What We're Made Of

by Shortiethegiraffe

Richard doesn't come downstairs for breakfast before school one day. When Bruce checks on him, he finds an empty room with a note saying Dick had to keep Bruce safe. From what? That is what Bruce is determined to find out when he launches into an investigation to find his missing son. (Starts out as fluff, but pay attention it turns into plot.)

19. Part 2 Chapter 4

Chapter 4

10:47 AM December4th 1996, Russello Villa

He has Daniel's eyes; just like Jasmine. They are a very light blue, differing from Emily's and my dark blue. The baby also has a small amount of black hair on top of his head. Not much, it's more like fuzz than actual hair. But it is the same dark hair Jasmine and I have. Taking one look at the baby, I know we are all going to look a lot alike when we're older. Jasmine and I already look quite similar, but I can already tell the baby and I will look even more alike.

The kid was crying this morning, that's why I came in here. His nursery is set up in-between Jasmine's room and mine. Jasmine is always up earlier than I, so she probably wasn't even in her room to hear the baby cry. Even if she were, I don't know if she would come in here. Ever since his arrival three days ago, Jasmine has been awkward around the baby, not quite knowing what to do with it. One of the guards had her sit in a chair two days ago and hold the baby, but even then Jasmine seemed confused on how to interact with the child. Since then, neither of us have been in the nursery much. It's the guard's jobs to look after the baby, not ours. But this morning the baby started crying and none of the guards were around to hear it. Hence why I came in.

This baby is different from Jasmine when she was born. The little interaction I had with Jasmine when she was tiny, all she seemed to want was peaceful surroundings. It would only take me playing a soothing music recording to calm her down usually, unless she was hungry or needed to be changed. But this baby is almost the opposite. I've noticed over the last few days the kid will cry if somebody isn't around, even when he's asleep. I can feel how easily the baby gets lonely.

Daniel hasn't been around lately. The guards have been whispering about his disappearance at the hospital after the baby was born. I haven't been able to figure out exactly what happened, but I do know the guards brought the baby back to the villa, not Daniel or Emily. It confused me when the baby appeared in the nursery; I thought Jasmine and I would see him at the hospital like when Jasmine was born. That didn't happen though, instead a guard woke me up from my nap on the terrace so I could meet my 'new little brother.' I didn't even know Emily had gone into labor. Jasmine and I were ushered into the nursery to stare at and hold the newborn, neither Daniel nor Emily were present.

A whimper sounds from the baby laying in the crib, a feeling of loneliness escaping him. I sigh and place my hand inside, letting the infant grasp my finger. I have to admit, he is pretty cute. Jasmine was too as a baby, wonder what I looked like. Probably a lot like this new baby, except for the eyes. Although Armando had told me after Jasmine was born that baby's eyes can change when they get older.

My train of thought is interrupted by the nursery door slamming open; the noise scaring the baby into crying. Surprised, I whip around towards the door. Daniel is standing there, his hair matted and clothes messy with stains. Daniel's eyes are red with an angry glare that gets worse when he spots me, causing my body to freeze in fear. I've never seen Daniel this furious.

Without saying a word, Daniel storms into the nursery and painfully grabs my arm. He harshly drags me out of the room and through many hallways in the villa. Not knowing what else to do, I stay quiet and frantically follow Daniel. We reach a staircase, it becomes difficult for me to not to fall down the four flights of stairs with Daniel practically pushing me down them. It is rare that I ever go down to the basement. I have only been down there a couple times in the last years since I don't know the guards on monitor duty that well anymore. Even so, I know what happens down here.

Daniel pushes me down a hallway, into a room I've only been in once before. Entering, I see a chair sitting in the middle of the room with restraints hanging off it. Something inside me is screaming at me to get out of here. I try to make a run for the door, but I'm stopped by Daniel. I fight and scream for him to let me go as he drags me to the chair. Against my best efforts, Daniel gets my arms tied to the chair, next torso. The restraints hurt as Daniel adjusts them too tight.

"Let me go!" I yell at Daniel.

He doesn't respond, only glares and tightens the restraint on my left arm even more. Daniel walks away to one of the room's cabinets. Opening it reveals a safe which Daniel opens with a code. My struggle with my restraints increases when I see him pull out a tray. As Daniel approaches with the tray, I see dozens of gold needles lying on it.

"Get the hell away from me!" I hiss. Daniel smiles cruelly as he places the tray next to me. My heart rate quickens. "What are you doing?" I shakily ask.

"I was going to wait till you were older to do this; when your powers were fully developed." Daniel picks up one of the larger needles and examines it while continuing "But upon recent events I decided to try early, get a sneak peak at the future."

"What events?"

Daniel's head snaps away from the needle towards me. He glares "That murdering brother of yours was born."

"So? Isn't that what you wanted? Another generator."

"Yes, but then the brat took away what was most important to me" Daniel sneers. "Trust me, he will pay dearly his entire life for what he did. I went into the nursery to get a look at the monster, but then you were there. Thought it was a good opportunity to get a taste of what all this was for. Don't worry though, I can't kill you or your blasted siblings."

I begin to understand what he planning to do. The needles…they must be how he's going to extract them, my powers. For years I've known this day was coming, but now that it's happening my fear skyrockets. Especially with the furious glint in Daniel's eye; I know this will be a horrible experience. Every fiber of my being is screaming it at me to fight. "What did the baby do?" I ask, trying to buy myself some time.

Daniel's angry glare hardens as his fists clench. For some reason, Daniel is the only person I have met who I can't read. His mind is completely closed off to me; I assume because of his powers. Daniel towers over me closer and hatefully answers "He killed your mother. That's what he did."

"So..so what?" I unsteadily say. "You can…can find another wife who…" I'm interrupted by a slap to the face.

It takes me a while to get out of the daze the hard hit put me into. As I recover Daniel hisses "Nobody can replace her." With that Daniel takes the needle he is holding and inserts it into my arm.

2:00 AM December 6th 1996, Russello Villa

A burst of energy wakes me from my sleep. It feels good as the wave travels through my body starting from my feet to my head. As it flows through my arms, I feel the wounds that still haven't healed yet tingle. They burn for a second, then settle into a familiar warm that tells me they are healing. I smile at the relief, my face started feeling better what I assume to be a few hours ago. Steadily my body has been feeling back to normal. Every few hours I'll have a rush of energy like I just did. Afterwards I feel a bit back to normal in one part of my body. This time the energy is pooling into my shoulder, making it feel good as new.

A spark shocks my mind. Suddenly I sense the slightest inkling of another person being close by, something that hasn't happened since I woke up in my bedroom yesterday. I'm not sure how long I was out, but it was light outside when I finally woke up. After a few minutes I had fallen back asleep, to wake up what I assume to be a couple out later. That has been the cycle I have been going through for I don't know how long. When I'm asleep, there isn't any pain, it's a relief compared to when I stay awake. It is only when I get the energy rush that I wake up; it feels good for a while until the pain and soreness settle back in. Although each time I've awoken, I've felt better.

My room feels empty when I'm awake. It used to be my comfort place, where I would go to stay out of Daniel's way. But this is the first time it has felt so lonely being in here. I don't think it is the room that's the problem though, it's that I can't feel anyone outside of it. My entire life I could sense if anybody was in the hall, or Jasmine in her bedroom a couple doors down, or even if I concentrated I could figure out how many people were in the entire villa. But ever since I've woken up I haven't been able to do any of that, until now. The spark is the first contact I've had with another's presence.

I don't know who it is in the hallway. The connection isn't strong enough for me to tell, but I know someone is there. Probably a guard since they aren't moving around. Could be Jasmine, probably not. I wish it were her, maybe she will come in eventually. Then I could tell her my plan.

Jasmine's POV

11:00 PM December7th 1996, Russello Villa

I hate it in here.

Everything about this room…I hate it.

How long have been in here? I can never tell. This is definitely the longest I've been in this room before though. My growling stomach and parched mouth agree. A couple times a guard has sliped a plate of food and some water in through the door, but that was a long time ago. It's had to be at least a day since it last happened, or maybe it's just night and it feels like a day. Time passes so slowly in here, it could just feel like a day.

Maybe the guards are just choosing not to come in. I wouldn't. It stinks in here. One of the many reason's I hate being in this room, no access to a bathroom. There's nothing in here, well I guess that's the point of the room.

I don't know what is worse, having no lights or having no objects in the room. The only things I can feel in the room are the walls, floor, ceiling and door. Once I managed to unlock the door and escape this awful room, but then Madre saw me wandering the halls. There was a pretty bad beating after that. Now there's always a guard outside the room in case I do try to get out, which I've only tried one other time. It's not worth making Madre and Padre mad.

Although it might be if I don't get out of here soon. This room is maddening. Emptiness lingers through it. But again, that's the point of the room. It's made so I can't break anything. If there's nothing in here, there is nothing I can ruin with my powers.

How many hours have passed as I have sat in here? I swear, I feel as if half my life has been spent in this terrible barren room. If only there was something like a chair or a pillow, anything. All I want is something to sense, some solid object I could feel. My powers languish in the emptiness, to the point of pain if I spend too long in here. First it starts out as a tingle that slowly turns into an agonizing sting.

At this point I've become numb. So much time has passed in this room that I almost don't even notice the pain. That doesn't mean I wish to be out of here any less though.

It would be better if I at least knew what I did to be punished. I haven't broken anything in at least a month. All I was doing was sitting in my bedroom reading a book. Then Padre burst in and dragged me in here, never saying why. The only contact I've had with anyone since has been the couple times a guard dropped off food and water.

I actually don't really mind that part of the room. There are times I become lonely, but it's not unbearable. Even outside this room I don't interact with many people, so it's not that much of a difference from that standpoint when I'm in here.

The darkness is unnerving though. I'm not afraid of the dark, but the constant absence of sight gets to me. The only light is from the bottom of the door, but that is when the hall light is on. When it is off, the room is complete darkness.

A creek sounds from the door. I can't see who it is, but I hear their breathing. Next thing I know, there is a click and a bright light flashes in my eyes. Shrieking I cover them to soothe the sudden pain.

"Shut up" the person hisses.

Recognizing the voice, I shakily whisper "Joey?"

"Yeah, it's me."

"What are you doing here?" I ask, lowering my hands. My eyes have started adjusting somewhat to the light. "How did you get in here? Isn't there a guard…"

"All the guards are freaking out, most have abandoned their posts" Joey interupts me. He takes a few steps forward. I can make out a flashlight in his hand, explaining the blinding light. Joey takes out a metal tool from his pocket and holds it in the light so I can see. Smiling he adds "A guard gave this to me the day you were born. It's for picking locks, that's how I opened the door."

I nod and ask "Why are all the guards gone?"

Joey crouches down in front of me as he explains "Daniel took my powers. The past couple days he's been experimenting with them non-stop on the guards. Now they are all scared and trying to figure out what is going on. It's actually kind of funny to see them all tweaking out."

"He took your powers? I thought Padre said he was…"

"Going to wait until we turned sixteen. He was. Then Emily died."

My eyes widen "What?"

"She died, giving birth to the baby. Daniel flipped out and is now causing all this drama."

I take a moment to process everything Joey has just told me. It explains Padre's strange behavior and why every once in a while I could hear guards shouting around the villa. Looking up at Joey I ask again

"Why are you here?"

The light from Joey's flashlight bounces off the wall and illuminates Joey's face enough so I can see him smirk. Leaning in closer he says "Wanna piss off Daniel?"

Joey's POV

11:30 PM December 7th 1996, Russello Villa

I quietly knock on Jasmine's bedroom door before opening it and peaking in. My bag is slung over my shoulder; containing some clothes, food, and money that I have been able to collect over the past few years. Jasmine is still packing, she must have only recently gotten out of the shower. After getting a good whiff of her, both she and I thought she greatly needed one.

"How much longer are you going to be?" I whisper, slightly annoyed.

"Only a couple minutes, I…" Jasmine's cut off by sob from next door. The baby has been crying ever since Jasmine and I returned to our bedrooms. I can feel a guard in the nursery trying to calm the baby down, but the infant doesn't seem to like the guard.

Jasmine bites her lip and asks "Are you sure we shouldn't take him too?"

"Why would we? Bringing him along would only slow us down."

"True" Jasmine agrees hesitantly. Another cry sounds through the wall, followed by Jasmine adding "It would make Padre really angry."

I pause and think for a moment. She does have a point. "Fine, we'll take him."

Jasmine looks shocked by my sudden agreement "Really?"

"Yeah, whatever" I shrug. "When Daniel finds us, he'll already be beyond furious. Minus well go all out and bring the baby." I set my bag down in Jasmine's room, knowing the guard will get suspicious if I walk into the nursery with it. "I'll go grab him and get rid of the guard. If I'm not back in a couple minutes, come help."

Jasmine nods as I leave her room. Making my way to the nursery, I open the door and see a large man holding the baby. He has a square-looking head and black hair. The guard is obviously uncomfortable holding the baby, he is awkwardly trying to calm the crying child down.

"Need help?" I chuckle, trying to sound nice.

The guard's head snaps up to look at me. He appreciatively smiles and answers "Could you?"

"No problem" I laugh while walking over and scooping the baby out of the guard's hands. Almost immediately he begins to settle down from crying into a small whimper.

"Thank you" the man sighs, sitting down in a nearby chair. "I've never done this before?"

"Held a baby?"

"Taken care of one" he corrects.

"How did you get nursery duty then; everybody else still going crazy?"

The man's smile drops, "Seems like it. At least all the old guards who have been here longer. I'm new, it's my first day actually."

"Well then, welcome to our lovely home" I greet.

He lets out a small laugh "Thank you. You must be Mr. Russello's oldest, Joey correct?"

I nod "Yup. Who are you?"

"Anthony."

"Nice to meet you Anthony. So it's your first day?"

"Yes. I was working in one of your father's branches south of here. Then I got an offer to come work here and took it. Didn't realize the pandemic I was walking into."

I shrug, "Don't worry. That will all pass. It's been stressful around here lately, I think everyone is just overtired."

"You think?"

Nodding I lie "Yup."

"That's good to hear."

"I'm surprised they put you on baby watch, is that something new?"

Anthony frowns "What do you mean?"

"Well it's just that guards don't really check on me or my siblings, I think you're the first to hold my little brother."

Shock appears on Anthony's face, "Really? I was instructed that if I were to hear the baby crying, I should try to sooth him."

I raise my eyebrow to look suspicious "Who told you that?"

"My superior, Mr. Biso."

"Ahhh Biso. He was just messing with you."

"What! No way, I don't believe you" Anthony states.

"I'm serious, he does that with the new guards" I assert. Uh oh, he's starting to see my lie.

"Cut the act kid. I…" Anthony is interrupted by the door creaking open.

Jasmine's head pops in as she says "I heard voices."

"Sorry" Anthony apologizes. "You must be Jasmine. You're brother here was just trying to pull a joke over on me."

"What was the joke?" Jasmine asks with fake enthusiasm, trying to figure out my plan.

Laughing, Anthony answers "He tried telling me that my boss was lying when he said to check on you three."

Thankfully Jasmine goes along with my ruse. She sends the man a confused look and says "Why would you? That's not the guard's job."

Anthony's expression drops to one of surprise "Wait. What?"

"See I told you" I state. "Biso's always pulling jokes like this, trying to get the new people in trouble."

"Yeah he's funny" Jasmine adds, giggling. Huh, she's actually pretty good at this.

"What do you mean trouble?" Anthony asks me urgently.

Shrugging I answer "Well where is your post for tonight?"

"I am supposed to circle this floor." Ok, I got him now.

"Ooooo. I'd get back to that if I were you. They will notice if you don't show up sooner or later. You'll probably get written up for slacking on the job."

Nodding, Anthony shoots out of his seat. "Thanks for the heads up." He says from the door way. "Nice to meet you both."

"You too Mr.…" Jasmine trials off.

"Anthony" he smiles. "Anthony Zucco" he states before heading down the hall.

9:00 AM December 8th 1996 In a Truck

Getting out of the Villa was surprisingly easier than getting rid of Anthony. The Villa is practically deserted, all the former guards have basically run for the hills. Jasmine and I only had to sneak past three new guards on our way down to the basement. Thankfully the baby didn't make any noise during our escape.

It was eerie and uncomfortable to be down there. But that is where the tunnel connecting the villa to the boathouse was. Good news was that there was only one guard at the tunnel entrance, but there was nobody in the boathouse. Weird, but hey I'm not complaining.

After figuring out how one of the boats worked, the three of us traveled quietly out of the boathouse, and down the river. We didn't go far. I've seen enough maps to know that Florence is a bigger city, so it would be easier to find a way to get far away from it on land. We docked the boat a good distance away from the villa and sent it adrift down the river. The next part of our plan was a bit more difficult though, finding a truck that was leaving the city and was easy to sneak into without being noticed. Eventually we found a big delivery truck outside some furniture store. I was able to unlock it and we made ourselves comfortable on some couches.

That is where we have stayed for hours now. Eventually the driver showed up and the truck took off. I'm not sure where we are going, but as long as it's away from Florence, I'm fine with it. Jasmine passes out after the truck started moving, feeling secure enough to know someone won't catch us for a while.

The baby is currently resting on a cushion, also asleep. Thank god he hasn't cried. I've kept a check on his emotions ever since beginning our escape from the villa. For the most part the infant is contempt as long as Jasmine or I are close by. I could feel him getting a bit hungry what I assume to be an hour ago. Luckily Jasmine had thrown a few bottles and the weird milk looking baby drinks into a bag before leaving the villa. After finishing the bottle, the baby was content enough to fall back asleep.

As for me, I haven't been able to sleep. In fact I'm not even tired. Maybe it's because I had slept for how long before getting Jasmine from the empty room. I don't know. My mind just won't shut off. The excitement of the day has my head buzzing. For some reason the thought of the unknown future is more thrilling to me than scary like it should. Jasmine's scared, I can feel it. She isn't saying anything though. It makes sense why she is so nervous, we literally have no idea what we are doing. To be honest, I wasn't expecting us to make it this far. I was sure we would have been caught by now. I hadn't thought our little adventure would last longer than a few hours.

Adventure. Is that the correct word to use? We are taking a big risk, and are leaving the place we know behind. I guess I can call it that then, an adventure. For years I have read about other's adventures, fictional and real. But I never thought I would have one of my own. Even if it isn't going to Never Neverland or climbing Mount Everest, it's an adventure. It feels wonderful. Ever since getting on the boat and traveling down the river I have watched my entire life, I've felt amazing. Free. It will stink when Daniel eventually catches us and drags us back to the villa.

A whimper sounds next to me, followed by a louder whine. The baby feels lonely again. I sigh and place my hand on his stomach. Almost immediately he calms down. I whisper "That's right baby. You're fine. Just stay quiet the rest of the ride, please?"

"He's a baby, you really expect him to listen to you?" Jasmine's voice mumbles from the couch on the other side of the baby's cushion. I didn't even know she woke up.

Shrugging I answer "He has been so far. Besides, I'm kinda on my own here. You're no help."

Jasmine rolls over to face me, her face in a scowl. "I tried. I'm just not good with him like you are."

"Yes you are. Just try loosening up when you hold him."

Jasmine's eyes widen, "What if I drop him!"

"If you're holding him correctly you won't. Here, sit up."

She does as I say. Carefully picking up the baby, I bring him over to the couch Jasmine is sitting on. I gently place him into her arms. Jasmine tenses when I release my hold on the baby, giving her full control. "You're doing fine" I tell her. "Make sure to keep his head supported."

Following my instructions, Jasmine quietly holds the baby for a while. Having just woken up, the baby is slowly blinking his eyes and staring at Jasmine. His mouth opens to a small o when he yawns and releases a squeak.

A small smile forms on both Jasmine's and my faces. Jasmine comments "He's pretty cute isn't he." After another moment of silence, she adds "We should give him a name."

"Okay…we could name him after the guard in his room. Anthony."

"No! His name has to start with a J."

"Why?" I retort.

"Because both of ours start with a J. So his should too."

"That's a stupid reason."

Jasmine glares at me. "How about Jason?"

"No, he doesn't look like a Jason. Save that for someone else. How about Julius? Like Julius Caesar"

"Julius? Really? Do you want him to get beat up on the playground?"

"How do you know he will ever be on a playground?"

Frowning Jasmine answers "Well why wouldn't he? Now that we're outside the villa, it's not like Padre can stop us from bringing him to one."

I take in a deep breath "I don't want to spend time watching him at a stupid playground. I lived without one for twelve years, the baby can too."

Rolling her eyes, Jasmine says "How about James."

"Whatever" I mumble. "As long as I don't have to spend time at a stupid playground."

A long pause passes. The newly named James makes a few gurgling noises as Jasmine and I watch him. Eventually I hear Jasmine ask "What are we going to do? After the truck stop, where will we go?"

"First we should get out of Italy. Getting across the border may be difficult, but I think there is less of a chance of Daniel finding us if we aren't in the same country as him anymore."

"How will we jump the border?"

"We'll figure it out when we get there. I'm sure we could hide out on another truck or something."

Jasmine nods, "Then after that?"

"I don't know! Why do I have to be the one figuring all this out!?" I snarl.

"Sorry" Jasmine murmurs. "I'm just…"

"I know." I let out a small laugh before saying "This seemed like a great idea in my head back at the villa. Now that it's actually happening…" I trail off, not quite knowing how to finish that sentence. Sure I'm a bit scared like Jasmine, but for the most part I'm just happy about leaving. Honestly, I don't care what we do after jumping the border. The idea should frighten me, but it doesn't. Not like it does to Jasmine.

The baby lets out another squeak. Jasmine is playing with James's hand. The infant is grabbing onto her finger as she waves it around a bit. I sigh "How the hell are we going to take care of him?" This is actually the first time I thought of that. In fact, now that I'm thinking about it. How am I going to take care of Jasmine too? Sure she is pretty self-sufficient, but she's only going be seven in a month. Heck, I'm only twelve. I can't take care of her, let alone a baby. And why should I?

The memory of my conversations with Armando, Pippa and Georgie resurface in my mind. First when Armando and Pippa both told me that as an older brother, I have to take care of my younger sibling. Then on trip back from the hospital after seeing Jasmine, when I promised I would be a better older brother than Georgie. But apparently he stunk at being one, so that shouldn't be too hard. And both instances, we were only talking about me being an older brother to Jasmine. So I have to take care of her. But after we jump the border, the baby is on his own.

"Hey, watch this" Jasmine tells me. Looking over, I see she is still playing with James's hand. "Watch his fingers when I pull my own away."

Leaning in closer, I stare at James's hand. It is wrapped around Jasmine's pointer finger in a light grip. As Jasmine begins pulling her finger away, I notice what she was talking about. In order to keep his grasp on the finger, James's own fingers lengthen just a tiny bit. Not obvious enough so that anyone who isn't looking for it would notice. Jasmine and I have been trying to figure out what James's powers could be.

"Well" I say. "That will be easy to hide."

11:44 AM December 11th 1996, Zirl Ausria

You would think a great escape story would be fun and exciting. But actually it was mostly just Jasmine, James and I sitting in trucks. Getting across the border was difficult at first. But then Jasmine and I had received pity from some old couple after telling them an elaborate story about running away from our parents. It wasn't a complete lie, just a few false details.

They were a nice couple. Boring though. Listening to them talk in the car put me asleep. Luckily the couple thought that was funny and weren't insulted. Also to our luck, the couple knew German. So during our car ride I carefully began copying the language from their minds. It took a while since it is the first time I have copied an entire language, but I know Jasmine and I will need it in Austria. So once I finished, I quickly processed it into Jasmine's brain.

The couple dropped the three of us off in a town once we were in Austria. From there, I was able to buy us bus tickets. I looked into the stops the bus took, and found out about an orphanage in the town we are currently in. Zirl. Beautiful town. It is small with cool buildings and gorgeous mountains surrounding it. The orphanage is a good place to hide for a while. Apparently it is run by some nuns.

Jasmine, James and I make our way through the town. I had gotten directions from a man at the bus stop. The orphanage is on the outskirt of town. While roaming the town, Jasmine and I gawk at the beauty. People are going about their lives around us. For a second, I almost feel normal. I feel more at home in this unknown town than I did at the villa.

Eventually we make it to the orphanage. The nuns were nice when we arrived. A couple took James to a nursery while two other ones showed Jasmine and I to the bedrooms. There are separate floors for boys and girls, so one took Jasmine to the top floor while a short one took me to a bedroom on the ground floor. She said I will share it with another boy around my age, Steven or something like that. He came in a few minutes after I placed my bag down on the empty bed.

"What are you doing in here?" he asks from the doorway. Getting a good look at Steven, I see that he is bigger than I am but not very intimidating. The boy has sandy hair with light brown eyes which glares at me as he states "I told the nuns I didn't want a roommate."

Rolling my eyes I respond "Well looks like you got an early Christmas present. Congrats."

Steven stands up straighter, trying to look tough. "We'll see about that. My last roommate only lasted a week before I got rid of him."

"I take it he didn't want to look at your ugly face anymore?"

"What did you say to me!" Steven yells as he storms over to where I'm standing. He towers over me, but I'm not intimidated.

"Look. Back off. I'm not interested in whatever stupid game you probably intend to play. Most likely I'm not going to stay here long, there is no need for you to get yourself in a twist. I'm just passing through. Besides, the tough guy routine you are attempting to put on, doesn't work on me. I grew up around way bigger and way stronger than you."

Steven, slightly taken aback, stares at me in surprise. "What do you mean you're just passing through?"

Rolling my eyes again, I say "Look, stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours. Deal?"

He doesn't respond. Instead Steven continues to stare at me in confusion, but now without the irritation he had previously. After a moment he asks "What's your name?"

I pause to think of a response. Jasmine and I had discussed changing our names when we arrived at the orphanage. It will take longer for Daniel to find us that way. My hesitation is...for the life of me, I can't remember the name I'm supposed to use.

"Daniel." Aww crap! How stupid can I be? Now I'm going to be stuck with that name. Dammit! Of course now I remember, Jasmine and I had agreed on the name Cole.

"Steven" my roommate greets, sticking his hand out in the air. I shake it. As I do, a bell goes off somewhere in the building. Steven explains "That means its lunch. C'mon, I'll show you the way."

I follow him out of the room. A part of me is a bit suspicious at his sudden attitude change, then the other part doesn't care. If he tries to pull anything I'll put a quick stop to it. But I don't think Steven will. He doesn't seem to be feeling the initial irritation he was before. Instead, his curiosity begins taking over.

"So where are you from?" Steven inquires.

"Why do you care?"

Steven frowns, "Well how did you end up here?"

"I walked."

"Well did you run away or did your parents drop you off?"

"How do you know it's either of those? I could be here for a number of different reasons. How do you know my parents didn't die or maybe I was kidnapped or something?"

"Because you don't act like you're shocked at being here" Steven states. "Most kids who show up take a day or two to adjust. But you…you act as if you're here by choice. If that's the case, most likely you ran away from home. Or your parents dumped you here and you're pretending it was your idea."

I give Steven a hard look. "What's your story?"

"I asked you first."

"Ran away. Now your turn."

"That's it? You just ran away?" he says skeptically.

"Yup. Now answer my question. I answered yours."

Steven takes a pause before saying "I used to live with my dad. Then a couple years ago he went to jail. It was either come here or live on the street."

My eyebrow raises at his response. "What happened to your mom?"

He shrugs "I never knew her. Ran off when I was a baby. My dad was all I had."

"Sorry" I say, trying to sound a bit sympathetic.

"Whatever" Steven mumbles. "So why did you run away?"

Hesitating first, I answer "Let's just say my father's an ass."

Steven nods. As we travel through the halls, more children begin filtering through. All heading in the same direction. A couple of nuns are monitoring the crowd. I ask Steven

"So what's it like living here?"

"It's not too bad. Most of the nuns are pretty nice. There are a couple who you don't want to cross though. The lesson ones mostly."

"Lesson ones?"

"There is a small school here" he explains. "There are enough kids of all ages to have a small class for each grade. How old are you?"

"Twelve" I state.

"Same. You'll most likely be in seventh grade with me. There are six others in our class. You'll meet them later."

"Huh." My eyes begin scanning the hall, trying to spot Jasmine. I have no luck. Eventually Steven grows uncomfortable with my silence and asks

"You ever go to school before?"

"Nope. And don't plan on going anytime soon."

"You have to! The nuns will get mad if you don't."

"So? Like I told you earlier. I'm not staying here long. Besides, school is stupid. Anything it can teach you, you can learn out of a book."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Steven give me a strange look. Then he smiles and says "You know, I'm starting to like you more and more. Maybe a roommate won't be so bad."

We reach the end of the hallway. All the other kids are funneling through two open doors leading to what I assume to be the cafeteria. Jasmine is probably in there. I comment to Steven "Don't get used to having one" before making my way into the room.