It was a blur of activity. Doug and Derrin stayed in the corner when Brenda brought Theo home with two bags of clothes, the haunted look never leaving his eyes. Quinn was the perfect model of welcoming the new boy, asking the questions that were harmless enough. Theo never answered, and Brenda smiled before taking Theo on a tour of the house as Doug and Derrin remained behind.

“Come on, girls. School’s tomorrow. Let’s get you to bed,” Doug said.

Felicity’s smile dropped. “I only want Brenda to comb my hair.”

“And she will. Don’t you worry. Once you’re in your pajama’s, I’ll go get Brenda,” Doug said.

It was a while before the night was settled, and a while before Felicity stopped tossing and turning. Brenda and Doug stayed up talking, their voices subdued and solemn. At one point, Brenda even started crying, and Quinn wanted to check on her. But Brenda told Quinn that for adult problems, Brenda turned to another adult for help, and between the adults, the problems would get better. Brenda and Doug solved a lot of problems.

Quinn crept forward in the night, holding a bucket to her. She had been the model example of not questioning anything when they brought around Theo, but now she had this opportunity to not pretend.

She gripped the bucket to her and snuck into the hall.

“…why? Why is the world so cruel to the ones that are the most innocent?” Brenda’s voice came up the hall, her voice strangled.

Quinn kept moving, sneaking into the bedroom she saw Brenda say was Theo’s. She crept inside, still holding the bucket.

“Hi,” Quinn whispered.

Theo jolted up in his bed, his haunted eyes growing wide with fear. She knew he wasn’t asleep, because no one slept well their first night. Theo grabbed his blanket, scooting back a bit from Quinn.

“My name is Quinn. I know I already introduced myself before, but I wanted to give you this.” She handed Theo the bucket. “It was mine when I first got here six months ago. Brenda said I could have it to keep food under my bed if I got scared. It helped me sleep better, because I could wake up and eat a snack. I haven’t needed it in a while.”

Quinn looked at the bucket, her smile turning into a frown. “Oh, but there’s nothing in there. If you want, I could sneak into the kitchen and get you some snacks. Brenda and Doug never lock the fridge or the cupboards, and they showed me where they put all the snacks when I first got here. They keep them stocked, too. I tried, just to make sure. I once emptied the entire basket of ritz crackers into my bucket and the next day they restocked them. Ritz crackers!” Quinn said, a huge smile on her face. “Not off-brand things! Actual ritz crackers! They’re so good and buttery. Do you want me to bring you something?”

Theo shook his head fervently. Quinn cocked her head to one side. “It’s okay. They don’t beat me if they find me in the kitchen at night. Trevor was worried about that, but I assured him Brenda and Doug don’t do that. I even ran down in the kitchen and made a huge noise just to prove that they wouldn’t. Trevor was shaking in his boots, but nothing happened. He’s back with his family now. His momma is gone, and his dad got all their kids again. It was a family reunion. His dad never beat him, just his momma. So Trevor’s going to be okay. If not, Doug said Trevor would probably come back here, but he hasn’t been here for months.”

Theo kept staring at her but said nothing. Quinn returned his gaze. “You don’t want to talk, do you.”

Theo kept looking at her, the haunted look never leaving.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk if you don’t wanna. My mommy never talked either. Sometimes in the day, she did, but she’d mostly moan and groan. She hated it when I talked in the morning, or if I talked while she was taking drugs. I usually just played with my doll and talked to her so my mommy wouldn’t get angry at me. Mommy only has two volumes. Mumbling, or screaming. That was before, though. Before I came to be with Brenda and Doug. I visit mommy with Brenda sometimes now. She doesn’t ever scream when there’s other adults in the room. People say she’s getting better. Mama doesn’t take drugs much anymore. She even got a job. It’d be nice to have my own bed and not have to sleep in the park when I go back to live with her.”

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Quinn lifted her arms and shook them. “See that! Oh, wait, maybe you can’t. I have the sleeves on.” Quinn tugged at the sleeves until her bare arms were showing, then she shook them again. “I have some jiggle to my arms! The pediatrician was really happy to see it.” She covered her arms again before getting to the ground and sliding the bucket under his bed. “It’s there if you need it. Don’t worry about me. If I need anything I just sneak into the kitchen at night and eat whatever I want.”

Quinn leaned against the back of the bed, laying her head on the mattress as Theo kept looking at her. “Did Brenda take you to McDonald’s? They have the best hamburgers, don’t they? I love them so much.”

The moon shone through the window as Theo kept his legs up, staring at Quinn with the same haunted look in his eyes.

“I don’t have a dad. My mommy said he’s out of the picture, whatever that means. Doug told me not to ask you about your parents. So, I’m not gunna.” Quinn brushed her hair from her eyes. “But you’re okay now. Don’t worry. Brenda and Doug are fun! They don’t ever get super mad. They also have a lot of food. Whatever happened, don’t worry. You don’t have to talk ever again if you don’t want to. Someone’s mom waiting at the doctor’s office told me that I talk enough for five kids. So, if you never want to talk again, I’ll talk enough for you.”

Theo remained silent, and though the haunted look remained in his eyes, he wasn’t gripping the bed so tightly. Quinn brushed her nightgown out. “I love nightgowns. Usually I just slept in some old clothes, but this is so much better. Brenda bought this for me for my first night, and I loved it! It’s so comfortable. So much better than wearing old clothes. Brenda’s going to take care of your appointments, since you don’t want to be around Doug. You’ll have a lot of appointments, and it might seem overwhelming, but everyone just wants to help. But you don’t have to talk to any of them if you don’t want to. Ms. Nichole actually makes me draw a lot. Do you like drawing?”

Theo did nothing. Quinn shrugged, and kept going. “Also, don’t feel bad if you don’t want to be around Doug. I asked Doug once if he felt offended that sometimes the kids here don’t want to be around him, and he said he’s not offended. He said that he’s way more concerned about what the kid wants. So is Brenda, if you decide you don’t like girl company anymore. And don’t feel bad if you wet the bed in the middle of the night, either. Trevor went out of his way to hide the pee in his bed in the mornings because he was afraid he’d get a beating, but Brenda and Doug don’t do that. In fact, they prefer if you wake them up in the middle of the night right when it happens. Do you pee the bed?”

Theo said nothing, staring at her.

“Oh, this might be one of those things where it’s a personal thing you don’t want to tell me. It’s okay. You don’t have to nod or shake your head in answer. Just know that Brenda and Doug are happy to help in the middle of the night if you want. Also-”

“Quinn.”

Brenda’s voice was soft, but it still stopped Quinn’s words. Brenda was at the doorway. Quinn looked up.

“Oh, sorry. Was I talking too much?” Quinn asked.

Brenda gestured for her. “Remember what we talked about personal space? Don’t just walk into someone’s room, because this is their space and they want to control who comes and who goes. You need to knock on the door and ask if you can come in.”

“But he doesn’t talk,” Quinn said.

“Quinn,” Brenda said again, still remaining at the doorway.

Quinn glanced at Theo. “I’m sorry. Was I talking too much?”

Theo hesitated, then shook his head.

“See? He’s not bothered,” Quinn said.

“It’s getting late, and you both need your sleep,” Brenda said.

Quinn sighed, then stood up. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, Theo. Remember the bucket is under the bed if you need it. I don’t need it anymore.”

Quinn walked out of the room, taking Brenda’s hand.

***

I gasped, almost nauseous. I panted, confused. The orb was gone. No time had passed, even though I had spent at least five hours of time in what the white orb was showing me. I stared, unblinking, before I dropped the axe and ran.

I was chasing after a theory. One I was pretty sure would work. There was something familiar about those scenes I saw. Too familiar.

My feet stumbled into the covered back porch, heading straight for the clip board. I flipped through the pages until I came to the last page.

Progress of the woman who does not know her name yet.

I held my breath. The words began to disappear, like an invisible eraser was taken to the long sentence. Once the sentence was gone, another hand appeared, writing the words I already knew would be there.

Quinn’s Progress