DISCLAIMER: I really hate these things. I do not own X-men evolution or the song "River Lullaby" from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack.
I tried to stay away from campsites with children after that…experience. Fear kept me away from that particular site for a good while. I was looking through one of the camper's windows, watching to see if they would be leaving, when a news report caught my attention. It showed amateur tape of the forest. I gasped, finally recognizing what was being taped. It was me! I sat on the hard branch, shocked that I had been so careless. I jumped to the ground, not really caring anymore if someone saw me now. I ran back to where I had stashed my things, and ran as fast as I could. I needed to get out of this forest. There was no doubt in my mind that Sabertooth would eventually see the report and come looking for me. Just that thought gave me desperate strength to run that extra mile. I slowed down near an old gas station, and took out my some spare cash I had grabbed on my way out of my apartment. I walked into the doorway, hearing the bells jingle behind me as the door shut. An old, greasy man sat behind the counter, reading a newspaper. He nodded to me, than returned to his reading. I glanced around to see what the store had. I walked to a shelf that had a lot of packaged foods and grabbed a couple of packages of crackers. I walked next to the refrigerator and grabbed a few bottles of water. Hopefully, none of this would spoil while I was back on the run. The old man looked up from the newspaper and ringed up my purchases. He put them in a paper bag, and I handed him a few folded dollars. I took the bag and stuffed it in my bag. I walked down the side of the road, following it to the nearest town. Luckily for me, it was a rather large city and I doubted that anyone would find me anytime soon. I walked around the dirty streets, never paying attention to my surroundings. I walked for three hours until I noticed one sign that stuck out in the blur of city lights. "Homeless Shelter." I pondered my situation, and quickly made up my mind to go. I walked through the glass doors and asked it I could stay for a while. I filled out some forms quickly and was lead to a rather clean room. Three beds were placed five feet apart. I wondered who I would be staying with, but exhaustion quickly took over as I lay down. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Loud racket woke me from my dreamless sleep, and I felt two small hands shake my shoulders. "Wake up, wake up! Dinner is ready!" I jumped from the bed, scaring the small girl that had woken me. She looked to be only nine, and had on a ratty, flowered dress. I put my hand to my heart, trying to slow my pounding heart. I glanced nervously at the little girl, who was staring at me. She smiled and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. My name is Amelia Waters. What's yours?" she held out a small hand, and I took it, trying to stay calm. "My name is Carmen. Please, for both our sakes, don't surprise me like that!" She grinned sheepishly, and motioned for me to follow. She led the way out of the door, and took my hand. I looked at the friendly, innocent gesture with surprise. She led me down the hall to a large room filled with smells, some good some bad. Lot's of people were crowded in this room, all talking and mingling freely. Amelia led me over to a small group of children, ranging in age from seven to seven-teen. She sat down beside a tall girl with a friendly, round face. Her blue eyes sparkled with a life I never expected in a place like this and her high cheekbones gave her natural beauty. She looked to be about fourteen. "Hallo. Are you new here?" she asked. I nodded, not sure of what to do. She scooted over to make room for me to sit. "My name is Chelsea Waters. I'm sure you've already met my little sister, Amelia." I nodded, smiling slightly. "This is my older brother, Tom. He keeps track of all of us." She said, pointing to a blond headed boy with blue eyes similar to Chelsea's. But his eyes were very solemn, and held only a pale twinkle. "What's you name?" she asked. I turned back to her and answered, "I'm Carmen." My attention was turned back to the trays of food they were carrying to some of the tables. "Just Carmen? No last name?" she asked. I frowned a bit, and turned back to the table of staring children. "Yeah. Just Carmen. I was abandoned when I was a baby." I said quietly. "Oh, how sad." I heard Amelia say. I smiled at her and continued, "Well, it doesn't bother me much. I've lived with it for five-teen years now." Tom looked up at me for a second, but food was brought to the table and his curious stare was turned away from me.
Dinner was better than I thought it would be. Hamburgers and fries for all. Amelia and Chelsea led me back to the room, and I was ready for a good night's rest. I took a much-needed shower in the female bathrooms, and took out my nightclothes that I had snatched when I first went on the run from strangers. Being smart, I never changed my clothes out in the woods unless they were ripped beyond repair. I might have stinked, but at least I had clean clothes. I watched as Chelsea tried to calm Amelia down enough to sleep, but she never had much success. Feeling a bit bored, I started to hum a little song while folding some of my clothes into the dresser drawers. I had only been humming for a minute, when I noticed that there was total silence in the room. I turned around to see both of my roommates looking at me. "Please don't stop! It was such a pretty song." Amelia said, lying on the bed, hand in her hands. I blushed a bit. My singing had always been a gift of mine. I loved to sing, but ever since I ran away from the only home I had, I never felt like singing. I opened my mouth, and sang the soft words that were only a forgotten memory of my past.
"Hush now, my baby
Be still love, don't cry.
Sleep as you're rocked by
The stream.
Sleep and remember
My last lullaby
So I'll be with you
When you dream"
I continued to sing, and watched as Amelia's eyelids began to droop. I watched her, and angel sleeping among the clouds. Chelsea picked her up and lay her down under the covers, and pulled them to her chin. Little did I know monsters would shatter her innocent sleep in the night.
R&R please!! I'll probably continue even if you don't give in-put.