Skyclad

by Max Ellendale

  "It's nearly midnight," Mae said, ushering her inside when she stood.

  In the light of the room, Jax's smeared makeup told me she'd been crying. The last thing I expected to interrupt us was a distraught teenager.

  "What's going on?" I asked, crouching beside Jax when she dropped down on the sofa. Mae sat beside her, tucking her legs beneath her skirt in order to face her.

  "I'm sorry." Jax shook her head, gripping her backpack in her lap so tight that her knuckles whitened. "I know it's late."

  "Not for us, kid. What's going on?" Mae implored, reaching out to squeeze Jax's hand. She didn't answer right away, instead, shaking her head as she appeared to hold back tears.

  "They're going to move me again, Mae," she burst forth. "I can't. I just can't take it. I'm almost done with my GED and I'm fucking seventeen for shit's sake." Tears trickled down her cheeks. Jax was as hard-surfaced as anyone I'd ever met. Seeing her this upset unnerved me and worried me at the same time.

  "Moving you to another foster home?" The thought of it horrified me, I had to admit. "Did they say why?"

  "No, it just happens. No one wants teenagers like me around. We get shuffled but I've been in the same place for three years. If they move me, I can't take the test. They don't care. And I can't work here anymore." She sobbed out the last part.

  "Where do they want to move you to?" Mae pried Jax's hand from her backpack and squeezed it. At first, Jax resisted, eventually giving in to the affection.

  "I don't know but it's past Boston and a different district. I can't leave, Mae," Jax pleaded and the sobs took her over. In that moment, the scared kid beneath the exterior surfaced. I placed my hand on her shoulder and looked to Mae. Her lips pressed into a thin line when Jax dropped her head down on her backpack.

  "Did you run away?" Mae asked, stroking her tangled mess of black hair. Jax nodded.

  "Don't send me back. I'll...I'll hide in the attic and you can say you never saw me," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. I snatched a tissue from the table and offered it to her. "Thanks."

  "Stay with Ella a minute, all right?" Mae released her and stood. Jax nodded and I took Mae's place on the sofa, furrowing my brow when she moved toward the door. She held a finger up to me and stepped out.

  "Jax?" She glanced up at me when I called her name. "How many times have you been moved?"

  "Five or six." She shrugged. "Did you get moved when you were there?"

  "Just once. It wasn't fun but I can't imagine moving five times. I'm sorry that this happened to you." I didn't know what else to say to a grieving, scared kid. I knew nothing could soothe her. The only thing a foster kid wants is a safe place that you'll never have to leave. It's all I wanted anyway.

  "Is Mae calling the cops?" She looked up at me, wiping her tears and makeup with the tissue.

  "I don't know."

  "If she does, I'm gonna run."

  "Running makes it worse, doesn't it?" She glanced at me, frowning slightly. "Yeah, I thought so."

  "I'm old enough to be on my own. I can take care of myself." Her anger bubbled to the surface and she pounded a fist into her backpack.

  "I know you can. We're not going to let this go easily, Jax. We'll get answers, okay? Maybe we can get them to let you stay."

  "How? You know someone with answers, do you?" she spat.

  "Yeah… I might."

  Mae returned with a bottle of water and some blankets. She crouched beside the sofa, dumping the blankets on Jax's head.

  "Hey." She grumbled.

  "I talked to your foster parents and they're okay with you staying for the night. But we've got to talk to them and your social worker in the morning, all right?" Mae said, patting Jax's leg.

  "They'll make me go," she said, wrapping the blanket around her shoulders. Jax never looked so young and vulnerable before.

  "Promise me, Jax, that you'll stay so we can work on this, all right?" Mae's serious tone drew Jax's attention. In time, she nodded. Her bag found its way to the floor and Jax curled up on the sofa. Mae smoothed her hair out and glanced to me, nodding toward the door. "We'll be back in a minute. Don't run."

  "I heard you the first ninety times." Jax pulled the blanket over her head as Mae led me out of the room.

  I tugged my phone from my pocket on the way into the hall.

  "We can't let them move her again, Mae. It's not good for her," I whispered after Mae shut the door.

  "I know. Her foster parents don't care enough to call the police so she's safe for now." She glanced to the door then back to me. "I don't know how to stop this from happening, Ella. She'll run if they move her and we risk losing her altogether."

  "I know someone who has some experience with foster kids. She'll know what we should do." I leaned against the wall, already resigned to the decision.

  "Who?"

  "Mrs. F."

  ***

  "That's all she said? You didn't talk about what happened between you?" Mae asked as we sat in the room adjacent to where Jax slept. Two in the morning and I had a page filled with notes on the table in front of me.

  "It's not about me right now, it's about Jax."

  "Right. What else did she say?"

  "If someone applies for emergency guardianship, it might prevent her from being moved. Her foster parents clearly have no vestment in keeping her so they most likely won't contest it. She's already in the care of the state since her parents had their rights terminated," I explained best that I could. My mother's tentative voice echoed in my mind. She knew more about the foster care system than anyone I'd ever met. Jed and I might've been the ones she adopted, but we certainly weren't her first fosters.

  "This is a big deal, Ella."

  "I know. What are we going to do?"

  "I've thought about this before, to be honest." Mae glanced from me to the crystals on the table. She toyed with an orange one while she spoke. "When they threatened to move her once before."

  "What'd you think about?"

  "I want to apply as her guardian but I don't think they'll approve me."

  "Why not?"

  "Look around, El. I don't exactly live the most normal life."

  "Mae, you're—"

  "I'd need a place for her to live. Not in the back of a store. The loft is a mess, by the way. If I fixed it up fast enough it could be suitable." She shook her head. "But I've got to try." Mae, my adventurous, free-spirited love never seemed so solemn before. It showed a different side to her, a much deeper, grounded side with a brave resolve.

  "You're serious about this, aren't you?"

  "Yeah, I am…"

  I reached across the table, taking her hands in mine. "I'll support you in it. Jax's already connected to you. She trusts you or else she wouldn't have come here."

  "I know." Mae squeezed my hands. "I hope she doesn't run before we figure this out."

  "Talk to her again in the morning before the social worker calls."

  "I will."

  ***

  "Where are you?" Mae's panicked voice burst through the phone.

  "I'm upstairs. Where's Jax?" I asked while smoothing the freshly laundered comforter over the bed.

  "Upstairs? What are you doing up there? She's in the shower."

  "Looking around." Which was partially true.

  "That's embarrassing. Come down here." Mae huffed.

  "No it's not. I did find some interesting things though. You'll have to explain them to me sometime." I grinned as I took one last lap around the loft. It wasn't as messy as Mae made it seem. Dusting, vacuuming, and a fresh set of linens had the place looking a lot better. Wiping down the kitchen and bathroom turned it into the perfect livable space. I plugged in the fridge, checked the stove and other appliances, and managed to roll out all the coiled carpets that Mae kept piled in a corner. The loft, with two equally sized bedrooms and a connected kitchen and living room, lacked decorations but was a perfectly suitable living space.

  "Ella, I'm gonna kill you." Her voice echoed from the stair
well and the phone at the same time.

  "I'm coming, I'm coming." I grabbed my bag and hurried downstairs, smiling cheekily at Mae as I pocketed my phone.

  "Oh you are, are you?" She grabbed me around the middle and yanked me toward her. I squealed and gripped her shoulders so that I didn't fall. Mae laughed and gave my hair a yank. "You snoop. How long have you been up there?"

  "Awhile." I kissed her cheek, lacing my fingers behind her neck. Today she had her hair in a loose braid and, when I looked between us, noticed that her shirt seemed to hang differently. "Are you wearing a bra?"

  "Underwear, too. Are you disappointed?" Mae's hands fell to my waist.

  "A little, yeah," I said, nodding.

  "Good." She kissed me, a tentative kiss that told me how worried she was about everything.

  "It'll be all right, Mae."

  "I just don't want that kid disappointed any more than she already has been."

  "I know."

  An hour later, Jax led her social worker through Mae's shop to one of the rooms with the covered tables. Mae paced a bit while we waited.

  "Halloween of all days," she muttered under her breath.

  "Relax, we're not dressed like demons or anything."

  "Very funny."

  "Nice to see you again, Mae," a petite, brunette woman said as she entered behind Jax. She shook Mae's hand with a smile.

  "You, too," Mae said.

  "This is Ella," Jax said, gesturing between us. "Natalia's my social worker."

  "Jax has told me a lot about you." Natalia smiled when she shook my hand. Her large brown eyes echoed kindness and caring, seemingly more genuine than the social workers I was used to.

  "Ella was in foster care, too." Jax dropped into one of the chairs. Her clothes remained as they were the night prior, though she had her hair back in a ponytail. Tamed makeup and demeanor had me wondering how often she changed her appearance.

  "Is that right? Well, I guess you'll understand more where everything is coming from then," Natalia said, taking a seat beside Jax. "We've had a busy day. I'm sorry to bombard you so late in the afternoon but this was important."

  "Perhaps," I said, offering her a polite nod.

  Mae and I sat across from the pair. Tension bled from Mae like an overflowing fountain. Her leg bounced beneath the table. I nudged her with my knee and she stopped.

  "I'm not gonna go, Natalia. You know that," Jax said, wringing a stray crystal between her fingers.

  "Hold on a minute, Jax." Natalia drew her gaze from Jax to Mae. "We got all your paperwork this morning—"

  "What paperwork?" Jax interrupted.

  "Jax, I implore you to listen patiently for a moment, all right?" Natalia turned to her a moment.

  "But—"

  "Jax, let her talk." Mae lifted a brow at her and she quieted.

  "All right then. Well, the petition is in front of the judge but we couldn't see a reason to deny it right off the bat. We'll need to see the living space and we can move forward." Natalia pulled out a batch of papers from her bag. "And ask Jax if she agrees with the situation."

  "I told you, I'm not moving away." Jax crossed her arms, slouching in her chair with a frown.

  "Where do you two plan to live?" Natalia ignored Jax and continued.

  "The loft upstairs eventually." Mae gulped, her fingers dug into my knee beneath the tablecloth. I squeezed her hand reassuringly.

  "If I could just see—"

  "Wait, what?" Jax shot up in her chair. "You're moving in together?" Her eyes darted between Mae and me.

  "You didn't tell her?" Natalia's brows narrowed at Mae before she turned to Jax. "Mae's applied for emergency guardianship."

  "What? Are you kidding me?" Jax nearly flew across the table when she grabbed Mae around the shoulders. Mae chuckled and embraced her right away.

  "We wanted to wait in case it couldn't happen," I explained while Jax choked Mae.

  "A lot more still has to happen, Jax," Mae said, but through light laughter. "The loft isn't ready yet and we still need to get it officially approved."

  "Is the space available? I'd like to see it." Natalia placed the papers on the table.

  "It's not—"

  "Perfect yet. We'll need to get furniture for Jax's room but everything else is," I interrupted Mae, glancing at her as Jax's brows lifted. Glassy eyes met my gaze when she released Mae.

  "What?" Both she and Mae said together.

  "Let's have a look then." Natalia stood and I waved for her to follow me.

  I led them upstairs and into the loft. Natalia walked ahead of us as she inspected the rooms.

  "Holy shit," Jax said when she appeared on the landing. Mae elbowed her at the same moment her mouth fell open in surprise. When Natalia disappeared into the bedroom, Mae turned to me.

  "Did you do this?" Gray eyes shimmered with an upsurge of emotion as she took both of my hands in hers. Jax rushed off after Natalia to look around.

  "I think it was the fairies." I shrugged.

  "You jerk." Mae laughed, kissed me softly, and broke away just as the social worker emerged. Natalia didn't bat a lash.

  "It looks great up here." Jax bounced past her, jumping up and down. "Natalia, can I stay with Mae?"

  "Jacqueline, stay still a moment." Natalia shook her head and smiled.

  "C'mon." Jax stopped, glancing between us.

  "If this gets approved, Mae will have rules that you'll need to follow just like any other. Mae, can you give us a few examples?" Natalia lifted a brow at Mae as if saying, "now's the time to drive the point home."

  "No drugs." Mae stumbled over words at first.

  "Duh." Jax put her hands on her hips.

  "Ever. And no drinking until you're twenty-one."

  "Okay, okay."

  "No running away. And you will get your GED, and keep working. But I want you to take Ella up on her offer to look into college," Mae said, nodding for me to chime in.

  "Anytime," I said.

  "Okay, I will." Jax bounced on her tiptoes again. "What else?"

  "No boys." Mae lifted a brow at her. "I'm not raising your teen mom babies."

  "I'm a lesbian." Jax huffed at her in exasperation.

  "No girls. I'm still not raising your teen mom babies." Mae smirked and everyone laughed including Natalia. Jax tossed her arms around Mae and they embraced. I smiled at the two of them as memories of the day Mrs. F told me she was adopting me flashed through my mind. Living with the Frost family for over a year, constantly worried that someone would come and swoop me away was no way to live at thirteen. Even though Jax was older, the feelings remained the same. Of course, I'd do anything to help her out. My resolve scared me a little. What would I do if the court did, indeed, turn Mae down?

  "I'll file my report tonight. For now, Jax will remain with the Erickson family for the weekend until Monday morning when we can get everything completed, all right?" Natalia looked between us.

  "Okay," Jax said, nodding fervently.

  "I know they're lenient with you, Jax, but make sure you call them and go home by curfew." Natalia's serious tone drove the message home, at least to me.

  "She means don't mess this up by being a brat," Mae elaborated in her usual way. Jax laughed and shoved Mae playfully.

  "Yeah." Natalia sniggered then waved for Jax to follow her. "C'mon. I'll drive you back there to tell them what's going on."

  "But I have to work tonight," Jax said, her eyes darting to Mae then back to Natalia. "It's Halloween."

  "You can still work, but we need to tell them," said Natalia.

  "All right," Jax conceded.

  "I'll call you later." Natalia glanced to Mae, nodding to her as she made for the stairs.

  "Thanks, Nat."

  Jax and Natalia chatted as they descended the stairs, leaving Mae and I alone in the loft.

  "You've known Natalia awhile?" I asked.

  "She's come to a few of the events I've hosted here. And she's worked with Jax ever since I met her a few years ago.
She's able to speed this up because of it." Mae glanced around the loft, her eyes as wide as they were when she first saw it. "I can't believe you did this. Were you up here all night?"

  "Yeah, pretty much. I knew the social worker would want to see it. I've been around enough of them," I said as Mae grabbed the waist of my jeans and yanked me toward her.

  "You're amazing," she said, her lips brushing against mine.

  "So are you. Maybe you won't sleep on the floor in the shop anymore." I nipped her bottom lip. She gripped my rear and I gasped at the amount of pressure she applied. Despite my surprise, my body burned from her roughness.

  "Sometimes I sleep on the couch." A grin spread across her crimson lips. "And sometimes I sleep in your bed."

  "I like when you sleep in my bed." I traced my finger over the collar of her shirt.

  "I'd take you to bed right now if we didn't have a tsunami of people about to arrive. That reminds me, just what are we going to dress you up as?" She pressed her lips to mine briefly.

  "I have no idea. What are you going to be?" Her teasing made me smile and I gave her hair a playful tug.

  "Something different. Come to think of it, I just got an idea." Mae grabbed my hand and rushed me down the stairs. I had no idea what she was planning but I had to admit it worried me. But only a little.

  Chapter Seven

  Hundreds, maybe even thousands of candy bars passed through Mae's store to the bags of eager trick-or-treaters of all ages. Liz, Opal, Andromeda, and a smattering of others I recognized from Beltane appeared at different intervals to help. Jax and I manned the register most of the time while Mae worked the floor. Her different costume meant that she showered herself in glitter, wore a shorter skirt, and called herself a fairy. She made a decent attempt at wearing a business suit but couldn't deal with the fabric.

  "What'd she bribe you with in order to get you into that costume?" Jax asked. She had her hair in pigtails with a half-black half-red getup.

  "Nothing you need to know about, kid." I lifted a brow at her and adjusted the strap of my dress. Mae convinced me to dress as a tree nymph. A fluttery green dress cut high on my thighs and flittered around me anytime a breeze passed coupled with braided hair and a daisy chain and I was a satyrs dream. Or Mae said so anyway. "What's with the scary face scars?"