A/N: Hey, all. Just wanted to say thanks again for reading my story. This chapter's shorter, but I hope that you still enjoy it.

You know, I never thought adults gave children enough credit... contrary to popular belief, children do think.

Chapter 2: Observation

When Quillish Wammy had left, Laurent found it a little harder to keep reading his book. His mind kept on going back to the rather short conversation he had with the man. Why would Mr. Wammy pick him out of so many other children to talk to? It didn't make much sense. Hardly any grown-ups (besides the Clark sisters) ever noticed he existed, much less tried to talk to him.

Mr. Wammy even brought up adoption. That was far more than he ever dreamed possible.

Laurent fiddled with a corner of the page he was on. He never found himself to be very special, so he figured it was no wonder that he was hardly ever looked at before. He wasn't exceptional, he just… existed.

If that was the case, though, why did Mr. Wammy spend any time on him? Why did he actually seem happy to do so?

Laurent gave a soft sigh and slid off the chair, deciding that it was stupid to try to read anymore when his mind was obviously distracted. He pushed the book back onto the shelf and turned around, only to be startled by a pair of bright blue eyes. Laurent jumped and gave a little yelp of surprise as the young boy before him grinned.

"Hi, Laurent!" the boy beamed.

"Hi, Charlie," Laurent responded shakily, "You scared me."

Charlie continued to smile, though embarrassment seemed to make its way into his grin, "Yeah, sorry about that, I didn't mean to."

"I know…"

Charlie's pure smile returned instantly as he gave a little excited jump, "Hey, I saw that grown-up talk to you earlier. What did he say? Did he want to adopt you?"

"I think so."

"That's great!" Charlie laughed. He bounced slightly, making it was obvious that he was trying to contain his joy. The blond boy was always very thrilled whenever one of the kids had a chance at being adopted, and he always hoped that everyone would be just as excited when his turn came. "So…" he continued, his eyes bright, "…where are you going to live?"

Laurent shook his head, "He only wanted to adopt me."

"He only wanted to adopt you…?" Charlie asked, puzzled, "You mean… you said no?"

"Well… I didn't say no… but I didn't say yes…" Laurent looked slightly uncomfortable, "I don't think it was a real question…"

Charlie gave a loud sigh and flipped his head back, "Laurent…" he moaned, "You're not s'pposed to do that sort of stuff."

"I didn't know him, though," Laurent said defensively, "Weren't you ever told not to go with strangers?"

"People who want to adopt you aren't strangers, they're nice," Charlie said a little irritably, "Geez, Laurent. You'll never get adopted if you act like that."

Laurent looked down, a little embarrassed. "Sorry," he apologized.

Charlie's face broke into a grin, "S'alright. I heard Miss Sylvia talking to Miss Ruth. I think he's coming back tomorrow."

"He's coming back tomorrow?" Laurent asked, looking up, slightly shocked.

"Yeah, you know, you were the only kid he talked to. He musta liked you a lot!" Charlie beamed.

Laurent blinked. I was the only kid he talked to? He really wasn't used to this. Whenever grown-ups would talk to him, and it wasn't especially often, it was more out of politeness than anything else. They would smile at him, but the smiles always seemed forced. When they asked him questions, it was more because they felt obligated to than to actually get any answers. Laurent could tell that they hardly even listened to his responses… for they would simply nod and stare right on through him, their fake smiles plastered upon their faces like grotesque masks. Laurent made people uncomfortable and he knew it.

He had wondered frequently why they bothered talking to him at all. They obviously didn't like it, so why would they torture themselves? Was it a way to make him feel better about himself? Was it a way to make him feel like he wasn't left out?

Laurent had never really felt left out when people ignored him. In fact, he hardly noticed it when they did. He was far too wrapped up in his books or in his play to even consider it. However, when people would approach him because he looked "lonely" or "sad," he was reminded that people didn't normally approach him. When they spoke to him with obvious fake interest in his well-being, he was reminded of how uncomfortable he made people. When people were around, he realized how different he was.

Mr. Wammy wasn't like the other people, though. When he smiled at him, it didn't seem fake. It was as though the man really did want to smile at him, as though he actually liked him.

Laurent liked that. He really did.

"Hey, Laurent, you in there?" Charlie asked, giving the little boy a playful jab with his elbow.

"Yeah," Laurent smiled, coming back to the real world and jabbing the boy back.

"Don't mess up tomorrow, 'kay?" Charlie laughed. "Come on, dinner's soon."

Laurent followed Charlie out of the small library and into the main room, where faint smells of Miss Ruth's cooking could already be detected.

"Spaghetti…" Charlie grinned, sniffing the air. He turned to Laurent. "Come on, let's hurry and wash up. We got to get down there fast!" Charlie grabbed Laurent's wrist and led him quickly to the bathroom.

Charlie was always a rather puzzling person to Laurent. The blond boy was a very nice kid, and many grown-ups were fond of him. In fact, he was always one of the first children people would go to talk to. He was constantly energetic and eager to please, and no one ever could hold a grudge on him for more than a few minutes. It was amazing the boy hadn't been adopted yet.

Laurent personally found Charlie's excess of energy to be tiring on many occasions. Charlie, however, didn't seem to mind Laurent's apparent lack of it. In fact, Charlie seemed to think of it as a challenge. He took great pains to make try to get Laurent to "cheer up."

Laurent had always wondered how this boy came to the decision to hang around with him of all people. Surely Charlie would be more at home with someone a little more energetic, a little louder, a little happier. That would make sense.

Charlie, however, didn't seem to ever want to make real sense. That puzzled Laurent all the more.

After dinner, it was time to get ready for bed. Charlie and Laurent went upstairs together as they always did. As they brushed their teeth, Laurent began to really wonder why Charlie seemed to like him so much. It was always something that he would question, but never very deeply. Charlie really had nothing in common with him, spare his age. Laurent's brow furrowed in thought.

Charlie noticed the peculiar expression on Laurent's face in the mirror, "Hey, what's wrong?" He asked after spitting out his toothpaste.

Laurent spat out his own toothpaste, "Nothing," he said, and then he rinsed out his mouth. He was still for a few seconds. "Well… I was wondering… Charlie, why do you like me?"

"Why?" Charlie repeated, and he rinsed out his mouth, "I like you because I like you."

"But… why?"

"Do I need a reason?" Charlie asked.

Laurent blinked, of course. I always need a reason…

Charlie grinned at Laurent's confused expression, "Well, I guess you're interesting, that's all."

"Interesting?" Laurent thought, "Do you think that's why Mr. Wammy likes me?"

Charlie burst out laughing, "You're so weird!" he grinned. "Is it really that hard to believe that people like you?"

Laurent looked down, "Well…" yes?

Charlie grinned, "You're a funny kid, Laurent. That's another thing I like about you."