I HAVN'T UPTATED THIS STORY IN SO LONG! I"M SO SORRY! Really, I was so focused on Broken and Confused. But since I'm stuck with writers block on that story, I'll update this one. Anyways, enjoy!
After the workers revealed Mr. Chen was enslaving children in factories, the police rescued the children and calmed everyone down. The news station rushed over to see what happened, but one thing they were interested in was how a two-year-old baby chased an older man at lightning speed and stopped them with pure ice that somehow came from his hands. Or how he knew about the scheme in the first place. When the interviewers tried to ask the small boy questions, shoving microphones in his face and flashing camera lights in his eyes in the process, the child started screeching and crying, acting as any normal baby would. Rumors of what might've happened spread around more quickly than a wildfire in a dry forest. Some wondered if he was the child of the First Spinjitzu Master, while others thought he was the child of The Overlord. No matter what people thought, Skyler did her best to keep Zane away from all the rumors and questions while doing her duty as the orphanage's only caretaker.
The attempted kidnapped boy was safely taken away by the man after he woke up. When Zane heard what happened to his only friend, he cried for days, making adults stay away from him when they visited the orphanage. After the incident, it was, somehow, harder for Zane to get adopted. It broke Skyler's heart to watch adults ignore the poor child in any and every possible way.
The Ice Incident was only three years ago, but people still watch the little boy when he's out in public, watching his every move, wondering what he would do next. Although, Zane acted as any normal boy; or, as normal as it was for possible to.
Children rushed into the dining room as Skyler called to them to eat. Skyler counted each of them as they ran into the room, muttering their names under her breath.
"Brad.. Gene.. Sally.. Finn," Skyler paused. She was missing a child.
"Children, where is Zane?" Skyler asked, glancing at the kids, who were all sitting at the table, waiting for breakfast.
"Frosty the Snowboy's still dreaming," a boy spoke up, chuckling under his breath. Gene, Sally, and Brad snickered at the nickname, not yet noticing the look on Skyler's face.
"Finn, that's not funny. Zane is not a snowboy," Skyler said, leaving to wake the five-year-old herself. She entered the boy's empty room, glancing at the peeling walls she never had the money to fix, to the pale boy sitting at the windowsill, head rested in his arms. Skyler observed the wall, looking at the many simple drawings that seemed to look like ice that never melted. The caretaker walked to Zane and tapped on this shoulder.
"Zane. Come on, you're going to miss breakfast," Skyler warned. Zane blinked away from the window and looked up at her, his bright pale blue eyes gazing into hers.
"Sorry, Miss Skyler," Zane apologized, getting up from the windowsill and wandering into the dining room. Skyler followed, closing Zane's door behind her. The caretaker watched as Zane sat at the end of the table, away from the other children, causing Finn to smirk. Skyler gave them their food and watched them chat with each other as they ate.
"Children, I need to go into town today. Someone keeps getting into the cupboards," Skyler spoke up, glancing at Finn as she spoke.
"Princess Iceboy probably stole some to feed the pests outside," Finn teased.
"Finn," Skyler warned.
"The animals aren't pests; they're good company," Zane spoke up, making the children look at him and snicker.
"Children, I'm not going to repeat myself. Stop it," Skyler warned. The children went quiet, returning their attention to their breakfast.
"As I said, I'm going into town, so the babysitter will be here until I get back," Skyler finished, making the kids groan.
"Not Mrs. Winifred," Gene groaned.
"She smells like old people and cats," Brad complained.
"She doesn't let us have snacks," Sally cried.
"And she favors Zane," Finn grumbled, glaring at the boy at the end of the table.
"The elderly don't have a specific smell; she gives off the aroma of felines because she visits the animal shelter regularly. She does give us snacks. She knows about the little money we have and brings us the snacks she made herself. Lastly, she doesn't favor me," Zane rambled.
"Blah, blah, blah, nerd words. No one cares, Frosty," Finn snapped.
"Finn, that's enough!" Skyler shouted, scaring the boy into silence.
"While I'm gone, you all need to be on your best behavior. Do you understand?" Skyler asked, keeping a stern tone. The children muttered a Fine and Okay, while Zane spoke up.
"Yes, Ma'am."
When breakfast was over, the children rushed to their rooms to get dressed. Skyler sighed and did the same, forgetting that Zane was usually the last to get ready. The boy cleared away the dishes and washed them so Skyler wouldn't have to, and he went to his room to get dressed. As he entered his room, he looked around at his ice-covered wall, glancing at the newest one. On the wall was a blurred sketch of a man with a long white beard and a straw hat. Zane dreamed about this man often; he wondered what it meant. He never dreamed about the same thing more than once, and the dreams weren't even significant.
Zane got back on track and threw on a white hoodie and jeans before walking to the main room where the other children were waiting.
"What took you so long, Frosty?" Finn teased.
"I had to clean the dishes and put on my clothes," Zane answered without missing a beat. Finn's smirk vanished instantly at Zane's simple explanation.
"You're no fun," Finn commented.
"Yes, I am aware of your opinion on my preference for enjoyment; you remind me often," Zane responded. Finn and the other two children gave Zane a strange look and went back to what they were doing. The children waited patiently (Or, Zane waited patiently while the other kids cared less) for Miss Winifred to arrive.