Street Kids

That thing was Hood? Well, it talked like Hood. And it acted like Hood. Jason was unsure of what to do, but May and Kira and Sheena seemed to have it covered. Slowly, he took his banana again and walked carefully over to a couch, as if the floor was laced with tripwires. He flinched slightly as Caroline fell, saying "Whoa- hey there, no need to be, uh, afraid or anything. These guys, uh, fight things like this every day or something like that." He gestured towards the figure in the doorway with his banana. "I, uh, think he's a good guy, anyways."


He looked around at the others, listening to them talk. Wondering if anyone was looking at him, he took a furtive bite from the fruit he was holding. His gaze flicked to Caroline, then back to Hood, chewing softly.
 
Hood? Rhys had barely met the man and he wasn't sure exactly what was going on. He backed a way a little. The others may be able to fight it if it was not Hood and attacked them, but he was not strong physically. He looked down at Caroline.


"Don't worry. Nothing will happen to you."
 
Hesitating briefly, Caroline accepted Kira's hand to pull her up, but then quickly pulled away from her grasp, backing away from the group overall. When the two boys address her, she shows more interest, her eyes roving between Jason and Rhys. She is still unsure which of them is Rhys, the one that has "Jenny"'s interest- the one she should be paying the most attention to.


She compromises by giving a small, tentative smile to both, though her heart still knocks heavily in her chest enough to not entirely be reassured. Her eyes do fall to the banana in Jason's hand; eating at the diner with "Jenny" seems long ago, after all the walking she's done.
 
When the door opened, Hood blinked in surprise, white eyes holding a look of shock. After all of the various reactions, he'd not expected someone to rush out without fear. Giving a nod to May, he thought for a moment, then leaned forward as she moved toward him as well. "Margaret Ann Sadovsky," came the whispered reply, the creature's breath cold as he spoke, proving just how little of a human he was.


Moving back from here again, he hoped the answer would suffice. At Kira's words, a bit of a chuckle left him and a nod followed. "Until earlier, I thought the very same," he said simply, as if this was all the explanation he could muster on the subject. Looking around to the others, his mood seemed to change a little. "There is really no need for fear, though I understand why one would feel as such. My new appearance is a tad unsettling."


Looking over his arms and hands as if to clarify this, the creature flexed and stretched the oily appendages, no light reflecting from the surfaces of them. Giving a nod and a simple 'hmm', he looked up again. "Not to be a bother, but may I come in?" he repeated, earlier instance of the question going unnoticed in all of the shock that he'd caused. "I would very much like to avoid being seen by anyone that may be lurking around here..."
 
Kira looked at him and then nodded. "Um yeah...avoiding screaming and running and calling the police and army would be good." She said giggling at her joke. She smiled at him and then looked over his form her smile fading a bit. "Oh yeah...thanks for earler." She said, a little test of her own to see if he remembered helping her with her wound. She smiled at him once again.
 
When she hears Hood breathe out her name, Sheena is assured of his identity, and after a few moments she smiles at him, though it appears slightly awkward on her lips. Backing out of the doorway, she gestures for him to follow her inside, barely able to contain her curious store of questions.


"So...how does this work? You looking like a big black ghost thing?" she asks. "I know you knocked on the door, but can you sit and eat and...do all that person kind of stuff? Don't you need another host, or is that just sometimes? Can you be hurt like this?"


Realizing that he probably can't follow all of those questions at once, she shakes her head, putting out one hand again. "Never mind...just...weird, you know?"


Glancing back at Caroline, who has returned to openly staring at Hood, she suddenly remembers her presence and the fact that she knows absolutely nothing about her beyond she's a runaway and her name. Somewhat awkwardly she gestures towards her and says to the group at large, "Uh, this is Caroline. She ran away. She's here. That's all I know at the moment."
 
May nods as he whispers. Good. She smiled at him, unlike Sheena it looked natural and uplifting on her. "Oh yeah, come in." She moved backwards aswell to let him in, once he was inside she shut the door, listening to Sheena ramble on with a half-smile on her lips. She then glanced over at the girl who Sheena called Caroline, she raked her eyes over the girl's appearance, her eyes lingering longest on Caroline's face, her eyes. She felt a twinge inside of her as she noticed that look, desperation, she had held that look at that exact same age. She guessed the girl was 12/13 maybe? But she had been desperate then, desperate for help, for someone to notice something was wrong, for anyone to notice that something bad had happened to Siran and was still happening at that age. Maybe this girl just need a bit of help? Her softened, kind eyes dragged away from the younger girl's own eyes as she mentally frowned at herself. Find out who she is, and what she wants first May, not everyone is good. That was May's biggest fault; she always tried to help everyone without knowing if they were good or bad first.


She snapped out of her thoughts and looked to Hood, "Hey Hood, know if you can drink anything in that form?" She asked as she made her way over to the cabinet above the counter, pulling out a cup. (The back door is in the kitchen xD ) She then looked at Caroline, she was probably a bit shaken by Hood's form, "Do you want a drink Caroline?" Even though she sounded welcoming, if May found any evidence that the girl was here to harm or steal, she would not be happy. Plus, giving her a drink may relax her so that May could ask her what she was doing here.
 
Rhys turned to look at Caroline. She was still scared looking and he felt sorry for her. It must be tough seeing all this without having experienced it before. Being a former merman Rhys was use to weird things but human life was hard to adjust to in the beginning. He could understand being pulled out of a comfortable environment and forced into a new one without any warning.


"Caroline. That is a nice name. I'm Rhys by the way."
 
As one of the girls turns to look at her, per Sheena's introduction, Caroline is slightly uneasy at her gaze. It looks like she's assessing her just as much as Caroline has been assessing them...what if this girl is one of the "special" people too? What if she can read minds?


But when the girl offers her a drink, Caroline accepts; she is too thirsty to do anything else. Following her into the kitchen, Sheena too comes, saying as an afterthought, "I'm Sheena. By the way. That's May, Kira, Jason, you heard Rhys, and that at the door is Hood."


Caroline's eyes rove to take in the face of each that is introduced, but her eyes linger on Rhys. So this is the one then. She gives a very small smile, and she is not faking her apprehension as she nods back to the others. What if they're ALL "special?" What if not all of them are very nice, like this Rhys guy? She would never have guessed he was mean just to look at him...


"Hi," she said simply, not yet going into her story. She had decided while walking it was best to stick as close to the truth as possible, so there wasn't much of a story to tell. Still, it was genuinely hard for her to talk about Lewis sometimes, so she delayed having to just yet.
 
The creature's eyes seemed to smile at Kira's joking words and he gave an inward sigh as the mood seemed to lighten. Giving a nod to Kira's thank you, he turned toward Sheena as she smiled softly. Still, she seemed unsure of him, but this was expected. Following her in, he blinked as questions flowed quickly from her lips.


"A ghost? No, nothing of that sort. I am not spectral, nor am I wholly solid. Something in between, I suppose." When she asked him to sit and eat, he blinked, moving toward a chair. "I am not really sure," he admitted, clumsily taking a seat. His form wavered as he did so, losing a bit of shape for a moment before solidifying again. "It would seem I can sit.. but eating, I am unsure about."


When she asked if he could be harmed or needed a host, he began to answer, but stopped as she shook her head. A smile in his eyes, he waved a hand. "It is fine. I just... wish I had more answers to give. As it stands, I am unsure as to what I can and cannot do. I do not even know how long I was gone for... though none of you seem to have changed. Perhaps a short time?" he asked hopefully, then turned to give a nod to Caroline. "Pleased to meet you." The creature's words held an awkward tone. It must be strange for someone new to see him like this; and on top of that, this girl had a strange feeling about her...


Pushing the thoughts away, he looked to May and gave an appreciative nod to her welcome. When she asked if he could drink, he gave a confused look and a shrug. "I do not know that either. Perhaps it would not hurt to try?" he pondered aloud, running his fingertips over the table slowly. It was all so different, having senses that were his own and not simply those of a Host.
 
Kira leaned on a wall and watched Hood. She looked around at everyone and then back to Hood. "Interesting....very interesting." She said with a smile. To find something that was not soild able to touch and feel and even talk was very puzzling. "I guess brains are over rated or do you have one I can't really tell." She said walking over. She became more curious then fearful at this point knowing it was Hood. "Please excuse me I am as curious as you apparently." She said and then smiled at him.
 
"So is this the first time then? That you didn't have a host?" Sheena asks, still insatiably curious about Hood. It is only now that she is really thinking about how much she doesn't know about him or what he is, and the fact that he so readily answers her questions only encourages her.


Going beside May to pull out a cup for him, then one for herself too, she glances back at him. "Hood, were you ever BORN? Do you have, like, parents or stuff...or are you just sort of there one day? Like God?"


She snickers at that thought, shaking her head. "I don't even believe in God. I think."


Caroline is still eyeing Hood, no longer afraid of him- mostly- but instead growing as intrigued as Sheena. It strikes her as very rude to ask him what he is, but she can think of no other way around it, and finally asks it as politely as she can.


"Sir? I'm not trying to be rude, or...I just...wonder what you are."
 
Raising a brow at Kira's question, Hood thought to himself for a moment before answering. "I believe I DO have a brain in this form, but even I am not sure. Surely, there is some form of neurological system present, or I'd not be able to have this conversation at all!" he exclaimed giving a small chuckle. "And, you do not need to apologize."


Giving a look toward Sheena as the questions continued, the creature nodded. "Well, yes. I've gone between hosts before, but during those times I was simply a sentient mass of blackness that sought out a Host based on instinct. There was not a method or thought of understanding during those times." At her second question, he thought for an even longer moment, unsure just how to answer. "I am not sure of parents, or as to how I was born. I do not know much of myself before the taking of my first Host, as I did not possess the ability to think freely or retain knowledge."


Turning the Caroline, he tilted his head and answered her question in turn. "Please, do not apologize. It is a valid question," he stated, a smile in his glowing white eyes. "I was a symbiotic parasite - a creature that required a Host to thrive off of and survive. But, after being expelled from my last Host, it would seem I am something else entirely." The thought of not having any idea what he was bothered the creature and, for just a split second, a shudder passed through him, causing the blackness of his body to ripple a bit.
 
May simply nods at Hood. She gives Sheena a grateful smile and goes over to the fridge, glad that the beer is long gone, and pulls out some juice. She pours a glass for her, Sheena, Hood and Caroline, then glances to Kira and Jason, "Do you two want a drink aswell?" She frowns suddenly, where is Devin? Hopefully he listened to her and got the heck out of her life...probably not, he was a bit too obsessed with her. He thought he could protect her...he always thought he could protect her. She scorned the idea of him ever protected her, protection? Siran was never protected, and not yet strong enough to protect herself. But May, she could protect herself. She could even protect others now.


She waited for a response from Kira and Jason as she walked over, handed Caroline her full glass, with a smile, and then went over to Hood and placed his drink down infront of him. "This should be intriguing." She commented lightly, glancing to him with her eyes twinkling slightly. She then took a seat beside him, sitting so that she could leap up at any minute and pour a drink if Kira or Jason wanted one, she knew they could pour it themselves, but she didn't want to seem rude. She sat beside Hood, half-smiling half-grinning at him, "I think it's magnificent." She spoke so elegantly for a girl who was raised by an abusive, alcoholic, sorry excuse for a Father. She carried on speaking, explaining why she thought it was such a wonderful thing. "I mean, the whole idea of you even being able to walk, speak and do things without a host is incredible."
 
Kira giggled and then nodded at his answer to her question. She jokingly poked at his head. "Hmm...maybe....maybe this is the second state of your life cycle." She said as it popped into her head. She smiled. "Maybe this is normal! You see human babies are just developing so they run on instinct! Need food need water....stuff like that...in your case it was...need a host! Because you were still developing you did not have the abilities that you did with a host. WHen you were seperated from your last host you changed to the second stage were you did not need a host to survive." She said and then continued. "Maybe it was not the host rejecting you but you rejecting the host." She said very happy with herself. "Of course this is all just a wild guess." She looked at May. "Oh sorry I was thinking...what did you ask?"
 
Taking the glass, Caroline drinks quickly and gratefully, swallowing loudly before she realizes how she must look. She makes an effort to slow down and seem more natural about her drinking as she listens to the others' questions. Apparently though they know this Hood guy, they haven't seen him like this before...but still, they all seem to trust him and are comfortable with him. That's good...then again, if they're all like this Rhys guy, who's a thief at any rate, then maybe they don't have the best judgment.


She is grateful for all this attention on Hood; it means that people are paying less attention to her, just allowing her to blend in among them for the moment. Maybe this will be easy.


Sheena smiles more genuinely now at Hood's replies as she sits with the others, between May and Caroline. She takes a swallow of her own drink as she considers his answers, then shakes his head.


"Pretty wild. But kinda need. I mean, it could be handy for you, right? You think you're gonna try to stay like this while you can?"
 
Jason stayed where he was at first, munching away at his banana. "Well," he said, between bites, glancing between Hood and Caroline, "Hood, whatever you are now, you look pretty awesome anyways."


He politely declined May's offer- "No thanks, I'm not thirsty-" and followed along with the others' questions, taking a seat in a chair. This was all so- well, uh, interesting! Shadowy human figure? Sounded like idealistic fantasy to him. But nope. Real life.


After the others had conversed a little, Jason turned to Caroline, banana finished. Watching her gulp down her water, he wondered what was up with her showing up- the same age as him, was she a vagrant too? "So," he said, casually. "First off, you can, uh, probably already tell we're not a normal family. So, uh, I'm just wondering, what brings you to our door?" He continued hurriedly- "I mean, I guess the secret's sort of out with Hood sitting here." He thought for a second, and added, "Like, what do you know about the supernatural side of the world?" He gestured at the shadowy figure sitting nearby.
 
It figured that Caroline would barely have the thought that maybe she would actually get away with just sitting there with them before one of them spoke up with the questions- Jason, the kid who looked about her own age. Glancing over at him, she finished the rest of her drink, then closed her fingers around it, tapping her other hand somewhat nervously on the table before she responded. Her eyes roll upward briefly, partly to buy herself a little time, partly because she is genuinely uncomfortable and upset every time she tells her story. She is all too aware of people looking at her as she responds.


"Um...I've heard of people like you guys? But I've never met any."


She clears her throat, steepling her fingers before she continues.


"Um...it's...really a long story...basically...my mom died? When I was a baby? And so my dad had to raise me by himself. I have the same name as her. So....when I was still little...these people took me from him. They...I was so little I didn't know better, and they told me I was their daughter. And I believed them. They took me from my dad and I was all he had."


Her voice carries some heat by this point, and her speech becomes more natural as her emotions begin to get caught up in the story. By the time she's finished she's nearly forgotten that she is supposed to be telling the truth to gain their trust, because she is so wrapped up in what she herself already believes to be true, the central focus of her life.


"And then when I was eight my dad finally found me and he took me back. Only I didn't believe he was really my dad for a while because those people were telling me all my life that THEY were my parents. Those people- the Brinkermans- they were rich, even if they didn't seem like it, and powerful, and they knew all these people who believed them and would cover up for them. So when my dad took me back, they all said I was their daughter, not his, and that he had kidnapped me, and had the police looking for him...we had to hide for YEARS. We had to keep running and never having a real home and it was because they LIED, it was THEIR fault, they TOOK me, not him!"


Her voice is rising a little and she takes a deep breath, making herself calm down a little as she knots her hands into fists in her lap, staring at the empty glass in front of her.


"They found me this year and they arrested him and made me go back and live with them. The police and social workers and stuff, they believed the Brinkermans, not my dad and me, because they had fake birth certificates and stuff like that. So now my dad, he's in prison and I have to live with the people who took me from him. Well, that wasn't fair or right, so I...I didn't want to stay there anymore...and I left."


Her voice trails off, and after a few minutes she said quietly, "I'm just going to try to get to my dad to help him. That's all."


And it is the truth...one hundred percent the honest truth, minus the part about "Jenny". But then, that's not really their business, is it?


Sheena stares at the girl, an odd mixture of sympathy, doubt, and confusion, almost resentment, mingling in her chest. No doubt the girl has had a rough time of it...it sounds like she's been homeless just as long as Sheena, even if her homelessness consisted of living in hotels and cars instead of the streets. Sheena cannot imagine loving her father, or any father, enough to speak about him with such passion and love....to be willing to follow him to prison. Did good fathers really exist? Did good men exist?


But still...although the girl obviously believes what she says, something about it sounds strange. Like she was getting the facts wrong somehow. But then, look at their lives. Who was Sheena to judge with strange?
 
Rhys, put off by Hood since he knew little of the man or whatever he was, turned his attention to the newest person here. He listened to her story with a frown. He didn't know much about his new friends but it was clear that all of them had pretty shitty lives. Rhys wondered at Caroline's story. It seemed a bit unreal to him but what did he know about human society? Sure he lived on it's streets for almost ten years but he was still so isolated from them then. Now was the first time he had real interaction with other people though they were not normal.


Rhys waited until Caroline was done. She seemed so torn about her father. He wished he could help her. But he stood back and stayed quiet. He couldn't help Caroline or anyone. Not until he helped himself. He was useless as he was. But Rhys also knew the moment he was a merman again he would be gone. Back to his own people. It made Rhys feel bad to think of abandoning these people but after yesterday he was sure they would welcome it. At least some of them.
 
As the others appear to be assessing her and her story, not speaking at first, Caroline looks down at her hands, realizing that they are shaking before she clinches them again into fists. She is not sure what she expected from these people...it was unrealistic to think they'd jump right into trying to solve her life, she guessed. They were kids too...and younger than she'd expected, even Rhys. And after all, that wasn't why she was here, to get them to help her, not for real. She was here with Jenny...it was JENNY who was going to help her, not these kids.


Still, she felt a lump rising in her throat that was the sign of genuine tears threatening, and had to put all her efforts into keeping them back before she heard the tall skinny girl, Sheena, speak.


"That...really sucks, Caro. Is it alright if I call you Caro?"


Without waiting for a reply from the younger girl, Sheena added, "So...what is it you want here? From us?"


Caroline shrugged, her voice small, and her words were sincere as she responded. "I don't know...I guess...to know what to do."
 
May frowns, turning her attention to the younger girl as she begans to tell her story. She listens and a mox of thoughts and emotions run through her. One of her intial reactions is pretty much the same as Sheena's. Confusion at being able to love your Father so much that you are willing to do ANYTHING to save him, she had never felt those emotions for her Father, or for any man at that matter. She obviously knew good men existed, somewhere out there, but she had never been lucky enough to meet a good man or get close enough to one to find out that they were good inside. Another idea that passes through her head is that maybe this man, maybe he actually did kidnap Caroline when she was young, and somehow convince her that she was actually his daughter, maybe he wasn't her real dad and he had hypnotized Caroline into thinking he was. She shoved all those thoughts from her head however, and took a look at Caroline, at her shaking hands, the watery eyes and the small voice. No matter whether her story was true or not, whether he wasn't her real father and truly an evil man or not, those emotions in Caroline's eyes and voice...they were true emotions. If she was happier with her - maybe real - father, then she needed support, she needed help.


May sighed and got up from her chair, walking over to Caroline, "Hey, don't worry ok?" She asked with a comforting smile on her face, warmth radiating from her chocolate brown eyes, she glanced around at everyone else, stopping herself from saying, 'we'll help you' What if they didn't want to help Caroline? She couldn't just offer up their help without checking with them first, she looked back to Caroline, you could see in her eyes she wanted to help. She wanted to be the person that no-one had been for her. For now, because she cannot just assume everyone wants to help her, she still tries to show Caroline she is willing to help. To be honest, being stuck in this house, playing family for the next however many years, doesn't appeal to May as much as she thought it would. Maybe doing something productive would help May forget, going on a small adventure to help someone else...it might even help May forget about it all, forget about Siran. Yes, maybe.


"If you need help Caroline, I can't say that we can help you." She empthasizes the we, before glancing around at the others then back at Caroline, her tone even softer, if that is possible, "But I would be quite happy to help you if the others are." She is careful with her words, stopping it from sounding like a pity filled offer.
 
Seeing May's look in her direction, the feelings in the other girl's eyes and tone as she listens to Caroline, watching the way she walks over to Caroline and addresses her so gently, Sheena thinks it obvious that May feels for her. Even before her offer to personally help her, regardless of what the others want, Sheena knows what May must be thinking. A young girl, so obviously in desperate need of support of some kind...well, Sheena has no idea what exactly they're supposed to do for her, beyond maybe give her a place to stay for a while. She does pity her...but what, they're supposed to break her dad out of jail? How? How do they even know he's as good a guy as Caroline thinks he is? Sheena, having never met a guy like that in all her life thus far, is more than a little skeptical that Caroline knows what she's talking about.


Not to mention that watching May with her, as much as she hates this about herself, makes her feel a faint but undeniable twinge of jealousy.


It's May's looking at Sheena, though brief, and this flash of jealousy in herself, as unwanted as it is, that makes Sheena answer with a nod to May, though she's looking at Caroline.


"I'll help...not sure what to do, but I'm not exactly used to having things laid out easy, so..."


Caroline smiles, the gesture small but genuine, and for almost a full minute it is hard for her to make herself remember why she is here. These people can't be her friends...she's here on a JOB. They can't really help her, that's Jenny's job...she has to remember that.


"Thank you...that...that would be really nice of you. Um, I'm not sure what you guys would do either, though...but thank you."


She looks at Grin curiously then. "Can you float through a prison cell and...I don't know, float someone out?"
 
"I want to help you as well," Rhys said. He was new to the group and not really contributed anything so far yet but he pain in the girl's voice got to him. He knew what it was like to have something important taken away from you. It was an empty feeling, a feeling that Rhys had not yet got over. If he had he would not be here now. He would have tried to make a way on land and forget about his past. But Rhys wanted his tail back so that he could return home to his family. So no matter what was the truth in Caroline's tale he wanted to help her.


"I mean I can't exactly do that. If anything I'm pretty useless as I am and even if I wasn't...incomplete my talents lie elsewhere. But I know how it feels to have something you love taken away from you."
 
Jason listened quietly through Caroline's narrative. Even after, as the others began to comfort her, he wasn't sure what to say. He'd never been able to comfort people, especially once he had gone on the streets and dismissed it as a useless skill. Everyone was older and could care for themselves. He was alone and he didn't have to worry for anyone.


But now, Caroline was his age. She was moved to tears by her plight. And even Rhys, who'd hardly been with them for twelve hours, had pledged his help. And he had been the one to originally ask the question. What should he say? For once, he was at a loss. What could he possibly say after a heartbreaking story like that?


"I'm... Sorry," Jason said, and immediately berated himself for saying it. It was almost as bad as saying "There, there," and patting her on the back. He tried again, shifting his position so he looked more at attention; "I wish my old man had been as good as that. If there's, uh, anything I can do, I'm definitely in with everyone else."


He looked at Hood, expectantly. Could he really vaporize through things? That would be so awesome.
 
Looking at the other kids one by one as they too speak their support, Caroline's small smile becomes genuine. She cannot remember the last time that she had so many people so interested in her, so many people who really did seem to believe the truth about her father and want to help. She is used to people telling her that her story is untrue, that her father is a bad man, that she is confused and misunderstands and too young to feel like she feels. To have their support feels incredibly relieving.


But it might be a trick, she tried to tell herself after she realized again that she was slipping into forgetting her mission. They probably aren't really this nice...or maybe they are. Maybe they just don't know that Rhys isn't really nice. She hopes that's it....maybe after she helps Jenny and Jenny gets her dad back, he can do something to help these kids too. That would be cool.


Comforting herself with this thought, as highly unlikely as it is, Caroline looks over at Rhys in particular, deciding now was as good a time as any to start with him. "Um...what did you lose?"
 
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