"You know, they don't notice how sad you look when they're not looking, but everyone else does." Audrey took notice of the page number in her book before setting it aside and looking up at the stranger. It was a man, with dark brown hair, thin lips, and brown eyes.
"Excuse me?" Audrey's eyebrows furrowed. Her other siblings had run off a little earlier, to a store she hadn't wanted to go to. "I'm- I'm fine." The man smiled a little, sitting down next to her on the uncomfortable, mall-provided couch.
"I grew up in a similar situation, I know you're not." Audrey crossed her arms to her abdomen, holding the book between her and her arms. "It's alright, Audrey. You don't have to hide it." Audrey startled.
"How do you know my name?" Audrey looked at the man in shock, who proceeded to take out a lollipop. She looked around, at the four areas the mall courtyard branched off to, hoping her siblings or someone would notice her sitting with an older guy she looked nothing like. Why? It'd just look like I'm a gold-digger or something. Audrey looked back to the guy, well, not with the clothes he's wearing.
"Do you believe in Angels?" Audrey sighed and resigned herself to sitting with the man.
"If there were, why would any of this be happening?" The man had been looking at her the entire time, taking out the lollipop only to talk.
"You do know that Lily tries her hardest right? No matter how bitch-y she acts, she loves you as her own." Audrey nodded. She knew, boy, did she know. It hadn't mattered in the beginning; they'd grown up together, Lily had taught her how to ride a bike, and play with dolls 'correctly'.
"We just had a fight about that, recently, actually. Did you know in the 10 years I've lived with them, we've never said 'I love you' to one another?" Audrey looked up at the man, her eyes watering, "What does that say?"
"I can't tell you that, Audrey. What I can tell you is that, just know, Angels are watching over you." Audrey smiled sarcastically.
"Angels must be dicks, then, huh?" Audrey chuckled quietly to herself, self-pitying and desperate. "I'm going to get a hot chocolate over there. If you're still here when we come back, you're telling my therapy place you work at so I can stop in." The man nodded, knowing that was her last-ditch attempt to ask anyone for help.
She couldn't have been gone for more than two minutes and she checked back at the couch at ten second intervals, even going as far as to give the man behind the Starbucks counter a short, easy name to quicken it, but when Audrey returned to the couch, the man was gone.
"Look, Sam, we can't just take in some kid! What if her parents are looking for her!?" Dean yelled, happy the girl sat in the car and not with them in the motel room.
"Gabe told us she had no one! Her parents are gone, her siblings are gone, and no one's looking. If we throw her out, what'll happen? She'll go into the system, Dean! She already knows about what's out there and they know about her so we have to protect her!" Sam yelled back, happy she was gone, but for a different reason.
"Is this because Gabriel dropped her off, or because you actually want to help her?" Sam stayed silent, packing his bag and thinking, "Exactly. If we met her on a case or something, we would've dropped her off at a different Hunter's place."
"Well, Dean, the only retired Hunter we know," Dean opened his mouth, "that's not crazy," Dean turned back to his bag, zippered it shut, and threw on his jacket, "is Bobby. And that's where we're headed now."
"You've been too quiet lately." Julia poked her best friend's arm, looking attentive. "What's up?" Audrey looked up from her computer, stressed.
"Nothing, Jules." She smiled gently at her for a moment before turning back to the PC and darting her fingers across the keyboard.
"C'mon, Nor, I've known you since 3rd grade. I know when you're lying." Audrey sighed, moving stuff around on her presentation, trying to deal with the group she was working with for her project- which she needed to get an A on-, Julia's insistent questions and her own stress.
"You know what's 'up'. My parents, my siblings, my stupid laptop broke a couple of days ago and my parents said I'd have to wait a month to get a new one." Audrey sighed, pushing her sleeves up before quickly pulling them back down.
"At least you've got money. Both of my parents are low on cash. I haven't gotten allowance in, like, two months." Julia sighed, jealous of Audrey's 'easy' situation.
"Yeah.
"So, Audrey, Gabe told us you've been to a lot of places. Ever been to South Dakota?" Sam's question was viable, I mean, she had lived in Michigan with her parents and siblings.
"Yeah, with my Dad." Audrey smiled, fingering the heart shaped necklace around her neck. Tiffany's, the best for my princess.
"Stopping for gas soon. Do whatever you gotta do then because we're going straight through." Dean gruffly said, stopping any conversation Sam could've started with the teenager. For his own good, Dean had to remind himself. Nothing 'gainst the kid but he had to look out for his brother.
"Understood." Audrey nodded before toeing off her shoes and laying them across the seat, resting her head on the window, "Could one of you please wake me up then? I was wondering if I could have a small nap." Sam nodded, looking back at her in the rear view mirror,
"'Course."
"Audrey, open up!" Lily Russell pounded on the door, sighing. Her little sister had been up all night doing homework and she herself had gone to bed earlier than her. "Audrey, you know not to have your door looked when you're sleeping!" Nick and Matthew had left for school without her, not wanting to be late.
Lily shook her head, deciding to email the parents about this later. After a few seconds of searching, Lily found the sledge hammer and went back up the staircase to her sister's room. The door stood a chance until Lily hit the middle of the door after tapping all four corners.
Audrey's bed was empty and after checking, most of her drawers were empty of clothes.
"Audrey, we're at the gas station. Filling up now so go do whatever you need to." Audrey nodded at Sam, stuffing her feet into her Converse sloppily and stumbling out of the Impala. The brothers watched Audrey step into the gas station with ease, like she'd been there before and knew nothing of harm could happen inside.
"Is it me or does she seem too relaxed at this?" Dean's eyes narrowed at the guy at the register as he checked out the sleepy teen. Probably asking where the restrooms are.
"She said she'd been to South Dakota with her Dad and when we said that we're in Arkansas, she asked how close to Little Rock we are. Either she knows her geography or she's been everywhere with her Dad." Sam shrugged, "I dunno, man, but Bobby'll help us figure it out. I'm 'onna get something from here, you want anything?"
"I already went in, to put gas on the pump. I'm good." Sam nodded, heading in to grab a protein bar and some Arizona Tea.
"That'll be it for ya, Missy?" Sam opened the door, ding, smiling briefly at the man behind the register and then at Audrey.
"Yeah, that's all." Audrey nodded, pulling out her wallet. Where'd she get that? Sam wondered before quickly deciding,
"Hold up, Audrey. I'm gonna grab something and then I'll pay." Sam tapped Audrey's shoulder as he passed to get to the protein aisle. Audrey shrugged and nodded at the guy, putting away her wallet.
"Fine with me, Sam." Sam came up to the register a few seconds later, ignoring the semi-glare the register guy, Charlie, was giving him.
"That'll be 10.43." Sam nodded and gave him a twenty, grinning at Dean, who was tapping his fingers irritatingly against the steering wheel.
After getting the change and dividing up the snacks, Sam noticed Audrey grabbed a protein bar and soda, and settling back into the car, they were back on the road. Waiting until she fell asleep, the younger Winchester made a comment, "She knows her road trip food and that guy was creepy."