Excited as he was, Blue kept Minion close as Dave and Ben led him out all proper. Metal jangled cheerfully as he bounced on his feet. Orange jumpsuit on, just as any other person who lived here wore, eager for what was to come. A first for Blue. Considering how the other two trips outside of his home went. Warden was at the end of the pathway to the outside world, the man behind making this possible for Blue.
It was not the same place as his favorite visitors were going, as it'd been issue enough for Warden in pushing to make it possible. So, a smaller place it was, to keep a better eye on him in a classroom. It was close to home. Apparently, they had another child in attendance who fit the 'gifted' name of the school, thus being on the outskirts of the city. That was exciting. Even if Blue was wishing he could start up the first required year together with Charlotte. At least he still had Minion and Minion was allowed.
Fred and Charlotte talked up their experiences of how much they enjoyed school. Fred for all the hands on activities teachers introduced, Charlotte for all the stories and learning in general. Blue, along with Delbert, soaked up all they could out of them. Bailey, well, he was Bailey about it, but even he had good things to say with how he liked being able to play with others who weren't his siblings. Blue didn't know what was so bad about that. All the Kimble siblings were great.
To meet other littles. And learning!
Blue bounced on the heels of his feet, quick to scamper up the steps as the bus pulled around to drive him the short distance. Ben and Dave followed on. Ben's mouth quirked at him just the slightest, then went back to something stern faced as he directed his eyes straight before him. Blue grinned from behind the back of the seat, where the driver couldn't see, ignoring the driver in favor of peering over the top of the seat as he watched the little red building getting larger as they pulled up to it.
Sit? At a time like this? The driver must be joking!
He was up and down the stairs before the bus driver opened the doors back up. This was it. Blue was past the doors as soon as they opened, making his way to the door of the little red building that was the promised glory of school. The door was already open for him, Blue could see the other littles, kids, as he made his way up.
And then small shoes came down onto the ground. A kid he didn't spot until he had gotten close enough. Or because the other kid came back down from flying. The kid had been spinning and holding a desk in the air, an adult grasping onto the desk as everyone in there was smiling and laughing about the show. The kid turned to look to the doorway, as did the rest, glad faces falling away as they stared at Blue.
Blue's face fell.
It may have been four and a half years, but he remembered that face. The other baby. The other kid sent away. The other one who landed here with him. Who wound up with the large house and a second set of parents, doted on. Blue had read the newspapers. He had heard enough about the Scotts to get an idea of the difference between their respective landings. This other kid had really lucked out.
And it seemed the luck was holding for the other kid from the Glaupunk Quadrant even now.
More hesitantly, Blue stepped into the building.
"Ah." The adult slid off the desk, standing and straightening up. The smile on her face was not as warm as Blue had hoped and had heard of her. Because, she, he was sure the adult was a female like Missus Oh with the chest (Charlotte was too except she lacked those so maybe it was the length of hair?) but she as the adult had to be the teacher. "I've been made aware of the situation. Children, meet our last student joining the class. I am Missus Doe. Come up and make introductions."
Blue stared up at her as the other kids whispered among each other, pointing and apprehensive.
Make introductions?
"We'll be back at the end of the schoolday for you," Dave said a bit gruffly as he removed the metal from Blue's ankles.
Taller, Ben had taken to removing the metal from Blue's wrists, careful not to bump Minion's globe, leaning closer for a moment. "Introduce yourself, say who you are. Pretend they're like…like Bailey."
Blue brightened. "Oh, okay! I got it!" He peered around Ben and Dave as they finished up, offering a smile to the other kids. "My skin color is not due to eating far too many blueberries. I am currently testing to see if increasing my intake does make any difference to the shade of my skin. But it is proving, so far, to generate to no substantial or noticeable change, therefore, contrary to any belief such as eating greens to turn one green, that is yet untested, is likely not true."
The moment hung there, then the frozen silence moved on with someone speaking from the group.
"What?"
Another pause, briefer, then in a quieter tone.
"Looks and sounds like a weirdo. What's wrong with him?"
There was a sharp intake of breath near him and Blue's eyes went to Dave who'd been moving to get back up from removing the chains at Blue's feet. Fists tightened around the chains. The corners of Dave's eyes went just slightly pinched, narrowing. Lips barely moving, "Nothing."
Nothing?
Ah. Blue nodded. Dave was merely answering the kid's question.
"Well, we'll be off and back for him at the end of the day," Ben spoke up. He stood tall, smile on his face as he meet the eyes of everyone in the room. "Behave."
With that simple directive to the classroom, Ben and Dave took their leave. Leaving Blue alone. Except for Minion. Expectant and looking at the younger faces who were pulling faces quite like Bailey, Blue offered a smile. Which faded as no one else smiled back. They stared. One took a step back and behind the rest.
"Well," Missus Doe breathed out. Blue turned his attention to her to see her turning her back to walk over to the larger desk she'd been lifted and spun on. She turned back with a strained smile. "Why don't you go ahead and introduce yourself then? Your name, birthday, something you like doing. Tell the class about your pet you bro—"
"Minion's not a pet. Minion is Minion. I don't have a name, but I'm called by several things. I do prefer Blue." Someone snorted. There was a giggle from somewhere. "Other ones are variations of little, such as Little Guy and Little Blue and Little Big Brain. Or plain Big Brain. There's Brainy and Brainiac and Smart Guy and Wonder Kid and Megahead and Smartie and Bookworm and Wormy. Little Lightning. Our Little Alien or plain Our Alien, but I guess those are more from…"
Blue trailed off. Those were more terms of belonging from the other inmates. And he didn't want to go into things called by certain visitors who were not his favorites in the offshoots of 'alien' for him. He straightened.
"Anyway, I prefer going by Blue. My birthday is September 27 of 1977. Or at least that is the date when it falls here. According to the orbit of the Earth, this means my age here is coming up on six years."
"What?"
Missus Doe ignored the kid who spoke, glancing down to her desk and frowning as she shuffled through papers. "I've got your birthday marked for December 25 of that year, not—"
"My birthday!" Blue turned at the startled voice. The other kid who had landed here was wide eyed, face slack. "We've got the same birthday? On Christmas?"
"That can't have the same birthday as you."
"Yeah."
"No way."
The other kid's eyes furrowed down, glancing to those around and seemed to draw up at their support, mouth slowly pursing with dislike to the fact of sharing a birthday.
"Nooo." That was obvious. The other kid certainly wasn't born on that day no more than Blue was born on it. Clearly even the other kid had to know that. "We only have the same landing day. With the calculations and time passed in travel, I have said repeatedly tha—"
"Landing day? Wayne isn't some freaky blue alien like you!"
There was that word. Freaky. Tensing up, Blue gripped Minion tight to himself, the globe pressed up against his ribs.
"No, but—"
"Even you admit you're a liar!"
"No, I'm trying to say—"
"Liar!"
"How dare you come in and make up stuff about Wayne?"
"He's not blue, but I remember him and saw his ship land—"
"Liar!"
"Wayne's just gifted! Like a superhero with powers!"
"He's normal! Not a weirdo! Or a liar! Like you!"
"Would you let me ta—"
"Children, children!" Missus Doe broke in. All the kids fell silent. Blue breathed a sigh out. "Let's move on to the start of the day now that our new student has introduced himself."
Blue frowned, standing there with Minion as the other kids shifted and sat into two rows of half circles. "I like building things," he announced. No one reacted like Fred to that. More like Bailey. When Blue repeated something or gave support to how Delbert said things to cause reaction. He drew in a shaky breath, stubbornly continuing. "And Minion was sent here with me to—"
"You need to sit and join the rest of the class like I instructed. You've already introduced yourself."
Hope stuttered inside of him. This wasn't the promised and looked forward way he'd expected and been told of teachers. This was more like certain officials visiting who were more interested in their own words and conclusions about him, poking and prodding when they could, referring to him as…
"But… You never specified to sit and join, only to move on to starting the day. This is my first day and I had yet to be made aware of that's what you meant. And I'd yet to properly finish my introductions with the information you…" Trailing off at the sight of the look on her face, not sure what he'd said in all that to get the look, Blue swallowed. "Asked of me. Missus Doe."
The word of respect appeared to work. A little.
"That's fine. We start out each day like so. If you miss the instructions, follow the example of your classmates or ask them."
He'd not missed the instructions, but choose not to point it out as it may be she'd not realized or didn't like to have herself questioned by others. Blue had seen more than a few like that in the room for visitors. Yet with all the excitement that had been sparked and growing, he leaned toward the first option. She must have gone over the rules a few days before with the rest of the kids. One day versus several. She'd not realized. It could happen.
He sat at the end of a row, pulling Minion close to his lap when the kid nearest leaned away from him.
The rest of the day wasn't much better.
Or week. Well, the rest of the school week. The weekdays? Weird. Because weekend made sense with how the calendars were set up. He would have thought the middle would be called, well, the middle. Anyway, the rest of the school week meant from his first day, Wednesday, to the Friday.
Anytime Blue brought up something he had learned, the teacher tended to be annoyed with him and the onetime said she knew what she was talking about. From then on, he went to asking questions, trying to figure out the truth of what he'd read or learned from others before to what she said. It was baffling and confusing, but Blue was willing to take in the challenge of figuring out how up to date the teacher was compared to what he'd previously learned. Several of those books from the prison library were a bit out of date as he'd realized a bit ago.
The other kids didn't include him. They were used to each other and already a group. Wayne, the other kid who landed here, gave him more curious looks than the other kids did with their side eyes and mutterings about appearance and lies. Maybe there was a bit of a hope with the two of them getting along after all? And then Wayne would get quickly taken back up by what the other kids were doing and saying.
Well… He was new and new things took time. Right?
It was only that, Blue really wanted this to work, he really wanted to be part of school and all the learning and learning experiences.
He'd not been so excited that he hadn't taken note of what had been said from his home. Red and Alg and Marcus, they'd all spoken on how school taught them very important things for them, but they'd had a hard time making friends. Most the rest though? They really spoke up on finding their people there, even if they thought not the best of school itself. Warden and Ben had been excited, yet gave words of caution and patience in how it would go as it was a new place and would take getting used to for everyone.
Still. It had not taken long at all for Blue and his favorite visitors.
"Sounds like you need a chance to catch the other kid alone," Fred said as he fiddled with the wiring of the toaster. Blue unscrewed at his made over calculator to make more adjustments, glancing to Fred's work and the older boy's face at the words. "He's doing what others want out of him…even if he wants to be friends. If it's more of him wanting to do the right thing, he'd stand up for you. You said Wayne pulled two of them fighting apart and brought them to the teacher? And she had them work it out?"
"Sean and Douglas were put in the corner for five minutes," Blue corrected. "Punished. But ran off to play together during recess as though they'd never fought."
"Yeah. That can happen. A lot to Bailey actually."
"Hey!"
Charlotte and Delbert laughed and giggled.
"Yeah, anyway. If it's him wanting to do the right thing over just doing what others expect of him…he might be confused on why everyone is treating you that way. He doesn't know you well right now and well, the clothes you wear going out belong to people who've done really wrong things." Fred paused to look up at Blue. "Time will prove them wrong on thinking the worst out of someone in orange. It's a great color."
"And fruit," Delbert chimed in brightly. "Tasty color. The tasiest."
"Tastiest."
"Hm, I don't know if I want that," Blue mulled over. He grinned to himself, ducking his head back down and peered up to Bailey. "Tasiest fruit sounds simply electrifying."
At Bailey's sputter and yelling, Delbert cracked up into full-fledged giggles rolling around on the floor. Minion rolled around the smaller boy, tilting his body up to look at Blue with a grin of his own. "Good one, sir!"
"It's not really that shocking." Still, Blue grinned wider, pleased. "After all, lightning."
"You must really like it. You wear it aaall the time."
His grin faded at Delbert's statement, looking to the blue lightning bolt on his suit. A hand came up and he fingered the symbol. "No. Er, not like that, but… It's a… It has meaning to me."
Blue licked his lips, slowly looking up to four sets of openly curious and waiting eyes. "My parents, they put me in a dark blue onesie outfit with a lightning bolt on it, before they sent me here because the planet, the quadrant was… Well, they always put me in one. In the eight days I lived with them. I don't know if it was something all babies were put in or if it meant something more to the people there or if it was important to our family or if they just liked it, but…it's one of the few things they gave me and where I came from before this became home."
Quiet filled the room when Blue finished speaking. Fred had long since stopped tweaking his half of their project. Bailey's mouth gaped open, snapping shut under watery looking eyes. Delbert shifted a little, breaking up the silence with a quiet, "Oh."
"I'm adding it," Charlotte spoke up. Startled, green eyes looked over to her. She pointed at the sheets of paper she'd been scribbling on, the book she'd been hiding the cover from the rest with a thick piece of construction paper tilted forward enough that Blue noticed it looked similar to a dictionary. And the sheets she was writing on looked like a list, not the start of any story to act out for them to choose from later like she first started with that— "For last names. I've been making a list for you and staring some I think work better. Names in general. Not last names. Nicknames are nice and personal, but I think you ought to have a proper name. Dad and Mom agree, letting me check out the book from the library and bring it. Dad's really for it, but he can't really do much about it, not officially. But I thought it'd be nice if you could choose…what? I'm sorry. You probably already have one, don't you? From your parents, right?"
Slowly, eyes wide in shock, Blue shook his head.
"Sir's parents had yet to choose a name, if that was how it was done." Minion rolled forward in his globe and gave a small shrug. "I'm not altogether sure how names were chosen for them. For me, it was a matter of my choice when I was chosen by Sir's parents to be a companion to him just before Sir was born. I say chosen, but really, I can be rather stubborn and persistent if I want to be. Swam right up and put myself front and center. Anyway, I chose Minion because it felt like a good descriptor for who I was and wanted to do for Sir as he grew. Sir comes first and I will assist him in the best way I can. And, well, I thought it was rather funny as it's connected to—"
"Filet mignon," Blue finished. "Translated from French as 'cute' or 'dainty' fillet. It's supposed to be referring to tenderloin steak usually. This fantastic fish here, apparently liked the fact my parents compared him to a bull in how he pushed his way forcefully through the rest to reach them."
"Especially as I was the smallest," Minion piped in proudly.
"Woooah." Awed, Delbert gave a clap. "Awesome talky fishy."
Minion preened. Then looked back up to Blue. "In any case, the most Sir and I figure from what we know of our short time there, names were to be discovered as little ones grew. We think it's likely a choice by him or a joint family decision on a name when he would have been old enough for who he was as a person to start showing. And old enough to have input to what he was to be referred to. So, Sir has likely been of the right age to choose a name for a while, but, well, with the circumstances being what they are and even though this is our home… Sir has not really spoken up on being ready to choose a name and I didn't really want to broach the topic as there is that lingering question if it is a joint family decision with us."
"Minion!"
"Sorry Sir." Minion looked anything but sorry.
"Do you wanna have Dad and Mom help?" Delbert asked.
"They're our Dad and Mom, not his," Bailey snapped.
Delbert went wide eyed, pulling back, lip trembling. "Sor-sorry! I's tryin' to help!"
Fred rubbed at Delbert's back, giving Bailey a look. Who, in turn, looked down and looked sorry about causing Delbert to burst into tears. "Well, you don't just go around shoving it in someone's face they don't have parents," he muttered and grumbled. "Derek puffs up and always starts crying whenever someone does that about his dad, so I'm not sorry I tried to stop Delbert doing that to…"
Fred sighed. "I know. I get that, but…" His brown eyes went over to Blue as he kept rubbing Delbert's back. "They're trying to help, they didn't mean to upset you."
"Yes. I'm sorry. I only thought you might like some ideas, even if Dad says you can't officially have one. You can take my list if you want," Charlotte offered Blue. "And the book. I'll ask about getting it checked out from the library longer."
Blue sat there. Not able to speak. They were all trying to help. Help him. It was…nice. Even if it hurt, facing the idea of him having his own name, to actually choose one. Charlotte getting a book, making a list. Delbert offering their own parents. Bailey trying to put a stop to it as it wasn't quite the same as Blue having his own parents help him. Fred trying to soothe everything over for everyone.
"Lightning. Sounds like a good last name, a family name."
Quiet fell over the room again, sans Delbert's sobs turning into sniffles.
"Uh, Sir?"
Blue swallowed. "It seems fitting. As it's the symbol I was always placed in by family. A lightning bolt."
"C-certainly. It certainly does seem fitting, Sir."
The four siblings all looked at each other, various emotions among all of them. Minion was too busy staring at Blue with surprise turning into hopeful excitement. But Blue could see the strain on one of the Kimbles. The only one who did not have a hint of joy or excitement.
"Is that even a last name? Lightning? I've never heard of anyone with that for a last name."
Fred reached over and swatted Bailey's head. "Quiet."
"Of course it a last name! It's Sir Knight's last name! He picked it! Just now. Didn't you hear him, Bailey? I like it."
"If people can have things like Woods and Clay and Stone for last names, why not Lightning?" Charlotte asked with a shrug. "Besides, it has meaning to him. Did you want my list and the book then?"
"I can…take it. What ones did you star?"
She tucked her long hair behind an ear as she leaned forward. Minion rolled forward in his globe, still struck in a very stunned looking manner. Blue moved his eyes away from Minion and back to Charlotte as she pointed to the names with stars beside them.
"Most of them all have meanings that are things like thunder or stars or something to do with the sky. I've got a few that are more from one of the nicknames you've mentioned. Brian is close to brain. Like that. I like these here. Megha, um, Megaduta and Meghanada and Meg-dwot? Not sure how to say that one. Indian names. But they all mean things like clouds or thunder. Oh! And this one here. Meged. That one means blessing, I think. I'd have to check back in the book. But I wrote those down because you said a nickname of yours was Megahead. First part of that is Meg."
"Meg? That's a girl's name."
Charlotte raised her head up to Bailey. "So? Dad's first name can be thought of as a girl's name. And yours. You even insist on it."
"Because everyone else who meets me wants to shorten it to Lee and makes fun of my name! I've got more reason than most to speak up against anything with Meg! What about these here? Hitomu. Or Aoki. Tomohiro. You didn't star any of those names."
Delbert perked up and leaned in close. "Like Jiji and Baba?"
Blue frowned. "Like whom?"
"Our grandfather and grandmother," Fred said. "Ojisan and Obaasan. Jiji and Baba is what we call them. Mom's parents. Their parents moved here from Japan, our great-grandparents. We've never meet them though. They passed away before we were born."
"Oh! That makes sense! I thought all of you kind of resembled Red, but not really. You're all from the same area." Noticing the confusion, Blue explained himself more. "Red is a few cells down from me and he's half Chinese."
As if speaking of her summoned her, there was a knock on the door. "Come on in, Missus Oh," Minion called out.
"Didn't finish your joint project today?" She asked at seeing the pieces still somewhat scattered around.
Fred drooped. "It's time to leave already? Can we have longer Mom? It's just…we were a little sidetracked."
Their mother glanced back around them, coming closer and around to see the book and papers spread out. "Oh! I see. This is exciting. Might I toss in Leonard as my name suggestion?"
Blue frowned, running it through his head. "Leonaaard. Leonard. Leonard…Lightning? I'm not sure Missus Oh," he said slowly. This didn't feel like something to rush. Lightning fit for him, fit for a family name considering the meaning to him. But what meaning did Leonard have? "Why Leonard?"
"Mom's got a thing for names that have 'l' in them," Bailey informed in the same tone Alg coolly ratted out prisoners he caught cheating at card games. "Or didn't you notice? Alfred, Bailey, Charlotte, Delbert."
"Ah. Quite neat, Missus Oh. I'm afraid I merely noticed the alphabetical part," Minion admitted.
"I'm afraid I do have a weakness for liking names like that. I glanced through the book earlier and Leonard's meaning is 'brave lion', but the notes about the patron saints connected to that name stood out to me. It's the name of the patron saint of childhood as well as the name of the patron of prisoners."
Blue nodded, soaking that in.
"I'm also afraid, that yes, Alfred, we must get going. Blue has much to think over about if he wants to make a decision over a name of his own. I'll bring them all back to visit again next week and I'm sure Minion and my husband will be glad to help as you think your decision over. Goodness knows it took us weeks to settle on Charlotte's name."
"Mom wanted Carol," Charlotte informed Blue.
He nodded again. Fred made to move their project into a box and Blue silently helped in putting it away for now. And with a string of goodbyes and words on looking forward to seeing him again, his favorite visitors left the room. Minion rolled across the floor in his globe, circling the loose sheets to scan the names listed, then over to the closed book, giving Blue a hopeful look. Blue picked the book and gathered the loose sheets up.
Given nicknames and preferring one over the rest were one thing. But to actually choose one name to stand for him? The name to represent himself? That task was far more daunting.
And, as he was starkly reminded of, would not matter to anyone outside of these walls.
It'd be getting too personal with him.
The alien. To be poked and prodded and kept scrutinizing eyes upon. Judging and downplaying or downright ignoring when he spoke.
They would never allow him to officially have an actual name.
Still...
Blue clutched the book and sheets close to his chest, looking to the symbol he pressed them close to.
Lightning.
He liked it.
AN:
No, no, I did not just marathon another weekend and adding on to this thing. Hangs head. Okay, yes, I did. The possibly something that could be more happened. Curses! Well, it's now a two shot. Also being possibly something that could be more. Why do I do this? Yet as soon as it gets in my head and I write it, I might as well post this part out too. In a fandom I've never posted anything up for. Until this. I feel like I am still asking myself for trouble. Anyway. Another weekend that I whipped something up and well, I might as well do something with it. So, posted it up. Again.