Castouts (Accepting new characters)

(Okay, you may or may not be planning on doing this Jo, but can Natalia please not heal Cas' leg? It'll heal fairly soon but I just don't want spontaneous/complete healing right now.)


When Cas finally came to, he felt himself being dragged away. Was this a kidnapping? No, he was a bit old to be kidnapped. They usually went for children because the younger ones were the defenseless ones. Then what was going on? As he opened his eyes, everything was initially hazy, but cleared up fairly soon. He still had a huge headache though. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see . . . Natalia? She was carrying him. He was still angry at her for abandoning Shira and wasn't going to accept help from her.


"Let go of me. I have to find Shira." He pushed himself away from her and tried to continue his search. But as soon as his left foot hit the pavement, intense pain shot up his entire leg. He fell back to the ground. Looking at the source of the pain, he saw his leg. His jeans were bloody and had a long gash down the side. He could see various cuts, scrapes and bruises going up and down his leg in the area revealed. Reaching out to touch the wounds to make sure they were real, Cas swore as another wave of pain hit him.


How did this happen? One minute he was running in search of his little sister and the next . . . That's right. He had been hit by a car. He looked down at his leg again and up at Natalia. A scowl formed on his face. He might be in no condition to run or even walk, but he sure wasn't going to accept help from a cold blooded witch. Using the street lamp he was near, Cas struggled to lift himself up, placing most of his weight on his still good leg. He then began to hop in the direction opposite of the theatre. "I'm not going to thank you if that's what you're looking for."
 
"Well it would be a shame if you were," Jillian said with a grin. Then he realize that it sounded kind of off. Jillian knew what he meant by that, but if he corrected himself, how would the boy feel? "I mean I think you are fine the way you are. I quite like you as you are."


Jillian stopped as they reached their destination. Was he flirting with Julian now? He had not dated in quite some time and although he was naturally a kind person and tended to flirt without meaning to, he felt this was intentional. But he wasn't sure how Julian might react to that. As Jillian waited for Julian to enter the store, he looked over the younger boy. Jillian could see him dating him. He was a good person despite his claims of murder and he was pretty cute as well. He also had no problem with Jillian.


"Thank you. It's nice to be accepted."


 
Raekel dropped her cigarette and then crushed it under her heel. She looked at the two girls sitting before her. Then she took the seat next to Hailey and looked at her. This was not going to be an easy subject to approach. Either she was wrong or Hailey would just run off. Raekel didn't see this first conversation going so well. But she had to know if her suspicions were right or not.


"And does this 'father' touch you? And you know in what way I mean," Raekel said, sounding a little harsher than she intended to. But Raekel was not kind or nice.
 
(Yeah, I think it would become a bit of habit so I won't let Natalia get powers from random NPC's xD Anywayy, I was thinking, Xander and Kat could go get Chris first, ask Max if he wanted to come help them get Kyle back - no idea what they'd do with Steven - and then he'd drop Shira back at the theatre 'cause he'd say she's too young to go with them. Thennn, by this point Natalia would have somehow got Castiel back to the theatre, and when Xander dropped off Shira he'd see Natalia and Rikarah and ask them if they wanted to come help kick Calico's butt. I would make the two younger girls leave the room beforehand though 'cause I don't want Lei to meet Calico just yet. So yeah, since Castiel is injured he and Shira would probably stay home with the little girls. So....what do you guys think? xD )





Natalia rolled her eyes as Castiel got up, insisting he had to find Shira. Natalia, of course as is her nature, shrugged and let go, "Fine." The boy then fell, as Natalia predicted he would, and she barely spared a glance for his battered leg. Natalia had seen worse. Then the asian-looking boy swore and Natalia crossed her arms as he scowled at her. Sure she may have left Shira behind, but it wasn't like she even had a choice. Xander drove away before she could even mention the blonde girl. Plus, why should she care?


"You have nothing to thank me for so why would I be looking for one?" She watched Castiel struggle to get up and then still watched as he tried to comically hop away, "Oh calm down Castiel. Shira can look after herself, she has a power, and you two clearly aren't related anyway." Yeah, she had noticed that Castiel was dark and asian looking whereas Shira was clearly full english and the lightest she had seen, both hair and eyes wise. Even more so that they didn't even have similar face features. If they were 'siblings' then they were either both adopted or they were street siblings.


"Plus, with that leg it won't be long before you pass out from blood loss and you dying on the street won't help Shira at all. Come back to the theatre, Rikarah can sort out your leg and THEN you can go look for Shira - if she's not back by then." Natalia spoke in calm, logical voice, and she remained where she was, staring at Castiel.


--------------------------


Xander sighs, seeing and hearing the determination Kat was displaying. She wasn't going to give this one up, and them arguing about it would only give Calico more time to hurt Kyle. He hated having to do this, but she did have a good idea there, about gathering up others, because if they had lots of people, not only did they stand a better chance, but there was also less chance for Calico to get to Katarina, or Chris.


Yeah. Maybe he should listen to Kat more; she had much better ideas than him.


He shook his head, starting up the car, "Ok." He spoke his admittance quietly and began to drive in the direction Chris had headed. "That's...that's actually a really good idea Kat, about getting others, I would have never thought of that, I would have just rushed in there and probably got myself killed." He gave her a small smile before looking back to the road, "We'll get Chris first, like you said, and maybe I could ask Natalia to help us too. She has my power right now, so she would be useful." Plus, he could totally imagine the girl wanting to electrocute some people.


(Max, Steven, Chris or Shira can see the car approaching if they want, I'm hoping they'll all get in the car xD )
 
There was probably no chance that the redhead was actually going to let her go, but Hailey didn’t expect for her to crouch down beside her. The cigarette now crushed, she stared at the butt on the ground before sinking down to her haunches as well. Raekel was staring at her, and she simply looked back at her, slightly surprised when the girl worded her question.


“Of course not!” she noted in the same beat, pulling a rather disgusted look out of her back pocket. She knew that most people didn’t understand the relationship she and Jessie had. A long time ago she had learned to lie because of it, to avoid the looks that she got, to avoid the judgement. Jessie loved her… Hailey tried to remember his words, the way he touches her, but soon it is reminiscent of Mike, and she feels nauseous.
 
(sounds like a good idea, Jo, let's go with that. And...whatttt?! Katarina DeSanto having a good idea?! *waits for apocalypse to hit*)


Katarina nods slightly, somewhat relieved to see that she's not going to have to fight Xander anymore over this. So she was going with him, they would actually try to stay together, work together...it was all she could think of to do that might actually help them all out. She gave him a very small smile back, hardly more than a twitch of her lips, but actually, she felt just a little bit better.


Had she really had a good idea? A better one than Xander's? The idea seems so unlikely to her, and yet he didn't seem to be putting her on.


She falls quiet as they drive, scanning outside the window for Chris. "Maybe we should check the motel," she said after a few moments. "Or Max's house...no, she wouldn't know how to get there by now, would she? After only once? Try the motel."


It was another few moments before she spoke again softly. "Why is it so hard to talk to each other, Xander? All of us."


**


Jillian liked him how he was...Jillian LIKED him?!


Julian could hardly believe his ears. Yes, Jillian had been nice to him...but he had thought this had to be because Jillian was a nice person, because he felt sorry for him. Because he felt he should be. But...if he actually liked him...


He immediately told himself not to get too ahead of himself. He didn't say he liked him like THAT, after all, and who in their right mind would? Still, as they entered the thrift store, and Julian went to the dollar rack, starting to browse, he is trying not to smile.
 
Xander nods at Kat's words, making a turning to head to the motel, he was glad he knew how to drive, sure they may not have a car of their own, but it does come in handy when you steal someone else's car and you know how to drive it. Remembering this was Steven's car, he glanced around for a moment, imagining the man having a gun hidden almost everywhere. That could be handy actually, if they were going into the belly of the beast, they would need some weapons.


Then Katarina's soft spoken words caused Xander to glance at her for a second before he looked back at the road, it took a while before he responded, and when he did, his tone matched Katarina's, "I think..." He sighs, making another turning, "I don't know Kat, I mean, it could be loads of things. It could be that that's just the way we are. Or maybe it's because it's so stressful trying to keep track of each other when we're living in an abandoned motel. I think...I think it's because of mum and dad."


It had been a while, a very long while, since they had mentioned their parents, in fact, they rarely did it, as if speaking about their parents was some sort of taboo. And Katarina was right, they didn't talk, they just shouted, and argued, screamed and ran off.


Just like their parents. The only thing they were missing was violence and heck, Kat had almost hit Kyle earlier.


"I mean, not only do we have no parents to handle all the scary stuff we have to go through, but....we were never really taught how to talk about things. Even when we were toddlers all we knew was shouting and screaming. I think that's why we don't talk Kat, we're just not used to it." He sighed and made another turning, the motel was in sight now though the people outside it weren't.


"We need to get used to it though. I don't want to end up like mum and dad."
 
Katarina lightly chews on her lip as she thinks about what Xander is saying, her hands nervously squeezing and then releasing her legs repeatedly. What Xander is saying sounds right...logical. They can't be calm with each other, they can't talk to each other, because they simply were never taught to. They don't know how.


If it's their parents' fault...if they're taking after them...did that mean that they were doomed to repeat their cycle? She had almost hit Kyle today...Kyle already hit Xander. Was she going to be like her mother? Would Xander and Kyle be like their father?


She shuddered at the thought, shaking her head to herself. No...she wouldn't let herself be. She would rather die than be like that. But what if she couldn't help herself? What if they couldn't change?


"I don't...I don't want to be like that," she said with feeling, her words still soft. "But...Xander, it's so hard. I want...I want to be like something that I don't know how to be. I want to feel a way I don't...be something I'm not...and we all need to be. We have to be. We have to try. I just...I'm....afraid we can't."


As they draw closer to the motel, she sees the three figures sitting outside it and sits up straighter, relieved. "Look, it's Chris...and Max and Shira. Good, you talk to her, she likes you better."
 
(It sounds like a plan. Too bad Shira has to stay home and babysit Cas and the others. Haha. I'm just confused as to why they're bringing Chris along. I know we shouldn't leave Legend out of the fun but she's still blind and only one year older than Shira. I can't help feeling that this is just going to put her in danger. We can still go with the original plan, it's just something I thought about. Also, would Natalia be the one to ask Rikarah to tag along? Because I don't recall Rika encountering any of the DeSantos or Max. And Shira has no recollection of what she's capable of. I might be wrong though.)


Cas' fist clenched as he listened to Natalia speak. He was angry that she could make such assumptions when she only knew Shira for two days. But his fists unclenched and he sighed as if giving up. He knew he shouldn't be running about with his leg like this, but . . . what else could he do? "I know I'm useless. I can't fight off bullies or thugs. I'm not that smart. I'm as frail as a princess. I can't cook. I can't sew. I can't do anything for her even though she's done so much for me." His eyes started welling up but he forced the tears back. "But you're wrong. There's no way Shira can fend for herself out there. Even if she has a power. You have no idea what her ability costs to use. You don't know anything about us. And you don't need to. All you need to know is that Shira is my little sister and it's my job as her big brother to keep her safe."


And Natalia didn't know. Shira's power, the one she had used to save him years ago, made her mentally and emotionally unstable. If Lucy came back, she could be killing other people or maybe even herself. Cas wanted to lock that away because he had no idea when she could just break. He slowly dragged himself in the direction of the theatre. He was really in no condition to run around. And Natalia was right about one thing, he was of no use to Shira if he was dead. Without someone to reenforce the hypnotism, Lucy would be back for good. And who knows what could happen then.


Though he gave in and headed home, he was still stubborn enough to refuse any assistance from Natalia. He had at least that much pride in him. Of course this ended in him falling down a lot but he was able to stand up each time. When he finally made it past the front doors of their "home", he collapsed a final time. He didn't want to move since the pain was still very much there.


*****


Shira looked at the address in Max's hand. "Is that where the biological studies lab where the virus was created? Is it air born or just bite transmitted? Will we have to evacuate the city? Is a bullet to the head how it still works?"


"Eh . . . no, Shira. It's just his home address." She was really set on the whole zombie thing wasn't she? Not that he could blame her. He would love to be in the middle of a Resident Evil plot, himself. Max was a bit annoyed at Steven with the whole pretty snob comment. "Oh really?" he said sarcastically. "You're soooo sweet. That's good to hear because lately I've just been feeling sooooo fat. Sigh. Monica just keeps telling me it's all in my head but she has to say that."


Shira watched as a car was approaching. It was the one that was in the park earlier. The one that got stolen. "I want to play Grand Theft Auto too," she said softly. Max who was more preoccupied with Steven, looked up when he heard the girl speak.


"What?"


Shira pointed to Steven's car. So the car thieves were back? Not that he was surprised. He was waiting in front of their home after all.
 
(I think it's more because Chris is family. They are going to get Kyle and all. Also they wouldn't leave her behind by herself at the motel, although they could leave her with Shira and Cas and stuff. it's just how I viewed it)


Chris felt a little out of place. Both Shira and Max seemed to be ignoring her, having their own fun chat. She bit her lower lip, not speaking up. It's not like it should matter. She was so use to being ignored and away from people. But she had tried to make friends with them both and it just made her feel sort of jealous.


"You're not fat," Chris found herself saying. She was basing this off the general view she got of the girl, but then she realized she couldn't justify her words without telling of her powers. "I mean, I can't really know, but you shouldn't talk that way about yourself."


She moved closer to the pair and to the unconscious Steven. "I'm sure everyone here looks wonderful," Chris remarked, her tone sarcastic, but a small smile appeared on her lips. Chris tensed when she heard Shira speak. She didn't catch the point, but she did feel a car nearby. Almost subconsciously she moved closer to Max.


----


Jillian looked at Julian as he looked through the things. Since he had thought of Julian and actual dating him, he had to resist checking out the boy. Jillian tried to recall his age as well. He looked kind of young, but not that young. Maybe fourteen, fifteen. Jillian thought of his own age. It probably wouldn't look good dating a boy 3, 4 years his minor, especially considering some states had weird laws about that kind of stuff, but Jillian felt that might be the last thing someone would look at if they dated.


Still there was no need to really think too much. Jillian felt a little uncomfortable about Julian and he wasn't so sure if Julian would even consider dating someone like him. For now he was fine with their friendship.


He let his mind wander as he looked through some clothes, wondering if Lionel was awake and okay as well.


----


Liselle was starting to wonder if maybe the girl did more than smoke. Like maybe some kind of drugs.


She could not believe what she had just asked the girl. Was she implying that man was molesting this girl or something? It seemed ridiculous even if she knew that it wasn't impossible. There was people out there like that. Liselle moved closer to Hailey and gave Raekel a look as if to say "Back off". Sure she didn't know her, but she didn't look or sound comfort with what the redhead had asked.


"What would make you think that?"
 
As Xander pulled the car to a stop in front of the motel, Katarina is tensing up, already anticipating how this might go down. If they jump out and tell Chris she's going with them, she'll run again, or else that Max idiot- for she's already come down strongly from her previous high opinion of him, after the stunt they pulled before in taking Chris- will take off with her. Although she had told Xander to talk to Chris, she finds herself blurting out the second she opens the door, going against her own warning.


"Chris. Kyle has been kidnapped. You have to come with us, now, we have to get him back. We...Chris, come on, I'm serious."


As her eyes scan over the other two with her, Shira and Max, they immediately widen, stunned and horrified, when she sees the body on the ground near them. Steven...gasping, she jumps out of the car, running over to kneel beside him.


"STEVEN! Shit...did he get shot? Why is he passed out again? What happened...help me get him up, help me get him onto one of the beds! The doors are UNLOCKED, why are you guys just letting him lay on the ground?"


**


As Rikarah waited with the little girls, she is listening for the return of Natalia, Castiel, Shira, or all three. After several minutes she hears some noise outside the boarded-up front door area and turns to the little girls, cautioning them.


"Wait here. Do not move, I will be right back...call for me if you need me, I will be right back."


Heading out to the front lobby, she climbs through one of the windows at the side, hoisting herself up to the frame and lowering to the ground. Seeing Castiel on the ground, Natalia standing near, she makes her way to them quickly, crouching beside him and scrutinizing him.


"He is injured. Help me lift him through the window, Natalia." To Castiel, she asked, "What happened?"


**


Julian finds himself a few items of clothing he thinks are acceptable enough, although he finds himself second guessing them all repeatedly. Will Jillian like them, will he think Julian looks good in them? Will he think they're lame or dorky? It is difficult for him to come to a decision, but when he finally does, he shows them to Jillian, again blushing a little.


"These...um...so do you have money, or...how does this work?"


Every time he is close to him it becomes difficult for him to get out what he is trying to say. It's difficult to even think very clearly, and Julian clears his throat, shaking his head slightly.


He wonders, for the first time, if maybe, just maybe, Jillian would still like him, still understand, if he told him more about himself...about Madison. What if he didn't? Julian couldn't afford to lose him...he couldn't stand to. But if Jillian did...it would feel so much easier just to be near him.
 
Max pushes Kat away from Steven. "If you touch him recklessly, you could reopen his wounds. And I just fixed him up. And how are we supposed to know that your doors are unlocked? I don't make a habit of breaking into homes. I am trying to bring him somewhere to rest but you came just now."


Upon hearing Chris' comment, Max forgot about the serious issue at hand for a minute and laughed. He meant for the statement to be a joke but she took it seriously. That was cute. "Yeah. Thanks for the confidence booster. You're pretty yourself."


Shira didn't like being yelled at so she tuned Kat out. She went over to Chris. Why was this girl so serious? The blonde took the corners of the blind girl's mouth in her hands and pushed them up. "Smile. I command you."


*****


Cas gave a nervoous laugh but the look on his face was of obvious pain. "I kind of got hit by a car. A hit and run it seems.I couldn't find Shira though." His face was in a cold sweat. He clutched his leg. "It looks like I work be working for a while."


(Sorry, writer's block. D:)
 
Katarina doesn't appreciate being spoken to in such a manner by Max, the guy who had basically kidnapped her sister and technically lead Steven to getting hurt in the first place. She didn't appreciate him telling her how to touch him, like she'd be careless. And she REALLY didn't appreciate him pushing her aside when she was trying to see Steven.


Narrowing her eyes up at him, she shot back, "You could have tried a little harder to get him off the GROUND. How about inside someone's car, how about TRY the door to see if it's locked? You know we live here. It's not like it's a stranger's house. This is where he lives too, he's going to stay here."


Problem is, she's not nearly strong enough to lift and transfer him, so she'll have to have Max do it. Thinning her lips, she asks tightly, "Will you please put him in his room on his bed? It's the last room down...are you sure he'll be okay?"


She strokes a hand over his head as she speaks, looking up to regard Chris. "Once he's on his bed we have to go, we have to get Kyle. He's...he's been kidnapped...Chris, we have to."


**


Rikarah showed little surprise at this statement, merely nodding as she came forward to offer assistance. "Do you need me to help you, or for me to get you anything? Has she inspected your injuries?"
 
*Calico's gang had gathered at the zoo their numbers in the hundreds, drinking and partying as the car with Kyle pulls up one gang member grabs him by the collar drags him out the car through the zoo eventually reaching the tiger pit, where they tie his hands and hang him by a rope over the pit with some makeshift pully system, the tigers restless and growling at him making the occassional attempt to reach him by leaping for him. Kyle shaking as tears run down his face, he scares out. XANDER COME SAVE ME NOW! *Again it's Xander he screams for and not Steven, it's his big brother he's hoping will show up and save him and kick all these bad guy's asses* XANDER I'M SORRY I CALLED YOU A BUTTHEAD NOW PLEASE SAVE ME!
 
Max sighed. Maybe he was a bit harsh but how was he supposed to know that Steven also lived there, especially since the man had given him the address of someplace else? Plus he didn't know the DeSantos much. They were just acquaintances and so just prancing into their homes when they weren't there was a no-no. He had that level of class at least even if he had conducted background checks on them all. "He's going to be fine, but he needs rest and he shouldn't move much. The thread I have on hand isn't the strongest and the slightest tugs can make them snap."


Max looked at the gentle way Kat stroked Steven's head. She must've really liked him. No wonder she was so angry on her behalf. He looked down on the ground for a moment. It'd be a lie to say that he wasn't jealous. To actually feel anything for another human being was an ability he wasn't really capable of. All his girlfriends, all his friends, all his family, he didn't love a single one of them. He then wondered why he was so invested in these people. Sure they were dominoes but that fact had never affected him in the past. Normally, he would be laughing at their situation behind their backs. Their poverty, their dysfunction, their misery. The DeSantos family alone should've provided him with hours of entertainment. But for some reason, he didn't feel like laughing.


Following Kat's orders, he started to carry Steven away but quickly turned back after hearing her mention Kyle, the youngest of the family. "Your brother's been kidnapped?"


*****


Cas winced as his left foot hit the floor. Though his leg hurt like crazy, he tried his best to hide it behind the dusty curtain of the window. He knew that his leg was a bloody mess and he didn't want to show it to Lei and Abi. They were still young and would probably worry too much or get scared if they saw it.


His breathing was getting short and he was starting to feel lightheaded as the blood continued to drain from his body. The pain had subsided or at least appeared to be. Maybe his brain was so oxygen deprived that he just couldn't tell. It took him a full minute to fully understand what Rikarah had asked him. "No, Natalia didn't look at my wounds. Sorry . . . I . . . I don't know what I need. This . . . has never happened before . . . and I'm not exactly a doctor here. I think we have some gauze in the storage room . . . next to the soda in the white box." At this point he was starting to get a bit dizzy. The walls seemed to be spinning and he couldn't tell if he was standing on the floor anymore. "I . . . I'm sleepy . . . "


He took quick glances at the little girls. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just a bit tired now. I think I'll go to bed early or something." He wanted to pull the curtain down so he could use it to cover his leg on the way to his room, but what little strength he originally had was gone. Futile tugs on the old moth eaten cloth only made him more tired. So he simply stood there for a moment, hoping that Lei and Abi would just leave on their own accords, so he could go lie down.
 
"There is nothing wrong with me," Raekel said, her tone a little defensive. But she mostly tuned Liselle out for the moment. She watched Hailey, trying to gauge her response to the question. She looked appalled, but Raekel could tell that she wasn't truly disgusted. Or maybe that is what she wanted to hear. She took another cigarette out, rolling it between her fingers.


"I was just asking. You know how some people can be now-a-days. There are creeps and freaks everywhere. I wanted to make sure our friend here wasn't a victim of one. Unless of course she is lying." This time Raekel looked at Liselle, a small grin on her face. "But I am being rude, aren't I? Oh well."
 
Chris tensed even moreso when her sister arrived and told her what happened. Everyone but Xander had gone running off. And Kyle was the one taken? He was the youngest, but he had a good power. If anyone was to be taken, Chris would have thought she'd make a better captive. But that wasn't important now.


Of course Chris had momentarily forgotten about Steven. She was a little happy for the distraction. Chris had to let it set it. Her baby brother had been kidnapped? Was he alright? What had happened? Oh god, they couldn't lose another family member. As much as Chris was annoyed by Kyle and as much as their family was a mess, they were still a family and Chris really did love her siblings.


Chris was pretty sure she blushed at Max's comment. "I'm not pretty," she said almost automatically. Then Shira came over and made her smile. It was a tad annoying, but Chris actually smiled afterwards.


"Kat... Do you think he is okay? And..." Chris stopped herself. She didn't want to actually say anything more. She wanted to go and help and find her little brother as fast as she could. Still... "Will I actually be able to help?"


----


Liselle was starting to wonder about the redhead. Her attitude. The way she could just talk like that. As if it was no big deal for some guy to be touching some girl. Who the heck was she?


"Stop it. Maybe you are one of them." She looked at Hailey. "I'm sorry. I don't know why she bugged you or why I came along. I didn't know she was going to ask that. Do you want help finding your dad?"


----


Jillian watched Julian as he shopped. He found it increasingly hard to keep from smiling. Julian was so cute. He wasn't about to tell him that. Most guys did not like being referred to as cute, although he wasn't sure if Julian would mind. Still it brought Jillian's spirits just to watch him as he moved around the store, looking at things.


"I like it. And I do have some money. As long as you don't go crazy on me, we should be good. I do work later though. If I am not fired from yesterday that is." Jillian shrugged as if it was no big deal. "I'll just find something else," he muttered, mostly to himself. "I always have."


Jillian then shook his head, grabbing a shirt from the racks. "What do you think?" It was a dark blue blouse, pretty plain with white buttons and frilly sleeves.
 
It didn’t seem like the two girls were friends…it was either that or they were playing good cop bad cop on Hailey. The good cop, the one with the dyed hair had kneeled down with her as well, after of course shooting the other a warning glance. She almost didn’t say anything, as the two had a semi-argument between each other. When the bad cop redhead had implied she was a liar, Hailey still said nothing, opting to look at her blankly.


They have a short conversation, but then the girl with the dyed hair asks her if she needs help finding her father. Hailey slowly shakes her head; her ‘father’ was involved with the wrong people right now, as she could still see the door to the house from where she crouched. Jessie had not returned the man was still with Calico which meant that he was either in trouble or Calico was in a good mood.


Judging by the commonality of the situations, Jessie was probably in trouble right now, and that meant Hailey not taking these girls with her. She knew by now from the stories that he was probably at the zoo, feeding some animal with the left over parts of his body. Hailey was in a slight dilemma, she didn’t know if she wanted to help him…


“No thank you” she notes, standing to dust off, “I think I know where he is” she finishes, before taking a step away from the girls. “Thank you for your concern” she bows her head slightly before striding off, rubbing her arms against the cold.


Jessie didn’t mean for it to happen that way, and she knew he never meant for her to get hurt. Hailey would go to see if the man was okay…


-o-o-o-


Jessie Booth was indeed at the zoo, but only because Calico had asked him to come with him for it as he was an asset now. His body was intact and uninjured but he certainly wasn’t drug free, taking a hit once he got the chance to. It got rid of the slight edge and fear ebbing in, for he didn’t actually know what he had done to the ex-marine.


As Kyle gets pulled out of the car and tied over the tiger’s pit, he yells out a name Jessie isn’t expecting. “I thought you kidnapped him to get to Steven…Who is Xander?” he asks Calico, looking idly over to his boss. Whatever the case they seemed to be waiting for whoever comes to save this kid, and other than get the edge off the only thing Jessie did was reload his gun.


((So, I didn’t know if Raekel and Liselle really wanted to join up with everyone at the big zoo battle, so I left it open for you to chase after Hailey or not. Or maybe you want to stop her? Whoooo knows XP’))
 
Katarina nodded tightly in response to Max's question, watching him as he carries Xander. She wants to make sure he's going to set him down and have him okay for her to be able to leave them to go get Kyle. Now that she really knew HOW to get Kyle, or where he was...but she did know she didn't want Steven anywhere near Calico. If Calico wanted Steven, and he was already hurt, the last place he needed to be was near him.


Only problem was...Calico would still want them once they got Kyle back. He knew where they lived...would they have to move? Where? The only way they could NOT have him after them was to kill him...and could they do that? Could they really kill a guy, even a guy like Calico?


Thinking of it made her so anxious she had to stop and take a breath, concentrating hard on keeping herself from digging her nails into her arm. Turning back to Chris, she said quietly, "I don't know if he will be or not...Calico says he'll kill him. And I don't care if you can help or not...you're coming, because we're not splitting up anymore. We can't. It's...we just can't do it, Chris, okay, no more running, no more screaming, we...we can't do it. This is what happens and I can't take it happening anymore."


She turns back to Shira then, including both her and Max as she continues, "We need help getting Kyle back. We're going to see if we can get Natalia and some others to help. Will you come too?"


**


Looking at Castiel, Rikarah still does not show concern in her expression, but she can assess fairly easily that he is more injured than he wants to let on. She smiles at the little girls and gives both a pat on the head as she speaks to them, sharing Castiel's dread of them being frightened.


"Terabithia, Lei, I think it would be best if you would go to my bedroom and perhaps play dress up. Lei has no other clothes, and you can help her find some, Terabithia. Thank you."


Turning back to Castiel, she immediately eased him to the floor, helping him sit with his leg straight out in front of him. He is very pale, and she massages his cheeks lightly in an attempt to stimulate blood flow.


"I will look now. I will be careful."


Easing up his pant leg very carefully, tearing the cloth to make it easier, Rikarah takes a piece of the torn pants leg and carefully wipes the blood, looking up at Natalia. "It would be a good idea for us to have a first aid kit of some kind. I do not currently have one, but if you have any sort of disinfectant...if not, would you please get me a costume that can be easily torn and I can wrap his leg."


She smiled at Castiel briefly. "It does not look broken, but you are right, you need to rest. And we will obtain first aid items as soon as possible. Having children and no first aid is not a good idea."


**


"Fired?" Julian frowned, concerned. "From yesterday? What do you mean?"


He hopes that Jillian being fired would have nothing to do with him. If he lost him his source of income, he would feel very guilty. Smiling at Jillian's approval of the shirts, he picks out a few more items, then looks up at the shirt Jillian is holding out. Fingering the material, Julian nods shyly.


"Yeah...it's...I like it. I think you'll be pretty."


He blushes again, suddenly worried this isn't the right phrase. "Is that...do you mind that...b-being called pretty?"
 
Shira's face didn't seem to indicate any change in emotion but her eyes lit up and she nodded furiously. They were going to fight Wesker, she had to come too. She was really excited to go. But Max placed his hand over her eyes and pulled her back.


"You're too young. What can you do?" He looked up at Kat in all seriousness. A potential domino was in danger and a strong one at that. Due to what Max had witnessed along with a bit of contemplating and research, it was most likely that Kyle was a fire elemental, and the one that started the fire at their old home long ago. But if he was that strong, who had managed to capture him? Max considered this kidnapper a potential threat. Whoever this man was, he was getting in the way of Max's research and that was not something Max was going to ignore. Still he should probably find out who he was dealing with first. "I'll do what I can to help but I need to know who were dealing with. No use in charging blind, is there."


Shira puffed out her cheeks. "I'm not too young. I'm almost 15." She then kicked at the ground and began sulking, muttering under her breath, "I want to fight Wesker, too."





Max sighed. He had heard the Wesker comment. What about the kidnapping sounded like the plot from a Resident Evil game?


*****


As Rikarah massaged his cheeks, Cas thought of his mother. She was a nice woman. Caring, warm and always smiling. He remembered how much he had cried at her funeral, clinging to her coffin desperately trying to tell his dad that she was just sleeping. That if they waited a bit longer, she would wake up. She never did. He remembered sticking to his baby sister, Mi, all the time in fear that she would leave him as well. Maybe that was why he was so protective of Shira. He didn't want to be alone.


Rikarah did her best to clean the wounds. Now he could see the cuts a bit more clearly. They were fairly deep, slicing up parts of his muscles but none of them showed bone which is a blessing he assumed. "Thank you," he managed to whisper.


"Sorry. Shira and I have only been here about a year and nothing serious had ever happened to us before. A few splinters and bruises here and there but no blood. I guess I should've gotten something anyway. There was just no room in the budget at the time."


He lifted himself back onto his feet and began dragging himself to his room. "We don't want the little ones to come out and see this, do we?" Once in the room, he laid himself onto his cot, taking a breath of relief since he wouldn't have to move anymore. He was suddenly thirsty and grabbed a half finished water bottle off the floor by his bed and practically chugged the remaining water.
 
"I missed work," Jillian reminded him. "When me and Lionel ran into you guys. I was suppose to go to work later, but I decided I'd rather make some new friends." Jillian than wondered if Julian might think it was his fault or at least partly. "It's okay though. I've been doing well so far there. And it wouldn't be the first time I lost one. Taking care of Lionel when we first met... Anyways don't worry about it, okay?"


Jillian blushed just a little and smiled at Julian. "I don't mind being called pretty. I've been called it all my life after all," Jillian said with a short laugh almost as if it was a joke. "But I'm glad you think I'm pretty. Are you ready to go?"


----


"No more running," Chris repeated. But could she do that? It was so easy to do. It was always her way of dealing with things. Avoiding it, running away. But then again that wasn't exactly dealing with it.


Chris wasn't sure how well she would do. But she knew her sister had a point. Kyle had run off and got caught. And she was a much better victim for people. Blind, young, a girl. Poor as well. She was lucky enough not to have been taken before the few times she had gone out of the house. Still Chris had a bad feeling about accompanying Kat to rescue Kyle. She meant what she said about not being helpful. In fact Chris saw herself as more of a hindrance to it, but she kept her mouth shut. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad.


Still she brighten a bit as Kat asked Max and Shira to come with them to help. At least they wouldn't be doing this alone. She moved closer to Max and Shira for a moment. Shira was a year younger than her? She didn't like the idea of herself going and she didn't want anyone to get unnecessarily hurt because of her family.


"Why," Chris asked, before she could stop herself. "Why do you want to help our family?"
 
(I was thinking that Xander would ask Natalia to come and Rikarah would be there aswell, I'm assuming - because of Rikarah's thoughts - that she will want to come along as soon as she hears it is Calico they are going after, since she wants to kill him. Xander would probably just see Rikarah standing beside Natalia and say she can come too if she wants. I mean, Shira could also come, but I just thought Castiel and Xander wouldn't want her to and assumed she would want to stay back and look after Cas anyway. But if you can work around that then yeah she can come with them.)





Xander remains in the car for now - watching as the others interact. He frowns lightly as he sees Steven, he had been shot a few times, but he was still alive. He wouldn't be able to help them get back Kyle, and that annoyed him more than the fact that the man was hurt - sure it sounded cold, but Steven would survive, he was safe, but was Kyle?


He felt so guilty, his mind zoning out, his ears blocking out the others as he could only imagine what was happening to Kyle right now, was he being beaten? Maybe. Calico had almost killed Xander and that was just for him being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If only he had been nicer to Steven, nicer to Kyle, if only he had protected him better. He'd be safe. Calico wouldn't have him.


Calico. He was going to kill that man if he had so much as harmed a hair on Kyle's head. Nobody touched his family. Nobody. His hands sparked just thinking about it, and it was the sudden roar of the engine that snapped him back to reality. He had jump-started the car with his power. He sighed and turned it back off, rolling down the window to call out to the others as he heard Max's words, his eyes were hard, but the anger was clearly not meant for any of them. "We're dealing with Calico. Major gang leader, would kill a baby with a smile on his damn ugly face. He has guns, henchmen and all the clever comments to back it up." He pointed at his face injuries, which were still there, "He did this to me simply because he felt like it and that's why you can't come Shira." He looks to Max seriously then, "You don't have to come either, but it would be appreciated. Calico took my little brother and I'll need people to take out his henchmen while I show him exactly what happens when someone touches my family."


Yeah. Xander was pissed. But he was trying to keep calm, a spark leapt from his cheek and he looked away quickly, as if he didn't want them to see that. "So if you guys are coming jump in, you too Chris." He didn't like the idea of his little sister coming with them, but Kat was right, they needed to stick together.


--------------------------------


Natalia rolled her eyes at Castiel's speech and simply followed him to the theatre. Once they got inside she watched him fall down and sighed, merely looking up as Rikarah appeared, she did as Rikarah asked though, then watched the two interact more. When Rikarah asked if she inspected Castiel's injures Natalia scoffed, "Nope, he was too busy telling me to go away to let me help him." Not that she would have helped him anyway of course. The only way to get by in life is by looking out for yourself.


"Blue? What happened?" Natalia looked up to see a wide-eyed Terabithia clutching the gloved hand of Lei, both little girls standing side by side as they stared at Cas. Terabithia had a look of worry and fear, whereas Lei looked more curious, interested, yet still a bit concerned. "Nothing Abi, don't worry." Terabithia let go of Lei's hand and ran forward, pointing at Castiel's leg, "That doesn't look like nothing! How did Cas get hurt? Was it the bad guys who almost shot me?" "No Abi."


Lei is still looking at Castiel's leg, head tilted slightly as she slowly moves over to the pair, Rikarah's words cause Terabithia to nod after a while, yeah, Rikarah can look after Cas, she and Lei can play dress up, so she grabs the little girl's hand and tries to pull her away, "Come on Lei, Rikarah can look after Cas, let's go play dress up!" But Lei is still looking at Castiel's leg, and she glances up to Rikarah and Natalia as she speaks, prodding the latter to make sure she pays attention, "Make sure to clean out the wound so that it doesn't get infected, it looks like a pretty deep cut is there." She is then pulled away by Terabithia and Natalia raises an eyebrow.


"Seriously? Child genius." She then leaves, returning with a costume, she passes it to Rikarah, then stands up, placing her bare hand on the wall to lean on it. That is until of course she lets out a light gasp and her eyes fill with white, losing both blue colour and the pupil of the eye. After a few moments they flood back with colour and her eyes are wide as she tugs her hand off the wall and looks to Rikarah, "What the heck!?! Why did I just see the life of the wall?" She glances to the wall, then the direction the little girls headed, pointing her finger almost accusingly, "Does the child genius have a power?" She looks to Castiel, "Or do you?"


Maybe being a copy-cat wasn't going to be so fun afterall. Not if she began seeing the boring lives of walls and floors.
 
*As Max and Kat drag Steven towards his room, they suddenly can't move him, half awake he reached out and grabbed the wall and stopped them from moving him, weakly he speaks almost a whisper at first.* Dumb kid you can't handle Calico he has an army, you'll just get Kyle killed as well as yourself and everyone else. *Pulling himself to his feet he steadies himself as best as he can.* None of you are killers like me besides I'm sure he only took Kyle to get to me...So give me to him and then he'll leave you alone, I made promises to Kyle and I've broken them all so the least I can do is give myself up and save him. *Suddenly stumbles back but catches himself.* It's all my fault you're all in this mess. I just wanted to get revenge on Calico for killing my father and making my mother a vegetable, I brought all this down on you so give me up and you'll live and I hope forget about me. *He stumbles towards his car and reaches in hitting the button to pop his trunk, then stumbles back to it using the car to steady himself he pushes the trunk open and starts pulling out gear.* Max, thanks for patching me up, sorry I'm gonna ruin all your good work but I need you to drive me to the zoo and drop me off then leave me there and don't ever look back. I owe you all this and truth be told I promised Kyle I'd stop killing and I couldn't keep that promise, so this is my price.
 
(sounds fine. I'm going to timeskip slightly to the point where they're outside the theater to come pick the others up)


Unlike Chris, Katarina does not question why Max or Shira would want to help her or her family. It is within her nature to be overly trusting, and she simply hopes and believes that both just would be nice to her for the sake of it.


It was true, Shira likely couldn't do much of anything to help, being so young, although that probably applied to Chris too. And Katarina knew that realistically, she too would be of little use in a battle. But that didn't mean she would sit this out, and give it her best shot.


Sliding into the passenger seat beside Xander again, she waited for those who were coming to pile in, making sure that Chris was among them. As Xander pulled away, she nervously hugged herself, her hands squeezing her wrists, and tried not to think about Kyle and what he might be enduring in that very moment.


**


Rikarah eyes Castiel a bit longer where he is lying down, again inspecting his wound. She had acknowledged Lei's words about cleaning it with a nod and now goes to retrieve the necessary supplies. They have bottled water, she knows, and this along with soap is the best she will be able to do for him for now. Returning to him with those items in hand, she carefully unwinds the makeshift bandage made of the costume strips and washes his wound, checking his expression for the severity of his pain as she does so.


"Keep still and rest, and keep it clean. Have the bandages changed if they soak through, or every five hours or so," she tells him before returning to the others to check in on them. Lei and Abi have gone to play as she has suggested, she is glad to see, leaving only Natalia to speak with. This is not what she wishes, but perhaps by now the girl has forgotten her mission to pick Rikarah's brain. It appears that she is currently distracted anyway, particularly when she speaks up about having obtained Lei's power.


"The child can see through touch, yes," she tells her calmly. "It will pass. Castiel will be all right as well."


She hears voices then, outside the building, and her head snaps up, alert. Without a word of explanation to Natalia she moves to meet them, her hand lightly resting on the knife kept as always at her wrist. As she stands on her toes to peer out the window, she can see that there is a car parked outside the theater, and that several teenagers are crammed inside it. A few are getting out then, and she does not recognize them. She waits, ready to fight if needed, to explain herself if not.


**


Relieved when Jillian seemed to take no offense at being called pretty, Julian smiled back, just a little more freely than he had previously. It still bothers him to think that he could get him in trouble or lose him a job, but for now he lets it go. Nodding in response to Jillian's question, he follows him to the register to pay.


It doesn't seem right, for him to accept Jillian's money, especially if he could be endangering Jillian's job. But Julian knows he can't get work, real work, between his age and his homelessness, his inability to give his real identity without his concern over being recognized. He never will be able to...at fifteen, his fate is sealed.


As they leave the store, Julian looks over to him frequently, still pondering what to say, how far to go. It has been several blocks before he can bring himself to even inch towards the dangerous direction of his thoughts.


"Um...J-Jillian? Do you...have you...ever done anything bad? R-really b-bad?"
 
(No, it's okay. Shira's going to have to sit this part out. In a fight, only Lucy would come in handy and it isn't safe to have her pop in too many times in such a short time period. Also . . . I thought Cas hid his leg behind the curtain. Haha. Oh well, too late now.)


Max places a warm hand on Chris' head. "I'm not quite sure why I want to help. I just feel as if I want to." He smiled at her even though she probably couldn't tell, or maybe she could, he wasn't sure how this echolocation of hers worked. "We're going to get your brother back . . . I hope."


"I'm just bored," Shira said with a straight face. She looked to Xander as he briefed them all a little on the enemy. The excitement in her eyes immediately turned to disgust and disappointment. "Oh. You're fighting a cat. Well, that's boring. Nevermind, I don't want to go anymore."


Then Steven regained consciousness, and began telling them to sacrifice him to Calico. Max of course was familiar with the workings of this man, but he never bothered to go into great depths with his research. Still, it didn't take a lot to know that this man is dangerous. Max smacked Steven square on the back, making sure to not irritate the stitches but still do enough to hurt the big guy. "The injured should stay injured." He then smiled at Steven. "You really think we're going to take such ridiculous orders from a man who can barely stand. I mean, it's not like you can force us in the condition you're in. So rely on us a bit, okay?"


When Xander asked them to get into Steven's car, he shook his head. "No offense but I'd rather take my car. If we're dealing with gangs, I'd like the pleasure of knowing that I can easily mow those guys down. Plus, it looks a little cramped in there."


*****


Cas watched as Rikarah helped to bandage his wounds. This really sucked. How was he going to make money if he couldn't walk, much less run. He rummaged through his pockets. He had about 80 dollars on him from today and another 40 from yesterday. Thinking about his leg, he figured it's take two weeks to heal at least, although muscle heals slower than bone. What was he going to do? 120 dollars was not going to cut it. And he'd hate to have to ask Rikarah or Natalia for help. He was the man of the house. He should be able to fix this by himself.


Soon Rikarah finished and instructed him on how to take care of his leg. "Thanks . . . again." And soon after she left, he had fallen asleep.


*****


Max, insistent on taking his hummer instead of squeezing into Steven's car, pulled up to an abandoned theatre having followed Xander here. Shira jumped out fairly quickly and then walked over to an open window. Max studied the dark and dusty form of the building. Were all these people homeless? Could this have something to do with their powers? The man who mugged him years ago seemed homeless as well? Powers came from their environment? Wait, no. The DeSantos fire happened in their home. This must just all be a coincidence.
 
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