Page 37 of The Omega Archives: Part One

“What?”

Ella sucked on the inside of her cheek, confusion still clouded her features. “I knew that being in foster care wasn’t great. I just sort of thought that they were meant to care for you or help you find a family that would. Right?”

There was only sincerity in her question. “That's the goal on paper.”

“Then what happened?” she asked.

I took a deep breath. I guess if we were going in, we were going all in. “My parents weren’t good people.”

She nodded, as if she understood.

Maybe she did.

“They were addicts most of my life," I said. "There was rarely food in the house. When I was first placed into foster care and the system, maybe they could’ve done better by me, get me out, and placed me in a steadier home. My father, though, kept getting clean. He kept coming back for me.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“He kept coming back for me, but he kept getting high not long afterward, Ella. I never managed more than a month or so in his care before I was back in the system and he always promised to come back when he was clean again. I used to wish he wouldn't. No one could legally adopt me at that rate, or didn’t want to,” I carefully explained. “Eventually, no one wanted a messed-up beta who kept getting into trouble.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry, I should've probably saved the heavy stuff, huh?”

She shook her head. “No. I get it. I– I didn’t have the greatest childhood growing up either. For a while, I didn’t think I would ever get out of there.”

I studied her as she tipped her hazel gaze down to the table. I knew that hesitation. That look. I didn’t say anything as she spoke softly, but clear as day.

“But then I did. I got to come to Prestford and here. Everything is worth it,” she whispered.

“Yeah,” I said, just as soft so as not to startle her. “You get to be with me now.”

I thought for a second. “What’s your last name, Ella?”

“Jones,” she said. “Ella Jones.”

Ella Jones.

She studied me as she lifted her attention to me. “What’s your last name, Calvin?”

“Pulling out the full first name already?” I joked. “It’s uh...”

I paused, but not long before I found the last name I hadn’t used in a long while. Ever since I had been let into the pack nearly five years ago, I hadn’t needed to use my original last name. I was in the Prestford pack.

But considering where we were and where Ella worked...

I don't know why. I wasn’t ready to admit it all yet. Right now, I just wanted to talk with her.

“Calvin Lesenfield.”

She didn’t seem to notice my pause as she took a sip of her lemonade. “Are you really going to teach me how to roller skate, Calvin?”

I groaned at my full name. Cleaning up our space before we headed over to the bench to lace up.

Another song came on over the speakers, loud and peppy.

“You never roller skated?”

She shook her head. “Never.”

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