"I know these kids, Marcus," Greg said, struggling to keep his voice level and even. "I've seen them. They'll fall apart without each other."
"So, they're co-dependent right now? That's what state care is designed to address."
"You know damn well design and reality are not the same."
"That is my legal and professional opinion, but if you and the boy want to go through with this, that's on you."
"Just tell me what needs to be done."
Marcus sighed and took off his glasses to rub his temples better. "I can't emancipate someone who doesn't exist, so first he has to exist, and without his father knowing. You can petition for temporary guardianship, and I can submit an Ex Parte protective order while I figure out a way not to notify their crazy dad. You will be their temporary legal guardian while all of this" -- the lawyer gestured vaguely at everything -- "is resolved. Then we'll have to establish legal identity, which will bring up a whole host of problems since these are two minors who have been living alone for four years now. Only then can Solis try to emancipate himself, and then and only then can he file for kinship guardianship. Which they'll never grant by the by, but they might grant Co-Guardianship."
"Thank you, Marcus, really, thank you. When you meet these kids, you'll understand why I think all of this is necessary."
"Greg, I hate you so much right now. I should be charging you for this, not doing it pro bono. Just so you're prepared, this is going to take at least a year to resolve, probably more. Because of the nature of this case, I can try to expedite hearings, but this is going to be a mess. CPS is going to get involved, and if you knew those kids were living alone all this time, you'll have hell to pay. So not talking as your lawyer, but as your friend, learn how to shut the hell up."
By the end of the week, Solis and Maya were swarmed by CPS, a court-appointed special advocate, and faced two separate hearings before a judge. Two medical examiners, a medical doctor, and a psychiatrist were brought in to ensure the kids' health. Through their investigations, they found that only Solis had lacerations on his back; otherwise, both were in good health.
The psychologist's report was far more in-depth.
Identifying information:
Case No. 2036-ADOP-9912
Subjects:
Subject 1, Solis, DOB: Unknown, suspected age 16
Subject 2, Maya, DOB: Unknown, suspected age 12.
Evaluator: Dr. Elen Mabry, Psy.D, Forensic Psychologist
Date of Initial Evaluation: October 23rd, 2036
Reason for Referral:
The subject was referred by the Department of Child Services to assess psychological stability, trauma-related sequelae, and clinical viability of sibling co-placement following high-control group (cult) extraction and caretaker neglect in the four years following.
Sources of Information:
Clinical Interview with each Subject (3 Sessions)
Collateral Interview with trusted adults (2), Greg and Jenny Thorne
Review of school records (2032-2036)
Review of medical records regarding scarring
Standardized Testing, MMPI-A, TSCC
Behavioral Observations:
Subject 1 - Solis remained cooperative but emotionally guarded throughout the evaluation. While polite, he demonstrated significant latency in his affective responses to direct inquiry, suggesting the subject is cognitively selecting an appropriate social response, and flat affect to secondary emotional stimuli.
Subject 2 - Maya demonstrates strategic compliance. She does not directly resist authority; instead, she seeks to manage the interviewer through proactive rapport-building. Maya utilizes a sophisticated vulnerability loop. She provides low-stakes disclosures (admitting to minor infractions or fears) to establish a false sense of transparency with the clinician, while also making voluntary strategic admissions of deception to elicit a sympathetic response. Maya presents in a hyper-normative manner, with emotional displays highly synchronized with the interviewer's expectations.
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Clinical Impressions and Discussion:
Assessment: Solis and Maya present a unique combination of high cognitive counterdependency and hyper vigilance. Both siblings score in the upper decile of cognitive function and slant towards social engineering and "threat-scanning."
Recommendation: While, on first glance, both siblings appear well-adapted, further investigation reveals a level of strategic disclosure solely to avoid being separated. Any attempt to separate the siblings would likely result in extreme reactive behaviors. Immediate and permanent co-placement of the siblings is clinically mandatory.
Weekly Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is recommended.
High-risk flight, watch for the first 90 days of legal transition.
The special advocate went much better. She was an older woman, and since she didn't work for the state, Solis behaved much more naturally around her. They didn't have to fake anything; they kept their house tidy and well-stocked with the essentials. She dropped by the school a few times at random and interviewed Greg and Jenny at length -- finding that Greg went to the courts and lawyers as soon as Solis told him that his uncle wasn't real.
At the end of it, she submitted her report stating that the siblings were well-adjusted individuals and that Greg and Jenny would make a good temporary home for them during the legal proceedings. The siblings were temporarily moved into the Thorne household, and the paperwork for their government SSNs and Delayed Report of Live Birth was completed. For the first time, Solis and Maya were people identified in the legal system. They ate cake that night to celebrate.
Elsewhere, states away, that information pinged on a computer.
Solis woke up to the front door opening.
It was late at night. Maya was sleeping in her shared room with Ruth, and Mr. and Mrs. Thorne were asleep in their bed.
Adrenaline shot through his system, and any weariness left him completely, but he did not move fast. He took small, slow, and deliberate movements, making as little noise as possible -- replacing himself with a series of pillows.
He grabbed the hammer underneath his pillow and stepped behind the door. There, he procured the hunting knife he had left there and knelt, waiting for the doorknob to turn.
It did.
The door opened slowly. He saw a gloved hand.
A man stepped forward, slowly into the room.
He didn't recognize the silhouette.
He held a needle and a rope.
Solis heard shuffling outside. There was another one.
He waited until the first man fully entered the room, kicked the door closed, and lunged.
Jenny woke up to the sound of crashing furniture and screaming. Greg was already up and scrambling through the house. She didn't know how, but somehow she overtook her husband. On the floor in their kitchen, a man was on his stomach, crawling towards the garage door. A streak of red dragged behind the man, and Jenny couldn't help but let out a shrill scream.
Then there was Solis, drenched in crimson. His steps fell heavy, and his left arm hung at a sickening, unnatural angle. The knuckles on his right hand were white, and in that hand he held a bloody hammer. Jenny could do nothing but watch as Solis straddled the fleeing man and brought the hammer down on his skull.
"It's a hell of a story, Greg. Truly, but there are two dead men in a kitchen, and at a certain point, that stopped being self-defense. Our forensic guys tell us one of them was crawling for the door when your little psychopath bashed his brains in. Once he could speak, all he could say was 'lawyer'; the same for his sister. They're the guiltiest sounding people I've ever seen come through the precinct, I swear."
"You're not investigating me Vance. You will let Jenny and I talk to him and Maya or I will have the courts swarming this fucking place. I am their legal representative."
"Soon," the detective hedged. "Things are hectic right now and he's still being questioned."
"He's asked for a lawyer. No more questions. Actually."
"Sure, sure, but I got a call from the DA's office. These kids are already involved in falsifying records, and the like. The prosecutors seem very interested in this case. So, no, you don't get to talk to them. No one does, apparently, until we get the okay from the big boys upstate. Hell, from the mutterings, the FBI might even get involved."
For as much as Greg hated Vance in that instant, time would prove the detective right. Solis was placed in a hospital while his arm healed, and then placed in a juvenile detention facility for his own and others' safety. Maya was sent to a child advocacy center.
It was six months until the dust settled, but when it finally did, it was clear that he and his wife would never see those kids again. After a lengthy investigation and much reluctance, the DA dropped all charges. The earlier psychological evaluation of Solis was the thing that saved him, as his lawyer argued that in his heightened state of panic, Solis could not properly identify a non-threat.
From there, things moved quickly. The members sent to kidnap Solis and Maya were unable to be identified at all. A reasonable argument was made that the adults were likely from the cult that the children were running from. Their records of existing were sealed, and they got all new paperwork, completely changing their identities. They'd be sent to another state with zero contact with their old life.
All that Greg and Jenny got was a short, supervised goodbye in a CPS office. They were to receive no more information going forward, just that Solis had a path to emancipation, and the siblings wouldn't be separated.
All that was left was a tearful goodbye.
It was only after Greg left the building that he reached into his pocket, and his fingertips brushed up against a piece of paper that hadn't been there before.
It read:
They told me it had to be a completely clean break. Standard for these resets, but I'm not a good person. I'm greedy and selfish, and I want things I know I can't have. So, please. I've written an email down. It's new, so they don't know about it. Write from time to time?
Greg held onto that paper for three weeks, debating what to do with it. It was a conversation with his wife that confirmed his decision.
"I keep replaying it in my head," Jenny said one night, cuddled up on the couch in their new apartment. They had moved shortly after the incident, not wanting those memories to constantly haunt them. "He was trying not to cry, but he kept telling me he didn't know how to make up for it."
"He doesn't have to make up for anything," Greg hissed out, more venom escaping than he thought possible.
"I know. I know, honey."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell."
"I get it. I want to yell too... do you think they'll ever go to a college party? Grow up and have kids of their own? That they'll be able to live a normal life?"
"Yeah. They're strong kids, and their records are sealed tight. They'll change their names. This time, they can have the lives they wanted. They still got what they wanted. We just have to trust that. That father of theirs will never know where they are."
It was those last lines, his own words, that decided it. It was better if there was no trace at all.
He burned the slip of paper, leaving nothing but ash.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU
ALWAYS WIN ?
ONE PUNCH MAN - MEETS - THE MATRIX
Elderly gamer gets an overpowered cheat class. Longing for the thrill of real achievement, he embarks on a journey to break the curse of success.
LITRPG --- SCI-FI --- FANTASY --- COMEDY