Ryan // District 2 // Finished
Dec 17, 2015 9:51:02 GMT -5
Post by meerclar on Dec 17, 2015 9:51:02 GMT -5
Ryan Kelisar
Age: 15
District: 2
Ryan chewed on his lip and tried to sit still on his chair. The chair was hard and he had never been good at sitting still. It had driven his teachers at school crazy, but the man watching him from behind the desk was very patient.
‘We just don’t have the space, I’m afraid. When you came here, I was hoping that something would work out, that perhaps one of the younger children would find a home and we’d have the space to keep you, but that hasn’t happened, and we need to look at other options.’
Ryan nodded mutely, shoving away the desperate emptiness at not being wanted. They’d done everything they could, he reminded himself. He pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and asked seriously, ‘What about my sisters?’
‘They’re younger than you, and I have high hopes that they might be adopted soon, but realistically Ryan, there are very few people coming looking to adopt fifteen year old boys.’ He stopped to look over a file in front of him, ‘Ariana has the best chance of finding a family to take her. She’s only three. And even Britany and Molly, they’re seven and nine but it’s not unheard of.’
‘But, I look after them. I always have,’ Ryan swallowed, hating the way his voice sounded, wishing he could sound tough and sure of himself. ‘They’re all I got left now, Mr Underwood.’
‘We just can’t afford to keep you, Ryan. It’s been over a month since your mother passed. There's another orphanage that has room, but only for you. And it's quite far. You wouldn't be able to leave to visit until you were 18. Then If you went out and found work, then you’d be able to support yourself and you could come to visit the girls. And once you were settled you could have custody of them.’ He sighed gently, ‘I know you’d take good care of them, Ryan. You did a wonderful job while your mother was...sick. You need to trust us to take care of them for you while you sort yourself out.’
Ryan studied the floor and wondered how his sisters would get by without him. Who would watch to make sure they were taken care of and not bullied? And even after he was eighteen, what kind of job he might get? He knew he wasn’t stupid, but school had never been easy for him and he hadn’t been in quite a while until they’d come to the orphanage. He wasn’t strong, but he was fast. Faster than anyone else he knew. The thugs on the street had never been able to catch him. Growing up in the slums, there was always some kind of trouble for a boy to be getting into, and Ryan was a master of getting into trouble, and even better and running away before anyone got their hands on him for a beating. He wasn’t sure what kinds of jobs you could get it you were fast. Maybe a messenger. He shifted on his chair, not even realising he had done it.
Mr Underwood studied the boy with a concerned expression on his face. Ryan was slight and thin. He’d been even thinner when he’d arrived and Mr Underwood suspected that he often went without meals to make sure that his sisters weren’t hungry. He wished there was some way other than throwing the boy out, but they were stretched thin enough as it was, and the strain of an extra mouth was starting to show. He tried to remind himself that Ryan was tougher than he seemed. For all that he appeared delicate and fragile, he’d grown up practically running wild on the streets, and there was a hidden toughness.
Ryan was nodding now, his usual optimism showing through, ‘So, if I go, you’ll look after my sisters?'
‘Of course.’ Mr Underwood hesitated a moment and then picked up a small folder, ‘There is one other option. I have your papers here, birth records and things...the girls all have the father listed as unknown, but there’s a name on yours. We haven’t had much luck tracking him down, but you might fare better. We don’t have many resources to spare on it, to be honest.’
‘My dad?’ Ryan echoed, sounding stunned. ‘I always wondered, Mum never talked about him. Reckon I could find him, yeah?’ He grinned at Mr Underwood, his green eyes peeking out through his blonde hair and shining with enthusiasm. He looked so pretty and innocent that the man had to resist the urge to tell the boy that he could stay after all. He nodded and passed over the file.
‘I'll shuffle some funds around and see if we can keep you for another week or two. That will give you time to see if you can find your father, and if you can't then you can say goodbye to your sisters.’
His insides were twisted with grief and worry, first at the slow and painful loss of his mother to disease, and now having the possibility of having to leave his sisters, whom he had always cared for. Their house had been small, just one room, and when their mother was working, they were turned out to play in the street. Ryan had been the oldest, the protector. He’d never run from a fight if it meant he’d have to leave his sisters alone.
He tried to smile at Mr Underwood, and put on a brave face, "I'll find my dad an he might take us all in, you know? Once he knows about us, I mean.’ He smiled hopefully, ‘Who wouldn’t want us as their family?’
________________________________________________________
The Continuing Story:
He'll love us, right?
Flynn's new gang member
Flynn's Challenge
The Weak Spot
Those we Love
Winning him Over
Age: 15
District: 2
Ryan chewed on his lip and tried to sit still on his chair. The chair was hard and he had never been good at sitting still. It had driven his teachers at school crazy, but the man watching him from behind the desk was very patient.
‘We just don’t have the space, I’m afraid. When you came here, I was hoping that something would work out, that perhaps one of the younger children would find a home and we’d have the space to keep you, but that hasn’t happened, and we need to look at other options.’
Ryan nodded mutely, shoving away the desperate emptiness at not being wanted. They’d done everything they could, he reminded himself. He pushed his blonde hair out of his eyes and asked seriously, ‘What about my sisters?’
‘They’re younger than you, and I have high hopes that they might be adopted soon, but realistically Ryan, there are very few people coming looking to adopt fifteen year old boys.’ He stopped to look over a file in front of him, ‘Ariana has the best chance of finding a family to take her. She’s only three. And even Britany and Molly, they’re seven and nine but it’s not unheard of.’
‘But, I look after them. I always have,’ Ryan swallowed, hating the way his voice sounded, wishing he could sound tough and sure of himself. ‘They’re all I got left now, Mr Underwood.’
‘We just can’t afford to keep you, Ryan. It’s been over a month since your mother passed. There's another orphanage that has room, but only for you. And it's quite far. You wouldn't be able to leave to visit until you were 18. Then If you went out and found work, then you’d be able to support yourself and you could come to visit the girls. And once you were settled you could have custody of them.’ He sighed gently, ‘I know you’d take good care of them, Ryan. You did a wonderful job while your mother was...sick. You need to trust us to take care of them for you while you sort yourself out.’
Ryan studied the floor and wondered how his sisters would get by without him. Who would watch to make sure they were taken care of and not bullied? And even after he was eighteen, what kind of job he might get? He knew he wasn’t stupid, but school had never been easy for him and he hadn’t been in quite a while until they’d come to the orphanage. He wasn’t strong, but he was fast. Faster than anyone else he knew. The thugs on the street had never been able to catch him. Growing up in the slums, there was always some kind of trouble for a boy to be getting into, and Ryan was a master of getting into trouble, and even better and running away before anyone got their hands on him for a beating. He wasn’t sure what kinds of jobs you could get it you were fast. Maybe a messenger. He shifted on his chair, not even realising he had done it.
Mr Underwood studied the boy with a concerned expression on his face. Ryan was slight and thin. He’d been even thinner when he’d arrived and Mr Underwood suspected that he often went without meals to make sure that his sisters weren’t hungry. He wished there was some way other than throwing the boy out, but they were stretched thin enough as it was, and the strain of an extra mouth was starting to show. He tried to remind himself that Ryan was tougher than he seemed. For all that he appeared delicate and fragile, he’d grown up practically running wild on the streets, and there was a hidden toughness.
Ryan was nodding now, his usual optimism showing through, ‘So, if I go, you’ll look after my sisters?'
‘Of course.’ Mr Underwood hesitated a moment and then picked up a small folder, ‘There is one other option. I have your papers here, birth records and things...the girls all have the father listed as unknown, but there’s a name on yours. We haven’t had much luck tracking him down, but you might fare better. We don’t have many resources to spare on it, to be honest.’
‘My dad?’ Ryan echoed, sounding stunned. ‘I always wondered, Mum never talked about him. Reckon I could find him, yeah?’ He grinned at Mr Underwood, his green eyes peeking out through his blonde hair and shining with enthusiasm. He looked so pretty and innocent that the man had to resist the urge to tell the boy that he could stay after all. He nodded and passed over the file.
‘I'll shuffle some funds around and see if we can keep you for another week or two. That will give you time to see if you can find your father, and if you can't then you can say goodbye to your sisters.’
His insides were twisted with grief and worry, first at the slow and painful loss of his mother to disease, and now having the possibility of having to leave his sisters, whom he had always cared for. Their house had been small, just one room, and when their mother was working, they were turned out to play in the street. Ryan had been the oldest, the protector. He’d never run from a fight if it meant he’d have to leave his sisters alone.
He tried to smile at Mr Underwood, and put on a brave face, "I'll find my dad an he might take us all in, you know? Once he knows about us, I mean.’ He smiled hopefully, ‘Who wouldn’t want us as their family?’
________________________________________________________
The Continuing Story:
He'll love us, right?
Flynn's new gang member
Flynn's Challenge
The Weak Spot
Those we Love
Winning him Over
