So originally I planned to show the family school supply shopping and going to the fair, but it wouldn't have been interesting chapters and I really didn't want to write another short chapter. Plus I would like to write some Halloween chapters, thus I decided to skip to the first day of school. Hope you don't mind that decision.
Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds.
Their First Day
September 1st, Wednesday
Scarlett stood in front of her mirror, nervousness bubbling up as she fiddled with her uniform. The outfit consisted of a white blouse worn under a navy blue blazer with the school's crest, a grey plaid skirt that fell to her knees and white stockings with black flats.
"Scarlett, hurry up or we'll be late!" Gabriel called as he appeared in the doorway, wearing the boy's version of the uniform in which the major differences were grey slacks and black loafers.
"Coming." She stated, grabbing her shoulder bag and following her brother down the stairs. Her mother was hustling around the kitchen, making sure breakfast was ready and everyone had what they needed. Bonnie was running around, barking her head off while Sergio shot the dog a sleepy glare from his bed.
"Nate do you have—""My calculator is safely packed away."
He finished, an amused smile on his face. Emily quickly turned to Winter and Cassandra, rattling everything off the top of her head.
"Can you girls double-check to make sure…?" She trailed off, pausing when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Em, calm down," Evelyn, who had just arrived, soothed. "The kids got everything ready the night before so we could avoid a panic."
Her sister sighed, giving everyone a sheepish smile. "Sorry everyone, but I'm just so worried that I'll mess something up…"
Scarlett shook her head, moving to give her mother a hug. "Mom, you won't." She stated empathetically, causing the woman to laugh as she pulled back.
"Thank you sweetheart," She said, smiling warmly.
"Now come on, we can't let these omelets go to waste!"
The Prentiss kids stood at the entrance to their new school, each feeling nervous in their own special way. They could see friends greeting each other, the boys fist-bumping and the girls squealing loudly.
"Do you want me to come with you…?" Emily asked, looking at her kids. While she would be accompanying Cassandra to her classroom she was unsure if she should do it for the others.
"No, we'll be fine," Scarlett insisted, smiling at her mother. Nathan nodded his head. "Yeah, if Winter wants I can take her."
The girl shot him a grateful look, the idea of her mother accompanying her made her a bit embarrassed but she had no problem with her brother coming along.
"Alright, be careful!" The brunette agent stated as she began taking her daughter to her first-day of preschool.
"Jack!" Cassandra squealed, running over to greet her friend who was just as eager to see her. Emily paused, seeing that, along with Hotch whose mouth had turned into a slight grin upon seeing the two, Haley was also present.
There was really no established protocol for interacting with your boss's ex-wife, especially when you happen to be very close to said boss.
It's not like we're sleeping together.
She rationalized, pasting on a smile as she walked over to the two. "Hi Haley, how have you been?"
"Good, Jack's been keeping me busy," Haley replied, a small smile on her face. "I heard you've certainly gone through some changes."
Emily chuckled, looking down to see Cassandra run to her side and stare at the strange woman suspiciously. The blonde woman crouched down carefully, her smile warm.
"Hello Cassandra, I'm Jack's mother and it's nice to meet you." The girl beamed at her, a wide grin on her face. "Hi Miss Haley!"
The woman laughed at the enthusiastic greeting, straightening and turning to face the door opening. A woman with raven hair appeared, a wide smile on her face.
"Hello I'm Miss Cole." She greeted, looking at the two children. Cassandra stared inside the classroom, the hesitance obvious on her face, though it quickly vanished when Jack began yanking on her hand.
"Come Cassie!" He encouraged, running over to the block table with the girl trailing behind him. Her mother stayed for a few moments, watching with worry as the girl simply stared at the other children.
To her relief Cassandra kneeled next to another dark-haired girl and immediately began chatting with her. She released a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding, flushing when the teacher stared at her in amusement.
"Don't worry, all children are a little bit shy on the first day, even those who are social butterflies." Miss Cole assured her. Emily let out a small laugh, nodding her head while the woman re-entered the classroom, the bell ringing to signal the start of her children's school day.
She still worried, but as she watched her daughter laugh with Jack and other children, she felt Cassandra and her siblings would be fine.
"Hey, you just transferred here right?" Scarlett looked up, startled at the sudden question. She stared at the girl who had initiated the conversation, a slim brunette with bright blue eyes and a grin on her face.
"Um, yeah," She started, a forced smile appearing. "I'm Scarlett Ca-Prentiss." During the registration process, the secretary and headmaster got very confused about the fact they had different last names (despite them knowing that they were foster children) so her mother had just given them hers.
It didn't bother them, to be honest, in fact they liked the fact that they had their mother's last name though it would take some time getting used to.
"I'm Hadley Lockwood and this is my friend Brooke Haven." The brunette introduced, gesturing at a blonde with green eyes who waved.
"Nice to meet you." Scarlett replied pleasantly, only to jump when she nearly fell out of her seat by something bumping her. Turning her head she flinched when a raven-haired girl shot her a haughty look before walking away.
"Wow, what did you do to piss off Victoria?" Hadley wondered, eyes wide in shock. She sighed, she hadn't been trying to anger the girl.
The red-haired teen had accidently bumped into the girl while heading to the locker. She apologized, but Victoria had just glared and walked away.
"Don't feel so bad, she thinks she's so much better because her daddy makes big donations to the school." Brooke reassured, a smirk on her face. Scarlett chuckled softly.
"Speaking of parents, what do yours do for a living?" Hadley questioned, curiosity in her voice. The red-haired teen blinked, thrown off by the question.
"Um, she's an FBI agent." She shifted uncomfortably at the wide-eyed stares she was getting. Finally Hadley spoke, awe-struck.
"Wow, that's cool and your dad?" Scarlett's mind blanked, unsure how to answer the question. Brooke and Hadley stared at her worriedly. "I…I don't have one."
"Oh…" The brunette trailed off, blinking rapidly. While she didn't relish divulging something that was sure to get her judged, Scarlett didn't want them to think she had a deadbeat dad (she did, technically, but she didn't want them to think her mother had been involved with one).
"I live with my foster mom, along with my fellow siblings." She elaborated, biting her lip while watching their reaction. To her surprise, they just nodded and resumed chatting with her, asking her what kind of cases her mother handled and what her other siblings were like.
"Ahem, girls could I start the class?" The trio looked up, Hadley grinning innocently at the scowling teacher.
"Sorry Professor Murphy, we were just making sure Scarlett was doing okay!" She explained, gesturing at the girl with her hand. The middle-aged man sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
"Very well, but now that you have assessed that Miss Prentiss is doing well please turn your attention back to me." At their nod he turned his attention back to the board, missing the quiet giggles of the girl.
While it was far too early to be entirely sure, Scarlett couldn't help but feel she had found her new best friends.
"Scarlett, over here!"
She looked up, smiling when she saw her brother waving at her. She looked over at the two girls, inclining her head.
"Let's go sit with my brother." Hadley and Brooke looked at each other, shrugging and following the red-head through the crowded dining hall. They ended up sitting across from Gabriel and Beckett.
"Hey Red, how goes your first day?" Beckett questioned, smirking when he saw her shoot him a dark look. While she had no problem with Morgan calling her that name, the way Beckett said it bugged her for some reason.
"Good, Professor Keane seemed kind of strict but she knows her history." She commented idly, taking a bite of her salad. She jumped when another person piped up.
"Yeah, but she's only really strict if you like to fool around in her class." A tray plopped down beside Brooke, scaring her and causing her to glare as a grinning brunette sat down beside her.
"Logan, try not to scare my sister and her friends please?" Gabriel commented dryly, though his lips twitched. Logan grinned, raising his palms up in surrender.
"Sorry, this is Logan Weston," Beckett apologized, gesturing at him with his fork. "He's in our Government class."
The girls nodded their heads, still watching him warily. Eventually the group began chatting amongst themselves.
"So are you still going to try out for the football team Gabe?" Scarlett wondered, glancing at him. He nodded, taking a bite of his chicken. "Yeah, plus I might also try out for baseball."
"What about you Scarlett, are you going to join a team?" Brooke wondered, looking at her. The girl pursed her lips. "The gymnastics team looks interesting…"
"Hey, I just noticed this but you two don't look alike, for siblings I mean." Wyatt noted, looking between Gabriel and Scarlett. The two looked at him.
"That's because we're not biological siblings, we're foster siblings." He blinked, staring at them. "Huh…so is it just you two or...?"
Scarlett shook her head. "No, we have a younger brother and two sisters." The boy nodded, turning his attention back to his food.
"So, you guys liking the school so far?" Beckett asked, watching the two. They once again looked at each other, smiles spreading across their faces when they looked back at him.
"Yes, definitely."
Some quick notes, my high school schedule is two blocks, then lunch, then two blocks. We also operate on a Day 1, Day 2 schedule (though it doesn't matter for me this semester). For their school it's the same idea (note: I changed this because I couldn't think of enough classes for them to take with the other schedule) but they have half-days as well as semesters. If you guys could give me any information about how your high school (if you are attending it) operates I'd appreciate it.
Please, leave a review and tell me what you think.