Well, for the people that are intrigued, thanks for reading. Hopefully you like it. I know the plot's sorta maundering at the moment, but it will pick up soon.
Ok, necessary things. I don't own Gundam Wing. Or Gundams. Or Quatre. The lack of gundams dissapoints me greatly.
Couples: None, as of yet. Not sure if there will be any or not. Depends on what my muse says.
The boy's cries continued unabated. Quatre flinched. What was that about? Had he said something wrong?
Adrienne softly called to the boy.
"Zachary," the whisper came.
The boy's jade eyes reoriented themselves on the young psychologist. His expression remained locked, and his scream continued. Yet Quatre wondered if he was hearing things or if the timbre of the scream had been reduced slightly.
"Zatters," Adrienne soothed, sitting up in her chair.
The boy slowly closed his mouth. His eyes began to shift rapidly to and fro. A titanium piercing gaze for Quatre, a cautious one for Adrienne.
Adrienne sat back in her chair and motioned for the child to come into the study. He tiptoed over to her chair, watching Quatre the entire journey over. He slunk down next to the armrest, and Adrienne tousled his hair.
"Zatters," she said, reacquiring his attentions. "This is Quatre. He's going to be staying with us for a while." She spoke slowly and evenly, as if Zatters would not understand. He nodded slowly, but began rapidly twisting a curl of black hair about his finger.
"Hi Zatters," Quatre said, waving slightly. "That is a cool Leo you have there."
The boy's eyes narrowed, and he hugged the toy protectively against his chest. The initial apprehension the boy must have felt had abated, and Quatre allowed himself to relax as the intense emotion departed the study.
Adrienne raised an eyebrow at Zatters. "Quatre and I need to talk some. Why don't you go play with your Mobile Suits? I'll come get you once we're done talking, ok?" Again, the slowly patterned speech came from the woman to the boy, and Zatters nodded.
"Ok," was all he said. He continued to warily eye Quatre, and backward walked out of the study. Almost as a parting gesture, however, he brought the Leo's rifle up and pointed it at him. He made a small ping, and disappeared around the corner.
Quatre made an agonized noise. "He got me!" he exclaimed, holding his chest. He hoped the boy had been listening for the results of his attack.
Adrienne smirked, then furrowed her eyebrows. "You didn't seem too phased by Zachary's outburst. Do you have younger siblings?" she asked. How else would the young man in front of her little more than flinch at the child's fearful screeches?
Quatre shrugged. He didn't have the answer she wanted. "I'm the youngest in my family, Miss Adrienne. All of my sisters are older than I am." Noting her still puzzled expression, he continued. "He merely startled me, but I know that sometimes children are fearful of strangers. I am a stranger to him, so . . . " he trailed off and shrugged again.
Adrienne nodded, accepting his explanation. "Well, I hope you will be as resilient with the other kids as you were with Zatters." She said. A pale smile crossed her face, and she turned to look out the bay window that dominated the rear wall of the study.
In that instant, the age difference between Quatre and Adrienne became more pronounced. Oh, he'd known that the psychologist was a good seven years his senior, but early conversations with her had put him under the impression that she acted more his age.
Adrienne said something, interrupting his thoughts.
Quatre shook his head. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Adrienne smiled. "Off in the clouds, are we?" she teased. "I just asked if you thought you would be able to help me. I must warn you that each of the children that live here have their own special needs. And some of them are hard to deal with. You may have to steer clear of Kyle for the first few days you're here." She warned.
Quatre took a deep breath before replying. "Yes, I think I can do it. I haven't had much training when it came to counseling, but," he sighed. "People have always naturally opened up to me. Mind you that in itself has gotten me into trouble, but I doubt it will here."
Adrienne nodded understandingly. "Well, let's go meet them. I'll introduce you, and then," she shrugged. "Well, we'll just let you get into the routine. Come along." She stood, and motioned for Quatre to follow.
Quatre soon discovered that the house was larger than it appeared on the outside. The house had at least two distinct wings, and several empty rooms. As Adrienne led him through the hallway, he began to hear music.
Mozart blasted from a piano.
Adrienne slowly opened a large oak door at the far end of the hallway. The room behind the door was massive. A few steps led down to a hardwood dance floor and the ceiling vaulted high overhead.
And there it was.
In the center of the room sat a proud Baldwin Grand piano. It was an old thing, the outer varnish had become a dry lake bed of cracks, and something had gouged several craters in the jewel box lid. But the boy at the piano seemed to pay the outer appearance little mind.
He was the master of the music, and his muse spoke directly into his freckled ears. Quatre gazed in wonder at the tow-headed boy. He himself had played the piano, and had taken many years worth of lessons. But the raw talent this boy possessed nearly brought him to envy.
He raised an inquisitive eyebrow at Adrienne.
"That is Sam," she whispered. "He's here on the request of a rich colonial family. He really isn't a problematic child. He's just . . . gifted." She explained.
The boy never looked up from his playing, even as Adrienne closed the door.
"Is he always that intensely focused?" Quatre asked. "It was almost as if we weren't even in the room to him."
Adrienne sighed slightly as she led Quatre to a spiral staircase. "We weren't there to him, Quatre. Sam is Autistic."
Quatre paused in his stair climbing, his mouth forming an 'o'. "So why is he here? I was under the impression Autism wasn't treatable,"
Adrienne turned to face him as he reached the top of the staircase. "It really isn't. The only thing I can help him with is his fears. Which, I have a hard time getting around to everyone as is, so I haven't had much time to focus on him," She ran her fingers through her shoulder length sandy hair. "He would be the one that I wouldn't have you try to work with, Quatre. He really only opens up to me."
Quatre nodded. What little he knew about autistic children told him that Adrienne was right.
"Now that we've covered that little issue, I think Renee is up here." Adrienne said, striding over to the lone door at the top of the stairs.
She paused, her hand on the handle, then turned back to Quatre.
"Renee doesn't talk much. I don't really know what is up with her. However, the people that sent her to me said that she's been this way since she was a child." She explained.
Quatre opened his mouth to ask what she meant, but Adrienne had already turned to the door. Who or what lay beyond it?
Adrienne opened the door, and Quatre had to adjust his eyes to the sunlit room. It looked to be a library, with a balcony that overlooked the lake out back.
Quatre felt her before he saw her. Her presence was like that of a comet in the night sky, little more than an apparition. Few humans he'd met felt like that. Heero was about the only exception, and even with Heero, Quatre had required some time to grow accustomed to it.
"Renee," Adrienne greeted softly. "I'd like you to meet someone."
The girl turned to face Quatre and Adrienne. Her strawberry blond hair gently circled her face, and she focused on the pair in front of her.
Quatre's heart froze mid beat. She was beautiful. What could have happened to this fair creature that would end her up in Adrienne's care?
"This is Quatre, Renee. He'll be staying with us a while." Adrienne explained. But this time, she didn't gain the explanatory tone she used on Zatters. She just talked to the girl.
The girl made no outward sign that she'd even cared. But something inside the girl shifted. Quatre felt it. A flare of emotion exploded outward from her, yet the girl remained calm. Serene. Silent.
Quatre felt a pain in his chest. He placed his palm over his heart. What was she trying to tell him?
"Quatre? Are you alright?" Adrienne asked, placing a steadying hand on his shoulder.
"I... Ow. I'll be alright." He said, wincing slightly. "It was nice to meet you, Renee. I hope to talk to you again sometime," he said pleasantly. He regained his outward composure, and allowed Adrienne to lead him away from the girl.
What was so special about her? What had happened to her? Questions filled his mind, and no answers readily came.
Just before Adrienne closed the door again, Quatre heard a soft whisper.
In a voice like crushed velvet, Renee spoke. "Desert child, a star has burned for you."
Quatre gripped the door, and opened it again. He stared at the girl in the room, and she stared back. Her blue-grey eyes gazed mournfully at him, haunting him. She said nothing else, and turned back to the bookshelves.
Quatre closed the door, and bit his lip. What did she mean? Was there a meaning behind what she said? Or was that simply a nothing statement of a confused mind?
Adrienne rubbed her lower lip. "You know Quatre, that is the first time I think that I've heard her say something to someone."
"To someone?" What could she possibly mean by that?
"Yes. She talks to herself, and keeps her own counsel. She may talk to Kyle, but he won't let me know either way," Adrienne settled an intrigued gaze on the platinum haired boy in front of her. "Somehow, you got through to her."
A/N Yay research and things. I know, lots of problem kids, and we still don't know what's up with this Kyle kid either. But Quatre's an empath, right? He can handle it. Well, hope you enjoyed, I'll try to update soon. Review if you feel so inclined.
