Cosette stepped out of the car and wrinkled her nose. She could almost smell the raging hormones. Boys and girls ran up and down the stairs in front of the large school building and many of them were shouting this and that at their friends. Cosette already hated it. Maureen seemed to sense Cosette's tension, but she misinterpreted it as fear so she grabbed Cosette's arm reassuringly.
"You'll get used to it," Maureen said, dragging Cosette up the steps and into the building. Cosette rolled her eyes and allowed Maureen to drag her into the office and she even let Maureen do all the talking. "Ok, so you're sharing a locker with me and I can show you were your classes will be before the day starts. If you want that is."
"I'll manage," Cosette said taking the schedule from Maureen. Seriously, how hard could it be?
"Hey, sexy," a boy leaning against the lockers called out to Cosette. Ah, just like the streets, Cosette thought with a smile. Some things never changed. Cosette could feel the eyes of all the students on her when she arrived to her first class.
"Can you introduce yourself to the class and tell us where you're from?" the teacher said to Cosette.
"I'm Cosette Martin and I'm from leave me the hell alone," Cosette said walking to the back of class and sitting down. The teacher looked slightly taken aback, but she didn't reprimand her. Elliot must have told the teachers about me too, Cosette thought. They probably feel bad for the poor little prostitute. That's a laugh, she thought bitterly.
"You're the stripper, right?" a girl next to Cosette whispered.
"Hooker, actually," Cosette replied, not even bothering to look at the girl.
"How do you get into that business?" the girl pestered. Cosette sighed, a wannabe.
"You wear the shortest skirt you can find and stand on a corner. It's not that hard," Cosette whispered through gritted teeth. This seemed to pacify the girl, for she didn't speak to Cosette again.
Cosette made it all the way to lunch without further incident and she was just about to sit at a table alone, when she was intercepted by an Asian man.
"Not you again," Cosette said as he lead her out into the hallway and then into an unused classroom.
"Elliot wanted to me to check up on you," Dr. Wong explained. "How is your day going?"
"It makes me realize why I dropped out of school," Cosette replied picking at her lunch.
"Are you not hungry?"
"I never am," Cosette said honestly.
"Do you have an issue with your weight?"
"I don't have an eating disorder. I just don't eat a lot. Plus would you eat this crap?" Cosette said looking up at Dr. Wong. He smiled.
"No, I guess I wouldn't." He paused and looked around the room. "I've talked to your teachers. They say you have problems socializing."
"I'm new here; of course I haven't been socializing with anyone. I don't know anybody," Cosette replied indifferently. She didn't care about what other people thought of her.
"Cosette," Dr. Wong said. He looked like he really wanted to say something, but couldn't think of the right words.
"I'm not a sociopath and I'm not a compulsive liar," Cosette said frankly.
"So everything you said at the station-"
"Was the truth," Cosette finished for him.
"I see," he replied writing something down on a notepad.
"Listen, Doc, I don't need you to shrink me," Cosette said picking up her tray and walking towards the door. "Tell Elliot I can deal with my problems on my own." With that she walked out of the room and returned to the crowded cafeteria.
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"What's the news?" Elliot asked when Dr. Wong returned to the precinct.
"I wouldn't expect her to make friends. She seems to dislike people of her own age. She was honest with me though. She admitted that she became sexually active when she was fourteen and that she continued until she was paid for her services."
"Is she a threat to my kids? Or anyone for that matter," Elliot asked.
"Cosette's only a threat to herself. She seems to care little about her own wellbeing. I'd watch her closely, but I wouldn't worry too much about her hurting someone else. Her anger is directed at herself not others," Dr. Wong said after some thought.
"Is that a relief to you?" Olivia asked.
"To know that I won't wake up to her holding a knife over my head? Hell yes that's a relief," Elliot replied.
"You should have thought of that before you decided to take her in," Olivia said in an almost motherly fashion.
"Kathleen is taking the kids and moving this weekend anyway," Elliot said as the phone rang. He picked it up and listened intently. "There's been a shooting at Cross Grove Academy," he said numbly as he hung up the phone.
"Maureen-"
"Is fine," Elliot said, interrupting Olivia.
"Cosette?"
"Also fine. Apparently Cosette held off the gunman and managed to disarm him before he could seriously injury anyone," Elliot said grabbing his jacket. "I have to get down there."
Elliot and Olivia arrived at Cross Grove Academy and began to weave their way through the crowd of worried parents and nosy passersby. The cops had the doors blocked off, but once Elliot flashed his badge they let him through. "Daddy!" Maureen yelled running towards Elliot when she saw him. He hugged his daughter as she scanned the hallway.
Numerous kids were stationed against the wall. Some were being interviewed by the police and others were looking terrified. Maureen disentangled herself from her father. "Dad, Cosette-"
"I know," Elliot said, cutting off his daughter. "Listen, go wait with Olivia. I need to find Cosette and then we'll get out of here." Maureen nodded and ran off to Olivia. "Excuse me, I'm looking for Cosette Martin," Elliot said loudly.
"She's in there, with the cops," a boy standing against the wall said. Elliot walked into the room that the boy had indicated and saw Cosette surrounded by cops and EMT's. He had to laugh at the girl's face. She was obviously pissed off.
"Cosette," Elliot said, distracting her attention from the other police officers.
"Hi," she said calmly, as if a shooting hadn't taken place.
"What's the story?" Elliot asked. Cosette sighed.
"The guy came in with a gun. I recognized him as one of the guys that worked for the pimp I used to work for. Well he was waving his gun around and he fired three shots, just to scare everyone. I walked up to him and tried to talk him down. When I saw it wasn't working, I jumped for the gun. That's when the cops came in and now here we are." Cosette finished her tale with another sigh.
"She's a very brave girl," one of the officers said.
"Or very dumb," Elliot said. "Can I take her home now? I'm sure she's shook up."
"I think we have everything we need. If we have any questions can we call you?" Elliot agreed and gave the officers his phone number and ushered Cosette out of the room.
"I'm actually fine," Cosette said as they walked down the hallway.
"Liv take Maureen home," Elliot said once they exited the building.
"What about Cosette?" Maureen protested.
"I need to speak with her. I'll bring her home later," Elliot said, kissing his daughter on the head.
"Really I'm fine," Cosette protested as she got into the car with Elliot.
"What you did back there was stupid Cosette. Did you hear me?" He yelled angrily.
"Yes," Cosette groaned.
"On that same note though, it was very brave. You saved a lot of people's lives," Elliot said softening a bit.
"Kill one, save a thousand," Cosette muttered, more to herself then to Elliot.
"Please be more careful though. I don't know what I'd do if you got killed."
"Go on living," Cosette offered. "It's not like I'm your kid."
"Kathleen is taking the kids and moving out this weekend," Elliot said suddenly.
"I'm sorry," Cosette replied, finally realizing that she was all Elliot would have left after they moved out. "I was sent to help you though. So I guess dying isn't in the plan for me just yet anyhow." She said after a pause. Elliot just looked at her in amazement. Only sixteen and still she had grasped some of the hardest concepts known to human beings; death and redemption.
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A/N: Tell me what you think so far.