Hey Survivor,
I hope you’re doing alright. I hope all is well and you aren’t stressed, you’re drinking water and killing goals. I’m not sure if you picked up “Young Blood” yet, but the core plot of that book is about two sisters doing whatever they have to, avoid the foster care system. Their interaction with the system is dark and based in abuse, but that isn’t fiction for a lot of kids in the system. The United State’s Foster Care System is a hell hole that’s pretty much on life support when it comes to funding and the only people impacted are the kids.
I got to do a TikTok Live last week about the horrors of the foster care system and an organization who are trying their hardest to pull these kids out of the cracks and seal them up for good. Amber from @driveslow_readerahead invited me to talk about Foster Love, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the way kids experience foster care in America by replacing the trash bags kids are given to carry their personal items with custom duffel bags or suitcases.
I always knew the foster care system was trash, but Amber opened my eyes to the amount of things these kids are dealing with every day. I’ve decided that once I get my first check from my publisher for “Young Blood”, I’m going to donate half of that to Foster Love.
You don’t have to do the same, but here is their link if you would like to learn more or help out.
Here is the Foster Care chapter from Young Blood:
“There are rules in this house for a reason.” Mrs. Baker’s voice echoed through the cramped apartment. She stood with her arms tightly crossed, glaring at Mr. Baker. "Are you going to back me up on this or not?"
"She's only two, Babe," Mr. Baker replied, trying to reason with his wife. He was fine beating children when they don’t obey or they talk back, but beating them to eat seemed odd to him.
Raven stood at the end of the hallway, her arms outstretched, positioned between the Bakers and the dining room. Her small hands pressed into the peeling walls, as if trying to hold everything together.
"No," Raven whispered.
"Shut up! No one is talking to you!" Mrs. Baker snapped, rolling her eyes at her husband before storming back into the bedroom. Raven's muscles relaxed slightly as she watched Mrs. Baker disappear, but her relief was short-lived. Mrs. Baker reemerged, wielding a large belt in her hand. "I'll do it myself!"
Raven's palms pressed harder against the walls, causing the paint to crack and chip, as she stood her ground. "Leave her alone!" Raven's plea fell on deaf ears as the thick leather belt struck her across the face. She collapsed to the floor, stunned. Mrs. Baker stepped over her, heading towards the dining room table. Raven lunged forward, grasping onto Mrs. Baker's leg. "Leave her alone!" But her desperate cries only invited more vicious lashes from the belt, attacking her like a viper, hitting any open spot Mrs. Baker could find.
After a series of painful strikes and the house filled with screams, Mr. Baker finally intervened, wrenching the belt away from his wife. "Jesus, Karen! What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to kill the kid? And get those damn neighbors to call the cops?” He quickly bundled up the belt, then turned his attention to Raven, who was curled up on the floor. Red welts covered her skin, some even drawing blood. Raven kept her head tucked down, hiding her tears, but Mr. Baker could still hear them. He glanced over at Star, who sat silently at the dining room table, her plate empty. "For God's sake, Karen. She already finished her food."
"What?" Mrs. Baker rushed over to Star's seat, staring at the empty plate, then back at the little girl. "So, you made me do all that for no reason!" Angered, Mrs. Baker stormed off through the cramped hallway, disappearing into her bedroom.
"This is all your fault," Mr. Baker muttered, waving the belt at Star. "Next time, just eat your damn food." He ran his fingers through his hair, releasing a heavy sigh. His gaze shifted from Raven to the back of Star's head. "I need a drink." Tossing the belt aside, he unlocked several of the dead-bolts on the door before pushing his key into the final lock and pulling the door open. Mr. Baker looked down the dimly lit hallway of the apartment building. He knew Mrs. Baker would be turning on a recording of trash TV, ready to drown out the girls’ tears and waiting for him to drop down next to her, justifying her actions. Being mad about it is fine, but at the end of the night, if Mr. Baker is resting his head next to Mrs. Baker, then did she really do anything that bad? Mr. Baker drummed his fingers along the door frame, then stepped out into the flickering lights of the apartment building's hallway.
Star listened to the eerie silence that enveloped the apartment. Slowly, she turned in her seat to find Raven sitting with her legs crossed. The welts on Raven's skin were already swelling, but the tears were gone. Raven's gaze was fixed on the open front door. The door that had never stayed open for the few months that they called this hell home.
Star was on her feet now, her hand placed on Raven’s face. “Go?” Star asked softly.
“Go...” Raven replied. “And never turn back.”