Castouts (Accepting new characters)

*It was about sunrise when Steven decided to actually knock on the door, he didn't want try to enter a place when he knows everyone in there is probably holding one of his guns and the last time he saw them most were pissed at him, he figures now is just about the best time to try to enter, at least he hopes they're inside there and didn't abandon his car here and he's been waiting here all night for nothing.*


*Kyle gets up shortly after Shira did, he looks around and sees Xander sleeping he crawls over to him and starts shaking him awake.* Xander..Xander I'm hungry. What are we gonna eat? Come on Xander wake up lets go get some food.
 
Shira got back up and frowned. Her nose really hurt. So did her feet. Stupid shoes. She kicked the demonic heels into the corner. "Now think about what you've done!" Then came a knock on the door. A guest? But they didn't have friends. A bill collector? But they didn't have bills. A vampire trying to find shelter from the sun? Of course. It's the only logical option! She had to go save the creature of the night . . . unless he was one of the ones that sparkled. They could just go extinct. Watching girls sleep, that's just too creepy. Shira ran to the door, still in her makeshift business suit.


When Shira stuck her head out of the window closest to the door, her face showed immense shock. It was the zombie. He had found where they lived. Damn crafty undead trying to steal houses as well as brains. She picked up an old mop by the door and pointed it to Steven. "Back. Back I say . . . or . . . The power of Christ compels you!" Shira was determined to protect the theatre from zombies since she was now the man of the house. The man . . . girl . . . tranny? Well, whatever, Cas was down so it was now Shira's duty to do . . . whatever else it was that Cas did besides make money.


(http://amdreams.deviantart.com/art/Castouts-Randomness-Part-I-342275425 I had spare time in class. Page two still needs filling. This is not meant to offend anyone.)
 
(OMG LMAO!!!! More, more! Yeah now you inspired me to join and post my own stuff...and also, Dreams- and everyone, because this keeps coming up...the front door to the theater is BOARDED UP! lol. They can only go through the windows...so might want to edit those posts to say windows instead)


"Leave Xander alone, Kyle," Katarina reproofs him mildly, as her younger brother wakes up and immediately starts bothering her twin. She glances down at Chris, seeing that she's still asleep for the moment, and then back over at Rikarah, who is calmly regarding the rest of them, as though still waiting for Katarina's response. Katarina looked away, starting to stand and go to look over the costumes herself with a glance back over her shoulder to Rikarah, self-conscious.


"Do you...can I borrow..."


"They are not my property. Be my guest," Rikarah gestured, and as Katarina began to sort through them, her cheeks color slightly. What is it about this girl that makes her feel even more self-conscious than usual?


Well she knows one thing, she's not changing in front of her, and not just because her little brother is there either.


There is a loud noise and Shira falls just outside the door, and Katarina startles, then instinctively ducks inside the closet, her heartbeat quickening. Rikarah, on the other hand, displays no surprise or reaction at all, other than to stand and walk over to the door, opening it and looking out into the hallway.


"It was Shira," she announces calmly. "I believe she fell."


Although the younger girl has not shown much in the way of logic as of late, Rikarah is curious as to what she is doing and follows her at a considerably slower pace. The girl is leading her to the front of the theater, gazing outside its windows with wary aggression as she points a mop towards them, a makeshift weapon. Certainly interested now, Rikarah comes forward further, and then stiffens when she sees the figure outside them.


"Steven," she says aloud, one eyebrow cocked, as she crosses her arms, regarding him coolly. "I would have thought you to be Filet le Tiger by now, or perhaps simply being touted upon the shoulders of the National Guard as our next American hero."
 
Chris didn't like the thought of staying here with practically strangers, but did they really have anywhere else to go? She just wanted their family to be together right now. After the fright of Kyle's kidnapping, even the "runs-away-from-her-problems" girl just wanted to keep close to her family. Chris didn't want anything else to happen to any of them. They had lost Alice, no need for anyone else to be lost.


She smiled in the direction of her older brother when he made her a bed and nodded. She found she was exhausted Her last thoughts were of apologizing to Max for what happened and somewhat dragging him into this mess and hoping that her family would stick together better now. She feel into a almost dreamless sleep. The young teen was woken by the sounds of talking and movement, her body almost twitching at the feelings. She hated being so hyper-aware sometimes. Chris muttered to herself and rubbed her eyes.


"What is going on," she asked, confused. It didn't sound like something bad, but she wouldn't put it past them to run into another problem. She heard her sister say Steven. Steven was here? She couldn't imagine that going over well, not after the stunts he had pulled last night. But she sat in silence like she normally did, taking in the scene but not participating.


----


Jillian yawned as he rubbed his eyes. He glanced at this watch and then sat up. Lionel's and Duck's beds were still empty and this troubled him. But he thought maybe they were together. Hopefully they were and they were both safe.


Not wanting his morning to be ruined by negative thoughts when he didn't know what was happening, he pushed his worry away for now. He looked over to see Julian's bed was vacate as well, but he doubted the boy had up and left like the other two. He got off his bed and moved to get dressed, glancing at his watch. Work. He had work. Which meant leaving Julian to his own devices. He wondered what he would do.


Jillian went in search of his boyfriend, smiling wide just at the thought. Boyfriend. It made him feel giddy inside. He located him finally and came up behind Julian, wrapping his arms around him, leaning down next to his ear.


"Good morning cutie."
 
As Rikarah goes to investigate, Katarina cautiously peeks out from the closet, though of course, still being in the same room rather than looking out into the hallway, she cannot see what is going on. Chris is awake now, she observes, and she gives her a cautious smile, though she knows Chris cannot see it, exhaling.


"Someone made a noise...Rikarah went to go check on them. She's awake, so I guess she's okay now. She said Shira fell."


Emerging from the closet fully then, feeling a little foolish for having jumped into it in the first place, Katarina looked around at her siblings, again addressing the present concern. "Do you think we should stay here, since Calico knows where we used to live? We still need to try to figure out how to get Steven, we can't leave him there. We need to at least get our supplies...or do we need to find a new place to live? Xander, what do you think?"


**


Although Julian had seen Jillian's face behind his in the mirror, it was still something of a surprise when the other boy wrapped himself around him and whispered in his ear. Julian blushed deeply, but as he continued to watch his own reflection in the mirror, a somewhat silly smile stretched his lips as well.


He looks happy. How often has he looked into the mirror and seen his own face smiling, even lit with pleasure for that day and that moment?


"Good morning," he said softly, almost adding his own "cutie" but stopping himself at the last moment, too shy to try such a thing yet. Did Jillian really think he was cute?


The thought made him blush even darker as he slowly put one hand over Jillian's. "What time do you get off work today? Where...where d-do you work again?"
 
*Steven holds up his hands to show he wasn't a threat.* Hey calm yourself girl, I'm not a threat, seriously I come in peace, I'm just trying to find my friends..Well I hope they still consider me a friend and I came to get my car. *He looks at Rikarah standing near Shira.* Calico shouldn't be anymore trouble, they arrested him and he's on his way to a deep dark hole. (of course he doesn't know Calico escaped). Are they all ok I mean are they safe, no one got hurt? Can I talk to Kat and Kyle?


*Kyle stops trying to wake Xander and looks at Kat.* But I'm hungry and he's the only one that can drive us to get food. *Kyle can hear activity from the door and gets up and goes to take a look also, when he hears Steven voice he rushes up to the door but stops short not exactly sure what to say to him he hides behind Rikarah and just listens.*
 
Jessie couldn’t catch his breath, he had run far too long for too long of a time to be able to breathe right now. How had they shown up so quickly? Obviously those people were of a different brand then the police that he was used to. Calico had no hold over the marines and it was shown in how quickly the man was captured. Jessie knew his boss well though, and it would only be a matter of time until he was contacted again.


All he had to do was stay low and judging by the news, he might have a lot more trouble than usual. The man tried to stay away from both his women and Calico’s gang. Eventually he found his way back to Calico’s main hangout, and waited for the man to show up.


--


Eventually Hailey had to separate from Sebastian, as the police had started to fan out from the zoo and they split up to avoid them. The blonde girl was undecided on whether she had wanted him to leave her or not. Somewhere inside her she wanted to reconnect with the boy, as she missed him dearly, but the other part knew he hated Jessie. Back when she knew both of them, she remembered that Jessie didn’t have that much of a liking for him either.


Now that Hailey was away from the zoo, she tried to relocate him as she needed to ask what she had exactly walked into. The man was nowhere to be found though, and she even spent the night at the house that he stayed in. Still, only Mike appeared and when he did she was almost out of there until he grabbed her wrist. “You’re on the news” was all he said before letting her yank her wrist from his grip.


Then Hailey was out there, keeping her head down as she looked for a TV store, knowing the news would probably be what it was playing. Although she knew what Mike had done to her, she tried to convince herself he is trying to look out for her. Jessie had simply sent the wrong person to check up on his favourite girl. When Hailey had found the TV shop, sure enough, a news story was playing on the screens, one that she recognized.


Many faces were blurred and barely there, but she spotted her own, the new bruise included on her face. Sebastian was there next to her, but the cellphone camera, as the news story had identified, had only caught portions of his face. Still, she was worried…a lot could happen if that boy was caught by somebody for being on the news. Hailey cursed under her breath, turning away from the windows, she really had no idea what happened at that zoo.


She hoped she wouldn’t get picked up for simply trying to find Jessie or Sebastian for only following her there. She knew she would probably get picked up more easily on the streets now, as there seemed to be a lot more law enforcement than she was used to. Hailey knew there was one place where she could stay that wouldn’t be suspicious for her. With a sigh, the girl started heading towards the homeless shelter… it had been far too long.
 
"Safe is a rather relative term, considering the circumstances," Rikarah tells Steven coolly, continuing to eye him and not approaching him any closer than she currently stood. "They are not seriously injured, but considering that they are all homeless and sleeping on the floor of an abandoned building, I would not say that any of them would be nominated for most protected individual of the year."


She will not inform Steven that she herself was probably in the worst shape the previous night. He can't tell that by looking at her, so she isn't about to clue him in. Instead, she continues to watch him, before asking, "And where is Calico being taken, exactly?" She's not about to let him take away her vengeance from her. Although this is the most important factor of the equation in her mind, she is also curious enough to ask, "How is it that you are free, exactly? I would think one would have to use an awful lot of violence to get away from him and his men."


She does not acknowledge Kyle when he attempts to hide behind her, although since he is a good six inches taller than her, minimum, he is far from successful at doing so. By this point Katarina, seeing Kyle bound out of the room, follows him, opening her mouth to call out to him. But when she sees Steven standing in the front area of the theater, Kyle, Shira, and Rikarah close by, she comes to a dead stop, her eyes opening wide. She can't move at first, thinking that she's just imagining him there. He couldn't be, not with having surrendered to Calico.


"Steven...STEVEN?"


Rikarah's eyes shift towards her, and there is something like weary irritation in them. She is not at all in the mood for a Steven/Katarina gush fest, not when she would rather like to cause him injury at the moment.


**


It has been almost an hour since Anthony DeSanto learned from his wife the news of his kids and their whereabouts, and he is getting himself together fast to move in on them. He had taken off from his job without notice and with one upraised middle finger held behind his back in response to his shift employer's demands as to where he thought he was going walking out in the middle of the shift, considerably more important things on his mind. Picking up Alicia, his wife, and getting himself to NYC, getting to those ungrateful, good for nothing little brats, and showing them exactly what would happen when they took off like that on HIM. Burning down HIS house, killing HIS kid, taking off on him and making him look the fool, making him look like a bad father, making him look like he couldn't control his own family, like he wasn't his own man? Those kids were going to pay for what they'd done to him, those kids were going to be begging forgiveness on their knees by the time he got through with him...if they could kneel at all...
 
Chris opened her mouth to suggest maybe they ask Max, but she stopped herself. First off, who knew if Max even wanted anything to do with them. She also wasn't sure how to contact him. Maybe she could locate an old payphone. Some places still had ones or maybe she could swipe a phone off someone.


Chris nodded in her sister's direction. It didn't sound like anything drastic was going on, although she could hear people talking. Not all happy either. Chris had learned to hear emotions since she couldn't see expressions, but it wasn't always easy. But she felt the wary was clear. Chris followed her sister out of the room, thinking of what to do now. She didn't want to go back to the motel if Calico knew they lived there. She'd rather not have another meeting with him, even if she didn't actually encounter the man.


She heard her sister say Steven and she stopped a few feet back. Steven was here? She tried to guess if Kat was happy or angry, especially after last night. She waited to see what would happen.


----


Jillian was pleased to see Julian looking happy. It was a good look on him. Jillian pulled away and came up beside Julian inside, hip bumping him so he could move over so Jillian could access the sink.


"Convience store on Baker Street," Jillian reported. The job he was lucky not to have been fired from yet. He had to do something in order to get a better job. He was stuck between learning a usual trade or even going back to high school and get his diploma and go to college. He didn't think the latter was all that possible. "I get out around six," he continued. "Do you want to do something afterwards?"


Jillian looked at Julian as if he wanted to ask more questions. He then smiled at him.


----


Liselle glanced across the bench at Lionel. She had taken him with her back to the park. He was lost and Liselle wasn't sure if she could find the homeless shelter in the dark. After hearing reports of what happened at the zoo, Liselle was too nervous to go anywhere but back to the park. She wondered if the others were okay. Raekel, Hailey, that cute guy Sebastian.


"Can you take me back," Lionel asked Liselle, turning to look at her. He was thankful that she didn't abandoned him, but he missed Jillian. He knew the other boy must be out of his mind worried about him. Liselle just nodded. The shelter.... She wanted to ask why a boy his age was there, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. It must be bad if he got kicked out or left or whatever. Liselle found she rather not know. Still she wanted him to stay safe. Maybe it was because he remind her of Lys. It didn't matter. But the shelter. It had a roof and was warmer than the park. Maybe she should go there too?


"Well I think we can find it now. Come on." She stood and gestured for Lionel to follow. He did so, quietly. They walked like that, Lionel trailing behind, Liselle trying to make conversation, but not sure what to say. She had learned that Lionel was about thirteen, living in the homeless shelter and was looked after by some girl named Jillian. Lionel would not talk about his family or life before. Liselle decided to not make him tell her anything.


Liselle paused for a moment as they drew nearer. Lionel looked at her confused.


"You okay?"


"Yeah. Let's go." Liselle continued walking. Maybe she'd stay there.
 
*Steven gave a small smile to Kat and stepped towards her* Hey I just wanted to see if you're all ok and I know there is probably no way you can go back to the motel so here. *He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key and holds it out to Kat.* You can stay here if you want, it's the key to my parent's dojo, there is a house upstairs, it's only has 3 bedrooms not including my parents room, but hot and cold water. Anyway its up to you and the others. *Kyle still not sure what to say or do continues to hide behind Rika.* Hey Kyle is that you back there? I'm glad you're safe, glad you're back with your family little man.
 
Shira tilted her head in confusion as Steven explained his reason for being there. She poked him with the stick end of the mop. "Silly zombie. You people can't talk." Wondering how a zombie could even talk in the first place, Shira realized that she should be working. "Ah. Gotta go now." She then climbed through the window and began running off barefoot. That is until she came to an abrupt stop when she stepped on a pebble. She then hopped back to the theatre quickly chanting "Ow. Ow. Ow. Owwy.", climbed back through the window, grabbed her sneakers and went off.


*****


Max woke up to the sound of his computer beeping. His head was still a bit groggy but a cup of coffee would fix him right up. After a few minutes waiting for the coffee maker to finish, the blond now had a fresh cup in his hand and began sipping when his eyes went to the morning news. What he saw made him spit out the contents in his mouth, staining the white countertops with coffee. Chris. Chris was on television. At least he thought it was her. The picture was a bit grainy, having come from a cellphone, but it was her. Shit. Were they actually documented? Fortunately, Max wasn't captured in any of the photos but still. Chris was a domino and this could provide problems. He immediately grabbed his coat and headed off into the city, not noticing the alert on his computer.


*****


Having no idea how a job hunt actually worked, Shira spent most of her time wandering around the park. After around two hours and no profits to show for it, Shira realized she wasn't cut out for this making money business. Sure she had earned tips before but it was never anything too big. How could she hope to make enough money to support the people at the theatre now? Well, she did make about 40 dollars earlier singing with a hobo playing the guitar. The man looked like Santa and was nice enough to share his money with her. But she saw another hobo with a puppy and felt so bad that she gave him the entire amount.


Sad now, she went to sit on a bench when she heard some girls talking nearby. They were maybe 17? 18? Wearing make up and having their hair done so fancily, Shira was curious about what these mature girls were talking about. So she crept within earshot of the teenagers.


"Seriously, Becky, I like him a lot. I wish I knew how to make him fall for me." "Oh, that's easy," Shira said while popping out of the bushes. The two girls jumped in surprise. They questioned how some little brat would know anything about dating but decided that it wouldn't hurt to hear her out. "Okay. How?"


"Okay. First, you call him out to a remote setting. Somewhere high enough so that you get a good view of the horizon, like the top of a building. This meeting must be done around the same time as when the sun goes down. That's important. Then as you both gaze into the sunset, the rest of the city all going home to their loved ones, your heart starts thumping wildly and your palms get sweaty. And you start to wonder whether or not he is experiencing the same. The world seems quiet other than the bustle of the city below because neither of you are saying a word. And before one of you breaks the silence, you gently reach out to him . . . and push. Hard. And then he will fall."


The girls looked at Shira in horror before running away. One girl had dropped her wallet, so Shira picked it up and yelled to them. "Hey. You forgot this!" The girls, however, were not coming back and instead disappeared. Shira stood there for a bit before opening the wallet and taking out all the money in it, about 56 dollars. "Finder's fee~," she sung to herself and pocketed the cash. She then put the wallet into the lost and found before walking off, proud of herself for making 56 dollars. "But I need more money."


Then a hand was placed on her shoulder. She looked up to see a man, maybe in his early forties. He was pretty ugly, she noted, with a balding head and a greasy looking face. "So you need to make some money?" Shira's eyes lit up. This was a nice guy despite his looks. So she nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, well I have a job you can do. Just come with me and I'll give you a lot of money, okay?" Shira nodded again and proceeded to follow the man. He sure breathed funny, she thought. He must be out of shape. Maybe he was going to make her a trainer. Shira was good at stuff like running and lifting things, she could make a good trainer. The man opened the door to his beat up sedan and Shira was about to go in when a hand yanked her back.


It was Max. He looked at the predator with a dirty look. How dare this man try to take one of his research subjects away. What if she was killed? That would be one less power he'd have to study. Dominoes weren't common so he had to protect the ones he had already found, which meant he'd need to check up on Chris and the rest of the DeSantos. The military had already pilfered Steven so he couldn't lose any more. Luckily, the man took the hint and drove off without so much as a word. Shira, with the loss of possible income, turned around and began punching Max. Her punches were weak though and it looked like a little kid throwing a tantrum at her older brother. "How could you do that? He was going to give me money?"


"Money? Do you know what he could've done to you? He might've killed you? Anyway, if you need money, I can give you as much as you need." And he took out a few twenties and placed them in Shira's hand. "If you need anything, just rely on me okay?" The line was recited perfectly and even ended with Max's signature smile. He needed these dominoes to trust him. Shira looked at all the money in her hand and nodded. "So Shira, do you know where that pretty girl from yesterday is? Chris?" Shira nodded again. "Yup. She and her family stayed with us last night in the theatre. I think they still might be there but- Oh my God! I left everyone with the zombie! We have to go. He may have eaten everyone already. And then they'd eat others and . . . and . . . and I would've been the one to start the zombie apocalypse!" She dragged Max by the hand all the way back, hoping everyone was still alive.
 
"I am fairly certain that Steven sees you, Kyle," Rikarah says to the younger boy with a ghost of a smile on her lips, and she steps aside, allowing Steven to have full view of him. "I am also fairly sure he is alive and well. And clearly, taking charge of the situation, per usual."


She shifts her eyes to Katarina as the other girl takes the key into her hand, examining it as if she is not quite sure it is real. Katarina looks back up at Steven, then down at the key, her mind already spinning the possibilities. A house...running water? Electricity? HEAT? It's unbelievable to her, and she steps towards him, asking with some shock, "Stay there? For...how long? Won't they find out? Won't they not want us around? We can't let anyone know who we are, or how we...Steven, how did you get out? Are you okay? Are you hurt? You...Steven you saved us."


This is definitely more than Rikarah wants to hear, and she turns abruptly, heading back into her designated bedroom where Xander remains as far as she knows. He seems to be the only one of this family who is also less than enthralled with Steven the Mighty.


**


Julian grins as Jillian lightly knocks his hip against his, looking down at the sink and touching its edge lightly to keep himself balanced as the other boy uses the area. Did he want to do something afterward? He wanted nothing else.


"Yes," he said, and thought to himself what it was he wanted to do today. Make some money, was what he needed to do, show Jillian that he could earn his way and provide for himself as well. He had left his guitar back in the room, and vowed to himself not to be so careless with it again. He may have a roof over his head and Jillian helping provide, but he still couldn't afford to lose his guitar by leaving it like that. Jillian has distracted him from taking his usual precautions.


He supposes just because he does not live in the park anymore doesn't mean he can't earn money there.
 
Xander, through all the noise and confusion, had somehow managed to stay asleep. Even through Kyle shaking him, he still slept. Maybe using his power too much had an affect on him after all. But he does wake up when Chris speaks, and listens to Katarina groggily as she questions him, he has no idea. Is the answer he should give, the answer he wants to give, but he knows it's certainly not an acceptable answer at all. "One thing's for sure; we can't go back and live at the Motel." Well, apart from grabbing their stuff, but that was it. And Xander could do that by himself, no need to drag everyone along with him. He tries to ignore her mention of Steven, not wanting to tell his twin that the guy was most likely dead in a ditch by now - and not quite liking that thought either himself.


Then, before conversation can go further, there is a knock at the door, and Kyle bounds out of the room, Katarina quickly following. Then he hears her words, Steven. Steven was here? Alive? Well, that was a shocker. Xander still wasn't sure how he felt about the army man. Did he like him? Did he dislike him? He had plenty of reasons for both. He liked him because he did help save Kyle, and he gave himself up to keep them all alive, not to mention he had admittedly helped out the DeSanto's in a variation of ways. But he disliked him because Steven was the reason Kyle was in trouble in the first place; Steven was the reason he had to give himself up, and Steven was the reason Calico now had it out for all of the DeSanto siblings. They were doing just fine avoiding the mob leader until Steven came along.


So, unsure of his feelings or reaction to Steven being here, Xander decided to stay put, even when Chris got up and followed Kat. He didn't feel like watching Kat and Steven have their big, romantic union, and he wasn't quite ready to watch Kyle began to drool over the invincible hero again. He sighed, pushing the make-shift blanket off from his body, and running his hand through his hair as he tried to wake himself up. Maybe he should run to the motel while his siblings were distracted with Steven's magical tale of how he escaped the evil clutches of the big bad Calico. Yeah, that sounded like a plan.


Xander was about to stand up when Rikarah walked back in, and he gave her a small smile as she looked to him. He did hear Katarina speaking, and heard her words about Steven saving them. Oh please. Xander was about to start puking rainbows in a minute. "Are you hear to escape the gushing Steven fans too?" He pushed himself up from the ground, pulling down on his risen top slightly, "Let me guess, he's shown up at the door, well window, on his white horse with his shining silver hero armour, and he's somehow miraculously alive, with an offer of five, first-class, free private plane tickets to the Garden of Eden?" He rolls his eyes, "Or something like that anyway." He says this as he picks up the blankets, and puts them away - his attempt at cleaning up after himself.


He then glances to the door, hearing the others speak, and looks back to Rikarah, his voice softer, "Thank you for helping us yesterday, without you Kyle and I would have been tiger food."


----------


Natalia, after all the commotion of yesterday, had managed to sleep in. That was of course until a red-headed terror jumped on her, demanding she wake up because she was hungry. "Blue! Blue! Me and Lei are hungryyyy! Can we go get some food?" Natalia groaned, turning over on the cold floor, "Yeah...sure, go...go get some." Terabithia pouted, "No Blue! You have to come with us! There's lots of people out there and you need food too! Plus, some of the stuff is super high up so we can't reach it." Natalia sighed, sitting up as she pushed her hair back out of her face. "Urgh, fine." She looked over to see Lei was sitting patiently on the make-shift bed she had been sleeping on the night before, watching the two girls curiously. As she caught Natalia's eyes, she spoke softly but not quietly, "I told her to wait until you woke up." Natalia frowned at the child - you wouldn't think she was a year younger than Terabithia. "Uh, it's fine, she does it every morning." Natalia then stood up, not caring about her appearance at all - she lived with a bunch of homeless people after all - and motioned for the two young girls to follow her. "Come on then."





She lead the two out into the hallway, but stopped upon seeing so many people near the window. Steven was alive? Well, that was good to know. Not like she cared anyway. She was about to walk past and head to the food when Lei spoke up, "Who's that man?" She was frowning now, looking a bit pale even, and Natalia glanced to her, her brow furrowing slightly with worry, "He's just one of Katarina's friends Lei, why?"


----------


Lei, had been walking with Terabithia, behind Natalia, when she spotted him. She had seen that man in one of her 'visions', after touching one of the walls of New York, she had caught a glimpse of Steven shooting Calico's men. Of course, Lei didn't know it was Calico's men Steven shot, or why, she just knew he had shot people, and here he was, in the same room as her.


"He...I saw him. He's killed people Natalia." She spoke this as she watched Steven, eyes wary, Terabithia's eyes widened at this news, "He...he what?" She herself has gone pale, and she looks to Steven, talking to him now, "Is she right?" She sounds as if she is about to start crying, her lip trembling a bit, "Have you hurt people?" Natalia is standing awkwardly by, not sure what to say or do - she has no issue knowing Steven has killed, but Terabithia is about to start bawling, and that is never good.


(Oh dear, imagine what would happen if Lei found out Steven was trying to kill Calico - her dad O.o )
 
Xander is already escaping by the time Katarina seems to realize his presence and turns to him, her face aglow with her rising hope at Steven's offer and her relief that he is alive and here before him at all. She smiles, one of the most genuine smiles she has given Xander in some time, even as he is retreating.


"Xander, did you hear that, Steven has somewhere we can live!"


Turning back to Steven, she comes towards him without hesitation now, climbing through the window awkwardly and then taking both his hands into hers and squeezing. She starts to kiss him, but then stops, pulling back a little as some of her earlier feelings towards him and his actions return to mind.


"I don't understand...Steven, there's a lot you did and are doing...I don't know. I...kind of don't know what you want."


Rikarah's eyes roll to the ceiling, and she lets out a faint huff as Xander addresses her, allowing her irritation with Steven to show more fully with Xander than she would the others. After all, Xander is clearly on her side, and one of the few who seem to have sense, in her opinion. Mainly because he had listened to her ideas earlier, but for Rikarah, that's a fairly good indication of his good sense.


"That appears to be the size of it. If you ask me, it is fairly suspicious that he seems to always show up at exactly the most convenient time for him...and I would not be sure of his apparently good intentions. What sort of innocent person can walk away unscathed from that man we all barely managed to evade being slaughtered by? He is either infinitely more deadly himself, or else he has an alliance with him we do not know of."


When Xander thanks her, she gives him a small smile, nodding, and steps closer, her eyes searching his. Something about his tone and expression causes her to think that this one seems interested in her, perhaps attracted, and so she takes another step, standing close now. "You are the one who carried me out."


Katarina is still half wrapped around Steven when the little girls barge in, and barely glances at them...that is, until Lei's declaration of Steven's kills. Seeing Terabithia's distress, she frowns, looking up at Steven questioningly, then down at the little girl's, letting go of one of his hands as she says to Terabithia uncertainly, "He...he had to, Abi. Because they were bad people trying to hurt people...right Steven?"


She looks up at him, wanting the confirmation herself.
 
(Jo, when I read Xander's comment about Steven on a white horse, I so wanted Max to just pop in and say, "Nope. That's my job. Steven's probably shirtless, wounded and out of breath, holding a kitten, and has an army chopper out there to take you to Eden.")


With all the commotion going on, there was no way that Cas could stay asleep. It was strange. Why would there be this much noise? Out of everyone that lived there, only Abi and Shira were even remotely talkative but only two girls shouldn't make this much noise, right? Trying to get out of bed, he flinched as his injured leg hit the floor. It didn't look like he was going to be shuffling or anything that day. He looked around his room to find something he could use as a crutch. Shira's bed was empty but that old floor lamp by it seemed promising. He hopped his way over and grabbed the pole, making sure to toss the lampshade in the corner first. Using the lamp as a makeshift walking stick, he limped into the hallway and toward the entrance of the theatre.


Okay . . . Where the hell did all these people come from? Okay, Cas was about 75% sure that these people weren't here when he went to sleep last night. And maybe 80% sure that he wasn't the one to invite them in. He dragged himself over to the group. "Uh . . . hi? Um . . . Are you people raiders or something?"


*****


When the theatre came into view, Shira let go of Max's hand. There was a lot of commotion by the window where Steven still was. "Oh my God. I'm too late." She walked over to the window until she was probably two or three feet behind Steven. Still unable to read the mood or apparently hear anything that's been said in the last minute or so, she placed her hand over her heart as if in mourning. "Don't worry everyone. I won't let you guys become monsters. I will fix this." She quickly turned to Max. "Do you still have your gun? How much ammo? I'd like to do this with a single shot to the head but these zombies are shifty mofos. They've already learned how to talk and everything."
 
Chris was not so happy about the thought of Steven taking them anywhere. She realized she was acting like the middle child she was. She didn't hate Steven quite like Xander did, nor did she like him as Kat and Kyle did. In fact Chris found herself mostly indifferent to the man. Still the place he was taking about sounded rather nice. Chris like the idea of being able to stay at a place where everything worked.


Still something about it didn't sit right with the blind girl. Maybe it was Steven or maybe just the idea of moving somewhere nice while the people around her not her family wouldn't get that option with them. And if anything Chris would rather someone different offer them a chance like that. So maybe it was Steven after all. He wasn't that bad, but Chris would rather not live with him.


She kept quiet though, only let out a noise as Cas spoke. "Raiders?" Chris felt herself use her power. Tall. He was tall and seemed to be fit. She wondered who he might be. A name seemed to teeter on the edge of her mind, but she couldn't quite remember it. "If we were raiders wouldn't the scene be more chaotic?"


----


Jillian looked down at his boyfriend, toothbrush still in mouth. "Are you going to be more specific," he asked around the toothbrush. He took it out and set it down on the sink before spitting.


"Anywhere you want to go in particular? I can think of some nice places. But I'd rather hear what you want to do first." Jillian still wondered how the boy might occupy his time while Jillian was working, but he didn't ask. He was also wondering if he could locate him a job. He seemed to have a knack for finding desperate employers or those who didn't really give too much of a **** as long as you did your work. There would be something for him.
 
*Steven directs his comments to the girl asking him about killing.* Yeah, I've killed but I've only killed bad people that either left me no choice or tried to kill me..So yeah I'm a killer there's no getting around that, listen Kat, I'm not here to go back to how things where before, you made your feelings clear back at the zoo, I've cost you your home so I owe you, if Xander and Kyle want we can go get all your stuff from the motel and bring it to my parents dojo, once there you all won't even have to see me, my parents room is on a separate part of the house. I will however still like use of the dojo but the rest of the place is yours to do with whatever you want. So the decision is up to you and your brothers and sister. *He pulls himself away from Kat.* Kyle however I would like to keep my promise and train you.


*Kyle confused about what Steven is talking about with Kat but can sense the tension coming off him, something happened between the time they kissed and the time he was rescued, but the shine on Steven's armor has been tainted to him lately but he does still need the training.* Yeah that's fine we can still try but why are you mad at my sister Steven? What happened I thought you two like like each other?


*Steven doesn't respond to the part about Kat and him.* Right I'll wait in my car if someone wants to get Xander we can go get your stuff.
 
As first Castiel, then Shira appear before the group in the lobby, Katarina is faintly distracted, looking from one to the other and blinking several times. Castiel's appearance causes her to blush and lower her eyes quickly, shifting closer to Steven and praying that the other boy will not mention their previous meeting. Raiders...why would he think they were raiders? Didn't he remember her?


The thought that he might have already forgotten her is mortifying as much as the possibility of him or Shira summing their last meeting in front of Steven.


When Shira charges in, declaring she will protect them from zombies, Katarina looks around herself quickly, just in case. She didn't see a zombie, but with all the craziness of the last few days, she was prepared to take her at her word and flee if necessary. Not seeing any obvious zombies, or anyone whose identity was a mystery to her, she looked back at Shira, confused. "What? There aren't any zombies...we're just people."


She doesn't remind Shira that she knows her and Chris. No need to risk that.


She turns back to Steven when he starts to speak, explaining himself to Shira and to her, but the more he is saying, the more Katarina's heart drops. He is pulling away, even now, after he saved them, even after he was back safe and sound...she had thought he had gone to help them because he loved her, because he cared about her family and still wanted to be with her. He could have gotten killed, and he was okay now...and he didn't want to be with her? He was saying she had...made her feelings clear at the zoo?


And yet he was still offering her and her siblings a house? He still wants to train Kyle...is it just HER he doesn't like anymore?


She is growing upset as she looks from Kyle, who is also questioning Steven, to Chris, whose emotions Katarina cannot read, back to Steven, reaching to grab his wrist again. "Steven, what are you talking about? I showed what feelings? I thought you came back because...are you mad at me? I thought you loved me. I thought...why would you want to give me anything if you don't love me anymore? Steven...what did I do wrong?"


She bites the inside of her cheeks as she grips his wrist, trying to focus on staying calm, but depending on his response, it might not be easy soon.


**


Julian thought, trying to think of somewhere to go, something to do, that would be special when he was with Jillian. His mind came to a blank, and when he looked back at Jillian, he lowered his eyes only for a moment before he could look at him straight on. Somehow it was easier to meet his eyes in the mirror.


"Anywhere is nice...if, if I'm w-with you."


He is blushing a little, but not as brilliantly as he normally might with such a statement. Already he is growing more comfortable with saying such things, feeling such things, and as Jillian finishes up, he tells him, "I m-might play at the park again, or m-maybe I'll look for a better job. I s-should make more money for us."
 
*Steven didn't want to walk away from Kat, in fact the entire time he was fighting was to protect her but he felt like back at the zoo, she didn't trust him true he was in a lot of pain and wasn't completely thinking clear, his survival instincts and his need to save Kyle probably made him seem unstable but he to him it seemed like they were all turning against him perfect strangers like Rikarah who knows nothing about how to lay siege on to a place like the zoo and Xander has hated him from the start and not once did Kat speak up for Steven who was only trying to help, he even got shot because her brother stole his car and left him in the middle of a gang infested park and she didn't once say they needed to go back or check on him..To him Kat didn't share his feelings for him that he had for her, he seemed disposable to to her.*
 
It was on the way to the homeless shelter that Hailey had noticed the large group on the side of the road. They seemed be surrounding the theater that was there and talking inside the window…had their friends snuck into the building? As the girl got closer and closer, the fact that she indeed recognized the man outside was plain to see. Steven was his name as she had heard it enough times last night from Jessie or Calico to know. Suspicious, how easily the man had escaped both the grasps of Calico and the military so easily.


There was only one other girl that she recognized outside, and it wasn’t because she remembered her from the park. It was when she got in closer, that her face immediately made her think of the news story that had been on this morning. This girl was in the same park, and upon realizing she had been staring the blonde darted her eyes away, trying to quicken her step past them. Hailey had certainly recognized them, so there was a possibility they might recognize her.


She couldn’t help herself though, and her eyes darted for a quick look at the window, her eyes widening slightly before she all but ran away from the scene. She had been right, the people from the zoo and the video were there… the one she most prominently recognized was the girl who had ran up and touched Sebastian.
 
Chris ignored her sister and Steven. As much as she wanted her sister to be happy and as much as she didn't mind them together, she would rather not listen to them right at the moment.


She heard Shira's voice and turned in that direction. Max... Max was here as well. Well that solved how she was going to find him. She moved closer to the older man , stopping a few feet away. She opened her mouth to talk, to say that she was sorry. Sorry he was dragged into this, sorry that they had left him behind, sorry that he had to be involved with them all, especially her.


Chris wanted to apologize but something stopped her. She heard new footsteps. She turned her head just a bit, listening carefully. Was someone else here? But who? Chris didn't want to use her power and beside. She was getting use to the sounds of everyone's footsteps. These sounded different. New. Maybe. Chris couldn't be sure. She knew her families' pretty well, but everyone else was still practically strangers to her.


"I think we have company," Chris said silently. She was glad to be blind. She didn't have to look away from Max. She would apologize to him later.


----


Jillian had to stop himself from just crushing Julian in an embrace. He was adorable. Jillian smiled wide as he stared back into his boyfriend's eyes in the mirror. He wondered how he got so lucky.


"Maybe we can see a movie? They are cheaper around the time I get out. If that is fine with you." Jillian then turned to look down at Julian. He appreciated the thought. "If you want to. It might be nice to see more money. Ha, maybe someday we could save up and actually move somewhere." Jillian laughed. He liked the sound of that. "But he careful okay?"


 
*Steven looked back at Kat* Look I'm not mad at anyone and like I said, I'm trying to help because of me you lost your place to live, a psychotic drug dealer kidnapped your baby brother and terrorized all of you, you were exposed to a world of violence that you should never have known existed..I'm the source of all your suffering, truth is, it's good that you don't like me, truth is after all I've done I deserve to be alone, I'm a plague that poisoned your lives..I can never repay you for all that I've done but I have to try.


*Kyle silently listens and questions everything Steven says in his mind, did he really expose them to Calico or did he by working for a insane drug dealer in the first place, in fact Steven wouldn't even be here if he didn't save Kyle's life when all those gangbangers that worked for Calico opened fire on him outside the park and Steven.*


Steven, I'm the one that brought all this trouble for you and for my family, this is all my fault.


*Steven walks back to Kyle and kneels in front of him* Kyle, don't this isn't your fault, you were a kid and he took advantage of your innocence, he used your desperate situation and then once you were in there wasn't anything you could do..And Me and Calico were already on a path of mutual destruction, I just wish I could have spared all of you from our fight. So Kyle let me do this for you, let me give you a place to grow up a normal kid and feel safe again..Maybe I can see about getting you back into school and you can hang out with kids your own age.


*Kyle goes silent again, not completely convince that he's not as much to blame for all this as Steven is.*
 
If Rikarah had been present, she would have certainly agreed with every word Steven declared and then add her own input to it as well. But luckily for him, she wasn't there, and so Katarina quickly joined Kyle in his stunned, protesting reaction. She widened her eyes, then quickly shook her head, stepping closer and reaching out as though to touch him before slowly pulling her hand back.


"Steven...but...I do like you. I don't know why you think...it wasn't your fault. It wasn't...we got you in trouble, we're the ones who were messing everything up. And if we take your house...it might get you in more trouble."


She swallowed, then, stepping closer to him, took a deep breath, her words dropping very low as she said in a rather unsteady tone, "We...there was another one of us. Used to be. We...what happened...it was..." She stops, looking at Kyle quickly, and then stops herself, not wanting to blame either him or her own self for what had happened to Alice. She can hardly believe she's speaking of Alice now, even indirectly, and she can feel her stomach sloshing heavily as she makes herself go on. "We're...we could be in bad trouble. We could get you in trouble, just for being with us, probably...it's not your fault. It's ours."


She wants to say that it was hers, for that is how it feels to her, but stops herself in time.


"So...if we take your house, and people find out we're there...you could get in trouble, or be in danger...I don't know...I guess...we'll have to talk about it. Xander and me."


**


A movie? Julian hasn't seen one in almost a year. Even before he ran away, he had not been one to go on social outings, or do much of anything purely for fun and entertainment. To see a movie with Jillian would seem so out of the ordinary as to be almost heavenly.


Thinking of this, Julian's usual self-conscious smile widens slightly, and he nods, turning his head back to Jillian again and meeting his eyes. "That...that sounds n-nice."


Jillian tells him to be careful, and this too warms Julian's heart. Someone cares if he's safe...JILLIAN cares if he's safe. He nods again, promising. "I will be...you, you be too."


He wishes he could go with Jillian, but he supposes he shouldn't push things so early on. There was such a thing as being clingy...but it has been so long since Julian really felt connected with someone that it is hard now for him to let Jillian go, even briefly.
 
Cas shrugged as Chris spoke up. "I don't know. You could be more organized raiders. I'm not sure how that business works."


Shira flailed her arms as she looked at Kat. There was a look of pity on your face. "Poor poor Giraffarig. You don't even know that you could all be infected by the zombie. I've been gone for like forever. You must've been bitten by now." "Shira? What are you talking about?" The pale haired girl waved to Cas. She quickly crawled through the window, tripping at the last moment. A bit of dust still on her face, she ran over to her brother and waved a wad of cash in his face. There was no smile on her face but her eyes were practically sparkling. "Cas. Look at all the money I earned today. I'm good, right?"


Cas raised an eyebrow as he looked at the money in Shira's hand. "Uh . . . Shira? You earned all this? You did so legally, right?" "Uh . . . yeah?" she said, while avoiding his eye.


Max's eyes widened when he spotted Steven. It was weird. The blond was almost happy to see the man okay but it only raised questions as to how. Max had seen him get arrested and yet he was here fine. The boy was suddenly compelled to follow the ex-marine. God, what had become of him? He stopped when he noticed the blonde girl from last night walking toward the group. He walked over to her, knowing that this would be awkward since she probably had no idea who he was. "Hello?" he said flashing his typical smile. "Is it okay if I ask what you're doing here?"
 
*Steven finally had enough of Shira* THAT'S IT I WANT TO EAT HER BRAINS NOW! Come here you little monkey I'll show you a zombie! BRAINS GIVE ME BRAINS. *He starts slowly moving towards Shira, rolling his eyes, letting his jaw slack his arms rise up in front of him and drags his feet.*Kyle looked confused at first but suddenly starts to laugh, before joining Steven.* Brains I want brains. *Kyle tugs and smiles on Kat's sleeve to see if she'll join them, thinking she could used a bit of a fun.*
 
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