Kade's heart felt like it was being twisted as a gnawing urged him to reply, but he fought it off, 'Probably want to sell me off to the cop.'  

Kade switched his phone off, curled up, lay his head against the plastic surface and wept.   

His silent cries slowly morphed into wailing, blending into the pitter-patter of the rain against plastic.  

Kade continued to cry until he heard footsteps coming from outside the jungle gym. He couldn't see through it, but he could hear the splashing of water. The sound came closer and closer, and then it stopped.   

Moments later, the groans of an adult trying to fit through a loop meant for a child was heard. The person squeezed with their might to get up, but their wet clothes made traction near impossible, so they slid back down the slide.   

Kade's heart began thumping, 'Is it the cops!? Have they found me already?' Kade heard the person slide back down, 'Should I run? No, they probably waiting for me outside. They are going to have to take me from here.'  

Kade heard the person trying to get up again but soon fell again. They were persistent and kept trying until they made it to the top.   

The person climbed out the hole with all fours and heaved a sigh of relief while brushing her hair all the way back, "Whew! These things are a lot harder to go up than I remember. Well, I am a lot bigger now." She laughed, looking at the boy who now stood up backed against the wall.   

Her smile faded immediately. She tried to take a step closer when the boy's expression scrunched up. She pulled back her foot, 'It's okay! I'm not going to harm you.'   

The boy loosened up, but so she thought she could come closer, but as soon as her foot planted, his survival instincts kicked in again.   

The lady realized she wasn't going to make progress this way, so she spoke from a distance, "Everyone's worried about you. Until recently, Kyle, my husband, and most of the staff were looking in the rain for you. They want y... We want you to come home where you belong."  

Kade's body unpinned itself from the wall then placed his foot forward but quickly retreated.  

Mrs Fullbring sighed, "You're probably thinking, I really messed up. There's no way they want me back. The cops are probably waiting outside."  

Kade's eyes bulged.  

"I know what you're thinking. You think you don't deserve to be loved, so you'd rather destroy it on your own. Better than hearing you weren't good enough again, right?" She took a deep breath and focused her gaze on his, "What you don't understand is no matter what you do, I will NEVER leave you. I will always love you, and if you can't love yourself just yet, that's okay. I will love you enough for the both of us.    

She took a step closer, "You know what I thought when I first saw you at the orphanage. I told my husband, there's someone who was just like me—a diamond in the rough begging to be seen. You just couldn't see it so filled up with darkness you were.   

I was an orphan too, so I get it, believe me, I do. At first, the darkness it." She gulped, "It embraces you, but as you wade in its water, the weight of it pulls you in and suffocates you. You lose out on all the good things life has to offer—friends, family, genuine, unfiltered connection.   

You don't have to live that way anymore. You deserve to be loved; you are loved. I haven't seen that house in such a mess in a long time. Everyone was out looking for you, from the kitchen staff to the maids. No one is thinking about the trouble you caused they want to know you're safe." She took a step closer, "Just come home." She opened up her arms.   

'Please come home.' Her heart thumped.  

Kade listened to her words as they thawed away at the ice around his heart. He looked into her eyes and could tell they were her genuine feelings. After being lied to by adults his entire life, Kade developed a sixth sense towards lies. He wasn't always correct, but most of the time, he was. Coming to this conclusion, he couldn't believe he let Brad dissuade himself otherwise. He let someone find his weakness and then toy with it.  

Kade pushed the anger away and focused on the lady in front of him with her hands out. He looked into her eyes, 'Is it really okay for me to go back? No! I deserve to be happy; I can be happy.'  

Kade left the safety of the wall behind him and embraced the warmth of his mother in front of him. He held onto her as tightly as he could and wept like a eight-year-old boy, "I'm sorry!" He repeated countless times.   

Mrs Fullbring patted his head while embracing him. "Come, the others are waiting for you back home."  

The two of them drove back to Fullbring mansion. When the others saw the mom's car, they all came running outside and watched from a distance.  

Mrs Fullbring climbed out of the car parked in the driveway and opened up her umbrella. However, the door on the other side did not open. They all gulped, 'Did she not find him? Is he lost?' The worst thoughts ran rampant.  

Once Kade had built up the mental strength to face the mess he made, he opened the door and stood next to his mother as he looked at everyone on the stairs.   

His mother urged him forward, this was something he had to do himself. He knew that much didn't make it any easier. Kade slowly approached them, his feet dragging along puddles of water.   

He stood in front of them and apologized for the trouble he had caused. They all formed a circle around him and embraced him. The mother joined the circle much later, then told a maid to run a warm bath for Kade.   

A day later, Kade and his parents had a meeting with the principal and Brad's father.  

"You need to learn that your actions have consequences." Mrs Fullbring said to him as they drove towards Strera Academy.