"Hey, Kid."
Spencer carefully placed a pinecone in the middle of the line of ants streaming towards the anthill, watching to see whether the ones carrying crumbs of food would go over or around it.
"Hey."
He crouched with unusual patience for someone so young, but it was an interesting distraction. He was just so curious.
"Hey, uh, Spicer!"
A pinecone hit his back, and he jerked his head up, blinking at the two children who had approached him. Tom was still fairly new, but he'd been around long enough that he'd stopped making any attempts at friendliness towards him. Nick had been around for a few years, and was generally content to just shove him around once in a while.
"My name's Spencer," he said after a short pause. His name was so rarely used by anyone that sometimes even he almost forgot what it was.
"Right, Spencer," Nick said.
They were smiling at him. Spencer stood up, brushing off his pants. People didn't usually smile at him. They laughed, often and cruelly, but they didn't smile. It was a friendliness he had witnessed them extend to each other. Maybe they were being friendly now? At last?
His lips quirked up tentatively. It wasn't an expression he was familiar with making either.
She shifted slightly in his soul. But nothing more.
"Do you want to play hide and seek?" Nick asked. His words shook slightly, squeaking a bit in the middle.
Tom couldn't quite suppress a giggle. Spencer watched a little hesitantly, but it wasn't outright laughter. Probably it was safe.
His heart lodged in his throat. He nodded enthusiastically.
Another giggle escaped Tom. "Great," he said. "Rachel's it. The house is off-limits. You know the rules, right?" He turned to wave at the cluster of children watching from across the yard.
"Yes!" Spencer had watched them so often, wishing hard that they would invite him to play. He had picked up on the rules of several games just from watching and wishing. The few times he'd tried to invite himself along, they had made fun of him, shoved him away or completely ignored him. He almost vibrated with excitement at being included.
He could feel Her twitching a little, restlessly, but he ignored it.
"Then go!" Nick said, and ran off cackling with his friend.
Spencer sped to the tree line, not noticing the others marking where he went. Leaves crunched underfoot, branches snapping as he made his way through the woods.
Clumsy, She conveyed to him, and began teaching him how to move silently and unnoticed. This was a good training game, at least. It would take time and practice to master, but these were necessary skills.
Hours later Spencer finally returned to the orphanage. The other children were gathered in the den, watching cartoons. They laughed when he showed up, streaked with dirt, leaves and twigs tangled in his hair. It hurt, the confirmation that they had never intended to search for him. But his hours had hardly been idle, and it hurt a little less that his time had been taken up with beginning lessons on stalking, hiding, and hunting from Her.