“Don’t worry there will be plenty.”  He reassures us and leads us into the living room. The Carlin’s have a very beautiful home; it looks and feels really cozy. They have a lot of photos also: pictures of Spencer, another young boy, and a black kid. Although their just lining the walls Spencer is the only one to gradually age. I can’t believe this, when I took the assignment the report only mentioned one sibling. It’s possible these are some distant relatives or something but even so, how could we miss something like this? I focus on Mr. Carlin when he catches me staring. “Spencer never told you about them?” Even though he asked he doesn’t look surprised in the slightest.

“No Sir, It’s my fault, I never thought to ask.” I whisper. He nods then gently lifts up the photo of the black kid who doesn’t look any older than five or six. He stares mournfully at it as he cradles it in his hands. I know that look; I’ve seen it too many times. It would be rude to ask all of a sudden what happened to them but I’ll call Jesse and see if she can dig up their medical records. Someone clears their throat loudly drawing all of our attention to the kitchen area. Paula walks up to Arthur and whispers something in his ear. His smile is strained as he sets down the picture and looks at Max.

“Come on Skylar, why don’t you help me out by putting the finishing touches on dinner.” Max looks at me and I nod slightly. Mr. Carlin wraps his arm around her and they disappear out of sight. I know Max can handle her own, at least in pretending to know what she’s doing. I have to admit though whatever Mr. Carlin made smells wonderful.

“You’re early.” I shrug at the obvious statement.

“Am I early enough to catch Spencer in the shower?” I ask nonchalantly. Her body is rigid and her frown is deep as she steps into my personal space trying to tower over me. 

“You’re in my home now and you will show me some respect. I refuse to be talked like that by some insolent little kid.” She spits out lowly. I chuckle and take a small step back.