FSE

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Chapter Four

By

Furry Sith Lord

I pulled my car into an available parking space at my apartment complex and rubbed my eyes. I could feel a headache coming on, I didn’t actually have one yet but it felt like one was coming. I looked up at the window of my apartment and I saw the light was on. It could only mean Jennifer was here and was probably curious how things went.

I really had no idea what to tell her other than I met the kid, he knows nothing, and my foster mother wants me to teach him. What else is there to say, other than he thinks he’s a dog.

He has no idea how to wash up. Can only say 4 words that I know of. What is she expecting?

I got out and made my way inside. I smiled at security as I walked towards the elevators and went up to my floor. I was putting my keys in the lock when Jennifer flung open the door and pulled me inside.

“How’d it go? What’s he like? Did you speak to your mom?” she asked in rapid succession. I blinked hard because I was startled by her pulling me inside. I was disappointed that she was actually here because I wanted to be alone to recover. I had hoped that a night’s sleep would give me a better insight on what to do.

“It was…interesting.” Was the reply I gave.

“Interesting? Interesting how?” she asked as I took off my shoes and set them in place next to the door. I hung up my coat and put my wallet and keys on a table. I deliberately took my time answering because I was hoping that she would take the hint that I did not want to talk about it.

“Well?” She asked after I finished putting away my stuff and had no reason to delay longer.

“So the kid,” I started.

“Your brother!” She corrected me and I gave her a stern look of disapproval.

“The KID was found abandoned in the woods. Not sure how long he was out there but long enough that they think he was raised by wolves and he can’t speak or understand what we are saying.” I explained.

“Oh my Gawd,”

“I was able to get him to say a couple of words, mostly our names, and now Fen Ju wants me to be a teacher to teach him how to talk. I even had to teach him how to wash up because no one ever taught him how. I’m not even sure he understands.”

“Wow,” Jennifer replied. I wasn’t entirely sure what she meant but I guessed she thought the same thing that I did. How that was a bad idea and she needs to get him a real tutor to help him learn. That and that I had no intentions of getting close with either of them. I had enough of Fen Ju when I was forced to live with her and had no intentions of going back.

“So then she said she knew for a fact I was gonna get laid off in a week or so… can you believe the nerve of her? Just heer being her typical overly critical self. What really pissed me off was that she was fawning over the kid like he was sooo great or something. Trying to rub it in my face that she used to treat me like I was worthless and now this new kid is sooo great.” I complained.

“So are you gonna do it?” Jennifer asked and I stared at her again.

“Haven’t you listened to a word I’ve said?”

“Look…” She started, then my cell phone rang and I went over and looked at the screen. I saw that it was Fen Ju calling and I groaned as I wondered what she wanted.

“Hello?” I answered. Jennifer stood there listening in but remained silent. I heard the noise of someone crying in the background and some dogs barking from possibly the noise.

“Shion, I need your help! Shinto has been having a bloody fit since you left. He’s been howling like a wolf,” So that was the noise I heard. “Can you talk to him? Maybe if he hears your voice he’ll calm down.” Fen Ju pleaded. Jennifer did a little hop up and down in excitement as if this proved her point.

“OK put him on,” I said and I listened in as she went over and was telling Shinto that I was on the phone. He was still howling like a wolf but when she said the name Shion, he quieted then I heard some noises that I guessed was her putting the phone next to his ear.

“Shinto, Shinto! It’s me, Shion.” I said as loudly as I could to make sure he could hear me. The boy seemed to become immediately silent as if listening to hear my voice. I said his name again and I heard a slight sound of glee.

“Shion. Shion, Shion.” He shouted and I heard a sigh from Jennifer. I looked at her and saw that she was tearing up as she heard the boy calling my name.

“Shinto, are you a good boy?” I asked but I knew he had no idea what I was saying. I got a slight slap to my arm from Jennifer. She frowned that I was talking to him like I would a dog.

“Shinto home, Mother home, Shion home.” he said and it took me a minute to understand what he meant. I think he was saying that Fen Ju and myself are his new home and with me gone he was howling so I could find my way back.

I spent an hour or two talking to Shinto so he could hear my voice and relax. I talked about many things like my favorite television shows until I finally heard silence from the phone. After a few minutes Fen Ju spoke softly to me.

“He’s asleep. I just put him to bed so it should be fine now.” she said

“This is gonna be a problem if I have to do this every night. I can’t be at work and getting phone calls because I need to talk to a foster brother that thinks he’s a dog.” I complained.

“I know honey but it’s only until we get him situated.” I flinched at her calling me honey. She had never used such familiar terms before.

“You’re getting sloppy in your old age.” I remarked.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Calling me Honey, this sudden affection for dog boy, and wanting ME to be his teacher. You’ve never been this weak! What happened to your mother?” I asked

“How is this a weakness? Because I love my sons?” She asked. I sniffed loudly.

“Who are you trying to fool? Trying to be mother of the year all of a sudden?” I asked, ignoring the looks from Jennifer. I was too tired to care at the moment. I was tired of playing nice to a woman as evil as her. She used to yell at me and make me feel worthless because I was not her.

Then she gets a new kid and all of a sudden she wants to actually act like a mother to him and she expects me to play along. I was not about to!

“I was strictor with you then…”

“Strictor?!” I interrupted. “You really have no idea how horrible a person you are and you really think I want to stand around and watch you do it to someone else? You’re sadly mistaken.” I shouted.

“That has always been your problem. You are so spoiled and any time someone tries to correct you; you throw a fit and blame me for everything. That’s why you can't hold a job because people don’t want to work with you.” She replied softly. I figured she was being quiet to prevent Shinto from waking up and throwing another fit.

“Is that a fact?” I asked angrily. I could not believe she had said that to me but then I should not be surprised. She only pretended to be nice when she wanted something. Once she got it or knew she wasn’t gonna get it she revealed her true personality.

“It is most definitely a fact.”

“Well good luck with your new pet dog. A real dog would be better but if you have to have a human that acts like a dog then by all means enjoy. I, however, want no part of this.” I saw Jennifer stomp out of the room and that was enough of a distraction that I missed what Fen Ju said.

“Well?” Fen Ju asked. I could care less about her and was more upset by the fact that my girlfriend was now upset. I knew she was mad that I kept calling Shinto a dog but she needed to realize that I had no intention of pretending to be a brother to him. Fen Ju could play house all she wants and pretend to be a moving mother of 2 foster kids.

I wanted to move on with my life and was sick of Fen Ju getting in the way. Sure she adopted me, made my life a living hell, and now expected me to be OK with it?! I had thought I made it clear when I left home that I had no interest in continuing to act like her adopted kid. She was just using Shinto to get to me as if it justified her behavior.

“I don’t have time for this. Find Shinto a real tutor.” I said with an air of finality then hung up before she could respond. I was done dealing with her especially when I had Jennifer to deal with.

I laid in bed on my back waiting to fall asleep. Jennifer had gone home angrily and even though I tried to explain things it did not do any good. I had been tossing and turning but my mind was too busy to allow for sleep.

I thought about different things which started me tumbling down a rabbit hole of possibilities. I first tried thinking of ways to explain things to Jennifer and how I could make it all better. This led me to thinking about Shinto and how attached the boy had become to me.

I honestly liked the hero worship but part of me, a part that I refused to admit I had, made me worry about how Fen Ju would treat him eventually. He was a new toy for her to play with but once she got bored he’d be cast aside like I was. The problem I saw with this is that he seems to idolize me. If I just abandoned him then once she abandoned him I would have no hope of being the brother he thinks I am. What other choice did I have?

I then started thinking about Fen Ju and this made my anger boil within me. I thought about everything she had done and I wondered if the reason why she wanted me close was so that I could take him once she got bored. It made sense because I knew it was only a matter of time.

Sleep finally came but it felt like it came 15 minutes before it was time to wake up. I groggily looked at the alarm and tried thinking of a way I could stay in bed longer. Should I skip a shower this morning? Skip breakfast? I even contemplated skipping work but as I was reminded from what Fen Ju said, they were close to firing me and calling out might push them over the edge. Sometimes I hated my life.

To Be Continued…