Chapter 3: First Day Jitters

"C'mon..." Luka and Orly fiddled and tinkered with the radio, but it only caused it to create a horrible, screeching noise.

The duo cringed as they rushed to turn it off. "Not again..." Luka groaned.

"What's making that terrible sound!?" Shaw boomed as he thundered out of the living quarters with a rage, "It's so annoying!"

"S-Sorry!" The two kids squeaked. Orly ran behind Luka in fear. "We're just—"

"Give me that!" Shaw snatched the old, rusted box of screws and gears. "You dummies probably broke it..." He said under his breath.

He began tinkering with the switches and buttons himself. But after a good minute of turning and pushing, his face changed expressions from amusement, to determination, to shock, and finally settled on frustration.

"What did you do!?" He turned and glared at the young ones.

Orly squealed and hid behind Luka's back again, Luka looked like he would hide behind his own back as well if he could. "W-We tried to t-turn on Mr. Radio to hear t-the news..." He stammered, "But he was broken..."

Shaw saw the terrified looks on their faces, and decided that he went too far. They were only children after all.

He sighed and put a hand to his face, "Alright... I guess I can't blame you guys. But don't ever do things without telling us older guys first, okay?"

The two nodded their heads, and started to relax a little, seeing that Shaw was no longer mad at them.

"H-Hey!" Cal stumbled out of the living quarters, still putting on a white-colored coat, "Who's causing all this ruckus?"

Shaw sighed again, "Nothing, it's just first day jitters..."

--

The orphanage ate their lunch for the day: Canned beans they found sitting in the pantry, enough to last them for two days.

Shaw was finishing the remains of his beans, when he caught Dean looking at him strangely. "What?"

Dean passed him a half-finished can of beans, "You want the rest?"

"Huh?"

Cal watched with a mixture of disgust and amusement as Kai gobbled up his beans with zest, and Luka and Orly scoop up their soupy beans up into the air and slowly drip it back down into their cans with a—

Ploop!!

—sound.

"Cal..." Luka whined as he spilled another batch of beans into the can, "These beans taste funny..."

Kai slurped up the remainder of the red ketchup that dressed the beans, "You sure? They taste just fine to me—"

pooooooot...

"...excuse me..." Kai flushed.

The orphanage laughed at Kai's little oopsie.

It seemed like everything was truly going to be okay.

--

"Hey Shaw..." Dean called out as pulled out the lids from the can of beans they ate, "You look a little under the heat."

"Under the heat?" Shaw asked, looking back at him.

"Yeah. I mean, you've been pacing non-stop since the end of lunch. You won't even settle down on your favorite armchair." Dean noticed.

"I'm just..." Shaw suddenly glared at Dean, "Wait a minute... why're you even asking?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah." Shaw pointed an accusing finger at him, "Ever since this morning, for whatever reason, you started being 'nice and caring' towards me, and I'm creeped out by it."

"What do you mean I just 'started' being nice to you?" Dean raised a confused hand.

"Well, I wouldn't expect a neglecter to notice how's neglectful he's been." Shaw shrugged sarcastically, "But the moment I came here all those years ago, you barely paid me any attention, except for all the times I messed up at something!"

Dean shook his head, "I have no such recollections of your accusations."

"Whatever. Just don't bother me anymore. I'm already starting to get a headache from talking to you." Shaw proceeded towards the living quarters, "I'm gonna take a nap."

Then suddenly his voice lowered to a murmur, "I already have too much stress as it is." He walked towards the doorway.

When suddenly, Kai and Luka suddenly bursted out and ran towards Dean. "Dean!"

"H-Hey!" Shaw tripped as he stumbled away from the charging brothers. "Watch it!"

But they ignored him.

"Dean!" Kai and Luka ran up to Dean, and shook his shoulders rapidly, their tones full of worry and anxiety, "Dean! Dean!"

"Woah! You two!" Dean put a hand on their chests and pushed them away gently, "I'm sorry, I can't play right now, I'm tryi—" When he found something unusual with the two boys.

"Luka." Dean turned to him, "Where's Orly?"

Ever since she was adopted into the family, Orly was rarely seen in a different room from Luka.

"That's the thing!" Luka exclaimed, "She's sick!"

"She broke out in a sudden fever!" Kai added.

"What?!" Dean's eyes widened.

Over at the front, Shaw overheard everything, "Huh?!"