16. Climbing Higher

I was tired and I wasn’t completely sure what to tell Alison. I had to tell her eventually. We got in the door and removed our coats and boots. How were you supposed to explain to an eight-year-old that she might never see her parents again? Or if she did it might be behind bars, not at the same time? She was worried where we were going to end up as it was. She was a child, she shouldn’t be worried about all of this.

“Nico?” she called looking up at me.

Ryan glanced at me when I didn’t respond.

“Did they do something?” she asked.

“No, I’m fine. They’ll be in the hospital a while because of the car accident. I don’t know when we’ll see them,” I answer quietly.

“Do we get to stay with Ryan?” she questions.

“For now, you do,” he responds.

I look up at him, grateful.

“It’s quiet here though, if we go to an orphanage it won’t be quiet,” she continues.