Max almost held her breath as she was led through a door into what was serving as an apartment. It was similar to Max and OC's apartment. Some abandoned building that someone wanting to make a buck turned into apartments. There were a few pictures around to try to make the place feel like a home but Max could almost feel the fear and uncertainty that was there as well. They hadn't been there long and didn't know how long they would be able to stay.
Walking behind the girl, Max entered a room where a man and woman were sitting at a small round table. Assuming that they were the ones she had heard, and the parents of her little leader, Max braced herself. She didn't know what type of reception she was going to get. It wasn't the type of situation a girl found herself in every day.
When she saw their faces, she realized why the man's voice had sounded familiar.
"Allan?"
*******
The man seemed surprised to hear his name until he saw who was saying it. He knitted his eye brows as he looked quizzically at her. "Max?"
Judging by the look on her face and the band on her hand, Max assumed that the woman looking back and forth at them was Allan's wife. Following Max's eyes, Allan turned to her. "Max works at Jam Pony with me."
In fact, Allan had only started working there three weeks ago. Max had seen him in passing but had never hung around him. It was rumored that he had punched Sketchy when he overheard him describing the beautiful "attributes" of his wife. Allan probably would have continued beating him if Normal hadn't interrupted...something about Jam Pony not being a boxing ring. Seeing Allan's wife, Max could understand why Sketchy had been enamored with her....not that it took much for Sketchy to be in love with any breathing member of the opposite gender. She was slightly taller and larger than Max but her face had a warmth and delicacy that was rare in these times. Her skin was light and framed by light reddish brown hair.
The woman looked form her daughter to Max, "It's nice to meet you Max. My name is Emily. I see that you have already met our daughter Cassandra."
Max looked at the girl (one mystery solved) and then back to Emily. "Actually, we have not been "formally introduced.'" Extending her hand, she decided to make the introduction official. "Hi Cassandra."
Cassandra looked up at Max with unblinking eyes. Bringing her hands up above her mouth, she drew her fingers out towards her cheeks as if drawing a cat's whiskers. Feeling a little silly, Max did the same motion back to her.
"Meow," was the girl's reply.
"Cassi," Emily said in a rather firm tone, "say hello to Max."
"Hello to Max." Max was dumfounded. She had seen the words come out of Cassandra's mouth but the voice sounded exactly like Emily's. Noticing her expression, Allan chuckled.
"Cassi has some "unique" language skills. She doesn't talk much but that doesn't mean that she can't. She's a bit of a mimic." With that, he went over and picked Cassi up playfully. "But you are our mimic, aren't you?" Cassi snuggled up against his shoulder in answer to his question.
Sitting with her on his lap, he turned again to Max. "So, how do you come to know our little wonder here?"
Max tried not to stare at the father/daughter moment she was witnessing. There were few families intact anymore never-mind as caring as this one seemed to be. She wouldn't even try to compare her "childhood" with this. It was like comparing flowers and frogs. It just wouldn't make sense.
*******
Taring her eyes away from the touching scene, Allan's question registered with her. It was a logical question for a parent to have.
"Actually, we met the other day when she was trying to save a kitten from some boys."
Emily looked at Cassi. "Leo?" Cassi turned and left the room. Emily turned to Max to explain. "I bet the kitten was Leo. He showed up a few days ago. She's probably going to get him now."
As she finished her last sentence, Cassi came back in with Leo and presented him to Max who picked him up. He was so tiny and vulnerable - just like Cassi. "So, has she always been a sucker for a stray?"
Allan chuckled again. "You have no idea. We have had three turtles, six cats, two dogs, and a mouse named squeak. We ever know what she will bring home next..."
Emily completed her husband's thought, "We didn't expect her to bring home any people. She usually limits herself to orphaned animals.
Max smiled at Emily. (If she only knew...) "Seems our girl here is a bit confused lately. (Or is she?) Aren't you concerned about her being in the city by herself?"
Emily looked at Allan who spoke. "Actually, we were just discussing that before you came in. She is usually with one of us at home or we'll bring her to work with us. Em just got a new job as bartender at a bar in town and I have been working on the docks at night on top of Jam Pony. We can't afford to give a job up but a bar is a tough place for a seven year old and my foreman said if I brought her to work again, he would fire me."
Feeling a hand in hers, Max looked down. If Cassi hadn't had such an expressionless face, she would have sworn that she was being given puppy dog eyes. Max looked back up at Allan. "I think we may have found out why I was A number One on the human stray list. Girlfriend here thinks I'm a babysitter."
Emily looked from Cassi to Max, digesting what Max said. She walked over and bent down in front of Cassi. "I know you like Max but she has a job during the day. She needs to sleep at night." Looking at Max, she explained, "Cassi sleeps very little at night. A few hours seems to take care of it. Its rather difficult to find trustworthy people who don't sleep at night.
In shock, Max looked at Allan and Emily. "Actually, I don't sleep all that much myself." She swallowed hard before her next sentence. "So, you really need a babysitter, huh?"
Walking behind the girl, Max entered a room where a man and woman were sitting at a small round table. Assuming that they were the ones she had heard, and the parents of her little leader, Max braced herself. She didn't know what type of reception she was going to get. It wasn't the type of situation a girl found herself in every day.
When she saw their faces, she realized why the man's voice had sounded familiar.
"Allan?"
*******
The man seemed surprised to hear his name until he saw who was saying it. He knitted his eye brows as he looked quizzically at her. "Max?"
Judging by the look on her face and the band on her hand, Max assumed that the woman looking back and forth at them was Allan's wife. Following Max's eyes, Allan turned to her. "Max works at Jam Pony with me."
In fact, Allan had only started working there three weeks ago. Max had seen him in passing but had never hung around him. It was rumored that he had punched Sketchy when he overheard him describing the beautiful "attributes" of his wife. Allan probably would have continued beating him if Normal hadn't interrupted...something about Jam Pony not being a boxing ring. Seeing Allan's wife, Max could understand why Sketchy had been enamored with her....not that it took much for Sketchy to be in love with any breathing member of the opposite gender. She was slightly taller and larger than Max but her face had a warmth and delicacy that was rare in these times. Her skin was light and framed by light reddish brown hair.
The woman looked form her daughter to Max, "It's nice to meet you Max. My name is Emily. I see that you have already met our daughter Cassandra."
Max looked at the girl (one mystery solved) and then back to Emily. "Actually, we have not been "formally introduced.'" Extending her hand, she decided to make the introduction official. "Hi Cassandra."
Cassandra looked up at Max with unblinking eyes. Bringing her hands up above her mouth, she drew her fingers out towards her cheeks as if drawing a cat's whiskers. Feeling a little silly, Max did the same motion back to her.
"Meow," was the girl's reply.
"Cassi," Emily said in a rather firm tone, "say hello to Max."
"Hello to Max." Max was dumfounded. She had seen the words come out of Cassandra's mouth but the voice sounded exactly like Emily's. Noticing her expression, Allan chuckled.
"Cassi has some "unique" language skills. She doesn't talk much but that doesn't mean that she can't. She's a bit of a mimic." With that, he went over and picked Cassi up playfully. "But you are our mimic, aren't you?" Cassi snuggled up against his shoulder in answer to his question.
Sitting with her on his lap, he turned again to Max. "So, how do you come to know our little wonder here?"
Max tried not to stare at the father/daughter moment she was witnessing. There were few families intact anymore never-mind as caring as this one seemed to be. She wouldn't even try to compare her "childhood" with this. It was like comparing flowers and frogs. It just wouldn't make sense.
*******
Taring her eyes away from the touching scene, Allan's question registered with her. It was a logical question for a parent to have.
"Actually, we met the other day when she was trying to save a kitten from some boys."
Emily looked at Cassi. "Leo?" Cassi turned and left the room. Emily turned to Max to explain. "I bet the kitten was Leo. He showed up a few days ago. She's probably going to get him now."
As she finished her last sentence, Cassi came back in with Leo and presented him to Max who picked him up. He was so tiny and vulnerable - just like Cassi. "So, has she always been a sucker for a stray?"
Allan chuckled again. "You have no idea. We have had three turtles, six cats, two dogs, and a mouse named squeak. We ever know what she will bring home next..."
Emily completed her husband's thought, "We didn't expect her to bring home any people. She usually limits herself to orphaned animals.
Max smiled at Emily. (If she only knew...) "Seems our girl here is a bit confused lately. (Or is she?) Aren't you concerned about her being in the city by herself?"
Emily looked at Allan who spoke. "Actually, we were just discussing that before you came in. She is usually with one of us at home or we'll bring her to work with us. Em just got a new job as bartender at a bar in town and I have been working on the docks at night on top of Jam Pony. We can't afford to give a job up but a bar is a tough place for a seven year old and my foreman said if I brought her to work again, he would fire me."
Feeling a hand in hers, Max looked down. If Cassi hadn't had such an expressionless face, she would have sworn that she was being given puppy dog eyes. Max looked back up at Allan. "I think we may have found out why I was A number One on the human stray list. Girlfriend here thinks I'm a babysitter."
Emily looked from Cassi to Max, digesting what Max said. She walked over and bent down in front of Cassi. "I know you like Max but she has a job during the day. She needs to sleep at night." Looking at Max, she explained, "Cassi sleeps very little at night. A few hours seems to take care of it. Its rather difficult to find trustworthy people who don't sleep at night.
In shock, Max looked at Allan and Emily. "Actually, I don't sleep all that much myself." She swallowed hard before her next sentence. "So, you really need a babysitter, huh?"
