John was quiet, his thoughts running over what she had just said. "Where am I going? Juvie?"

Mary laughed. "No, John, you're not going to juvenile hall. It's someplace much better than that." She unlocked the door, and she and John got in the car. They drove off, and Mary started talking again.

"John, I came today because I had some good news for you. We found a family that wants to adopt you. I know it's rare at your age to find a family, but they heard about you from me, and thought that you would fit in with their family. It's up to you, of course, and if you find that they're not acceptable, we have provisions for you to declare yourself independent, and with the money from the trust, you could live on your own. But I think you'll like this family, they're good people." Mary looked over at John to see his reaction. He seemed to be thinking about what she had just said.

"Who are they?" John was curious about this. In the past four years, he had suffered from people who were supposedly caring for him, and was reluctant to move to another house where the family there was looking for another servant, or worse.

"Well, you're going to meet them later today. They're an older couple, with a daughter your age. Suffice it to say, you won't have to worry about them stealing your money." Mary said, with a smile. 'Yeah, money is definitely not a problem with this family, ' she thought, 'but his situation is a little different than what anybody thought. I hope this doesn't change their mind about John.' She was sobered by this thought. 'Well, if the shit does end up hitting the proverbial fan, John has enough resources to provide for himself.'

John thought about this for a while. 'A family with a daughter my age. Great. Someone there who will resent my presence, like the kids from the foster family.' John sighed.

Mary noticed his sigh, but decided to let him come to his own conclusions when he met the Johnsons. They were well off by society's standards, but they struck Mary as salt of the earth people.

Mary stopped by the local fast food joint and they both had lunch there. Mary watched as John devoured his meal, and wondered bitterly if the Westwoods enjoyed starving him. Ignoring his protests, she gave John her meal to eat as well, and watched with satisfaction as he ate that as well.

John looked sheepishly at Mary, having finished two meals in less than five minutes. He barely got enough food at home, and the family never took him out for dinner. John had to save his meager lunch money allowance to buy clothing and school supplies. Food was a luxury he didn't have the option of purchasing, considering his rapid growth from puberty in the last few years. With five people in the foster home, not including him, he had plenty of food to flinch. They rarely noticed when he took food, there was just so much of it. He had to make sure that there was no evidence of it in his room, otherwise they'd make him pay for the food by taking it out of his 'allowance.'