Castouts (Accepting new characters)

Cas looked over Rikarah as she began asking about his pain. It took him a minute though to unclench his teeth to answer her. "It's . . . more of a throbbing. Uh . . . I don't know. Normal temperature?" He pulled a face as Max put more disinfectant on his wound, biting his lip so hard he felt as if he bite straight through it. "It sure isn't numb. I can tell you that." He gave a sigh of relief when Max finished. "I think it's probably a six or seven on the pain scale but at least it's only temporary. In a few months, my leg should be good as new."


Max wanted to tell Cas that there was a possibility that he may never regain the full use of his legs. Watching the distraught in the Asians face may provide him a few giggles but he decided to simply smile at Cas and let the boy find this out himself. Plus he had too much on his mind to be able to fully appreciate the sight of a boy's hopes getting dashed on the rocks.


When Hailey tries to leave, Max gets up and pulls her back. "Not so fast Amber. You took that pimp beating straight on last night. There's no way you're not hurt. And it wouldn't sit well with my karma if I just let you go like that." He then motioned for her to sit on the sofa by Cas where he had just sat before. Rifling through his bag he looked at her trying to find the injuries so he'd know what to do. "So where does it hurt?"


Max proceeded to open his mouth when Rikarah thought of possible rooming arrangements but was interrupted by Shira bursting into the room before he could even speak.


"C-C-Cas! T-there's a bathtub! And it's huge!" Shira began waving her arms about in excitement. She couldn't even remember the last time she soaked in a tub of hot water. Cas and she usually took sponge baths with the cold or luke warm water, depending on the time of year, from gallons of water, only they used washcloths and not sponges. Max couldn't help but smile a bit at the girl's actions. Poor people were always impressed by the smallest things. "Shira, it's just a normal sized tub. I'm sure it's the same as any bathtub in any other home."


Shira shook her head. "No. This one's practically a swimming pool. You could fit like ten people in there!" Despite what Max said, his tub was bigger than the average one but not as much as the pale haired girl insisted. At most, three people could fit in it, not ten.


"Oh! And the bedrooms are ginormous too. They're like a king or queen's room in those movies. I jumped on one and I couldn't even reach the other side! They weren't water beds though." The last comment was said in a slightly disappointing tone. She'd always wanted to lay in a waterbed. When Shira passed the television store last month, there was a movie on the display screens and the people in there made it seem so fun.


"Shira, you know that waterbeds aren't very practical. And they're easy to puncture. It wouldn't be smart to get one." Shira looked up at Max. What was that look in her eye? It seemed like pity? Ma raised an eyebrow trying to understand the expression on her face. "Are you saying that because you're too poor to get one?"


A switch went off in Ma's head. This girl actually pitied him? She actually thought that he was . . . poor? Or at least too poor to get a waterbed? This left him a bit dumbfounded. No one had actually pitied him before. Envied? Yes. Admired? Yes. But pitied? For the first time in his life, Max was speechless.


Leaving Max to his thinking, Shira went back to describing the rooms she saw to Cas. "Cas! Everything's so shiny and sparkly and soft and clean and new! There's this room full of awards and pictures! And one with a punching bag in it! And . . . and . . . " She quickly turned her head to face Rikarah. "Rikarah! You must've lived in a place like this right? The fairy castle? What was it like there?" Her blue eyes sparkled like light on water. Somehow believing Rikarah was a fairy princess like how Steven was a zombie, she looked into the older girl's face with excitement and curiosity.
 
Katarina agrees to Steven's requests easily enough, entering the room where she and Chris are to stay and testing out the bed she will share with Chris. She smiles at Chris, giving it a slight bounce as though to test it, but cannot seem to sit still as she gets up again, inspecting with wonder every inch of what for now, at least,is her and her sister's bedroom. She is feeling an energy she has not in sometime, some hope as well, and almost immediately as she wanders into the kitchen, amazed by the food she finds in the cabinets and fridge, she wants to find Steven again, to again thank him.


She has already forgotten his request to be left alone as she begins to search for him, finally locating him in his training room. Blinking when she sees the destroyed punching bag on the floor, she nevertheless steps forward.


"Thanks again...uh...I was wondering...I'd really appreciate it if you could teach me some moves. You don't have to now," she adds quickly,noticing that his expression is less than cheery. "Um...just whenever."


She starts to back away, still watching him.


*


Rikarah frowns as Hailey retorts with her own attempts to explain at Rikarah's pointed comments about her, believing the girl, mostly, at least, but hardly liking her words. So the man with Calico, then, is someone Hailey is attached to...a lover? He had looked considerably older than her...


A light clicks on as she look Hailey over again. Was the girl a prostitute?


"Is that man your father, then?" she asked with entirely false innocence before turning to Cas, doubting the truth of his optimism but not yet voicing it.


"You should stay off your leg, then. Lie down and rest....Amber, if you are injured, then he is correct, you should not be leaving until you are examined. It is foolish for a girl to walk alone on these streets without knowing she can defend herself, anyway."


Rikarah smiles faintly, amused, when Shira bursts in, babbling about beds and bathtubs. Rikarah has to agree with her that the thought of a bed and bath seems very welcome, even divine. Shira's comment about her living in a fairy castle confuses her, and she merely shrugs, playing it off vaguely.


"Not so very different from here, I suppose."


Although she has only now arrived, and has no work for the day, nevertheless Rikarah feels on edge, as though she needs some time to herself. Doubtless this would be nothing she would manage to receive here, and so she stretches,calling out to the others, "I will go for a short walk, but I will return shortly. Please leave the door unlocked for me if possible."


She does not see the irony of her instruction to Hailey about a girl walking alone,but then, Rikarah certainly sees herself as able to defend herself.


**


Alicia's irritation grows as she drives, until her hands whiten around the steering wheel and her jaw tenses enough to send a jolt of pain through herj awline. It seems so easy to her, so infuriatingly simple, for them to be able to take the whole lot of brats supposedly her children and to simply snatchthem back with them, where they belonged. If anything it was Anthony’s fault that they could not do so, that he would screw up any attempts. Everything they did was a result of her own planning or else his screw ups, she was responsiblefor everything that went well while he went out of his way to screw it up. Everything moved with such excruciating slowness!


She couldn’t even reel in the child that Madison Porter had been working on, and that was one that should have been easy. If she couldn’t get a homeless little kid, how could she hope that Anthony would pull it together enough to get the teenagers?


The more she thought about it, the more she began to wonder at her own slowness in advancing with Madison’s child, Leslie. Why was it that she hadn’t taken over with thekid long ago? Why was it that she was allowing Madison so much free reign withher, when all she had to do was grab the kid by the arm the second Madison had her relaxed, and snatch her away? She could work on the child’s memories later, so what did it matter if she trusted her enough or not?


Yes, it was time to take the kid in, to get their employers off their backs for at least a little while longer.


Taking out her cell phone, she dialed Madison’s number with one hand, not bothering to bepolite in her greeting. “Madison, where is the kid last you saw her, the park? Listen, I want you to head back and visit with her again, get her prepped, andthen I’m bringing her in. You’ll get the cash tomorrow, and plenty of continued access to her and free reign with her.”


It didn’t take very long to arrive and park, to wait for Madison to walk up to their prearranged meeting spot, and to begin to walk casually behind her, as though she were simply another occupant at the park. She followed Madison at a distance, eyes peeled for any sign of the child that Madison was now about tohand over to her.


But when Alicia lay eyes on the little girl that Madison had referred to as Leslie, she went cold all over, even as her eyes burned with simultaneous shock, excitement, and rage. This kid wasn’t any “Leslie” at all…this kid was Alice. Supposedly dead Alice.


This day had turned out considerably better than expected…only thing was, the second she saw her, Alice was no doubt going to run. If Alicia had to alter the memory of every person in the park who would see her chasing after a seven-year-old,well, that would be considerably more work than she had wanted to deal with,all for this little brat.


**


As Rikarah turned into Central Park’s entrance, beginning to walk along its main trail, she noticed only absently the majority of its passersby, uninterested in them overall. It is not until she sees a young blonde teenager, speaking with a small child, that a flicker of interest passes through her, and she slows her walking, observing that something in the teen’s posture is restricted subtly…deception?


She pauses,pretending to stop to rest, and when the teen comes forward, leading the child by the hand, and a dark-haired woman steps forward, she does not fail to notice the child’s eyes widen, the shock and fear that clearly display themselves across her face. The child freezes, and when the woman takes her free hand,there is a strange triumphant to her face, as though she is gloating, savoring the child’s distress, perhaps.


It is all socurious that Rikarah cannot resist. Keeping her eyes on the child, she pierces her thoughts easily, probing to find an even stronger and more unsettling tangle of fear within her mind. This, she realizes, is the child’s mother, and the child- Alice, though she calls herself Leslie- is not just unwilling to return to her, she is terrified for her very life.


Images of a fire,of a drunken man and a dirty apartment, of screaming adult faces and swinging fists flicker through Rikarah’s thoughts, and then other faces come to her…facesshe is startled to recognize as those of the DeSantos. This child, this Alice,thinks of them as her siblings. She cannot remember them mentioning another sister, and as she continues to probe the child’s mind, breathless, she is abruptly cut off from the contact when Alice is moved out of her reach.


Rikarah leans against the nearest tree, trying to catch her breath as her head spins. She is not as dizzy or weak as before by far, but it will be some time before she can stand fully upright. She tries to think through what she has seen, to puzzle it out, but it makes no sense to her.


After several minutes she begins very slowly to walk back to Max’s, knowing only that it is important she speak with the DeSantos. Whatever is going on, this is a mystery she herself wants to know more of, and they will doubtless be able to fill ingaps.


She is exhausted by the time she reaches Max’s front door, and she sinks onto his couch, takingi n slow breaths before looking up at him, saying only, “May I use your phone? Do you have Steven’s number? It is very important.”
 
*Steven is slightly relieved Kat didn't listen to him, looking down at the mess the bag made and takes a deep breath* No it's fine, I think I'm done destroying my childhood. *looks at her and smirks* Step towards me..Wait take off your shoes first. So lets see, you're small so you'll never be a brute force fighter, so you should rely on your speed and size, use your enemy's size against them, you be amaze what a small person with the knowledge of some nerve points and leverage can inflict some pretty massive amounts of damage.


*Upstairs Kyle is having a ball he has a soft bed the pizza just arrived and there was a tv in his room with cable, Steven didn't have much in toys or video games, probably cause he was always training, I guess his dad was pretty strict but still he seemed to have a great childhood far far better then his own, he was kind of jealous of Steven but not in a hate him kind of way just wish he had a life more like his. Oh well he's here now and pretty damn happy now.*
 
"Destroying your childhood?" Katarina asks, frowning slightly with some puzzlement as she shifts her eyes again to the ruined bag at his feet. "Um...was that not an accident then? I just thought since you're so strong...how do you practice anyway? Don't you, like, ruin everything you touch?"


She steps towards him when he asks, then halts, removing her rather worn, dirty, and holey sneakers before coming up to him a bit awkwardly, thinking over what he's saying. She's never thought of herself as a "small" person, though she is slim, but she supposes she would be considered one to Steven. Looking up at him, her arms crossed over her chest in a distinctly non-fighting position, she asks him, "What do I do first?"
 
*Steven shrugs* Yeah I'm that strong but my father always tried to teach me me control, I guess I should have paid more attention. I guess the first and most important thing is conditioning, you need to be in shape it does you know good to know the moves and your body can't handle the strain. *He moves to the wall where some weights are hanging and brings them over.* Think you can handle 3lbs on each of your ankles, it may not seem like much right now but wear them for a few hours tried going up and down the stairs a bunch, everyday we'll add another pound, before you know it you'll be faster then you've ever been your legs and back will get stronger..I know it seems tedious but it's something you need to do.
 
Three pounds sounds like nothing to Katarina. After all, it's less than half the weight of an average newborn, isn't it? Surely she can handle that, no problem.


However, when she actually lets Steven help her attach them to herself, then proceeds to try them out, walking around, she is stunned by how heavy they really feel against her feet. Still, she continues doggedly, circling the room and trying not to show how this actually is something of a challenge to her. She knows she's not strong or in particularly excellent shape, having not eaten right, slept well, or been able to groom herself very well for the months they've lived in the motel, but she doesn't want Steven to see her as any weaker than he already does. She doesn't want to BE weak, and for the first time, she feels true motivation and hope that maybe she doesn't have to be.


Coming back towards him, ankles still weighted, she asks, "How much do I keep them on every day? What do you want me to do now?"
 
How long is up to you, I would suggest wearing them as long as you can, now what to do next? Nothing just go about your business and try to forget you're wearing them. Soooo about your parents, it will be harder to find all of you if you don't look like run aways, tomorrow I want you to take everyone and buy new clothes, we also need to get Kyle and Chris back into school, the more normal your lives look the less chance of someone spotting you and reporting you and eventually your parents finding you. You need to try to rebuild your lives, it won't be easy but it's what we need to do for you to survive. I got some friends that can get you some documents, they won't be cheap or legal but again anything to survive...Just give me a few days to set things up, *Pulls out his wallet and gives her about 400 dollars* That's all I can afford right now, you won't be able to buy high fashion but if you're smart about it you should be able to get something decent. Hundred bucks a piece is better then nothing I guess.
 
This response is a little disappointing to Katarina, as she had expected Steven to start having her lift weights with her arms or to spar him to teach her something about weapons. Now he wants her to just walk around? Shrugging this off, she says hopefully, stepping close to him, "You don't want to fight or something? I mean...you don't have to worry about hurting me, I can take a lot."


She blushes then, worried that he might take this as a reference to her self-harm, and glances down quickly, making sure her wrists are fully covered. When she looks up again he is yet again handing her money, more than Katarina can remember seeing in her life. One hundred dollars for clothing sounds like a fortune to her, who has been outfitted exclusively from the cheapest thrift store items she can find for months now. Staring at the money, she shakes her head quickly, already punching holes in his offer.


"Oh, Steven, you're giving us so much already...don't give us money too. We don't have to have clothes, we're okay. And they can't go to school, how would Chris handle it now, and Kyle might set things on fire, and anyway school is in public, if our parents see us in public...no, we have to keep staying together."
 
Look I know you want to jump right in and start sparing and stuff but it's not that simple, my father never taught me a single punch until my mind and body was ready. Like I said I will teach in my father's style to carry his legacy on. *He reaches out and touches her arm.* No short cuts ok, trust me after a week of wearing those weights you're gonna feel like every muscle in your legs and back are on fire. And Kat I'm not giving you money because I want something from you or anything like that, I told you this is about survival, looking like street rats will draw unwanted attention to all of you, a kid Kyle and Chris's age not going to school looks suspicious and to be honest, it may be to late for you and Xander but Chris and Kyle should go to school but don't worry we'll figure something out for you and Xander to, the man that runs the supermarket down the street is an old family friend, I bet I can convince him to hire Xander and you, he's a nice guy and has always looked out for me.
 
A rush of color appears in Katarina's cheeks when Steven touches her, and she starts to pull away, leery that he might feel or touch marks beneath the sleeve, but then she takes a deep breath, rethinking the gesture. He is touching her willingly. He is taking the time to be alone with her and train her and is concerned about doing it right, about pushing her too hard. He didn't have to touch her like that...and he certainly didn't have to worry about giving her money or a job. This all brings her to the conclusion that maybe she can still get him to like her again, and she moves closer, giving him a hesitant smile.


"Thank you," she said softly. "You've been really good to us. All of us." She paused, then, meeting his eyes, said with what confidence she can muster, "Especially me. I'm not...repaying you. Just..."


Unable to find any words for what she's thinking and hoping and feeling, she instead comes forward to hug him somewhat awkwardly, then tightens her arms a little. Still hugging him, she deliberately tips her head back so that if he chose, he could kiss her more easily. Her heart is pounding in her chest as she waits.
 
As Max grabs Hailey to pull her back she grinds her teeth, a flash of pain showing but she quickly covers it up. Guided back to the couch she sits, listening to him tell her she is hurt and needs medical attention, and she hears the mean girl telling her the same. The girl had also asked her another question, something about Jessie and she just nods. As she had told Liselle yesterday, he had been a better father than anybody ever had been to her, so it was easy to say he was.


Still, she thinks the girl is once again suspicious of her, and she is thankful when Shira once again saves her. The girl is babbling on about how big the tub is and how big the beds are, so the attention shifts and she is quick to fidget with her sleeves to make sure her bruises aren’t seen. Rikarah leaves for a walk after answering Shira and she is glad that she won’t have to deal with her for the moment. She realizes that she has to tell Max about her wounds as a compromise but she’ll take it.


“My eye is pretty obvious” she starts, then pulls up her shirt slightly to reveal not only her bony frame but the dark bruise in the middle of her stomach. “Then there’s this” she is covering half of it, and pushes her shirt down once again when she notices the bruises near her pelvis. They clearly look like somebody had grabbed her, so she tries to brush off his help “They’re just bruises though... I just have to wait for them to heal” she notes, a shrug. When Rikarah returns from her walk out of breath and asking for a phone, she is once again happy for the distraction.
 
Max looked at Hailey's bruises with concern. There were quite a lot of them and a few looked a bit older than just a night. He was a bit puzzled by the bruises by her pelvis though. Max didn't remember Calico hitting her there plus they didn't really look like they came from a punch. "No offense to your father but he didn't act like much of a father last night." He turned to Shira since Rikarah had left to go on a walk. "Shira, can you get me some ice? We need to get rid of the swelling first."


"Okay." Shira gave a salute and ran off into the kitchen.


Max turned back to Hailey and handed her a bottle of Tylenol. "Take these for the pain. Stay away from anything too strong like aspirin or ibuprofen. And if you intend on staying at the homeless shelter, I hope they have some hot water. Once the swelling goes away, you'll need to press a towel soaked in warm water on the effected areas, okay? Luckily there doesn't seem to be any broken bones or internal bleeding, but if the bruises last for longer than a week, you need to go to the emergency room."


Shira then came back into the room with a small bucket of ice and a towel. "Is this enough?" Max had a confused look on his face when he turned to her. "Uh . . . yeah. But where did you get the bucket?" He was pretty sure he didn't own one since he never really needed one. He also didn't hear a door so she couldn't have gone out and got one either. The pale haired girl looked down at the ice in her hands. "I'm . . . not . . . quite . . . sure."


The blond boy shook his head. Whatever. He should take care of Hailey first. Placing some ice in the towel Shira had brought, he handed it to Hailey for her eye. "Can you grab more towels? The linen closet is upstairs net to the bathroom." Shira ran up the stairs and disappeared.


Rikarah then came in and asked for Max's phone and Steven's number. She seemed a bit . . . fatigued. Did something happen when she was out. "Uh . . . sure. Yeah I've got his number but it's under "Steven A." There's like five Stevens in my phone."


(Sorry for crappy post but there might be something in the net one to work with.)
 
Rikarah's eyes slide to Hailey briefly as she continues to take her time catching her breath, noticing that the other girl has looked in her direction when she sat. Rikarah ignores her, noting that Hailey had not, as she had voiced as a possibility, left them yet; Rikarah doubts she will, just as she very much doubts that the guy Hailey had so blindly put herself in danger for at the zoo had been her father. She closes her eyes for a few moments, trying to allow herself to gather strength again, before slowly standing, steadying herself against the couch arm, and walking towards the phone as Max has indicated it. She sits again, scrolling through the phone, and leans back in the chair, still a little weak as she finds Steven's name among the others. Dialing, she waits for someone to pick up.


Katarina jumps slightly when Steven's phone rang, not pulling apart right away, very reluctant to acknowledge that the noise is coming from anywhere within her realm of reality. She wants to continue to hug Steven, to give him ample time to decide to hug her back, even to kiss her, and she stays close to him for as long as it seems to her possible that he might still return the affection. It is with great reluctance that she allows him to pull away from her to get the phone, and she turns away slightly, biting her lip and crossing her arms as she tries to smooth her face out to hide her disappointment.


Why would it have to be NOW that someone has to call?


"Steven," Rikarah says when Steven answers on the other line, her voice still slightly strained, but serious, meant to hold his attention. "Tell the DeSantos that I have seen their sister Alice. She is not dead. I was able to skim the surface of her memories, and I am certain it is she. However, she has been taken out of the area by their mother, and I am sure she is in danger. There is another girl, a blonde teenager, who was with them both and who may have been involved. I am not sure what they will wish to do, but I would advise proceeding with more caution than our go-round of yesterday."


**


Alice DeSanto was terrified.


She had been surprised but pleased when Madison came back to the park for the second time in one day and began to talk to her again, as if she had forgotten their original plan for Alice sleeping in the garage. Alice had thought that she must have decided to change the plan, that maybe she could come earlier- maybe she could even come home with her! Wouldn't it be neat if Madison's parents knew all about Alice and decided she could stay with them? Maybe they could help her out. Maybe everything would be okay now.


But the moment she saw her mom coming towards them, and realized that Madison had in fact lead her to her, that she was smiling at her mom as if she knew her, as if she thought she were nice, Alice had realized what was going on, and she had gone cold with fear. Her mom had tricked Madison...her mom had made Madison think that she was nice, that she needed to take Alice home. But Alice could see how the happiness in her smile was not matched by the cold triumph and anger in her eyes, and she knew what would happen the minute her mom got her out of Madison's sight.


Her mom and dad would be so, so mad at her. They would hurt her so bad, and Alice would be all alone.


"Madi, Madi help me," she whispered as Madison thrust her towards her with a little playful push, as Alicia reached out and took her hand in a strong grasp that she knew she would not escape from. "Madi....she's going to be bad to me. Madi-"


"Oh, don't be silly, Leslie, we had a long talk, and your mommy is really happy to have you back," Madison smiled, and Alice knew then that Alicia really had fooled her. Madison still didn't even know her real name! "She wants to talk to you a while is all, because it was pretty naughty of you to be gone so long. But don't worry, she says I can still visit."


"Madi-" Alice's voice rose, but Alicia was already pulling her along, her voice light, even as her eyes were hard.


"Come along...Leslie. Your daddy will be so happy to have you home and safe."


"Madi-" Alice cried, but Madison just waved, and she saw that she was smiling too, but the smile was funny, almost like Alicia's, though Alice couldn't understand why. How had her mommy met Madison? Why would Madison believe her?


The moment they had left the park Alicia swept Alice up into her arms and held her so tightly Alice cried out, not even daring to squirm. She knew as Alicia shoved her into the car that she daren't even try to escape; her mother might easily run over her and call that an accident, and no doubt everyone would believe it.


"I don't know where you have been or what you've been doing, you little brat, but you are going to get every last one of your idiotic siblings back with you, and soon," she hissed as she started up the car without bothering to buckle her or Alice's seatbelt. "Let me tell you something, little miss LESLIE, you are going to be beyond sorry for this little trick of yours. Did you really think you could get away with this, a little twerp like you? You can't even imagine how much punishing you'll get for this."


Alice's stomach dropped low, and she scrunched down in her seat, barely able to breathe in her growing fear. She had no doubt that Alicia meant every word. And by the time they pulled into the ramshackled place where Alicia and Anthony were staying and Alicia jerked her out of the car and into the house, Alice was shaking so badly she couldn't hardly stand.


"Look what I found, HUSBAND!"
 
*Steven wasn't sure if he should have hugged Kat back, he was confused so when his phone rang he was a bit relived. But when he hears Rika's voice, it disturbs him how did she know how to contact him and her words made no damn sense at all.* What the hell are you talking about? She's dead, are you high or something, their sister is dead! *He looks up at Kat when he says that.* At least that is what I was told. Hold on. *He passes the phone to Kat and looks at her rather impatiently.* Here talk to her seems your long dead little sister isn't dead after all.* He stands there with his arms crossed over his chest looking at Kat.*


*Anthony barely looks up from the tv.* It better be my beer, oh I swear you're gonna go right back out that door. *Now looking at his wife and the little girl* Who the hell is that? Are you that deprive that you're grabbing kids off the street? Did you forget what the kids we're looking for look like or are you just stupid! Get rid of her.
 
Just about a foot apart from Steven, Katarina listens to his end of the conversation, frowning, bemused by what he is saying. Their dead sister? Alice? Who would be talking to him about Alice?


As soon as the thought crosses her mind she is gripped with fear at the possibility that dawns on her, and she grabs Steven's arm, squeezing tightly as she says in a slightly shaky whisper, "Steven, who is that? Who are you talking to? Is it..."


She doesn't want to say the word "parents" and so lets the sentence trail off, as if this could somehow create a different outcome. When he holds the phone out to her, and speaks in an impatient, harsh manner about her "not dead" little sister, she freezes, not wanting to take the phone, not understanding at all. Slowly she takes it, her nails unconsciously digging into her palm with her free hand as she says slowly, "Hello?"


Listening to Rikarah's careful, more slow-paced repetition of what she has seen and reasoned through, spoken very deliberately, as though she believes Katarina to be slower-witted than Steven- which she does, though Katarina does not realize this- Katarina is silent, and her face drains of color gradually. She sways on her feet, and when she finally hangs up, having barely spoken a word, she looks at Steven in a manner that suggests she isn't really seeing him at all.


"She says my sister isn't dead...she was in her head, and...she didn't die. But my mom...oh god, my mom has her now."


She sits down heavily, her breathing quickening until she's nearly hyperventilating. "My mom has her..."


**


"Get rid of her?" Alicia smiles coldly, even as she continues to tug the little girl forward, so she is fully blocking the view of the TV. Alice tries to resist, eyes wide- she well remembers how anyone blocking the TV had often been punished for it by Anthony in the past- but Alicia will not allow her to escape. Holding her out where Anthony cannot miss looking at her, she gives her a harsh shake, then shoves her directly in front of his face.


"You would get rid of your own child? When we were blessed with such a MIRACLE as to her return to us? I would think you would get on your knees and start thanking the angels for being so BLESSED as to have her back in our loving care. In other words, Anthony, we are one/fifth of the way of not ending up a trophy on someone's wall, so take off your beer goggles and help me give this kid the loving welcome she deserves."


It took all her effort for Alice not to scream.
 
*Steven uncrossed his arms and looked at Kat* I guess by your expression you didn't know any of this? I'm sorry for a second there I thought you were lying to me about your sister but I guess that makes me wrong that I could even consider that you would have lied about something like your sister dying. So your parents have her now, what do you want to do? Should we tell the others, I seriously don't think that is a good idea considering both your brothers are such hot heads they could run off half cocked and get themselves killed or captured. *He takes her hand in his and tries to smile at her* Kat, I promise I'll do everything I can to help you get her from them but unlike at the zoo you have to trust me, we have to take our time and be smart about this because in the eyes of the law she belongs to them...You all do so if we do this and they catch us they can have all of us arrested for kidnapping so we have to be smart..smarter then them.*


*Anthony finally looks up at Alice and jumps up and grabs her by the wrist squeezing it hard.* WHERE ARE THEY YOU LITTLE *****! WHERE ARE THE REST OF THEM! TELL ME OR I'LL BREAK EVERY BONE IN YOUR BODY! *Shoving her away he turns to his wife* Where are the rest of them? You know don't you, trying to save your own ass and sell me out aren't you!
 
"We have to tell them," Katarina shook her head, her voice dropping, and she squeezed Steven's hands back hard, her own cold and clammy in his. "We can't just let them not know...right? And Xander will know...he'll look at me and know something's wrong, and what about Rikarah telling them? Xander likes her, I could tell...she'll tell him, and he'll want to know why I didn't...she's their sister too, they need to know..."


When Steven tries to reassure her, talking about taking their time, she shakes her head again tightly, tears standing in her eyes, almost falling as she squeezes his hands even more forcefully, her eyes bearing into his. "Steven, if we wait they might kill her...they might be hurting her. I know they must be. She's been right here and I didn't know, she's been alone all this time...she's probably hungry and she's scared, and my mom has her and she's going to hurt her, I know she will. She's just little, and she doesn't have any powers...we have to go get her. Please, please help me figure out how to get her."


She's in no mood to think smart or logically right now, the shock of this information overriding this.


**


Alicia watches with a smirk still curling her lips as Anthony squeezes Alice, enjoying watching the child's face blanch, as her blue eyes fill with tears and she tries to cringe away from him. She is less amused when he turns on her, and her smirk quickly becomes an ugly scowl as she steps towards him, pointing her finger in his face.


"You ever threaten me again, you drunken wastrel, and I'll make sure you spend your days thinking you're a diseased poodle. I don't know where they are, not that you would do a damn thing about getting them if I did. If you want to find out, you help me properly MOTIVATE her."


With that, she turned to Alice, the smirk returning, and Alice's shoulders hunched nearly to her ears with her dread at this. She knew that whatever she answered, to Alicia, it would not be satisfactory, even if it was true.
 
*Anthony turns away for his wife and back to the child.* Motivate her huh? I think I can do that. *Grabbing the remote and turning the volume all the way up.* Please feel free to scream if you like now, don't worry I won't kill you or anything like that. Lets take her into the bathroom, less chance anyone can hear her and we'll need a lot of water for what I have in mind. *Poor kid didn't know that Anthony specialized in torture one of his favorite methods that leaves no proof is waterboarding. It's a cheap way to get high valued information. all you need is a towel and plenty of water.*


(ugh this guy makes my skin crawl)


*Steven can't imagine what kind of things that Kat and her family went through if she's that afraid of her parents but he knows if Xander and Kyle go off without thinking that they can get them all caught.* Kat give me 1 day that's all give me 1 day before you tell the others. Just let me see if someone can help us with this and if I fail and Xander wants to go kick in doors I'll go with him.
 
Any minute now Xander might get suspicious and start looking for her, come down here and find her shaken and near tears, might demand she tell him what was going on. She would have to avoid looking him in the eye for a full day, and Katarina knew how well that would go...he would guess. He would guess, or at least ask a lot of questions, and she would end up telling him anyway, she knew she wouldn't be able to help it. And it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to keep this from him and the others...they would be so mad at her if they found out.


But Steven was asking this of her, Steven might start to like her better if she could try to trust him and listen to him. So Katarina took a deep breath, then nodded slowly, though her expression was miserable, her shoulders hunched until they almost touched her ears. And it was in her thoughts that if Xander guessed it, she wouldn't deny it...that wouldn't be going back on her word.


"Okay...but...Steven, you have to let me too then. I have to go too. So I need to train, right now, I need to fight...show me how, so I can hurt them too."


**


Alice wasn't screaming; it wasn't usually her way of coping, to show her stress and fear in this manner. Instead she went stiff as a board and entirely silent, scarcely daring to breathe as Anthony seized her and began to drag her away. In the past it had sometimes helped to react in this way, because if she didn't run, like Chris, then they couldn't chase her. If she didn't scream or cry, like Kyle, it wouldn't irritate them. If she didn't yell and provoke them, like Katarina, they wouldn't get even more mad. Sometimes they forgot she was there, or got bored of hurting her.


But this time she didn't think that would happen...because even if her daddy forgot, her mom was following close behind, smiling, happy to see what would happen. And she followed them all the way into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.


(hm, maybe she'll show her powers in this., if he starts to hurt her, she could throw up the shield..)
 
Chris was overwhelmed. Yes that was a good word for it.


Chris had rarely been overwhelmed before. Of course she was usually the last one to know something and found herself in situations that weren't of the norm. She was blind as well and so it gave a weird sense to things, although she was use to it by now.


The first time she had been overwhelmed, truly, was the first time she used her powers. Being able not only to know what was around her, but almost feel it too. She had a better sense of objects than when she could see. She had almost collapsed on the ground from the sensation of it all alone. Scared the hell out of Kat and Xander when it happened. It wasn't too long after she had come out of her mind retreat. She realize that she was able to do something like her brothers and woah. It was like nothing else. She tried to describe it before, but it was hard to put it into words that would make them really understand.


Chris was overwhelmed now, but in a bad way. She felt like her world was slowly crashing. Sure she felt that way before after the fire and everything, but this felt kind of different. So much change and it worried her. What was going to happen next?


Chris searched for her sister and eventually found her. She could feel the tension in the air.


"Kat? Is everything okay?"


----


Jillian blinked in surprised and then let out a yell. He was going to try and talk to the girl. Ask her where her parents were. He was a good person and he hated seeing young people out and alone by themselves. He had felt this way about Lionel. Jillian guessed maybe he just had some kind of complex. He liked helping those younger and less fortunate than him.


Then he saw it. Someone came by. Jillian sighed in relief, thinking that maybe her parent had returned and the little girl would be fine. He had work and he couldn't miss anymore days. He was going to have to kiss butt even now. But something was....wrong. The girl wasn't going willingly. Jillian stood still for a moment, wondering if he should interfere. But what could be do? He wasn't that big or strong and... Jillian didn't know and what.


He moved too late and ended up just reaching them as the woman took off with the girl. He stood there for a moment, wondering what to do now. Then he decided to go to work. He would bring it up later. There was nothing he could do now.


----


Liselle didn't really believe Julian's words. He seemed shaken. She looked away, wondering if she should pry. Maybe Julian didn't want to talk about it. Still...


"Is anything wrong Julian? Did something happen on your walk?" She gave him a reassuring look meant to show that she wouldn't judge him. She hoped that he would talk to her. They weren't friends exactly but she felt that they got on well enough that maybe he would. She wished that other girl was here. They seemed to be close. Maybe she'd asked about her as well.
 
Katarina is still holding Steven's hands, trying to steel herself to be able not just to agree, but to be capable of carrying out what he has asked of her, when Chris appears. Her voice startles Katarina so badly she jumps, dropping Steven's hands with guilt that she can't quite explain the source of, and clears her throat, her cheeks reddening before it dawns on her why Chris's presence is somewhat upsetting. Alice...how is she going to avoid telling Chris about Alice, how can she stand to keep that a secret from her? Won't she know? It was fortunate, she thought, that it was Chris who was there now and not Xander, because she couldn't see her blush or understand the reasons behind it consequently.


Then the guilt she had already been feeling intensified, because how could she ever be glad even indirectly that Chris was blind?


"Um...yeah...I'm okay, it's okay, it's..." she stopped, knowing even as she spoke that her voice was cracking, that it was beyond obvious even to Chris that this was not true. What if her sister kept pressing her?


She stood, saying to Chris quickly as she avoided looking at Steven, "We're...I was...training...and...I guess we should go on..."


**


Julian stared down at the floor, feeling heat creep up his neck and jaw and flood through his entire face with his severe discomfort. He knew it wasn't possible that Liselle could read his thoughts, but somehow it felt as though she already knew. Could she? Could she have seen, and was using this to somehow punish him...could she have seen Madison? Could Madison have told her? What if Madison had sent Liselle all along, what if Liselle was to Madison what he had been to her, and now she was doing as Madison had asked...stalking him, tormenting him...moving in closer and closer, until...until...


What would Madison want to do to him now? Call him back to her? Make sure he stayed away? Or just make him suffer, make him squirm?


"No...no, nothing...nothing h-happened," Julian stammered, still staring down rather than looking at Liselle. "P-please...don't...d-don't...you can t-tell her...no."


He let Liselle think what she wanted of this; if she was with Madison, she would know what he meant, and if she wasn't, she would think he meant Jillian. God, when would Jillian come back...as much as he needed him, how could he tell him? What would he think?
 
Max took his phone back after Rikarah finished her call, but he couldn't help but be confused. Alice was alive? According to what he had read, the youngest DeSantos had died in a house fire. Wait. Did they ever said they found her body? No. He didn't think so. Goddamn journalists. How could they just go and declare someone dead like that? Still. If Alice had indeed been in that fire, and the the other DeSantos seemed to believe so, then how could she still be alive? Another domino? They seemed to be popping out one after another.


Another thing stuck out in Max's head. Rikarah had also said that she saw their mother. Well, if the DeSantos were in New York, it wouldn't be strange for their mother to be there as well. But according to Katerina and now Rikarah, the DeSantos parents weren't the best ones. A specific word rang out in his head. "Danger." Rikarah thought that they could've been in danger. Chris. Kyle. Kat and Xander. They were in trouble? He bit his lip. He couldn't exactly let prime research material get away like this. Maybe a bit of interference was in order. But what?


Before he could think of anything, he heard the apartment door close. He was sure he had locked it but maybe Rikarah didn't when she came back. His body stiffened as he thought about the only two other people who had the keys to his place. The blond turned to see that it was the worse of the two possibilities.


Max looked at the man standing in the doorway of the living area. He stood tall with a slight air of refinement mixed with intimidation. Even with the faint wrinkles and graying hair, the man was still fairly handsome. The expensive looking suit probably helped with that. He looked around the living space at all the people who were clearly not at the same social standing as Max before turning his attention back to the blond boy. "Max."


"Father." Max got up from his spot on the couch and walked toward the man he called father, Theodore Kennedy. "Are you here on business? I'll get you something to-" Slap. Max staggered back a bit after Theo had hit him. He was almost afraid to look up at him, at those hazel eyes that had looked down at him for nearly 20 years. But he did anyway. "Max, what have I told you about having guests over." Theo of course meant about how only people of a certain . . . status were worth socializing with. To think his son would bring home a ragtag bunch of poor people was unforgivable.


Max put a hand to his swelling cheek before looking his father right in the eye. "These people are special, father," he spat through clenched teeth. Theo raised an eyebrow before looking at the others once again. There was only one type of person Theo regarded as special and he knew that Max knew which. Dominoes. Did these poorly dressed hooligans really possess supernatural abilities? Well, Max was never one to make such a mistake so he'd have to rely on his son's word on the matter. Theo tried to think of something to say that might redeem the act of violence that he had just displayed. If these were indeed dominoes then he'd need to get on their good side. Only if all else fails would he revert to more . . . unconventional methods.


But the noise of someone on the stairs caught his attention. "They're so fluffy!" Shira ran down the stairs with a heap of white towels. On the fifth step from the bottom, she slipped though and the towels were thrown into the air. Max moved to try to catch her but she did something of a somersault before landing at the foot of the stairs on her feet. Now this might have been more impressive if a towel hadn't landed over her head as she began to walk away, causing her to step on another towel and fall onto her butt.


When Shira sat up and dug her way out of the white fluffiness that became her cage, Theo smiled. Max shuddered a bit after looking at his dad's face. Theo smiled all the time in public but this wasn't his publicity smile. No. This was the smile that he made whenever he found something that interested him. And no one wanted to ever pique this man's interest. Theo walked over to Shira and knelt by her side. He gave her a big smile, the one for public and began stoking her head. "And who might you be?"


Shira looked up at the man. "My name's Shira. How did you get so old?" She grabbed his cheeks and pulled at them as if amazed at the concept of wrinkles. When she looked in his eyes though, she froze. Her body began trembling as a sense of fear filled her. She let go of Theo's face and began clutching her head as a headache hit her. She doubled over as images of a dark room, candles, and cages flashed in her mind. And in the background, an old circus tune played. Soon, it became too much for her and she fell unconscious.


Cas, upon seeing all of this, limped over to Shira's side despite the pain shooting up his leg. When he reached there, he pulled the white haired girl behind him. "What are you doing to my little sister?" Theo was a bit taken aback. Siblings? The two didn't share a single feature or even a race. Adopted perhaps? He narrowed his eyes at Cas before shifting them back to Shira. Shira. Hm. So she wasn't the same girl. Although the two could've been twins. He smiled at Cas. "I'm very sorry. Your sister just reminds me of my daughter. She died just last year. I guess I just miss her."


Max was a bit confused as to what his father was saying. He never had a sister, much less one who died recently. Now he knew his father was a dirty liar but he'd never told this sort of lie before. What was his motive with this? He knew he'd never get much out of his dad by just looking at him. Even though Max was fairly good at reading people, some more than others, he'd never been able to understand his father's words or actions.
 
(Because [MENTION=1488]xJobozx[/MENTION] hasn't posted in over a month, is about four pages behind, and hasn't yet responded to messages, for the time being I'm going to control the character of Xander. Because Natalia, Terabithia, and Lei have pretty much not been referred to inside Max's house, for the time being I'm just going to move them out of the house. Jo, if you want to take up your people again please let me know, and I'll leave it open with Natalia and the little girls where you can bring them back or have them change their mind or run into anybody or whatever you want with them. For now they're just gonna get moved so they aren't sort of awkwardly frozen with everyone ignoring their existence...and Xander is gonna get controlled because he's also kinda important to leave awkwardly frozen if we're going to move on.)


Terabithia, utterly awed and enchanted by Max's house, has spent most of her time running around it since she's arrived, spinning in circles with her head thrown back to look up at the ceiling and the decorations on the walls. As usual, her mouth is going a million miles a minute, as she excitedly points out every single item which catches her eye. Which of course, is most of them.


"Wow! Wow, this place is like a CASTLE! Shira's right, it is like a fairy palace! Look, Blue, look how high the ceilings are! I bet it's a hundred feet tall! I bet even a giant couldn't touch the top! Look how shiny the windows are! How many rooms are in this place? A hundred? Two hundred?"


Lei, more quiet and serious than the other child, simply observes her surroundings in a more polite and reserved manner than Terabithia, merely saying to Max, "Your home is very elaborate. You must be very privileged."


"Abi, don't touch anything," Natalia warned as Terabithia made her tenth trip around the living room, staggering slightly and having to put her arms out for balance.


"Whoa, I'm getting dizzy," Terabithia noted as she tried to straighten, tilting her head upright again and giggling. "You're spinning too Blue!"


When Rikarah returned, slumping down on the couch with her limbs limp, unconsciously rubbing her fingers over her temple, Natalia frowned, watching her. She looks exhausted again, in the same manner that she had when entering Natalia's mind, though not nearly as much as when she had fainted in the zoo. She started to move towards her, intending to ask her what was going on, but instead just watched her, listening, as Rikarah asked for and spoke on the telephone. Hearing her talking about Alice, the DeSantos' dead sister, and warning them that she was alive, that their mother now had her and was after her, alarm signals flashed through Natalia's mind. If their parents had definitely seen the news and already taken action, then who's to say that her own mother hadn't? Was it possible that she had, that she too was already headed her way?


Maybe it wasn't safe in this house, even with all of Max's fancy things and half promises. Maybe it wasn't safe in this entire town.


"Abi-" she started, but she didn't have time to complete her sentence before the front door opened, and a stern-appearing man entered. Father, Max called him- shortly before slapping his face.


She heard Terabithia gasp and freeze beside her, her blue eyes going round as her happy spinning came to a halt and she cringed beside her. Natalia took up her hand without thinking about it, reached out one hand to grasp Lei's shoulder as well as she stiffened, glaring in the direction of Max's father. The way he had hit Max, over nothing, the way he was looking at them, like they were nothing but trash...whether or not her mother was coming for them, this was not the place to be.


"Don't worry, we wouldn't stay if you gave us one of your engraved gold-plated invitations," she said to him coldly, and still holding Terabithia's and Lei's hands, she walked them towards the door. "You know, just because you can stack money to your ceiling doesn't mean you have any more class than us supposed "commoners" here."


As she walked out the door, she deliberately let her hip knock into a statue on the way out. "Oops. Good thing you can replace it, huh?"


They'd find somewhere else to go, maybe get out of town entirely. Maybe she hadn't counted on Lei, or Terabithia for that matter, but it wasn't like she could leave them both back there with that asshole. Cas and his sister, and Rikarah, that was their choice to make, but Natalia wasn't going to leave two little kids anywhere near a man like that.


Rikarah too had looked up when Max's father entered the room, and when he hit Max, she felt every muscle of her face tighten, her lips pressing together into a thin line with the anger that shot through her at witnessing this. She still did not know what to think of Max, but she did know what she thought of Max's father, and he had just made her list of people she very much did not like- people whom she may, in the future, be quite delighted to deal with at the end of her knife.


"You oppose your son having friends?" she asked with politeness but an edge to her tone. "I would think that a man of your status and breeding would be pleased to know he has raised a son of enough independence to make his own choices."


As Natalia leaves, and Shira makes her unconventional entrance, Rikarah's eyes narrow further, and she sits up, watching as Shira reacts with fear and panic to his touch, holding her head and doubling over. Is he harming her? Is he also possessing of some power?


Were she not recovering from her invasion of Alice's mind, she would have penetrated Max's fathers, but as it is she can only watch him closely, not believing him when he speaks to Castiel, though she has no proof of why this is.


"You should not touch her," she said to him coldly. "It is rude to touch a person you do not know, especially a young girl. People may get ideas."


**


In the living room of Steven's dojo, Xander stands back a few feet from the couch where Kyle is watching TV. He has eaten some of the pizza when it arrived but did not fail to notice that his twin had not, that she had disappeared back into one of the rooms in the hallway. Her and Chris's bedroom, he supposed, and he had not followed her, wanting to give her space to settle in. He was worried about her- worried about all his siblings, really, but when was that unusual?


It was better not to think about their parents and the possibility that they could already be headed in their direction. It was better just to take this night as it came, to try to believe that Steven's offer of the use of their dojo was not done to impress Kat or get on her good side, but just because they had needed a place to stay. And he hadn't really touched her today...much, anyway. So maybe that was the case.


Still, Steven had little hope of that as he came to sit beside Kyle on the couch.


"Anything good on? We haven't watched TV in forever...have they banned commercials yet?"
 
Chris wasn't sure if she believed her older sister. Something didn't seem right. But Steven was here as well. Maybe she would ask later when they were alone in their room. She nodded in Sheena's direction and moved over to the wall. She didn't know why, but she felt like staying here. Although she might be in the way. She could go and see what Kyle and Xander were doing.


"It's fine Kat. I didn't meant to interrupt you guys. Is it...is it alright if I stay here for a while? It might be interesting to see if I can pick up anything." She smiled a little at that. Watching a fight through her power would be interesting, but so would it through just sound. At least she didn't have to worry about those fight training scenes that used blindfolds. She had that covered.


----


"If nothing is wrong, then what would I not need to say?"


Liselle wasn't sure what was going on with Julian. But he didn't want her to bring it up with that girl that something might be off, then she wouldn't. She would respect Julian's wishes. She nodded and patted a seat beside her, trying to seem inviting. She felt out of place here, so use to the park, but she felt a little better now.


"So how have you been Julian? Haven't seen you in a while. Who was that girl you were with? Lionel seemed to know her as well."
 
*Steven backs away from Kat, even tho Chris can't see them, he still felt like she wouldn't like them standing so close, she'd probably tell Xander and then he'll become even more of a pain in the ass then usual.."GET AWAY FROM HER YOU JERK!" Yeah he can just hear him now, that self-righteous brat acts like he never done anything wrong. Still he couldn't tell Kat or Chris that, they'd both hate him for it.* Look Kat, like I said you need to get use to the weights it will do you no good to learn technique if you don't have a body that can handle it. But if you want to try your luck on some of the punching bags I won't stop you but it won't take more then a couple of punches and kicks before you exhaust yourself.


(sorry it was so short)
 
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