Heading Out

Nathaniel looked at Cole, "Thanks for the breakfast." The words felt strange to say. That was his first time seeing a real family breakfast. He stood up, wiping his eyes with his baggy sleeves, aware everyone was looking at him.

Nathaniel left the dining room, walking to the guest room he had woken up in. The coat he wore yesterday lay on the floor where he must've thrown it in his sleep. Nathaniel slipped it on, then he grabbed his shoes, they had holes in the toes, but the soles were still good and it was still summer, once winter came he'd have to find new shoes. Nathaniel moved to wait in the front room, he opened his door.

Cole and Connor stood talking outside, Cole upright and confident, Connor with a slight slouch; their voices were too low for Nathaniel to hear them. Cole glanced in his direction, Nathaniel hid behind the door, unsure why he didn't want to be seen. Cole was probably telling Connor about yesterday, it didn't look like he'd be going with them. Worms wriggled in Nathaniel's stomach as he hoped Wasp wouldn't know that. He hoped today's shopping trip would be uneventful. He took a deep breath, it would be alright, he clenched his fists to stop them from shaking. He was going shopping, it would be fun. He would have fun.

Nathaniel steadied himself then peaked out the door again he then opened it fully, walking to Connor and Cole. Connor had a red and black flannel with a black shirt underneath. Gene ran down the stairs pulling a sweatshirt over his head.

"You two ready?" Connor asked, slipping something Cole handed to him into his pockets.

"Ready," Gene said, straightening his sweatshirt. It was a dark blue with starry wolves howling. Nathaniel nodded, crouching to pet Rockie as the cat bumped his leg.

Ollie walked out of the kitchen, his small arms full of granola bars, he walked to Connor, waiting for him to grab the bars. Connor grabbed a few armfulls, sticking them into his pockets and winking at Ollie. Ollie nodded, then turned to Gene, handing him the leftovers. Gene took them, placing them into his pocket with a nod. This was done with an air or normalcy and Nathaniel wondered how many granola bars this family went through a week.

"Let's head out," Connor said, walking to the door. Nathaniel went to follow him, glancing back at Cole and Ollie. The two waved to him, Nathaniel waved back, tears entering his eyes as he realized he hadn't expected them to be waiting for his look.

Nathaniel closed the door behind him, searching the street in front of him. Chances are, Manticore would get notified the moment he stepped off the Rachet property.

"You ready Nate?" Connor asked, his eyes searching the road as well.

"Yeah," Nathaniel replied, starting to walk forward. Gene matched his pace while Connor walked a step ahead.

"Sounds good, we'll be catching a bus to head to the shopping district." Connor's tone was matter-of-fact, like a commander briefing his soldiers. His pace was calm and confident, but still fast, anyone with shorter legs would have to trot to keep up, but Nathaniel forced his trotting to look natural. There was no reason to be running yet.

The three got to the bus stop just as the bus arrived. Connor climbed on, giving the driver some money, then waved for Gene and Nathaniel to follow him. Nathaniel gripped the handrail to hide his shaking hands, then he stepped up. This was his first time on a bus, he focused on Connor's back as he continued forward, there was no reason to be afraid, besides them there was no one else on the bus. That seemed odd, but Connor didn't seem to be suspicious so Nathaniel filed the situation away for later analyzing.

Connor sat down in the middle of the bus, motioning for Nathaniel to sit across from him. Nathaniel sat by the window, Gene sitting next to him. The bus started, the driver clearly not expecting anyone else to be here.

Nathaniel leaned his head against the window, watching the street go by. A man was walking down the street, Nathaniel watched him, dread starting to build as he recognized the stance of the man. Wasp's dark eyes met Nathaniel's, showing no surprise as he nodded to him. Nathaniel shoved his hands into his pockets so Gene wouldn't see them start shaking, their movement made his legs quiver as well. Nathaniel took a deep breath, the bus leaving Wasp behind him, but that wouldn't stop Wasp from finding him again.

"Nathan. You okay?" Gene asked, meeting Nathaniel's wide gaze.

"Yeah." Nathaniel knew any elaborating would make him stutter. He glanced at Connor who was glaring out the window behind Nathaniel, his fingers wiggling and twirling around each other as he clenched his jaw.

Gene pulled out a granola bar, handing it to Nathaniel, "Eating will help." Nathaniel nodded, taking the bar. He opened it after taking a few seconds to steady his hands. Nathaniel bit into the bar, watching Gene's leg start to shake. Gene smiled, pulling out a bar of his own.

Nathaniel looked at Connor, "What happened at the last gala?"

Connor looked away from the window, his fingers stilling as he processed Nathaniel's question, then he shrugged, "The mayor's son tried to drug Christin." Anger flashed through his eyes. A savage smile emerged, "So Cole pulled out a staff and used it to teach the boy a lesson. Broke the brat's ribs and nose." He chuckled, "It took Riley and Christin to convince Cole to stop. I almost joined him."

"The kid's just lucky Cole acted before Christin," Gene injected, taking Nathaniel's wrapper and putting it in his pocket.

Nathaniel tilted his head, "Does stuff like that happen often?" He didn't picture galas to be like that, they were the height of society, it seemed like drugged drinks should be below them.

Connor laughed, "No, this was a first, but it won't happen again. If you want to come, the gala will be perfectly safe."

Nathaniel nodded, feeling relieved. It was strange, having people that seemed to care. He pictured Cole comforting him, Ollie giving him food, Gene giving him clothes. This family seemed to know him, anticipating his needs. Yet, he didn't know them, he didn't know anyone that wasn't in the papers, so it was no huge surprise, but he would have to dig harder. Why would Mr. Rachet adopt so many kids? Who was he? Nathaniel wished he had some foundation to start on, but he didn't have anything to go off yet. Maybe he'd be able to figure some things out while watching Gene and Connor today.