Birds of Prey

by Elwick

I know what it feels like to be a bad person, it doesn't feel as bad as they say. I spent a good portion of my life calling those who were different animals, or monsters. And I do regret that now, in a way. But not because I've repented or something. I'm apologizing because I realized that everyone's a monster in their own way. (T for now I'm not sure where I plan to take it)

Chapter 1 Birds of prey

Jessica had always imagined prisons as filthy horrible places. Which is why the social worker had been so reluctant to come here. She had always been afraid of criminals, even though she knew the boy was only being kept here temporarily until they could find him a suitable foster home. Though the boy was 18, and was apparently on break from the prestigious fighting school beacon, they hadn't been able to place him in an orphanage just yet. She had heard of the boy's story, and couldn't help but cry a bit. She looked at the file in her hands and shivered at what it contained. Her footsteps seemed to echo off the polished metal of the walls. Though it was well light, the emptiness of the place continued to fuel Jessica's paranoia. She fidgeted as she walked. She was just glad she was away from the cellblock; the boy was not a criminal. If anything he was a victim!

Then why am I so nervous?

She checked herself over, her red dress came down to her knees, and her long brown hair cascaded perfectly over her shoulders. She pushed her glasses up and took a deep breath. It took a few seconds but eventually her shaking stopped. She readied herself and kept walking. She was a grown women and she knew how to take care of herself. Besides, she had to be strong for the boy. People like him need people that they can trust. She just wanted to make sure this boy could go on living his life, she didn't want his existence to be defined by a horrible series of events. She just hoped that it wasn't to late to repair what was left of his previous life.

Apparently, he had gone on vacation with his family and his three teammates from beacon. On their vacation they had been attacked by a group of human pirates who had been terrorizing the area. According to the files, they had found the boy drifting on a boat near Dragonhold. The boy hadn't said much to the police, just that his friends and the pirates were both dead. They had discovered they pirates flag ship soon after. It had been a massacre, the bodies of 20 pirates and the boys friends had been found on the ship, his family couldn't be found. The authorities were quick to move the boy and his friend's bodies back to vale. The disappearance and recovery of the boys had been well documented by news outlets, and reporters had come to the docks to get a statement from the boy, but were quickly dispersed by the police. The boy had been moved the prison until they could make sure he was mentally sound. The doctor had quickly come to the conclusion that the boy had suffered no irreversible psychological damage, and had cleared the boy for return to beacon once he had a place to stay. They had considered letting the boy return to his home to live on his own. Jessica was strongly against that notion, but her superiors seemed to like it. They didn't think there was any hope for the boy to return to normal life, and that he'd have no choice but to live by himself with nothing but pills and visits to the psychiatrist to keep him company. But Jessica wouldn't let that happen, if she couldn't get they boy a new family then she'd at least grant him the rest of his time at beacon.

She was so lost into her thoughts of justice that she almost passed the door to the boys room.

A simple wooden door with a polished gold knob. She pushed it open. The room smelled sterile, like a hospital. A police officer was sitting in a metal chair and snoring. The room looked akin to a cheap motel, though lacking the traditional TV and mini fridge. Jessica shook the officer and he awoke with a start. He jerked awake, obviously panicked.

"AH! Wait I wasn't-" He stopped when noticed who woke him. "Huh, you the social worker lady?" She smiled kindly at him, she had always felt respect for the men in uniform.

"Yes, that's me," she looked around the room "were is-" The officer cut her off.

"Kids in the bathroom, he'll be out in a second." He stood up and gestured for her to sit at the table on the far end of the room. "You want me to stay?" She was slightly surprised by the question, and her paranoia almost took a grip of her heart once again, but she quickly pushed it down. All the reports noted the boy as non-violent.

"No, I'm fine." He nodded to her and left the room, taking his post outside the door. She waited there for a while, listening to the various sounds of the boy getting ready in the bathroom. She scanned the room patiently; she couldn't see any personal items from were she was, so the only things she had to look at were the ceiling and the window. As she watched various cars go past, she heard a noise. She turned to look as the door creaked open.

The boy was wearing a simple tee shirt and jeans, his orange hair brought up neatly, giving him a boyish look. He had a scar that ran from the left side of his neck up onto his chin. A piece of his right ear and one of the fingers on his right hand were missing. His piercing blue eyes bore into her, as if he was judging her. She wasn't surprised by how he looked; it had been detailed in his file. She smiled at him.

"Hello, my name is Jessica Tint, I'm a social security worker." After a seconds delay, he came to sit across from her. His voice was heavy; Jessica could tell that there used to be joy in it.

"Is that so?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm here to discuss options of your living conditions with you." He raised an eyebrow.

"Well then we might as well start now." He sighed slightly.

"Oh, but you haven't even told me your name!" She knew his name of course; she just felt it was a friendly formality.

He paused for a moment before speaking.

"Cardin, Cardin Winchester."