Viridia

Chapter 10
Chapter Ten

Chapter Description: Will has a breakthrough at the park, but has he drawn too much attention to himself?

As much as he buzzed from the information he'd overheard, the boy had to admit that not everything he'd learned helped his case that Viridia was irredeemably vile. Granted, most of it pointed squarely in that direction – he needed only to get confirmation of how Mr. Green had traded a regression for a favor to be sure of that. And though he was too scared and fascinated in that moment for any other feelings to flourish, his small fists clenched of their own accord when he thought back now to how self-assured Julio's parents had been in gushing over their boy's gradual transformation through multiple regressions. It infuriated and terrified him to consider that a person could be molded into an ideal child by being reset over and over again, aghast that Julio's parents believed themselves to be loving and helping him by doing just that. 

Despite all that, Will kept stealing glances at the front seat...at Exhibit A that Viridia's process could yield good results. Though he had no trust in the councilmembers' account of Jane being a hellion in her first life – knowing all too well that they judged behavior in whatever way best benefitted their interests – Will couldn't deny that she had ended up a pretty good person in her second. It wasn't her fault that she got caught up in being part of the reclamation process, the boy reasoned; Abby had probably indoctrinated her on how it was the glue holding the town together from the day she first started taking care of the girl. The real shame was that her talents had been twisted to such nefarious purposes, that a person of her kindness, patience and intelligence had unknowingly been working in the service of the people that erased her first existence.

“Hellooooo? Earth to Will?”

“Huh?” Will was pulled from his thoughts by Jane calling to him from the front seat, a tinge returning to his cheeks as Liam snickered at his brother getting caught daydreaming. They'd reached the drive-thru without him realizing it, the young woman training a patient smile on Will as she waited for his order. “Oh, uh...just a burger and fries, I guess...”

“And a burger kids' meal.” Jane announced to the speaker, oblivious to the way Will fumed behind her. Though he knew what his big sister had ordered was all too appropriate for his age and appetite, it deeply annoyed him to not even be asked if he wanted anything from the grown-up menu. So much so that, when they got the food, a pouting Will took his multi-colored paper box from Jane without saying a word – or tried to, at least, the young woman holding the box steady as she gave the boy an expectant look.

“Will? I didn't hear a thank you.”

“...thanks.” Will muttered, looking up just enough to see the disappointment in her frown. After a moment she sighed and released his meal from her grasp, the boy clutching it jealously to his skinny chest while Liam fished out the tiny plastic toy hidden in his own box.

“What’s this?” The boy said quizzically, holding up a strange cylindrical pink tube with a shallow white funnel poking out the top. Will gave a bamboozled shrug, poking around in his own box to produce an identical item made from green plastic. “No fair.” Liam sulked as he caught sight of his brother’s toy. “Why did I get stuck with stupid pink?”

“Nothing wrong with pink.” Jane remarked wryly. She didn’t turn around, her eyes locked on the road, but both boys could see her reflection smirking with faint amusement in the wing mirror. 

“It’s for girls.” Liam retorted coldly, as if his objection was both obvious and entirely reasonable. 

“Why do you even care?” Will commented, thinking himself much too mature for such childish complaints. He turned the plastic tube over in his hands. “What even are these things?” 

“Dunno.” Liam shrugged “But swap with me, won’t you?” he reached greedily across the middle seat, holding out an expectant hand. 

Will knew it was silly, but his brother’s envious pout made him feel strangely possessive of the stupid little piece of plastic. “No way!” he objected, flinching away from the invasive grasp. 

“Come onnn!” Liam whined, making a clumsy grab for the item. Will parried the hand before pushing back heavily on his brother’s shoulders, letting out a grunt of excursion as he repelled the boy back to his own side of the car. Liam didn’t seem particularly perturbed by his defeat however, giggling breathlessly  like a boy half his age fool  as he renewed his assault. Will gave a chortle of his own, biting his lip in stern determination as he prepared to defend his prize, but a stern voice sounding out from the front seat soon put an end to their fun. 

“Stop messing around boys, I’m trying to drive.”

The brothers complied – falling into silence and leaning back in their respective car seats. They continued to exchange competitive side eyes glances however, as if to communicate that their battle was merely on hold. Will sipped hesitantly on the straw of his drink, clutching possessively onto the unidentified toy as he glowered menacingly over the plastic top of his cup, feeling like an old western gun slinger staring down his arch rival over a tall tumbler of whisky. Soon the car pulled into the park, Jane beginning to negotiate her way into a parallel space between two large Range  Rovers. 

“Last one to that bench gets the pink one.” Liam proposed with a whisper, a mischievous glint in his eye. 

Will tittered, flexing a small hand and securing it steadily atop his seatbelt buckle as if it were his trusty six-shooter in its holster. “You’re on…” he growled, confident that he’d be quicker on the draw. 

The car had barely rumbled to a stop before both boys thumbed furiously on the release triggers, launched themselves out of their car seats, and went for the doors. To Will’s horror however, his door wouldn’t open! He pouted jealousy as Liam pranced energetically across the grasslawn while he watched powerlessly from his window. Eventually, Jane opened the door from the other side, allowing him to jump to his feet just as Liam put a victorious hand on the bench.

“No fair!” Will complained as he stumbled dejectedly across the grass. “My door wouldn’t open!” 

“That door’s got a child lock.” Liam tittered, sticking out his tongue contemptuously at his defeated opponent. 

Will let out an unhappy harrumph, just as embarrassed about losing the bet as he was at being outsmarted. “You cheater!” He complained. “That totally doesn’t count!” 

“What are you boys fighting about this time?” Jane interrupted, ferrying both her own and the boys' abandoned half-eaten dinners over towards the bench. 

“Dunno. Just these.” Liam explained, holding out the pink tube for her examination. 

Jane looked over the toy with academic precision, picking it up and turning it methodically over in her hand. “Oh, it’s a kazoo!” 

“A ka-what?” The frown Liam wore as Jane brought the cheap instrument to her lips turned to a look of wide-eyed wonder – one that matched Will's – when the young woman coaxed a surprisingly complex melody from the plastic toy. The brothers offered Jane an enthusiastic round of applause when her impromptu performance came to an end, both studying their prizes with new respect as though trying to figure out where the music she'd made had come from.  

“Where'd you learn how to play that thing?”

“At Kazoo University, I graduated top of my class.” Jane teased a giggling Liam as she tossed back his toy and ruffled his soft mop of inky black hair. “There's nothing to it, I play a little piccolo so I know how to blow into instruments like these to make music.”

“A picco-what?” Liam crossed his arms as he furrowed his brow at her. “You're totally making that up.”

“Nuh-uh, I know what she's talking about.” Will chimed in. “It's like a little flute, right?”

“Not bad, Will!” Jane praised the boy as he donned a shy grin. “How'd you know that?”

“Umm...” His grin disappeared as he shrugged and played absently with the green kazoo. “I don't remember.”

“Don't be like that, sweetie, I'm genuinely curious. Do you play any instruments?”

“No...I know what it is 'cause, um, 'cause I watched a whole lot of Dragonball Z when I was a kid the first time and Piccolo was my favorite character.” Will half-mumbled, half-gushed as he realized the color of his kazoo matched that of the heroic Namekian. “I thought it was a funny name so one day I looked it up and I learned that it's a kind of flute.”

“That show's like a hundred years old.” Liam interjected with a roll of his eyes, audibly annoyed at Will for commanding Jane's attention. He tried imitating what their sister had done and – after a couple very annoying seconds – Liam was clumsily performing nursery rhymes and other simple melodies, the boy's puffing cheeks split by a proud smile. Eager to show he could do the same, Will was soon putting on a performance of his own – which created a cacophony of noise that Jane could only listen to for so long.

“Okay, okay.” The wincing woman plucked the toys from her brothers, raising a hand to silence their whining before it could start. “We're in a public place, guys, not everyone here appreciates your musical skill as much as I do. Go ahead and finish your meals, I'll give these back to you when we get home and the two of you can annoy each other all you like.”

That sounded like a fair compromise to both boys, who were getting antsy just sitting there on the bench anyway. From their perch they could just make out the screams and laughter of the children who were scrambling all over the plastic castle at the other end of the park, a mighty battlement of slides and monkey bars, of rope bridges and climbing walls. Liam stuffed his last two chicken nuggets in his mouth and leapt off the bench, not even waiting to swallow before darting across the lawn.

“Wait up!” Will cried, scarfing down his burger before taking off after his brother. A few moments ago there had been too much on the boy's mind for him to even consider playing with the other kids, some of whom were likely also growing up for the second or third time. But as much as he knew that he had to act on what he had learned, Will reasoned that there was nothing he could do under Jane's watchful eye – and besides, it felt good beyond words for the boy who'd missed out on recess to finally have time to run as fast and shout as loud as he could, to not have to worry about anything but catching up with his brat of a brother.

“I’m the king of the castle!” Liam shouted out boastfully, already having scaled the tallest tower and swinging happily from a crenellation of carved wood.

“Not my king!” Will retorted from below, if only to contradict the other boy. 

“Silence, peasant!” Liam chimed dramatically, splaying out his legs  in a power stance and pointing down at his brother with a commanding finger. 

Will grinned at the challenge, seizing up a nearby stick and charging boisterously up a ramp that led to another tower. He sped past a pair of younger boys, who gave him a perplexed look as he let out an excitable yell and ran directly forward with his make-believe sword brandished high in the air. He confronted his brother on the rope bridge between the two towers, imagining the flimsy structure as a mighty stone monument spanning some cavernous ravine or a foreboding moat – sure to contain alligators, or lava, or perhaps even both. 

“I’m an enemy knight, and I’m here to take your castle.” He declared gruffly, getting fully into the spirit of pretend play. 

“Never!” Liam cried energetically, attempting to artificially lower his voice into a broad approximation of a booming royal baritone – although the actual product was something closer to a petite princely countertenor. His bravado was soon cowed as he saw the intimidating stick held in his brother’s hand. He cocked his head, trying not to break character as he gave a sheepish frown. “But, um…I don’t actually have a sword, though.” 

“Oh…er, maybe we could break this one in half?” Will awkwardly suggested, hopping uneasily across the rest of the bridge to join Liam in his tower. He tried to break it  over his knee, but the hefty wooden staff was much too sturdy for that – a veritable tree trunk in comparison to the little boy’s skinny twig-like legs. 

“Some knight…” Liam mocked, crossing his arms as he observed the scene with amusement. 

“Shuddup…” Will mewled through gritted teeth, grunting and struggling as he pushed down uselessly on either end of the stick. Eventually he gave up, grabbing the hefty thing by one end and opting to bash it repeatedly against the edge of the tower in frustration. “I’ve…almost…got it…” he insisted in spite of how little progress he was making, his antics only serving to draw the eyes of a few disapproving parents across the way. 

“Why are you a knight anyway?.” Liam considered. “Shouldn’t you be like…a prince or something? Since you’re my brother, and I’m the king.” 

“I don’t wanna be a stinking prince!” Will complained, finally giving up on his effort to break apart his would-be sword and stowing it commandingly over his shoulder. “Why can’t I be the king, and you be the prince?”

“Coz I’m older.” Liam stated matter-of-factly. “Oldest kid's the king, younger kids are princes.” 

“We’re both eight, dummy.” 

“Yeah,” his brother admitted. “But when’s your birthday?” 

“October 2nd.” Will replied at once, certain that he had the other boy beat on this issue at least. His birthday was pretty early in the school year, so he’d always been one of the oldest out of his classmates. 

“I’m September 20th.” Liam retorted, smiling smugly as he relished in the one up. “That makes me the oldest, so I’m the king!” 

Will let out a distressed growl, reeling from the revelation that he was indisputably the younger brother, despite his stubborn pretenses of maturity. He brandished the stick again, once again imagining it as a powerful weapon. 

“Fine,” he conceded. “But I can still be the king if I kill ya!” He teased, prodding the end of the implement lightly into Liam’s belly. 

The boy reacted to the Shakespearean betrayal with a peal of giggles, collapsing heavily to the ground as he clutched at his tummy, stuck out his tongue, and let out a guttural gagging sound, interrupted occasionally by uncontrollable snorts and guffaws of amusement. The laugher was infectious, Will soon finding himself consumed by his own uproarious hysterical hiccupping as he dropped the pretend sword to the ground and headed to the edge of the tower. 

“Better call the guards, someone just killed the king!” He teased, beckoning for his brother to chase him as he once again tumbled uneasily across the unstable rope bridge and passed the wide-eyed younger boys still sitting on the other tower. Laughing all the way, he had just stormed down the ramp and turned the corner when he almost charged head long into a familiar face. 

“Whoa!” Will cried, skidding to a halt just before colliding with the girl. “Sorry about that, Amanda, I – oof!”

Liam – who had also been laughing his little head off as ran – didn't realize that his brother had stopped until he ran into the back of the stationary boy. Amanda yelped and jumped out of the way as a the pair tumbled to the gravel in a shouting, struggling pile of arms and legs, the boys freezing and looking up with twin blushes when the amused girl giggled at their silliness.

“Hi, Will.” She chirped. “Hi Liam.”

“Hey.” Liam grunted as he untangled himself and got to his feet, helping his brother up as he went. “C'mon Will, you can be king this time so long as I get a turn to be the assassin.”

“Um.” Will's blush intensified as his voice grew small. “I'd actually like to talk to Amanda for a minute.”

“Seriously?” Liam huffed when he saw Will wasn't kidding, shouting over his shoulder as he reclaimed the castle for his own. “Ugh, fine. Have fun with your giiirrrlllfrrriiieeennnd!”

Though an indignant Will tried to cuff Liam on the shoulder as he marched off, his smirking brother stuck his tongue out as he effortlessly leapt away from the clumsy blow. Will looked on as Liam enlisted in his play the little boys that'd been watching them, partly because he was jealous of the fun they were having but mostly because he was waiting for some of the redness to leave his cheeks before turning back to Amanda. 

“Sorry, he's just being stupid.” Will went crimson all over again when Amanda smiled wryly. “I mean, not that it'd be stupid for you to be my girlfriend, I just, um, like you as a regular friend, and, uh – ”

“Has anyone ever told you that you talk a lot?” Amanda asked, teasing but not cruel. She giggled when the boy clammed up, locking her hands behind her back and swaying on her tiptoes. “It's okay, you sound kinda smart and grown-up. Most boys in second grade only wanna talk about sports and farts and videogames.”

“Thanks.” Will grinned, grateful for even the barest suggestion that he, despite his age, wasn't that immature quite yet. Much as he wished to reciprocate her kindness, there was really only one offer he could make, childish as it was. “Do you wanna come play with us?”

“Sorry, but my dad said that we're going soon.” The girl sighed as she motioned to the man on the bench behind her. “You should come say hi during recess tomorrow, though, I'll let you meet my friends.” 

Will was about to gladly accept the offer when he took a closer look at Amanda's father – when he saw the baby being bounced on the beaming man's knee. His voice died in his throat as the burbling nonsense of a giddy toddler danced around Will's burning ears, as everything he'd learned while snooping at the council hall rushed back to him at once.

“...what...what did you say your brother's name was?” Will managed, barely able to tear his eyes away from the baby to face a frowning Amanda.

“It's Teddy – why?”

You’re the one who proposed that Theodore boy. We took him all the way back to two – and all because you owed the treasurer a favor.

“Do you need me to get your mom?” A wide-eyed Amanda asked. “You look like you're about to throw up.”

“Err….no, I’m good.” Will stuttered out, continuing to stare suspiciously at the happy little tyke bouncing up and down with glassy eyed glee. It was clear from the little boy’s expression that his mind was now entirely devoid of any complex thoughts that might have once occupied his darling innocent head, his squeals of delight anchoring him solely and entirely in the present blissful moment giggling gleefully on his daddy’s knee. Will cringed, turning his attention back to Amanda. “You said he was two, right?” He asked, trying to sound suitably nonchalant despite his intense morbid interest in the regression victim. 

“Uh-huh.” Amanda reiterated, confirming beyond any reasonable doubt that this was indeed the boy in question. “Do you wanna meet him?” The girl continued. “He loves new people, it’s adorable.” 

“No, it’s okay…”

“Come on!” Amanda insisted. “He won’t bite. Well, he might – but probably not very hard.” She added with a playful snicker, taking Will by the hand and leading him over towards the bench. As they approached, Amanda’s dad rose to his feet, securing the hysterical toddler against his hip.

Now that they were a little closer, Will could see that Teddy was dressed in an infantile baby blue romper buttoned up snugly over his bare shoulders and featuring a cutesy teddy-bear themed smock over his chest. An unblemished white bucket hat was nestled atop a thicket of tangled auburn curls, tied securely under his chubby soft chin with a neat silky ribbon. The outfit was immature even for a boy of two, the tightly fitting fabric over his pudgy thighs doing little to disguise the prominent bulge of a chunky diaper wrapped around his waist. Will couldn’t help but wince, looking up sympathetically at the display of the former big kid trussed up, snuggled, and diapered like a dress-up doll. Teddy didn’t seem particularly distressed at his predicament however, letting out an excitable shriek as he saw his big sister approaching with a sure-to-be interesting stranger. 

“Who’s your new friend, Amanda?” Her dad asked, keeping his restless charge entertained with a playful tickle against the little boy’s belly.

“This is Will. He’s in my class at school.”

“Hiya, Will!” The man greeted. “I’m Amanda’s dad, and this happy little chap is Teddy.” 

Will didn’t get the chance to reply, Teddy grinning in recognition at the sound of his name and extending his arm towards the new boy in an excitable pointing gesture. “Baby!” The toddler accused guilelessly. “Baby, baby!” 

Will shuffled awkwardly where he stood, feeling strangely offended by the tiny tot's meaningless ramblings. “Err…hi to you too, Teddy.” He forced out uncomfortably, attempting to seem unbothered. 

“Sorry about that.” Amanda’s dad chuckled at Will’s reaction, cuddling Teddy closer to give him a peck on the cheek. “That’s not a baby, silly. That Amanda’s new friend – he’s a big boy.”

“Big boy baby!” Teddy insisted, once again breaking into fits of uncontrollable laughter as the sound of his own voice. Amanda’s dad only rolled his eyes, showering the boy with kisses. 

“So, you’re in Amanda’s class?” He asked. 

“Yeah. I’m new. We sit next to each other.” 

The man nodded, tutting in mock severity at his daughter. “Ahhh, so you’re the famous new boy. Amanda’s been telling me all about you.”

“Dad!” Amanda blushed, but her father only laughed, flashing Will a knowing wink.

“Down!” Teddy interrupted demandingly, starting to struggle weakly against his father’s grasp. The man complied, leaning down so that the fussy toddler could slide down his leg and totter unsteadily out onto the grass. The tyke made a beeline for Will, chortling happily as he stumbled forward and wrapped an affectionate pair of loose cuddly arms around his waist. The older boy stumbled slightly back in surprise, but Teddy maintained his grip – nestling his head into Will’s side.

“I think someone likes you.” Amanda’s dad commented. “You like Amanda’s friends, don’t you bud?”

“Uh-huh!” Teddy nodded, a single trail of drool falling out of his open mouth and pooling onto a fold in Will’s t-shirt. Noting the older boy’s discomfort, the man came to his rescue – taking Teddy loosely by his shoulders and pulling him gently back towards his side, a possessive hand resting atop the tyke’s hat keeping him leashed firmly in place.

“He’s quite the affectionate little fella.” Amanda’s dad remarked adoringly. “He was all over that other friend of yours, Amanda. What was his name again, sweetie?” 

“Damon.” Amanda spat out, not even trying to disguise the contempt in her voice. 

“That’s right. Such a polite boy. We should have him over for dinner again, don’t you think?” 

Amanda gave a curt nod, but didn’t offer a verbal response. Meanwhile, a look of deep concentration had come over Teddy’s little features. He squatted down stiffly at his father’s side, staring off into space and letting out a few meaningless befuddled gurgles, his eyebrows knitted together in grave solemnity. Just as soon as he had gone down, he popped back up again – pawing at his father’s leg for attention once more. 

“I done pooped, daddy!” He announced pridefully, not even the slightest bit ashamed to broadcast the news of his infantile accident across the whole playground.

Teddy's father chuckled while Amanda pinched her nose and waved dramatically at the air, both too amused by the declaration to notice the way Will stiffened and paled as the baby committed the most infantile of acts before them. The revulsion he felt was only amplified when the evidence of Teddy's accident hit his nostrils, lingering there even after his daddy swept the soggy-bottomed boy off his tiny feet.

“Don't worry, kiddo, we're heading out anyway so I'll go ahead and change him in the car. I'm sure you don't mind me sparing you the sight.” The man assured Will as he balanced Teddy on his hip, misreading the boy's dread and horror as mere disgust towards what the baby had done. “It was nice meeting you, please tell your parents that you're welcome to come over and play any time you like.”

“Bye Will!” Amanda chirped as she grabbed her father's free hand, calling over her shoulder as they left. “See you in school tomorrow!”

Will could only manage a tiny wave as she turned back around, watching the trio go until he could no longer make out the happy chatter and babbling that passed between them. Not knowing what to do with himself, the boy stiffly took a seat on the bench that Teddy and his father had just occupied, so numb that he didn't register Liam's approach until his brother was within spitting distance of him.

“Finally, I thought you were gonna be talking to them forever.” Liam moaned. “Let's go back to playing king and prince – those kids that were watching us want to be our knights and help us find the dragon's hoard.”

“Go on without me.” Will murmured. “I don't wanna play.”

“What? Why not?” 

BECAUSE I'M TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD! Will wanted to scream, drowning in shame for having forgotten that for even a second. Much as it pained him to keep that inside, he knew that a fate just as infantile might await him should he cry out so defiantly – not that that rationalization made Will feel like any less of a coward. Far from undoing his regression and stopping the practice for good, over the past day Will had only gotten younger and watched helplessly as three more souls – just kids themselves! – were stripped of their maturity. What's worse, he had been playing without a care in the world like a real kid while Teddy (née Theodore) was drooling and going through diapers by the pack. What was wrong with him? How could he be so easily distracted? The boy could feel himself getting upset and that only made him more upset, a horrible feedback loop that forced Will to take a deep, shuddering breath lest he burst into tears right then and there.

“Please leave me alone.” 

“You're being stupid.” Liam declared, rolling his eyes as he reached for Will's arm. “C'mon, you'll feel better once we – ”

“I don't WANT to feel better!” Will shouted, his startled brother taking a step back while those within earshot turned and frowned in the boys' direction. “I want to just sit here by myself and be sad! Is that okay with you?!”

Liam, stunned, blinked for a moment before his boyish features hardened in hurt. Will tried to get an apology out but couldn't do so before Liam spun on his heel and ran back to the castle, the boy feeling all the worse for having yelled at his brother. He felt the sadness swallow him whole as he buried his face into the knobby knees pulled against his skinny chest, alone in the darkness until he felt someone sit beside him – until he felt an arm slip around his shoulder. 

“Will?” Jane asked as Will balled himself up even tighter. “What's the matter, sweetie?” 

The boy refused to answer, committing himself to shuddering silently in brooding angst yet hating how much he found that Jane’s warm soothing embrace made him feel better.  He pulled away, trying to tell himself that she was nothing more than some duplicitous lying propagandist, a false comforter colluding to brainwash him into the same childish silliness that Liam was already so openly displaying; but as she snuggled up close to him on the bench, refusing to allow him to retreat further into his grief, he knew that wasn’t the truth. She cared for him, deeply and earnestly, even as he continued to snub her. 

They sat in silence for a little while, Jane simply rubbing at his shoulders and letting him cry away the worst of his fit before she tugged lightly at his arms – pulling his hands away to reveal the devastated visage below. “No…” he weakly objected, ashamed to show his tear and snot laden wreck of a face. Jane didn’t insist, but the sight of her reassuring smile peeping in through the gap in his fingers felt like a warm sun beam piercing into a dank, dusty, long neglected room. Eventually, Will pulled away his hands after all, adopting a sullen yet genuinely perplexed glower as he bathed in the shadow of Jane’s calm comforting presence. 

“Why do you even care?” He eventually mewled out in a gravelly weeping-worn voice. “Why don’t you just shrink me down to a dumb dribbling baby and be done with it? Then I wouldn’t cause you any more trouble…” 

“Because that’s not what you need, sweetie. That’s not what we do.” She patted him tenderly on his bare skinny arms, putting a slender finger under his chin and directing his gaze towards the playground equipment where Liam was hanging from the monkey bars, laughing maniacally as the two younger boys he had befriended clung to each one of his legs.  “Look at your brother, over there.” She instructed. “Doesn’t he look happy?” 

“I guess.” Will sulked. He refused to let the admission stand however, shooting Jane daggers despite his blurry tear-stained eyes. “Bet he’d be happier as a grown-up.” 

Jane shook her head. “Do you know what Liam did for a living when he was an adult?” She asked. 

“Don’t even think about lying.” Will warned with an accusatory glare. “Liam already told me. He paid his bills, he got by, he had his own life. He didn’t deserve…this.” He gestured dismissively towards the juvenile scene across the way, although his haughty derision was deflated a little as an eruption of enthusiastic giggles emanated from the trio of boys. 

“Is that all life is?” Jane posed. “Paying bills? Getting by?”

Will shot the woman an aggressive pout, pursing his lips in silent contempt. 

“Maybe you’re right.” Jane conceded with a rhetorical shrug of her shoulders. “Maybe Liam had a right to scrape by, to accept the hand he’d been dealt and cling stubbornly to the choices he’d made. But the truth was that he was just hanging on, grinding himself down – backing away from life.”

“So you turned him into a little kid? Just ‘cause he wanted to play video games for a living?” 

Jane chuckled. “It’s nothing to do with video games.” She explained. “He wasn’t happy, Will.” 

The lawyer in the boy could have offered a dozen responses to that. He could have conjured up a myriad of moral theories, a platter of philosophical treatises, an array of devastating oratorical come backs. What right did Viridia have to tell Liam how to live his life? What made them arbiters of happiness and unhappiness? He didn’t offer up any such arguments, however. Instead, he turned inwards. 

“What about me?” He began, his voice starting out as little more than a whisper but growing stronger and stronger into a righteous tirade as his confidence grew. “Abby didn’t know anything about me. She didn’t know if I was happy. She didn’t know about my mom or my job or…” he trailed off, the intrigued look on Jane’s face confirming that he’d already revealed too much. He forced himself to collect his thoughts, steeling his brow with harsh determination as he returned to his point. “She just did it without a second thought.” He spat judgmentally. “Because I was inconvenient. Because I’d seen too much.”

The momentary look of uncertainty on Jane’s face was enough to confirm that he’d found a crack in her previously impregnable ideological armor. Though she began constructing a reply, Will cut her off before she could say a word. 

“And what about that baby, Theodore?” He continued. “Don’t pretend you don’t know about that. Mr. Green did that to him for nothing – just to settle a debt. To make good on a favor! I heard him, he as good as admitted it!” 

Jane made a desperate hushing sound, putting a warning finger to her lip at the mention of the council leader, but Will was much too enthused to slow down – hammering his little fists against his knee like a wild-eyed frenzied defense attorney crying out for justice. 

“And what about you, Jane?” He concluded. “What about you? What could you have possibly done to deserve being sent back to kindergarten?”

“Will.”

As worked up as the boy had gotten in his tirade, he knew he’d crossed a line the instant Jane spoke his name with such quiet iciness. Determined not to back down completely, Will – trembling half out of adrenaline and half out of fear – kept his back straight and his eyes on hers as she spoke softly and slowly to her foster brother.

“You have every right to be upset.” Jane paused when Will frowned at this, realizing that she had reflexively recited the intro of her tried-and-true speech meant to recognize an angry little boy and validate his feelings.  “And you know what? If that's what you want, I'll leave you to it.”

“Wh...what?”

“If you want to be sad and alone, just say the word and I'll go.” Jane waited patiently as Will scanned her expression for any hint of deceit. “Well?”

“...you don't have to go.” Will muttered. “And I'm sorry for bringing you up like that, but – !”

This time he honored Jane's shushing gesture, the boy following her sharpened eyes to see the adults that were not-so-subtly listening in to Jane and Will's conversation as they looked after their little ones.

“Do you really think we're in the right place to talk like this?” Jane asked, smiling a little when Will reluctantly shook his head. “I'm not saying that we're done talking, or even that you're wrong – just that there's a time and place for us to get into it, okay?”

“When, then?”

“Well, I think this would be a perfect topic of discussion for our session tomorrow.”

Though Will despaired at the thought that he would have to keep his indignation to himself for nearly another twenty-four hours, the boy knew he wasn't in a position to negotiate.

“Might be too late by then,” he grumbled. “And what about Liam?”

“Oh, he won't be there.” Jane said, brightening as she looked once more to her foster brother having the time of his life playing king of the castle. “Liam's coming along nicely – not much left for me to do with him, honestly.”

Though Will initially shivered at this, there was a genuine warmth in Jane's voice that gave the boy pause, a complete lack of cynicism that made the young woman all the more convincing in her claim that she truly cared for and loved both Liam and his stubborn brother. Jane, seeing the conflict playing out on the boy's innocent features, sighed and ruffled his sandy hair.

“We should probably get going too,” she said. “But there's one thing that needs to be taken care of before we leave. Liam?”

Liam perked up at hearing his name and then slouched at the realization that he was being called to leave, turning to give a quick goodbye to his new friends before dashing in his fosters siblings' direction. Will winced as he approached, knowing all too well that Jane had to reassert her authority – that he would be made to apologize for yelling at Liam.

“Liam?” Jane started, to Will's surprise. “Do you have an apology for your brother?”

“No way!” An offended Liam shot back, looking just as shocked as Will did. “What do I have to be sorry for?”

“For not respecting his wishes. Will asked you nicely to leave him alone and you kept bothering him.”

“That doesn't give him the right to yell at me!”

“No, it doesn't. But he'll apologize for that once you apologize for being insensitive. C'mon now, out with it.”

Though Liam seemed reluctant at first to forgive, his brow softened when his eyes met Will's, the boy perhaps realizing that his foster brother had lashed out for a reason.

“...I'm sorry, Will.”

“I'm sorry too, Liam.”

“Thanks, guys.” Jane beamed as she pulled the pair into a loving squeeze, both boys grinning and blushing as they were released. “Ready to go back to my place for our super-cool sleepover?”

“Hells yeah!” Liam declared with a pump of his fist, although his unruly enthusiasm dampened into a sheepish half-smile when Jane shot him a warning look. While, as a big sister, she was willing to cut the boy some slack, as a guidance counselor she couldn’t tolerate curse words – no matter how minor. “Sorry.” The boy squeaked, his sister wagging her finger chidingly. 

“Don’t push me, mister.” She cautioned. 

Will couldn’t help but let out a derisive titter at the sight of his brother so quickly landing himself in trouble once more. “Naughty, naughty.” He teased in a mocking soprano, unable to resist taking advantage of his brother’s dressing down. 

“Shuddup…” Liam shot back even though he didn’t sound particularly upset, smiling from ear to ear as he jabbed a vengeful finger into his brother’s side. Will let out an involuntary squeal at the assault, responding in kind with a sudden tickle ambush against the soft exposed nape of Liam’s neck.

“Silly boys.” Jane smiled with a roll of her eyes, ushering the playful kids back towards her car.