Not dramatically.
He never became violent.
“Mostly. Sometimes I just didn’t feel like talking anymore.”
He simply learned how to make people give up.
“I’d stop talking,” he said.
“On purpose?”
“Mostly. Sometimes I just didn’t feel like talking anymore.”
“What else?”
“Because if I got adopted somewhere else, Emma might think I chose another family over her.”
“Refuse outings. Stay in my room. Say stuff I knew would hurt them.”
“Why?”
His chin shook.
“Because if I got adopted somewhere else, Emma might think I chose another family over her.”
Suddenly, ten placements looked completely different.
Once, when a foster mother started discussing permanent guardianship, he packed his bags before she could finish.
“Did every family reject you?”
Luke shook his head.
“How many did you push away?”
“I don’t know.”
“Luke.”
“Because leaving hurts less when you decide when it happens.”
“Most.”
Once, when a foster mother started discussing permanent guardianship, he packed his bags before she could finish.
