Foster care is like Russian roulette, according to Ryan Kettering, a fifteen-year-old who has spent the majority of his childhood in largely abusive households. You’re fine if the hammer clicks every now and again. Sometimes it’s a direct hit to the head. The hammer seemed to have clicked this time. Ryan and five other foster youngsters share duties with the Prestons in their rambling two-story house in Shasta County. Except for Maddy, who is nine years old. She isn’t held in high regard. She is confined to the basement.
