Chapter 4:
Calleigh POV-
It was getting dark quickly and we still didn't have anything against these kids. And, because none of them seemed to have parents with them (and because they obviously couldn't agree on what group it was they were here with) we had no idea what to do with them. This kind of thing had never happened before, I mean, yeah, we had had kids in here before, but usually there was either so much substantial evidence that we could contain them in juvy for the night or (as it was in most cases) their parents would be here demanding a lawyer. These kids, on the other hand, had neither of these things. [A/N: p.s. I have no idea what the protocol for this actually is, so don't quote me on anything]
"So what are we going to do with them?" Natalia asked the rest of us as we converged for the night.
"Well, what else can we do? We have to send them to juvy for the night," Eric suggested, which, I happened to think was somewhat harsh, especially considering that we came up with absolutely nothing after a day of investigating.
"They can stay with me!" I blurted out without thinking, but the more I considered it the more it seemed like a legitimate possibility. Most of the others immediately scoffed at the idea, but Horatio just stared at me out of the corner of his eye.
"Calleigh, are you absolutely sure?" he asked in a quiet tone, turning his full gaze on me. I took a deep breath, and thought it over for just a second.
"Yes," I decided, "I have enough room, and I really don't want to send these kids to juvy for something that they might not have done." I was sure that I would be able to handle five teenagers for, at most, a couple of nights, after all, I was the ballistics expert here at the lab. Horatio nodded.
"It's settled then," he announced, standing up, "They will stay with you." He left the room, undoubtedly to inform the kids of where they will be staying. The rest of us stood up too. I walked to follow Horatio, but Eric stopped me, laying a protective hand on my shoulder.
"Calleigh? Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked. I smiled at him, flattered by his concern for me.
"Of course," I assured him, "I'm a big girl, I think I can handle some kids," I chuckled.
"Yeah, kids who might be murderers," he added darkly.
"Come on Eric, do you actually think these kids murdered an old woman?" I asked him, crossing my arms.
"I don't know, but do you really want to take the chance if they did?" he asked me.
"I'll be fine, Eric," I told him, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze before leaving the room to follow Horatio.
Not to long later, we had fully arranged for the kids to come home with me. We piled into the back of my car, and I studied the faces of the kids. None of them held a smirk, like you would expect from someone who, basically just got off with murder, for now, at least. Instead, they were mostly tired. Annabeth, had her head on Percy's shoulder, and he had his arm around her. The other three gazed longingly out of the car windows, signs of exhaustion appearing on their faces too. Clarisse, who, although maintained her aggressive scowl, occasionally let her eyelids droop only to snap them open again.
Finally, we arrived at my house. My house is nothing special, just a simple house that just so happens to have two spare bedroom, one for the boys and one for the girls. I pointed each of the rooms out to them and thy nodded, almost gratefully, as they closed the door behind them. I had managed to find some of my old clothes for the girls to wear, and even some old stuff that didn't fit my father anymore, that the boys could put on.
I knocked on the boy's bedroom door, leaving the clothes on the floor outside of it, before making my way down the hall to the girl's room. When I got there the door was already open. I lightly rapped my knuckles on the door before pushing it completely open.
"Hey," I smiled to them, "I brought you ladies some clothes." I told them. They smiled back, gratefully, except for Clarisse who gave a somewhat polite nod in my direction.
'Thank you," Annabeth spoke, "For all of this, I was afraid we would have to spend the night in jail."
"It's no problem, my bedroom is right down the hall if you need anything," I told them. Annabeth nodded, giving me another polite smile.
I closed the door behind me, smiling slightly to myself. I had always been told that my fatal flaw was that I was too trusting, which maybe I am, but I prefer to think of it as seeing the best in people despite the situation. And, seeing these kids now, maybe it's my fatal flaw talking, but I couldn't help but think that they actually might be innocent of this crime.
'Maybe,' I considered, 'They were just caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, and received the blame because it is easier for people to believe the stereotype that all teenagers are malicious and bad, then to accept that there might have actually been more to the story.'
I changed my clothes and laid down in bed, deciding that I would do everything in my power to prove them innocent. Unless, of course, the facts revealed that they were actually to blame.
