Dex

Dex was born into a poor family with a younger sister. When he was ten his parents died in an explosive accident in the factory they worked in. He was eleven and his sister was seven.

Several others were killed or injured. Others hired a lawyer and sued the company. Apparently the plant manager had been skimming money from the safety maintenance budget for his pockets.

The lawyers told Dex that the company had many layers and that the settlement could take years. Dex didn't have years to wait though. His sister was born with a weak immune system. Her body didn't make enough white blood cells. Even the common cold was a rough battle for her. Usually their parents would work another job to help pay for the medicine for her but they were gone now.

Since their parents died they became wards of the state and went to the foster care system. The family they went to was awful. On the first night one of the older boys had stole Annie's food. As soon as Dex saw it happen he took his cup and smashed it into his head as hard as he could.

If there was anything Dex had learned in his rough life so far it was if you let a bully take what they wanted, they would come back for more. He could tolerate being called names and spit on, but no one would mess with his little sister.

The older boy crumpled and his head started to blead profusely. Dex quickly grabbed the food he had taken. By the time he had done that his new foster parents had come running to the kids scream.

His new foster parents were furious. They called him a demon child and hit and kicked him. Dex took it though. If he fought back it might get worse for Annie.

His new foster mother dragged the boy whos name Dex didn't even know out to the kitchen to clean him up. Meanwhile his new foster father cursed his new demon of a son. Dex curled up in a ball to try and protect himself as much as he could.

After several minutes the man stopped to catch his breath.

"If you do something like that again I'll break your hand!"

With the last threat he marched off to the kitchen to see the damage while cursing this new ungrateful demon child under his breath.

As soon as he left Annie ran over from the corner to check on Dex.

"Dex! Dex! Are you alright? Are you bleeding anywhere? Is anything broken?"

Cough! Cough! "I'm good enough. Here, the food he took."

Dex uncurled his body and gave Annie the measly and crumpled slice of pizza he took back from the boy.

The Tucks, their new foster family, had ordered some cheap pizza to celebrate the new kids in the family, but only ordered enough for each kid to have two slices. Since Annie was small they only gave her one, taking the other for themselves.

Annie didn't complain. She just quietly took the food and sat with Dex. Now that the slice was all messed up she still took it without complaint.

Events like these happened fairly often in the foster house. Mrs. Tuck only wanted to smoke cigarettes' and bitch about the unruly kids. Mr. Tuck was an abusive drunk and an acholic. There was rarely a moment where he didn't have a drink in his hand.

In one of his alcohol fueled evenings Dex learned something new.

"Why the hell did we even take those kids in!? We could barley take care of the other leaches, let alone a sick leach and a demon!" Mr. Tuck yelled.

"You know why dear. Those kids parents and several others died in the factory accident. Once all those layers settle up there is going to be a huge payout! It might take a year or two, but when it's done they will still be kids. That mean we as their guardians will be given the control of the money!"

"Ahaha! I forgot!"

It was late at night. Dex usually avoided the Tucks at all cost, but tonight his sister woke up with a bad cough so he needed to get her a cup for water. As he was sneaking into the kitchen he overheard them in the living room.

Dex was young, but he knew enough from listening to the layers that they were going to get a lot of money. Since his parents were always working to pay for his sister's medical bills he had taken care of her most of the time. he even used to go buy the groceries when he needed to.

Life had made him much more mature than other kids his age. His sister needed him and he wasn't going to let her suffer.

Dex understood that at some point in the future the lawyers were going to give him a lot of money. And from what he just overheard, he now knew that because he was to young his new foster parents were trying to take it from him. Take the money for his sitter's medicine.

Dex continued to the kitchen and snuck back to his sister. Once she got some water and the coughing had stopped she went back to sleep. Dex was still awake though. He had to figure out what to do. His sister needed that money for her medicine.

The next day Dex took the business card the lawyer had handed him before. He couldn't call him in the house, they would know he was on the phone and listen in.

He couldn't afford his own cellphone, and there was no way the Tucks would give him one. The next day at school he asked the teacher if he could call home to check on his sick sister.

The school was informed of his circumstances and how his sister was often sick. The teacher took pity on him and let him use the phone in her room. As she watched him out of the corner of her eye she also drew some examples of the math problems on the board for the class.

Dex took out the business card and typed the number. After a few rings he picked up. At first he was confused at the new number.

Dex told him he needed to talk and Randy agreed to a meeting. He first suggested this evening after school. Dex immediately rejected it. If he went there this afternoon there would be no one to look after his sister at the house. At least during the day she was safe in school.

Dex said tomorrow during the day, but Randy sounded hesitant. He knew the kid had school, and didn't feel good about helping him skip school. Soon he relented under Dex's pleas though. What could he do? The kid had suffered enough already. One skipped day of school couldn't hurt.

He agreed to pick the kid up the next morning and bring him back to the office to talk.

With the phone call over Dex went back to sitting in the back of his class and avoiding everyone.

Thankfully that night was uneventful.

The next day Randy came and picked Dex up and brought him to his office at the edge of downtown. Dex was warry of adults. More often than not they looked down on him for being poor, ugly, small, or whatever else they wanted to that day. Randy was different though.

The first time they met was the day after the accident. Several lawyers came to talk to them that day. They all talked about how much money they could help them get for the settlement. Randy though first said that he was sorry for their loss.

Dex wasn't sure why he apologized at first. He hadn't caused the accident. He could tell by Randy's unkept beard and worn suit that he wasn't a big lawyer for the company.

Randy then explained how he was a lawyer for minors. Kids to young to defend themselves. He looked ragged and exhausted, but was very kind. He didn't tell Dex about the money he could win him. He just asked Dex a lot of questions.

They were mostly about his sister. How often she got sick. What sicknesses she had. If we had a copy of her medical records. What hospital they went to. If they still had the receipts for her medicine and treatments, and much more. He said that he would need theses to help get more money for his sisters medical treatments.

After he answered all of his questions he then asked if they needed anything. He offered to buy medicine if Annie was sick or food if they were out.

At first Dex was warry of him, thinking that this was a trick more complex than the other adults. Randy proved him wrong. After a while of checking on them and helping them out several times Dex learned that Randy just wanted to help them.

Being a lawyer for minors doesn't pay very well. Kids don't tend to have much money. They do usually need the most help though. That's what Randy said at least.

Once they go to Randy's shabby office Dex was offered a glass of water and he accepted. After a few sips he told Randy what he overheard.

With a deep and sad sigh Randy sunk into his chair.

"Well this is going to be trouble."

"Is there nothing you can do?"

Dex was nervous. If that was the case then his sister would suffer.

"This is tricky. There are a few options. Because you are so young and legally a minor you wont be given full custody of the money. This means that they might be able to take it from you. Now, we could get you transferred to another foster family but it would probably wind up the same or worse."

"We could try and get you legally emancipated, but you are so young. I guarantee the judge wouldn't buy off on it without a lot of very good reasons."

"E-Emancidated?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. Emancipated. That means you are fully an adult in the eyes of the law. The youngest they usually do is sixteen."

"But I only just turned eleven."

"That's the problem."

"....."

"There are a few things I can do though. I can put a condition in the payout. It will make it so that you can only access the money when you are legally an adult and that no one else can access it until then."

"But what if Annie gets sick before then?"

"Hmm, I might be able to make it so that she can withdrawal money for doctors and medicine, but it could be difficult. Hmm....."

After a few moments of silence Randy spoke again.

"We need to get you emancipated. If we don't, then even if I put restriction on the money they could probably get around them with good lawyers. Dex, make sure you or your sister never sign a piece of paper from them. If you do I could lose all power to help you. If they ever give you something make sure I look over it first."

"Ok. I'll tell Annie too."

"That's good."

Then randy started to tell Dex what he need to be emancipated. There were a few lose requirements.

One, the inability for the guardians to provide for the minors. This is in terms of food, shelter, clothing, or medical care.

Two, evidence that shows the minor is better off without them. This isn't as concrete. Before the child is emancipated they should be able to take care of themselves.

Three, evidence that contradicts and invalidates the common legal understanding that exists concerning the rights and responsibilities of parents to children. This could mean abuse, neglect, mental trauma, or other situations.

Dex understood most of what Randy told him. He just needed to prove that the Tucks were horrible people and that he was better off by himself.

"What about Annie though?"

"Well we wont be able to prove that she is able to take care of herself, but we might be able to swing you as her guardian, but that will make things even more difficult."

After talking for a few hours Randy gave Dex a ride back. When he got back home he got yelled at for ditching school. They said he was the spawn of satan himself. So ungrateful for all their hard work to pay for his food and giving him a home.

Dex ignored them the best he could.

Like this time went on. Dex would go to school. Get home and watch after his sister at home. If his sister was feeling healthy enough he would help her get out of the house and walk through the park. She would wear a mask when they went out to try and prevent her from getting sick.

When Dex learned she was getting picked on because of the masks at school he used the little bit of money he saved up to buy her some cute masks. It made her smile, so it was worth every penny to Dex.

Over the next three years Annie got sick several times. The Tucks didn't want to buy her medicine so Dex would have to work. Finding someone willing to pay him was hard though. He was a child after all. Randy helped where he could, but he didn't have much money either.

The company lawyers dragged the settlement out for years, but it would soon come to a close. The tucks were nicer to them recently, but Dex knew it was all a ruse. They had tried getting him and Annie to sign some papers, saying that it was for their safety.

Dex had told Annie long ago not to sign anything, and had told her several times since. She complained about his nagging, but affirmed him that she wouldn't every time.

Once they refused to sign the papers they got very angry with them. They said that Dex was ungrateful. That they were just trying to help them.

After refusing to sign the paper several times Mr. Tuck stormed off into the kitchen. Dex could hear him call someone on his phone.

"The kid's refused to sign the papers! What do we do now?"

"..."

"I know. I know!"

"..."

"Yes I understand that."

"..."

"I'll try."

Dex had learned a lot in the last few years from Randy. He picked some terms here and there. Mostly the words to avoid. Dex saw several of those words in this document. The most concerning were "transfer", "control", and "assets".

Dex knew exactly what would happen if he signed this piece of paper.

When he came back from his phone call Mr. Tuck kept trying to convince Dex to sign the paper. After almost an hour he left with a frustrated roar. Mrs. Tuck stayed though. She kept promising that if he signed the paper life would get better. He could have delicious food, a big bed, and anything else he wanted.

Dex knew that was a lie though. If he signed then they would take all the money for themselves. Instead of using it for Annie's medicine it would go to booze for Mr. Tuck and cigarettes and drugs for Mrs. Tuck. He had caught her high on various drugs several times.

Dex just sat there. Eventually she gave up and left as well. When they were gone he folded up the paper and put it in his pocket. He wanted Randy to look at it later.

He went back upstairs to check on Annie. She had caught another cold. She was doing alright for now, but it could easily get worse. During times like these Dex wouldn't even go to school. The one time he did years ago he found Annie in a horrible state.

When he left in the morning Annie only had a light cough. When he came back, she was collapsed on the floor of her room and burning with a high fever. He took Mrs. Tuck's phone. She was to high to notice anyway. He called Randy. Soon he was there and they took her to the hospital.

She made it through ok. Dex would never do it again though.

In the next six months they tried several times to get him to sign various papers. Neither Dex or Annie ever did though. Dex had given that first paper to Randy as soon as he could.

Randy said "This is basically open robbery! They didn't even try to hide the purpose of this paper! I guess they just saw you as some dumb kid. Good job on not giving in Dex."

Then the day was there. The settlement was over. The combined amount for Dex and Annie was eight and a half million dollars.

Dex couldn't really comprehend that much money. All he knew was that Annie could have all the medicine she needed without worry now.

The next step was Emancipation. The day the settlement was done Randy had had filed the appropriate paperwork. This process wasn't nearly as hard. Over the past almost four years they had collected enough evidence. It helped that Dex was only a few weeks away from being fifteen.

Showing the Tuck's incompetency in parenting wasn't hard. Police reports from Annie calling the police in fear of Mr. Tucks drunk rage. Pictures of Mrs. Tuck snorting her drugs. Dex and Annie's malnourished bodies. There was ample evidence.

The struggle came in making Dex Annie's legal guardian. Thankfully Dex had made some evidence by mild accident. Ever since Randy had asked him about Annie's medical expenses Dex had ben saving receipts from everything he bought for Annie. It wasn't much. Almost all of it was cheap over the counter medicine, but it was all he could scrounge up for. He gave all of these to Randy whenever he saw him, hoping that they would somehow help.

Randy brought in calendars and Dex's school report. On this report was the days he was late or missing from school. Randy had highlighted every day he was missing on the calendar. Then Randy started reading off the receipts and asking Dex why he bought them. Dex would explain how each med would help his sister's various sicknesses. Then Randy would place each receipt on the calendar matching the date on the receipt.

At first the judge was confused, but they soon saw the pattern. Almost every receipt fell on one of the highlighted days. The judge then saw that for the past four years this kid had been skipping school only to look after his sick sister.

At the oldest this showed him, Dex was only eleven.

After a few more words the judge made Dex Annie's legal guardian. In his words Dex "has shown he is more than up to the task of looking after his younger sister's health and well being."

After Dex was emancipated and legally an adult he was able to access the settlement money. Randy hade made sure to word it right. Dex used this money to get a simple apartment in the nicer side of town for Annie. The relator was surprised to be working with a teenager, but Randy helped him out.

Annie now took a trip once every other week to get a checkup. She even got medicine to take on a regular basis to help her body. Dex got her into a private girls school as well. With some new clothes and a fresh start she smiled much more now. She still got sick every now and then, but it wasn't nearly as bad now that she could pay for doctor visits and proper medicine.

Over the next few years Dex grew into a handsome young man. Now that he was getting enough to eat on a regular basis he had several growth spurts. The Clean and nice clothes also helped. Soon he had grown from looking like a broody munchkin beggar, to a cool and handsome young man with an aloof attitude. He wasn't putting an aloof attitude for show. He just didn't trust anyone besides Annie, Randy, and Mike so he kept a blank face most of the time to not give anything away.

Mike was Annie's regular doctor. At first Dex treated him like any other adult. Watching. Waiting for him to show his ugly side, but he was proven wrong. Mike was one of those people who wanted to be a doctor when he was a kid so he could save everyone.

He had lost he naivety as he grew up, but he still had a good heart. He kept Annie smiling and had never lied to Dex. That had earned him his trust.

Dex even got better grades in school. Turns out when you get enough to eat, aren't woken up from every creak of an old house in fear of a mad drunk man, and don't skip school all the time to look after your sick sister you tend to do better in school. Dex was smart to begin with. It was how he managed to never repeat a grade even with all the days he missed.

Now though he got straight A's. He had transferred to a new school as well. His teachers could hardly believe that he was the same kid as his old transcripts.

Dex had given Randy many times more money than what he had asked for. Randy had tried to deny the money. Saying that it was to much for him, and that he wouldn't even know what to do with all the money. Dex just told him to buy a new suit and hire a secretary.

Randy eventually took the money. He got a new office, a new suit, and hired some helpers. He was always fighting some case to help some poor kids out. Now he had more funding to reach a few more kids.

Several years went by. Dex was in his second year of college now and Annie was in her second year of highschool.

Ring! Ring!

Ring! Ring!

Dex heard his phone ring and pulled it out of his pocket expecting to have to hang up on another telemarketer. Instead he saw the name of one of the three contacts saved to his phone. Mike. Dex felt his gut churn. It could be nothing, but Dex's paranoia with his sister's health told him otherwise.