SHAZAM! The Word of Power #2
"Billy. You can't do this every time," her pen dances and bounces through her paperwork, "The next family is the last, please don't land yourself in juvie again, kid."
"Sweet pep talk, worked last time," he snatches a piece of paper she was about to pass him, "I'll be in the waiting room til someone moves me."
She gently catches his fingers. His eye flashes her way. "Billy, please look me in the eye," his gaze drops anyway.
"Don't think I don't notice that bruise. Do I need to file a report on the Walters?"
"Wasn't the family this time," he slips his hand away and finds himself in a bustling waiting room for social services.
She pulls out a file labelled 'Vasquez' and under her breath, "He worries me every time… need to get this kid a huggin' family."
Looking around the room, who's better off? You got the kids who are sobbing. Mostly younger so it's understandable. Some cry in a different tone. They lost someone. Probably orphans. You got the confused kids, pretty much anyone not crying. Then occasionally there’re more Billys. Numb. Annoyed. Angry. They've been here a hundred times, and intend to come back. This waiting room feels like home sometimes.
So what's it gonna be this time, Billy? Just run outside and hail a cab? Not at this hour. Window in the bathroom? They bolted it after last time. Maybe he'll sneak past a sleeping guard… Wait, these guys are all pretty awake. Maybe he should just go jiggle that snack machine in that perfect way to snag some free cookies. Sure, worry about the escape plan later.
"Great, when can you get up here? ... That's lovely news Mr. Vasquez, will your wife be with you? … Oh! Oh, that's a… big step.... Ok, we'll see you soon," a plastic collision signals the end of the call, "Hey, Billy would you mind coming back real quick?"
He trudges onto her open office, "Yes, Ms. Erica?"
"Hun, I'm putting together some paperwork right now, and your new family is driving up from Fawcett, so please don't get too comfortable or wonder off, ok?"
"Wait, it's never that quick! What happened?" This isn't right, there's a process, it can take days, not minutes for this kind of thing, "There's been a mix up, we both know it."
A stack of forms snap into formation, "Well the system is overrun, I have nowhere to put you so I called a nice family nearby and they know what they're doing, I just don't have the….chairs…" she staples them and starts flipping through, "I think you'll like this one, they're sweet."
His hair stands on end. His eyes darted to each exit. He thumbs a swiss army knife in his coat pocket, "Um… D-don't you think it's too snowy for a drive, this late, and… all? It's kinda, you know, unsafe?"
"I'm sure he's got snow tires if he's willing to bring the whole family," her vivid cherry lipstick stains the edge of a mug and the mind of a confused Billy Batson. The whole family?
