Echoes & Ink: Raven by Emily Rose

Chapter Two

RAVEN

I’m not surprised at his question. I’m not going to tell him the whole truth, but I can at least let him know that had I known about him, I wouldn’t have left him in that hellhole.

Me: I left because I had no choice. Mom would just have gotten pregnant with you when I did, so I never knew.

Falcon doesn’t answer, just regards me with icy eyes that give nothing away. Eyes that are far too familiar for comfort. My stomach clenches hard, but I push the memories out of my mind as hard and as fast possible. I’ll deal with those later, but right now, I know I’m staring at a boy who needs to make the choice to hate me or not on his own. I can deal with either, but I need to know where we stand.

Finally, Falcon nods slowly and writes again.

Falcon: You didn’t miss much. The state put me with Uncle Nero for a few years. I was sent back when I was five. I did a lot of back and forth.

It’s like history repeating itself and anger races through me. I try to push it down and focus on getting some information.

Me: Why were you with him this time?

Falcon: Parents are in jail for drug trafficking and writing bad checks.

Why am I not surprised?

Me: How long have they been in?

Falcon: Two years. They’re gonna be in another five years at least.

I nod, filing that information away for later. I have someone I can call to verify it for me. Falcon looks at me for a moment before he continues writing.

Falcon: So I’m staying with you? Or are you sending me back to Nero?

The thought of Nero infuriates me. I shake my head firmly.

Me: You’re staying here. I’m going to try and find us a bigger place. Then I’m going to start working on finding someone to teach us to communicate better. Save a tree and all that.

Falcon gives me a ghost of a smile at my joke and nods.

Me: Go set your things wherever and I’m going to make some calls.

Falcon looks relieved and heads over to my second hand couch, turning on the TV and putting on the captions. Figuring that he’s occupied enough that I can make some calls, I go grab my phone.

No surprise, there are a shit ton of messages from Ember, Ash, Piper, and even Talon. I chuckle when I see Talon’s message.

Talon: You better answer the girls’ messages, woman, or we’re going to be having a chat.

Me: Calm down, BD, I had to get my little bro settled. If you go all hulk you’ll bust out of those pants, and I want to be there when that happens. Think Piper will mind if I snap a pic? <wink face>

I laugh out loud when I get his answer.

Talon: Guess you’re fine if you’re making jokes about my dick. Not my fault you’re just jealous my woman gets it all to herself.

Well, well, well, Mr. Tall-Dark-And-Serious can crack a joke after all.

Me: Personally, I don’t know how she can walk after you’ve put that thing anywhere near her. Now, I have shit to figure out so stop texting me.

I quickly reply to the girls to let them know I’m fine and then get to work on searching up ASL instructors. I have a nice nest egg that will cover that and make finding another apartment manageable, but that will still be at least a month. I’ll need a two bedroom, and those aren’t exactly cheap around the city.

I text Ash, knowing she’ll have an idea of where to start.

Me: Two bedroom apartments around the city. Do you know of any?

Ash: I’ll find you some. Are you looking to move right away?

Me: Well, my couch probably isn’t all that comfy for a growing teenage boy, so as soon as possible, yeah.

Ash: Leave it with me. You alright?

Me: Not really, but I will be.

All I really want to do is climb in bed, bury my head under the covers, and scream. But that is going to have to wait though, because I have too much shit to deal with right now.

Fuck, I’m going to have to get him enrolled in school. I hated school growing up, and after everything came to a head, I dropped out at sixteen, but I’m not about to let that happen to my brother. I’ll make sure he has a better upbringing than I ever did. Well, what’s left of it anyway.

I look around for another piece of paper and a pen and start making a list of everything I need to figure out. The longer the list becomes, the more I freak out. What the hell am I thinking? I can’t raise a teenage boy! Especially one that is going to need a lot more help than the average kid. Hell, we can’t even talk to each other.

I look over at Falcon sitting in front of the TV and something clenches in my chest. He sits there, eyes moving quickly as he reads the word on the screen, body strung tight, as if he’s certain that the screen in front of him is going to disappear. How many times had I done that very thing? Knowing those few precious minutes were few and far between and I needed to enjoy every second while they lasted.

Resolve rushes through me, and I know there is no way I can let him go into foster care, or worse, go back to Nero. I might not know what the hell I’m doing, but I can be the one to break the fucking cycle. So I’m going to have to figure this out and deal with whatever is thrown my way.

A sharp knock on the door startles me and I frown. Standing, I move towards the door, seeing Falcon’s head turn when he senses my movement. I also can feel the tension radiating from him.

I check through the peephole and then pull the door open. “What are you doing here?” I ask in surprise.

Ash, Ember, and Piper all give me a hard look. The one that tells me I’ve asked the wrong question. Ash walks in, baby carrier in hand, a look of determination on her face. Ember and Piper exchange an amused look and follow her inside. I shut the door and wince when I see the shocked, and slightly panicked, look on Falcon’s face.

Ash, Piper, and Ember look at Falcon and smile warmly at him. The poor kid looks like he’s not sure if he’s in heaven or hell. I’m sure so many women in front of him is hell on his poor teenage hormones. Calmly, I grab the pen and paper and bring it over to him once I’ve written on it.

“He’s deaf,” I explain to the girls, who all look at me in surprise. “I have to find someone who can teach both of us ASL.”

“He doesn't know it?” Piper asks.

I shake my head. “Just what he could pick up and learn on his own.”

I hand him the paper and see his eyes look at it quickly.

Me: These are my friends. They’re good people. The redhead is Ember, the one with the baby is Ash, and the blonde is Piper. The baby’s name is Knox, and he’s Ash’s son.

Falcon nods at my explanation and smiles shyly at the girls. He gives them a weak wave.

All three wave back at him. Piper surprises me by signing out something with her hands. Falcon’s eyes widen in shock and then a beaming smile lights his face. It completely transforms it from shy and unsure, to warm and excited. He quickly signs back and Piper smiles at him.

“He wants to know if I know ASL,” Piper translates.

“Do you?” I ask.

“I know enough. I had a kid in my class in school that was deaf and she taught me. I can get by. When you find someone to help teach you, I want to join in,” she adds with a warm smile, slowly signing it back to Falcon.

Falcon’s face falls and I can see the frustration in his eyes. He scratches something on the paper and then shows it to her.

“I don’t understand a lot of signs so I don’t understand everything you said,” Piper reads. “It’s ok,” she signs and says aloud in reply. “If you don’t know the sign, I can spell it out.”

Falcon must understand that because he nods excitedly.

I can’t help but feel a little bit jealous at the obvious connection that Piper now has with my brother, but I push that aside. I’ll get there, I just have to be patient.

“What’s his name?” Piper asks me.

“Falcon.”

The girls chuckle. “Bird names, huh?” Ash teases.

I shrug. “Better than Game of Thrones,” I retort.

Ash laughs. “I agree.” Ash and Nix are raising his younger sisters as their own. Sansa and Arya are adorable, kick ass kids, but their names often make me cringe. Lord help them when they’re old enough to watch the show themselves. I wouldn’t blame them if they want to change their names.

“Though you didn’t really do much better with your son’s,” I add with a grin. “Naming him after a manwhore biker.”

“Manwhore biker who saved her life,” Ember reminds me with a smile. “I think I could get over the manwhore part for that.”

“Oh, I guess so,” I grumble, but I definitely agree. Viper, the Devil’s Soldiers Treasurer, might be a pain in my ass, but I can’t deny that he’s a hero. Hell, the man ran into a burning building to rescue Ash, who was locked into a storeroom by some crazy psycho. Ash was pregnant at the time, so it had been extra heroic.

Piper interrupts my thoughts when she says, “Falcon wants to know if we’re going to be getting anything to eat soon. He’s starving.”

Guilt assaults me. Shit. I should have figured he was hungry. “I’ll order in pizza,” I tell him, turning my face so he can see my mouth as I talk.

He apparently understands because he nods his head quickly in agreement. He signs to Piper who says, “He wants to know if we can have it loaded?”

I smile, nodding. “Good thing you have good taste, kid,” I tell him. He looks at Piper but smiles back when she signs my reply.

“He’s going to go and finish watching TV, and just let him know when it gets here,” Piper says when Falcon replies. I nod and watch as he moves back towards the couch, but not before he looks over at Piper quickly, a look of pure pleasure on his face.

I smirk and grin at my friend. “Looks like BD is going to have some competition,” I tease Piper when she comes to sit at the table. I grab my phone to start our order.

Piper rolls her eyes. “The poor kid is probably starved for affection,” she shrugs. “Besides, he’ll get over it once he gets to school and the first pretty girl looks his way.”

I put in my call for the pizza, and when I hang up, everyone looks at me expectantly. “What?” I ask in confusion.

“Spill,” Ash orders, leaning down to unhook Knox from his car seat when he starts making fussing noises.

I sigh heavily. Should have known that I wouldn’t be able to avoid this conversation. I’m not really ready to get into the nitty gritty of it yet, so I just give a brief overview. “I didn’t know I have a little brother. My folks aren’t what you would call shining examples of parenting, and I left when I was sixteen. My mother would have been just pregnant with Falcon when I did; she might not have even known she was pregnant yet. My parents got arrested a few years ago and Falcon was sent to live with our uncle. Nero is just as bad as they are, so Falcon is better off here with me.”

“I get the feeling that you’re leaving a lot out,” Ember says softly, “but that’s your story to tell when you’re ready. For now, though, we need to make a plan.”

“I started a list,” I say, grabbing it and moving it to the middle of the table for them to look at.

All three quickly read it over. Ash nods and says as she rocks her son, “I’ll help with getting you a bigger apartment that’s not crazy expensive.”

“I’ll see if I can find you an interpreter,” Piper offers. “I know someone who came into the bar that translated for council meetings, so they can point me in the right direction.”

“I’ll get started on figuring out which schools are around here and what it takes to get him enrolled,” Ember says, pulling out her phone.

A lump forms in my throat at the immediate show of support by these three women. I have to swallow hard to force myself to speak normally around it. “Thanks, girls,” I say, though my voice is a bit softer than I wanted.

They all look at me and smile. “Did you really think we would let you deal with this on your own?” Ash snorts. “You’re lucky I didn’t call in Rose or my mom.”

I laugh, unable to help it. Rose is the Old Lady of the Devil’s Soldiers President, and she is a force to be reckoned with. Ash’s mom, Leonora, is much the same. The two of them are fucking awesome, and my own personal heroes. “We might need them if I screw this up,” I warn.

Ember waves that away. “You have a hell of a lot of people to help you, so I don’t think you’re going to screw this up.”

I wish I had her faith, but I’m not one to give up. I’ve been through hell and come out the other side. Handling a teenage boy should be nothing compared to that.