Castouts (Accepting new characters)

*Steven smiles at Kat*


Steven: It's no problem, I'm glad I can help him. But we really need to talk about Calico, he's too dangerous for Kyle to keep working for him, and for the record I plan on killing that son of a ***** so you would be smart and stay away from him Kyle. There has to be a better way to earn money then working for that scum!


*Kyle who hates working for a drug dealer in the first place starts to protest cause he hates being told what to do even more, but Steven falls back against his car suddenly and hunches over in pain, Kyle quickly moves to his new mentor's side pushing his brother roughly out the way.*


Kyle: Steven! what's wrong..HELP HIM XANDER, KAT HELP HIM!
 
"It's not...I mean..." Julian started to say, but then stopped himself, looking down again and closing his mouth firmly. There is no need to tell the boy- Cas- or the girl with him either that he hadn't just come for a visit to the park, that he lives there. Or had...


He also restrains himself from telling them that he's not a kid, that he's probably closer to their age than they think. He is small for his age, and thin for fifteen, and as a result often mistaken for younger than he is. It probably doesn't help that he's so shaken by everything either...no wonder they think he's a kid, when he acts like a complete wuss.


There is something odd about the voice of the girl that backs him up about leaving, but Julian doesn't meet her eyes or look at her closely. His own voice is atypical of most males, so who is he to judge?


"I'm, uh...well...where would we go?" he asks, then immediately goes red, realizing that she had not likely been inviting him. "I mean...uh...well...s-sorry."


**


Rikarah had seen the movement of the man out the corner of her eye as she walked with Shira, and she turned fast, intending to head off anything that might be about to happen, but the man is fast, and before she can so much as seize Shira's arm he has her, clutched up against his chest, a knife to her throat. Even from a few feet away she can smell the alcohol, seeming to emanate straight from his pores, and the leer on his face, the dark chuckle in his tone, tells her that she intends to make good of the knife, perhaps even if she was to comply.


The strangest thing is the continued blankness of Shira's expression, as though she is no longer present in her body...as though even the knife against her throat provokes no reaction in her. Yes, something is definitely going on inside her, something Rikarah cannot yet understand, and even in this dangerous situation Rikarah is able to observe this with calm.


She stands her ground, turning to face the man fully as she speaks in an even and deceptively soft tone that nevertheless holds an edge making it clear that she is in control. "You will step away from her. You will not harm her. You will step away, and you will hand me the knife. Then, you will wait for my next command."


His mind is already weakened from years of alcohol abuse, and for Rikarah, it takes less concentration and effort than it usually might to enter its flimsy shields.


**


Katarina smiles back at Steven, finding it difficult to focus on what he's actually saying as she slides her hand up his arm. He's concerned about Kyle and his safety too...could she really have picked a better guy? Who else would be concerned about her little brother, who he barely knows?


When he first stumbles back, she blinks, immediately hurt, thinking that he is, as had the others, rejecting her, backing away. But when he doubles over, leaned against his car, and Kyle starts to scream, Katarina moves to him hurriedly, realizing that she had misinterpreted. Kyle was right...it looked like Steven was in pain.


"What's wrong, what happened?" she asked anxiously, her hands reaching out to support him. "Where do you hurt?"


Looking back at Xander, she calls, "Do we still have a first aid kit? Steven, do you need one? What's wrong?"
 
His body stiffened for a bit when Julian called out his name, and he couldn't help but look his way. He blinked a few times, to dry his eyes and sniffed, Julian was the same flustered kid, similar to himself. "Y-ye--okay." Then the other guy suddenly butt in, and became scared, and embarassed by him. Duck got used to people saying vulgar things about his parents, though in actuality he's an orphan. Why did they seem so calm in this situation, compared to both Julian and himself. He looked at the girl whacking the Man in the head. He tried to laugh, but the situation wasn't as light at they both seemed to have made it.


Duck's always been afraid and distrusting of people, following Julian would feel much better than staying where he was. He coughed a bit, and his voice cleared up only a bit, he said with a bit of arrogance, "Let's go to the Micky-D's, I'm hungry." He couldn't hide that his voice still had a fear-filled tone in it. He hoped the others wouldn't come, but what's he going to do to stop them? Nothing. Yet, they didn't seem as bad as they were before he stumbled in the bush.
 
*Steven now screaming in pain, jumps up to his feet the agony in his eyes he looks around and sees one of the abandoned room and makes a dash for the door and crashes through it and slams it behind himself at first he's bracing himself against the door but then he crashes to his knees and starts ripping off his shirt, his back looks as if the skin was peeling and falling off in chunks exposing the muscle and even some of the bone, finally he passes out from the shear pain of the ordeal.


Kyle rushes the door behind him and tries to force it open but Steven is still in the way so he can only get the door open part of the way.*


Kyle: STEVEN LET ME IN LET ME IN! KAT WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?
 
Julian glances at Duck quickly and gives him a brief, faltering smile, noticing how the other boy seems to be attempting to cover his earlier fright now. He is clearing his throat, attempting to change his voice and posture, but Julian has been around Duck enough, and knows how he himself is enough, to know that it is an effort rather than a genuine feeling on Duck's part. Somehow this makes him feel better, and he stands a little straighter as he answers softly.


"Uh, okay." He doesn't have much money, but he can spare a dollar or two for the value food.


**


As Steven begins to scream, Katarina freezes, shocked silent by the anguish she can hear in his voice, by the near distortion of his features as he bolts towards the spare room on the far end of the motel's row, the one they kept for guests, if needed. Katarina had hoped to introduce Steven to that room tonight, but this had definitely not been the way she had expected him to enter it.


As Kyle runs after him, screaming for her and Xander to help, Katarina thinks fleetingly of Chris, of how afraid and confused she must be when she is unable to see what is going on. For a few moments she herself is unable to set off into action. For a few moments, she seems yet again back in time to that terrible night, to Alice's screams, mingling with Steven's and Kyle's, to her breathing labored and struggling not just from shock and fear, but from the smoke filing her lungs...


When she is able to move she goes to Kyle and Steven in the doorway as quickly as possible, then stops short, her jaw dropping when she sees what is wrong with Steven's back. She gags involuntarily, jerking her eyes away before beginning to scream, dropping to her knees beside Steven.


"XANDER!!! OH MY GOD, XANDER!!! DO WE HAVE A FIRST AID KIT?! Oh my god, oh my god...does he have a phone?! Why don't we have a f*cking PHONE, he needs an ambulance, he needs...oh god oh god...Chris, go to our room, Kyle, go with her, go...Xander, help me, I don't know what to do for him, oh my god..."


She can feel the tears standing behind her eyes out of pure panic, and unconsciously she scrapes the nails of her right hand viciously up her left arm, shoving her sleeve up as she does so and leaving deep scratches. Feeling the sting of this, she takes a deep breath, now able to focus.
 
*Just as Kyle and Kat get to his side, Steven's back is already healing, the skin and flesh has already regenerated and what had fell to the ground has virtually disintegrated into nothing, Steven starts breathing normally, Kyle kneeling at his side tears streaming down his face, he's shaking Steven trying to wake him up.*


Kyle: Steven wake up! Kat what's wrong with him why won't he wake up? Did I do this was it just a delay from earlier when I burned him? Steven wake up!


(sorry this is so short, didn't want to leave everyone to far behind)
 
Chris didn't like being told what to do nor put out of the action so quickly, but she nodded, grabbing her brother to go and head to the room. She heard him trying to figure it out and she kneeled in front of him.


"Come on Kyle, let's go to my room. Kat and Xander will take care of Steven. We should get out of their way."


Chris would prefer to be out of the way for this. Not only did she really not know Steven, but the chaos around her was beginning to give her a headache. She had to get away from it all. She needed to have some peace.


"Will you come with me?"


----


"Anywhere but here is good to me as it is to anyone else," Jillian said, happy that they would be leaving. He looked at Julian and shook his head.


"Hey why are you sorry? I said we should all go. Don't worry so much," Jillian said with a small smile in his direction. He thought about going to McDonalds and although he didn't like the place he didn't mind going there now.


"Oh I don't think I know everyone's name. I am Jillian and this is Lionel," Jillian said, gesturing to his friend close to him.
 
"Ow." Cas rubbed his head after Jillian hit him. "They start teaching you this stuff when you're twelve. Besides, it's not like I said any specifics." He smiled at the kids' cute reactions. It almost triggered his big brother mode. He loved children. And from what he could deduce from their conversations, they were Julian and Duck. Duck? That's certainly a new one. He shrugged. Parents were naming their kids crazy things these days. Terabithia and now Duck? What ever happened to John or Sarah?


He came back to earth when he heard them mentioning McDonalds. He rummaged for the money in his pockets. He had a good fifty something dollars but he'd need that for him and Shira. Still just a few dollars probably didn't matter. Plus these guys seemed normal, which was a plus in a potential friend. He heard the crossdresser introduce himself and the little kid as Jillian and Lionel. "Like I said before, the name's Cas." He suddenly had a sinking feeling in his chest but dismissed it.


The mugger felt the grip on his hand loosening as his body began moving as if on its own. He didn't know why but he handed Rikarah his knife and stepped away from Shira. He stood still behind Shira. Shira herself just walked forward a bit and then turned around to get a good look at the man. Her eyebrows furrowed a bit as she looked at him. He wasn't pretty. Not sure of how to handle this sort of situation, she just stood there and wondered what would happen next.
 
Katarina blinks, staring with some unbelief as she watches Steven's skin close over and seemingly heal itself, leaving no trace of the severe injuries that had just moments before appeared to be fatal. She blinks several times, not trusting her eyesight, before the truth of what must be going on dawned on her. Healing...blocking Kyle from being shot...he must be powered too. His must have something to do with healing, or...well, something.


A momentary but intense flare of jealousy coils itself through her, and ashamed, she quickly shoves it down, still concerned for both Steven and Kyle, who is openly crying. Steven is still unconscious, so he must not be able to totally heal himself, at any rate.


"Kyle, it's okay, look, he's healed...it must be a power he has," she said slowly, looking up at him. "Chris, take him to our room...please try to calm him down, okay?"


Looking across to Xander, still unconscious of her shoved up sleeve, of the old bruises and new scratches now revealed on her arm, she meets his eyes. "Should we...I don't know, put him in the spare room on the bed?"


**


"Oh...um, I don't, I don't know," Julian mutters, but finds himself strangely relieved when Jillian addresses him. He glances up at her quickly, then back down again, and is stunned when an oddly warm feeling presses against his chest at even the brief glances he gives her. Was he...he couldn't be ATTRACTED to her, could he?


Julian is never attracted to girls, not like that...he is uncomfortable with girls, even with Violet and Liselle, sometimes. So why is...why would Jillian be any different? He barely knows her...


He acknowledges Jillian and Lionel's names with a faint nod, thinking to himself to his further surprise that he sort of likes that his and Jillian's names are so close.


"Hi," he mumbled. "I guess...Duck...you ready?"


**


Rikarah's lips quirked slightly, and she ignored Shira entirely for the moment, aware that she was standing close by. She looked the man directly in the eye, still smiling, but her gaze was hard, and the smile held as much malice as pleasure. Both anger and excitement, anticipation, mingled within her as she tilted her head, speaking to him in a low voice.


"Thank you, sweetie. I do like an obedient man."


With a sudden lunge forward and a fast flick of her wrist, she slashed the man's throat, simultaneously reaching out with her left hand to tug Shira out of the way of any possible blood splatters. She watched with her smile slowly growing as the man's eyes bulged, as he staggered and dropped to his knees, his hand instinctively moving to cover his throat. She watched as she breathed his last, gasping and choking on his own blood.


It was what he deserved, having threatened them as he had. It was what he had had coming to him, the moment he lay a hand on the innocent Shira's throat. And she felt no qualms about it whatsoever.


Turning to Shira, Rikarah eyed her, unsure of how the girl would react. She tried again to probe her thoughts, but found her barrier resistant. Still, she tried to command her as she had the man.


"Shira. You will not remember what you have witnessed just now."
 
Xander's eyes widen when Steven begins to double over in pain, feeling a bit hurt when Kyle pushes him aside to go to Steven. What, is Steven his big brother now?


Getting over the rising jealously quickly as Steven runs off and sprinting after him. He reaches him just as Kat does, and watches with wide eyes as the bone that was exposed begins to clear over. He notices Kat scratch up her arm but decides Steven needs looking after first, he could talk to Kat later about hurting herself, AGAIN.


The first thing Xander does - completely calmly - is walk over to his younger brother and picks him up easily, placing him behind himself and Kat. He looks at him seriously, speaking in a neutral voice, "Kyle, listen to me. You go with Chris and sit in her room, alright? Me and Kat will handle this. Steven's going to be fine. Now go." He doesn't leave room for argument as he turns his back on him and goes over to Steven, dropping down beside the older to examine his back.


"Yeah, he's fine." He mutters, glancing back up at his twin as his eyes land on her exposed bruises and scratches. He doesn't say anything, but his eyes harden slightly and you can tell he's not thrilled about the marks. He rests two fingers on Steven's neck, feeling his pulse. "Yup, he's defiently fine. Must have a healing power." He speaks like this is an everyday thing, having a healing power. He smirks to himself, "Just to be sure though." He puts a hand on Steven and sends a small shock through his body, just like doctors do when they want to keep someone alive, to jump start their heart or whatever. The shock won't badly effect him in anyway. Though Steven's body does jolt a little bit from the shock.


He grins and looks at Kat, "I'm sure he'll wake up in a sec."
 
All these people still made him feel uneasy. Julian, who was a ball of nerves when he isn't play guitar, seemed more open than himself. After listening to the introductions, he kind of liked Cas' name, just not his personality. Jillian was definitely a girl, or at least he thought from her name, and Lionel, he seemed innocent. When he was about to introduce himself, Jullian then announced Duck's name once more, so he just responded with a short nod, smile, and wave combination. "Ye-yeah, let's go before the cops... uh... you know, get here." He scared himself mid-sentence with talk about the cops.


He directed himself to the way where the closest McDonalds should be and started walking. While walking he kept his head down a bit, and recited everyone's name under his breath, so not to forget later. He nodded when he finally got them all. Wait why am I trying to remember their names? We're leaving a huge crime scene! Duck couldn't get the bodies off his mind. Before he knew it they were out of the park, and the McDonalds with just across the street. "We're HEre", his voice cracked, so he cleared his throat, "here..." In an unconfident posture, he crossed the street and entered the fast food restaurant.
 
Shira was pulled out of the way by Rikarah. She stumbled for a bit but quickly regained her balance. She stared on silently as the man died before her. Suddenly her eyes widened. Rikarah had said a few words to her but she couldn't really hear anything clearly. Shira fell to her knees as an intense migraine pounded in her skull. She grabbed her head with both hands and shut her eyes tightly. She saw a dark figure in her mind. It was probably of a man. He seemed so tall and his eyes were glowing red. And just as the shadow started to grab her, she heard Cas' voice and it disappeared. Her mind went blank and she opened her eyes.


A bit confused at what happened, she looked around. How did she get here? Why was she on the ground? She spotted Rikarah and stood up. "What just happened?" She took no notice of the corpse in the alley or the blood on the pavement.


Cas followed the group to a nearby McDonalds. As he walked he committed their names to memories. No one liked being called the wrong name and Cas didn't want to offend these people. Sure they were young and seemed rather normal but who knows what could happen if he angered someone. As the restaurant came into view, he was tempted to leave to find Shira. Who knew what she could have gotten herself into by now. But he felt as if he needed some interaction with the outside world except pawn shop owners. Plus he should probably get something that was actually hot for Shira to eat. Heaven knows she was probably getting sick of cereal, crackers and cookies. He walked inside and let the smell of fast food fill his nostrils. He very much preferred the incense wafting from his clothes but at least it was somewhat warm in this place.
 
Rikarah frowned slightly as Shira doubled over, holding her head. No one had ever reacted to her attempt to command them before in such a way...was Shira also powered, in a way that Rikarah did not understand? Was she trying to block her out and having pain by attempting to do so? Did Shira also have telepathic powers of some kind?


But then Shira was straightening, appearing blank, not even seeming to see the corpse at their feet, and it seemed that it was all right. When Shira asked her what was happening, Rikarah smiled gently, relieved.


"I think you are dehydrated...you doubled over holding your head as if you had a headache," she told her, reaching to touch her temple lightly. "We should go home now and get you something to eat and drink, let you rest. I will walk with you. It is safer together."


**


As Julian walks with the others, his head down, hands shoved in his pockets, guitar slung over his shoulder, he finds himself glancing frequently at Jillian, vaguely distressed at his own actions. He is unsure what is going on that he would feel the inclination to do so,or what it might mean. He tries to look straight ahead at Duck instead, inching slightly closer to him, but still the urge remains.


The boys seem pretty nice, especially that Cas...but still, he knows better. He should not be with them now, should not be letting himself like any of them. What if he did become attracted to one of them, what if they were clueless enough to like him back? How could he let anyone that close, how could he let them think that he was a better person than he was...that he was anywhere near normal or okay?


As they entered the restaurant Julian's mouth watered. He had not eaten so far today; he just wasn't as hungry, on the streets, as he had been when he lived at home. He knew he was probably losing weight, but it had not seemed something to really think about until he came face to face now with the sights and smells of McDonald's. Living at home, it had been just a place to eat, but now, it seemed as though it would be something delicious.


**


Hunched over slightly, still unaware of her sleeve or the way that Xander has looked at her, Katarina continues to regard Steven with some lingering worry, before looking back at Xander, finally returning his smile, though tentatively. She takes a slow breath in, then looks down at Steven, so as not to have to look into her twin's eyes as she apologizes.


"Sorry...I know...I'm not being a lot of help around here. With everyone. Do you want me to get a washcloth, or something...or...I don't know, get him some water for when he wakes up?"
 
(Love how Cas called Jillian young when he's two years older than Cas. xD )


Jillian could sense that there was tension inside the group, but he felt a little relax among them too. He flashed a smile at Cas though and laughed a little, it coming out as more of a giggle than an actual laugh. Jillian like giggling. It made him feel girly and he liked that feeling.


"Fine. I am sorry for hitting you," Jillian said, a teasing tone almost there, but then he got serious and grabbed Lionel's hand, ready to leave the place behind. Sure he didn't know any of them (though he wouldn't mind getting to know Cas and maybe the others), but he didn't feel like he was in danger with them either. Besides Lionel came first and he was sure McDonald's would be a more filling meal than whatever at the shelter or he could find. He was unaware of Julian's gaze as well. He was familiar with people staring at him over the years and although they didn't know, or so Jillian assumed, about him being well a him, he knew his hair alone might register some looks.


"So does everyone know what they want? How much do we all have together?"
 
Violet’s forced looking about would end and the small girl found her eyes getting heavy. A part of her wondered if the music had helped her stay awake longer having something to focus on, or if perhaps it had lulled her to sleep. Either way as she felt the warning of sleep to come she would try to remind herself that she didn’t have her sleeping bag, plus to fall asleep out in the open was quite dangerous. But the exhaustion of a long shift and a whacked schedule would win and she would fall victim to sleep, dreams of the dark nature to follow suit.


She awoke hours later and would notice the absence of Julian, only to wonder why she would look, or even care. He’s nice and never pushes, she would reason with herself. Surely she wasn’t stupid enough to feel a bond with another that barely even noticed her. She may be stupid, but Violet could learn from her mistakes at least somewhat, on rare occasions. No she didn’t care about him like that, hell the girl wasn’t worthy of love so why would she let herself feel something that couldn’t be recuperated? Oh yeah, because she was senseless.
 
After looking at the menu, Duck becomes a little overwhelmed with the large selection. He knows not to get a combo selection, but just the dollar menu was pretty large. "I..I have a five to spend for now. I can.. the dollar menu." He usually gets McDonalds, but he always gets stuck looking at the many options he could have. Duck feels a rushed so he just decided on a default, two cheeseburgers and small fries.


"I'll go get my food now." He speeded to a free register, and was greeted by the cashier, "Hi welcome to McDonalds, what would you like?" Duck felt like he had to be very detailed about what he ordered, "On the dollar menu, I want two cheeseburgers. Uh. Fries. Uh, small friees I mean." The cashier smiled, "That all?" "Y-yes." The price was roughly less than 4 dollars, and so he picked out some crumbled dollars out of his pocket and handed over the cash. He was then told his meal will be out in a minute, which was the literal amount of time it took.


Without really telling the others, he found a table large enough to fit all 5 of them. He waited and watched the rest of them order. Maybe they wouldn't be as nervous as he was. Suddenly he heard the beginning instrumental for "At Last" by Etta James, which soothed him a bit, though the music was fighting against the crowd noise. Unconciously he sang along while he waited, which he tended to do whenever he'd eat, but he forgot he wasn't alone this time. Plus his food was going to get cold because of his habit of singing along.


 
Lionel was quiet throughout most of the conversations and other things, keeping back, unsure of the others. He was happy that Julian was okay though and remained quiet as well for the rest of it all. He didn't mind being quiet or ignored or that Jillian choose to introduce him. He was use to this kind of treatment and almost in a way preferred ir or at least right now. What could be possibly say to add to their conversations.


While they walked Lionel let Jillian take his hand, squeezing it back in a reassuring manner. Jillian's hand was nice and soft against his little more rough hand. It felt nice. Sure he was too old to be holding hands with anyone like this, but he didn't mind. He was sure he looked younger than he was anyways.


Lionel also found himself looking at Duck, Julian and Cas. Cas intiminated him in a way. He wasn't sure about Duck, though he didn't seem to really want to be with them. And he caught Julian staring at Jillian, which he didn't think too much about. Jillian was pretty and a little different looking, so he saw people stare at him before. He didn't think anything else of it.


Raekel let out a puff of her cigarette and then threw it to the ground. She looked around and sighed deeply, then walked into a store. She hitched up her jacket a little more and nodded at the employee who said hello to her. She flipped them off when they looked away. Whatever. She didn't care about them or if she was "welcomed" in their stupid store.


She looked around, going farther away from the counter, to browse. She made a note of the other people in the store and the workers around her. She glanced up at rhe ceiling but saw no camera which sucked for them, but a nice plus for her. Raekel didn't mind cameras though. It added to the challenge and she wanted to test her skills against them whenever she could. Couldn't be a master thief if she let something like cameras stop her.


She grabbed a candy bar, shoving it deep into her pockets. She was happy she stole this jacket with it's big and deep pockets despite it didn't fit her properly. But it didn't matter to her. It was comfortable and useful.


She looked around and slowly opened a small cooler, grabbing one of the cans of soda and slipped it inside her other pocket. There a meal. She was set for now. She lounged around for a little more, looking at things to give the impressions she was still searching and then she headed out the door to a call of "Come back again". Yeah she was sure she would.


Raekel left the place and headed down the street with no real destination in mind, drinking from her stolen soda.
 
(Well everyone under 21 is young to Cas. Plus he didn't say younger so he could still see Jillian as older.)


Cas smiled back at Jillian. He had much liked the giggle. It was . . . cute. Yeah that was the right word, cute. Shira didn't giggle like that. She didn't even laugh half the time. It'd be nice to know someone who didn't take things so seriously. He couldn't handle too much drama.


Cas pondered as to whether he should reveal exactly how much money he had in his pocket. He currently had about $54 and it wouldn't take much to buy something for both him and Shira. But what if he lies and they find out. They could get mad at him and he knew that first impressions were important ones. Plus what if the others didn't have enough to eat. He couldn't very much let them starve to keep up a lie. After a second of debating in his mind, he decided to tell the truth. He had a little bit saved up back at the theater and he could easily earn some money tomorrow. Besides, they couldn't eat that much, could they? "I have about fifty something dollars. But I also have a sister waiting for me at home so I probably shouldn't waste it all." Still, if he felt that someone was either holding back or didn't have enough, he'd be willing to pay.


He looked up at the menu deciding what to get. He'd have to pick out something for Shira as well or she'd kill him. He honestly had no idea what she'd like, so he decided to wait a while before ordering.


Shira brought her hand up to her chin and tried to remember if what Rikarah said did happen. After a bit, she shrugged and just accepted the explanation. She did get a lot of headaches and she supposed she was a bit thirsty. She agreed with Rikarah's suggestion to go home together. "Yeah, I should be going home now." She then began to lead the way back to the theater. Rikarah just "moved in" today so she probably didn't know the way yet.


As they arrived at the old theater, Shira entered through the large double doors up front. Before heading to the closet where they kept the food, Shira turned to Rikarah. "Do you want anything? We don't have much and we have nothing fresh." She thought a bit, trying to recall what exactly they had. "We have cereal, some canned stuff . . . um . . . crackers, cookies and some other stuff. Cas even bought some soda the other day but it'll be warm." She eventually concluded that it'd be easier to simply show Rikarah what they had. So she led the dark haired girl to the supply closet and let her in.


She ventured into their "pantry" and grabbed an opened box of Lucky Charms and a soda can from the shelves. Tucking the box under her arm, she took a sip of soda.
 
Xander, as Katarina speaks, can hear another meaning behind her words. "I'm not being a lot of help around here. With everyone."


His eyes soften as he looks at his twin. How did it get to this? Hurting herself? Selling herself just so she can feel like she helped her siblings? And then, Kyle, Kyle suggested killing himself yesterday! He actually considered suicide because he feels so bad for the fire. And Chris, poor Chris, she can't freakin' see! She's even more isolated now then she was before!


Was Xander failing them?


Looking down at Steven, he decided maybe it was a good idea if he stuck around for a bit - as long as Katarina didn't get too intimate with him. Because maybe Steven could do a better job than him. So he simply nods, looking back to Steven also, as if he now wants to avoid eye contact, "Yeah sure" He murmured, "Some water would be good."





Back at the theatre, Terabithia and Natalia have long arrived home, and as Terabithia is still asleep, Natalia has taken her to their room and lay her down on a make-shift bed, covering her with a blanket and stroking the hair out of her eyes. As tough as Natalia may act, she still isn't completely heartless.


Once Terabithia is safely tucked in bed, Natalia stands up, takes a look down at her and decides to check out the theatre, it would be good if she could find a storage room to put food in and maybe even some sort of bathroom somewhere, surely the actors needed to have somewhere to go pee before the show?


Natalia has explored at least three rooms by now, having pulled her sleeves right up to her elbows, unknowingly exposing her long white scar that runs from her wrist to her inner elbow. Was there no-where to store food around here? Just as she had that thought, Natalia bumped into someone, stumbling back a bit. She looks up to see it was infact Rikarah she bumped into - who seemed to be waiting outside a room. Her guard is instantly up and she narrows her eyes slightly, then, looking to see Shira is inside the room, she lets her eyes return to normal, but she is still guarded. She trusts neither of the two girls and without Terabithia here to lighten the mood, Natalia has fallen silent. After a moment or two - much too long in the silence - Natalia looks to Rikarah, "Sorry, didn't look where I was going." Even though the girl is apologizing, her tone is flat, like she doesn't actually mean it. She had infact been admiring the carvings high up on the walls, wondering if it would be easy to climb up there or not.


(It's my birthday tommorrrowww! EEEEPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP So exicted! :D )
 
Julian flushed again as everyone began to reveal how much money they had; hearing the others sharing, his fifteen dollars, which he had been sort of proud of, now sounded pathetic. He mumbled towards his feet his response.


"I have about....f-fifteen dollars. But it's enough to eat. N-no one has to pay for me."


He, like Duck, decided to be safe and order off the dollar menu, sticking with fries and the cheapest hamburger, with water for a drink. Noticing that Duck had secured a seat for them in the back, he headed over there as soon as he was able, making sure to not kick his chair or brush him as he sat. Again his eyes moved towards Jillian involuntarily before he could make himself look away.


What was with him, looking at a GIRL, sitting here with all these people like they were friends...like they might like him? Like he deserved it?


**


Shira appeared to accept Rikarah's explanation pretty easily, and although Rikarah knew her way home by herself, she allowed the girl to lead her. It was always better to not reveal the extent of your knowledge, just in case.


As Shira showed her their supplies, Rikarah studied them, unsatisfied with what was offered. She had eaten at work, of course, as usual, and she did not find the diner's offerings excellent, but it was certainly better than dry cereal and warm soda. Nevertheless she took a box, looking at Shira carefully, before smiling at her.


"I can bring food from the diner tomorrow. I think we would enjoy that more."


As Natalia appears, literally bumping Rikarah, Rikarah looks up at her, studying her expression, then gives her a careful smile. She still knows little of her, but having observed her with Terabithia, she does know that she is smart and streetwise, and more caring towards Terabithia than she might otherwise have wished for her to know. Those are traits Rikarah admires in others, though she knows they are not mutually exclusive with qualities she does not.


"Shira is showing us what food is available here," she tells her in a friendly fashion. "Would you like some? I was just telling her I can bring food from my workplace tomorrow."


**


Relieved to have something to focus on, something she can do, Katarina stands and goes quickly to her own bedroom, to the gallons of water she has set apart for her and Chris to use. As she walked inside, she tried to smile at Chris and Kyle as she passed them to get the water.


"He's still unconscious, but he'll wake up soon. Don't worry, Kyle, he's okay. Really. I'm just getting him some water...um...if you guys are hungry, Kyle, maybe you can go get something for you and Chris to eat?"


She took one of the plastic cups from the sink area and poured a little water for Steven, then, wetting a washcloth, took that too, returning to him. They had forgotten to refill some of the jugs today, Katarina realized guiltily as she returned to Steven and her twin. Kneeling beside them again, glancing up at Xander first, she began to wipe Steven's face with the washcloth, more to try to revive him than to clean him.
 
As he was coming back to reality, his food was still pretty warm. He began to unwrap his cheeseburger only for Julian to arrive at the table. He looked at the others, and back at Julian who seemed to be staring pretty hard at Jillian. He had to say something about the situation, but probably not now. "Yo, loverboy. Can we talk later? After they leave." He whispered, eyes darting back and forth between the trio of strangers and the boy, trying to snap the kid out of his daydream.


Duck was really worried about how security would be once those bodies are found. Sure, he wasn't always this careful, but the park is pretty safe at night compared to the streets. Well there were more places to hide really.


He took a bite of his sandwich as he was thinking and looking at Julian for his attention. He didn't know how long they would take to buy food. Cas was loaded, so he could buy the entire menu and Jillian was babysitting some kid, so that'd take a bit probably. He bit into his sandwich some more, then clumsily bit his finger. "Oww!" He didn't bleed, but it stung, not to mention biting his own finger accidentally made him feel really embarassed.
 
(Ah that makes sense. Sorry bout that)


Jillian digged around in his pocket. It seemed that everyone could pay for their own, which if Jillian was being honest, he liked a lot. He had to pay for both him and Lionel as the kid had no money himself. But Jillian didn't mind at all.


"Hey Lionel you want a happy meal," Jillian said, ruffling the young teen's hair affectionately. "I think I might just get a coffee and maybe a snack wrap," Jillian said, looking up at the menu.


It was a weird feeling being here with other people, especially strangers. He looked over at them and smiled warmly in their direction, then turned back so that when it was their turn, he could order.


----


Liselle was making her way to work and didn't notice Raekel, until they collided. She didn't mean to walk into the girl, but she was in a hurry. Soda flew out of the can and onto Liselle's front, causing her to let out a shriek.


"What the-"


Liselle shut her mouth before she could say the wrong thing and looked to see who she had run into. She moved a little back. Raekel didn't look like the best person around to walk into or make her spill her soda. She had a feeling this was not going to be a pleasant encounter.
 
(It's okay. ^-^ I forgot about Jillian's age as well at the time.)


Cas stood before the counter. Everyone had already ordered and now he was standing there alone like an idiot. He sighed and walked up to the register. He needed to get something filling but cheap. Fifty dollars doesn't stretch as much as one would think. In the end, he ordered two cheap burgers, one large fries and some apple pies for Shira's sweet tooth to go. He debated over getting a drink as well but decided not to in the end. The ice would just melt on the way home anyway. After picking up his order, he went over to the table Duck and Julian sat at. He placed himself in the seat closest to the exit should he need to leave quickly. Cas placed the bag on the table and sat back. He'd eat when he got home.


Shira looked at the floor when Rikarah mentioned bringing home food from the diner she worked at. She didn't show any hint of smile but her cheeks became a light pink, indicating that she was a bit happy. She couldn't remember the last time she had a warm meal, even from before her parents' accident. Dry snacks and canned goods were starting to make her sick. Plus she worried about getting fat from all the junk. She noticed Natalia and told her this was the "pantry", something the girl could probably have deduced herself. Clutching her food, Shira walked past the two older girls, out of the theater and climbed to the roof to wait for Cas' arrival. She didn't have to search the building to know that he wasn't there. She could tell that he wasn't. As she sat, she fed herself some Lucky Charms. She held up one of the cereal pieces. Why did they even put them in the box? Everyone buys Lucky Charms only for the marshmallows. It was a mystery to her. She put the thought out of her mind and continued to watch the road before her for any sign of people.
 
Julian's head jerked quickly over to look Duck almost fully in the eyes, his own gaze alit with alarm at the other boy's teasing and implications. His head swivelled towards Jillian and the others, horrified at the thought that they might have overheard, and he shook his head fervently, his stammer intensifying as he tried to deny the nickname's application to him.


"I-I I'm n-not in l-l-love..." he managed, and when he took a bite of his hamburger, he almost choked, swallowing several times before he could force it down. He didn't taste it at all and his foot tapped nervously and unconsciously. "T-talk about w-what?"


He is careful not to look at Jillian as the girl sits with them, and instead focuses on Cas, noticing that he's not eating. He says nothing though, his cheeks again deeply red, and begins to wonder obsessively what Jillian must think of him. Does she think he eats messily? Does she think he's weird? Does she think he's cute?


**


Rikarah takes the box of Life cereal and a can of Sprite and carries it with her as she enters the stage area of the theatre. Climbing up onto the stage, she paces about idly for a few moments as she eats handfuls of cereal slowly, her eyes roving over the balcony and elaborate carvings making up the railing. For a moment she entertains the thought of climbing them, but eventually simply sits on the stage, sipping her soda as she eats a few more handfuls of the cereal. She feels remarkably peaceful about her day.


She may not have had a perfectly smooth experience in finding herself a new home, but always, it had been interesting, and Rikarah did enjoy being entertained.
 
Duck couldn't help but laught at Julian's reaction, the boy was obviously lovestruck. "Hahaha! Don't-don't die! I was only kidding." Once Julian recovered, he was continued in smaller chuckles. He hadn't yet realized that everyone had already settled, for the most part, and with Julian questioning his previous statement, Duck didn't know whether to dismiss it, or just say it. "The park. Security. What are we going to do if..." He felt really stupid saying that out loud for people to here, but he was so hung up about it, he couldn't help it. "...No, it's stupid. Nevermind." It felt obvious to him that it he was the only one worried about it, when everyone wasn't.


As Duck was taking in bites, his mind kept wandering. Life will probably still be the same after this incident. People get brutally murdered everyday in this place, right? As he finished his sandwich, he looked at Jillian, Cas, Lionel. "What an interesting day, huh...?" He'd been overthinking things too much lately. Duck decided to resigned from this thoughts for now, to talk to actual people, and not the moon.
 
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