My great aunt went onto a sewing trip at Texas and I was alone in the house with my older brother and my great uncle. A caseworker contacted me through my Google Voice saying this:
“Hi Brionna, you’re on going caseworker with children and youth. I will be coming out with another caseworker this morning. We are running a little behind but should be there around 11:15.“
I was thinking this was going to be another meeting with a different caseworker and they just wanted to look at the house again and need more information from my case. As I was waiting for the caseworkers to come to the house,I was on my Brother’s Chromebook and I was watching anime edits from Instagram. I had a Dell Laptop from Christmas but it was at Dell at that moment getting fixed. I was getting more and more anxious as the time got closer and closer when the caseworkers had to come see me. I was getting impatience and I was wondering what I was going to say and preparing myself . Once it got closer to the time that the caseworkers were suppose to come, I heard the doorbell rung.
I got up from my desk and I answered the door. The two children and youth caseworkers were standing there and they introduced themselves. My main caseworker asked if she could come inside and have a look around the house and I said sure. I open the door enough for them to come in and I showed them where I was sleeping, showed them that I had hot water in the house and showed them around the house. The caseworkers were making notes and writing things down as they were going around the house. Then they ask if there was a place where we can sit down and have a talk together. I said yes we can go onto the porch and talk for a bit, I led them to the porch and we sat down in the chairs that were on the front porch.
My main caseworker asked me if I wanted to go to school and be in a new family that will help me get into school. I told them that I really wanted to be in school and are they going to take me somewhere else. My caseworker told me about foster care and what they can able to do for me. I thought for it a little bit and I asked them if they could do that while I am at my great aunt’s house and they replied no because my mother won’t give custody up from me. I was there for a bit thinking and I said so the only way I can go to school is leaving my great aunt’s house, They replied yes that is correct.
I went inside and my great uncle was downstairs by that time and I started to cry to him saying that children and youth is taking me away. He was shocked about the whole situation and he said what can I bring with me, I said my clothes of course. So I was packing up my bag with my clothes while crying and the caseworkers came inside and asked for my social security card and birth certificate. My older brother came downstairs and my great uncle told my older brother what was happening. My older brother called my great aunt to tell her what is happening and if she knew where my cards were. My brother was looking through my great aunt’s folder on the table and I was crying while trying to pack my things. I went upstairs to grab my personal hygiene and my great uncle came up with me. He said he couldn’t believe this was happening and I said I didn’t know why this was happening either.
I gave my great uncle a huge hug and said goodbye to him and grab my shower things. My caseworkers were in the entry way of my aunt’s house and I grab my pillow and blanket and grab my stuff animal. I went out of my great aunt’s house and put my things into the caseworker’s car and my older brother and great uncle came outside too. I was crying very hard and I gave my older brother and my great uncle a hug and said goodbye to them and I went into the back seat of the car. The caseworkers talked to my great uncle and they went into the car then. As we drove away from my great aunt’s house, they were telling me that I was doing a very brave thing and they were proud of me. I was still crying in the backseat and my caseworker asked me if I was hungry. I told them I wanted to go to Wawa one last time and they said sure. So we stopped at Wawa and I got a roasted veggie hoagie and a coffee. Once we were back into the car, they were talking to each other while I was eating my hoagie.
The caseworkers were taking me to a shelter called Valley Youth House and my main caseworker called them and letting them know I am coming soon. I kept thinking about my family and still crying. I wanted to stay at my great aunt’s house and I wanted to be with my great uncle. Once we arrived to the Valley Youth House shelter, I asked my main caseworker to call my great uncle and let him know we are at the shelter. She replied saying she will and we went into the shelter. One of the staff from the shelter took us to the lower part of the shelter into a room with a table and chairs. One of the Valley Youth House Staff members introduced herself and told me that we needed to do some paper work for my time at the shelter.
I had court the next day and the judge took all of my internet privileges away and I wasn’t allowed to talk to anyone or do phone calls. I was really angry at this because my Children and Youth caseworker promised me that I was allow to still stay in contact with my friends and family, but she lied to me and I got everything taken away from me. I wasn’t even allowed to be in the court room while they were having my court session. I talked to the judge before court and I told her that I wanted to go back to my aunt’s house and she said that won’t happen. She also told me that I am not allow to be on the internet and interact with anyone. I tried to convince her otherwise but she stayed firm and said no. My children and youth caseworker didn’t even defend me and what I wanted, she was agreeable with me having no contact with anyone. I remember that day I wanted to die and I wished I was never born.