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"I don't care. Already been to juvie a few times. I'd take a lifetime of prison for the satisfaction of killing him."
Oh boy. This got very serious really quickly. It sounds like he's been abused and he's hurting himself. I look at Foster and I'm sure he sees it in my eyes. We can't walk away now. We're going to help these kids. I'm not sure how but we're not letting them sleep here in a driftwood shanty.
"You lookin' for work?" Foster asks in his easy-going tone that could soothe any wild beast.
Knox sits up and his face brightens. "Might be." He's still cautious, but he's stopped tearing at his skin.
"Why don't you come up to my property? Need someone to help me with an obstacle course," Foster says.
Brilliant idea! Why didn't I think of that?
"I don't take handouts," Knox replies.
"I'm not offering a handout. I'm offering you a job. I need some help up at my cabin in Boulder Creek. You earn some cash. No strings attached."
Knox's brow wrinkles like no one has ever done something nice for him. "Why?"
"I owe it to someone." Foster's voice is deep and rich again. He's coming back into his confident self.
"You don't owe nothing to me."
"Nope. I'm asking for you to give me a hand. Can you do that?"
"Sure."
"Go get your sister."
"My sister?"
"You leave her alone all day?"
"She's at the mall asking for money."
"That's no good. Get in the truck. She can come too."
"Are you serious?"
"Course. Can't leave your thirteen-year-old sister begging for cash at the mall. God knows who could get to her. Let's get her and bring her to my place. She'll be safe there. We'll feed her a good meal."
Knox looks from Foster to me like he's judging us. I'm sure it's hard for him to trust people, but Foster and I are being up front with him and he has to see it in our tone.
"Okay."
***
After a trip to the grocery store, we pick up Knox's sister, Sutton, and his two friends, Mace and Remy. We get to know them as we drive up the mountain. Foster shows them how to build the climbing wall made of bottle bottoms. Knox's sister Sutton is patiently watching them. Sheand Knox have an easy air about them when they're together. He seems less nervous. She keeps her gaze on him for reassurance. You can feel the bond between them.
As the sun sets, Foster and I give them some space and move over to the fire pit. Foster stacks some wood up in a pyramid in the center of the circle. I take a seat in one of the Adirondack chairs next to the fire. We're out of earshot, and a lot has happened in the last twenty-four hours. He's probably as twisted up inside as I am.
"You still want to be a sports therapist?" he asks me out of the blue as he lights a match and tosses it into the fire. This is not what I thought would be on his mind at all.
"Oh, I gave up on that."
"Why?" He blows on the kindling under the wood, but it's not starting up.
"It was just a dream." I stare into the fire that won't start.
"Look into the schools in town. You'll find what you need." Foster adds more kindling and some lighter fluid. He rearranges the wood to add more space in his pyramid.
