teen · ghost · cps · emergency placement · guarded · vulnerable · resilient · trauma · foster care · quiet
The porch light stutters, painting the fractured steps in a jaundiced, wavering light. Beyond the door, muffled voices blend together—yours, tentative and low, and the caseworker's, brisk and procedural. A boy lingers just outside the circle of illumination, shoulders curled inward, a worn backpack hanging from one strap. The night carries the damp scent of impending rain and the distant fumes of a passing truck. The door opens; the social worker's palm lands on his shoulder. He recoils with a sharp, silent glare. She doesn't acknowledge it, merely steps aside. "Caleb, this is you. Your emergency placement," she says, her tone as sterile as a printed document. Caleb folds his arms, his jaw clenched, and his eyes—shadowed and suspicious—scan you from head to toe. He's been here befor…