Months went by and the three became closer, though Spirit had often begrudged the youngest of their little group due to the child's almost random episodes of insanity. The red head's negativity towards Stein was more out of fear. He didn't want Marie or himself to become the next victim on the mentally unstable child's list- it contained mostly squirrels, small birds, and the nearest person to him.
Marie herself seemed delusional to the older boy. She talked to Stein like he was pretty much normal. And what scared him more, she would hug the gray headed child without any concern that he could have smuggled in a kitchen knife from the cafeteria; Spirit had seen the blade poking out from under Stein's pillow, but was to afraid to tell anyone for the seven year old had a rather unnatural knowledge of what went on when he wasn't around to see it.
There was a set schedule for the group and each one dreaded one of the planned activities of the day: adoption meetings. While other kids looked eagerly forward to the adoptions, the three of them dreaded it. It meant their little family would be torn apart. They had learned to stick with each other as if they were blood. They were all the family they had.
Each day, three kids were called, and sometimes one would stay. Sometimes it was two, but rarely was it three. If the one or two kids left were lucky, they weren't that attached and wouldn't break down. If they weren't, one of them would certainly collapse into tears and the other would be sober, almost consulting the other through the grief. The child that left would look back with unshed tears. That horrid image became truth one day to the two of their group.
On that day they were brought to a small circle made up of a few good sized rocks in the center of the court yard of the orphanage with a large crystal in the middle where a small flower grew perpetually on the top. "It's said the flower represents friendship. Yes, friendship." The seven year old heard the oldest say. "Friendship is fragile, Stein. But there are some friendships that can never end." The blond had told him that in addition to Spirit's given knowledge of the symbol. "What does that mean? I still don't understand," he questioned himself under his breath. He didn't want to ask, it was better to find out himself, or at least, that's what someone would probably tell him.
On the other side of the circle, near the entrance of the orphanage, was a group of adults who eagerly awaited to choose someone from the large mass of kids to take home and raise as their own child. The child however, would probably never be one of them by blood, but would still live under the same roof and by the same rules as the parent. When one looked to the side of the room, there were three doors, one for each group of to be parents to take one of the children in for their own interview. The parents would choose the child accordingly to the three to go on that date.
A man who worked at the orphanage would call out the names and the children would step forward. The rest of the kids would go back to their rooms to relax or to the library to read a book. The man stepped forward with a stack of papers that were the schedule for the adoption meetings. He called out, "Spirit Albarn, Marie Mjolnir, and Franken Stein, please step forward." There was a mass of silent laughter after Spirit's name was called for his well seen naivety and a gasp at Stein's for he was already the most feared in the orphanage from the gruesome sight of dead squirrels near by the child and often blood stained clothes seen during playtime.
Stein tentatively stepped forward, unsure of what he should do. He didn't want to leave the safety of Marie's calming demeanor, and he bit his lip as he looked to his left where Marie stood. She caught his gaze and gave him a reassuring wink of encouragement. His face must have been perplexed for she harshly whispered at him, "Don't worry, Stein. Just think of me or... or something pretty and you'll be fine!" He frowned. That probably wouldn't help much. She wouldn't be there, so it wouldn't be the same. And something pretty? He was sure his idea of "pretty" was far different than her idea.
The adults walked forward and selected the kids that they had signed up to speak with. Marie got a happy looking couple, the wife already looking as if she were expecting a child. It brought Stein to wonder if they needed someone like an older sibling for the kid. They had chosen well, in Stein's mind, but it also meant something darker to him.
The person Spirit got was a middle aged woman with a kind face. She had slight graying hair and tan skin from possibly working in the sun too much. The only reason Stein could think of from his research in the library was that the lady just wanted a son. He shrugged it off as he looked at his possible future parents. They looked rather disappointed with him already, and that was a good thing for Stein. He wouldn't want to be dragged away from another home. "Let's get on with the interview, we don't have any time to stall," the man around his thirties scolded, casting an annoyed look at Stein. The child nodded and they began to enter through the middle door and into the room.
The room had three chairs, one in front of the door and two behind the table. The two adults sat behind the table, of course, and the young boy sat in front. They sat in silence for a few moments and stared. Finally, the women spoke, "So, what do you like to do as a hobby?" The seven year old hesitated. People didn't like to tear things apart that contained flesh and blood, normal people that is. Say "Dissection" a small voice in the back of his head chimed.
"I like to dissect," he stated almost too factually. The couple exchanged horrified glances. "'Dissect'," they both exclaimed in horror. Why did you tell me to say that, idiot?! He screamed to the voice. Hey, you listened to me. Also, you don't want to leave your friends, do you? The voice responded. "Yes... I said 'dissect'. I like looking at how things work. I like looking at what makes them tick."
He could tell by the fear they gave off that whenever they swallowed, they swallowed hard. He could see their throats struggle down the saliva. "Is there any other hobby y-you like to do," the man questioned in a neutral toned voice, though filled with fear. Stein nodded. "Yes, I like to study biology..." He looked up at their frightened expressions and smirked almost evilly. "In a book of course." They relaxed somewhat.
The woman asked while her partner shook his hands frantically in front of him, "Do you have any favorite bed time stories?" There was a dramatic covering of the eyes from said partner, which caught Stein's attention. "Not really. A friend of mine at the orphanage likes to sing before she falls asleep. It's nice. Helps my nightmares stay at bay," he mused. He then continued in a cold monotonous voice, steadily leaning on the table with his elbows, his hands pressed to his cheeks, "I did a little bit of an investigation in the adoption process. They didn't inform you of my mental stability; now I see that was mostly for nothing. I can tell by your reactions to my hobby."
They blinked, both of their eyebrows knit and raised in shock. "Are- are you saying you're insane," the man yelped. The boy couldn't help but nod. "I'm insane. It's how I got here. I have madness etched into me and it will haunt me and those who see its effects forever more." The couple witnessed his smirk grow into a devilish grin. He was only toying with them, while in his mind he was keeping the hysteria down with questions on "what was really and truly pretty".
After the interview, he sat outside with the others of his group to hear the verdict of their futures. He sat near the door of the adults that had chosen him. He could hear the arguments from the staff and the couple on how Stein's behavior really was. This was the second time. The first time their little group remained unscathed, mostly because one of the parents had to reschedule and the other had disapproved of a certain ginger's ridiculous behavior. No one had shown up for Stein.
"Hey, Stein," Marie called from down the hall. The lights were slightly dimmer than the rest of the orphanage in that section. His head snapped up at the voice of one of his dear friends. "Yes, Marie?" She cast her kind smile at him, her eyes flickering with slight worry but also slight hope. "How did things go? Did they like you," she asked in a sickly sweet fashion that the shorter boy didn't understand. Why is she asking that? Wasn't the whole objective to not get adopted? The disturbed boy asked himself. "I-I think they're scared of me… I don't know- I think I'm not getting adopted. But that's a good thing, right?" He stared at her with a confused look with a weak smile.
The look he received from her was strange. She raised an eyebrow with a serious face. "No… You're suppose to get adopted, Stein. When you're adopted, it means that someone is giving you a second chance." The child pulled on his tangled gray hair in frustration and shook his head vigorously. He let out a growl of frustration. Right when he was about to snap from the stress of trying to figure out the logic of his friend, a hand found its perch on Stein's shoulder. "Stein, will you come with me, please," an unfamiliar voice commanded. He jerked his head up in the direction of the voice to meet the gaze of a young woman.
Stein got up and allowed her to steer him away from the group of kids. She led him to another office down the hall and sat him in a chair in front of a desk with fake flowers placed in a vase on it. She sat behind the desk in a very scrawny looking office chair in a strange fashion; she sat backwards. He looked up at the brunette slowly. "Stein, we're not pleased with what we've heard," was the first thing she said. "You terrorized the people who could have been your new family. Why?" Stein looked down again. "I didn't want to leave my friends." The woman sighed softly and clicked her tongue. She turned her head to the side.
"Stein, you won't always be with your friends. Sometimes the best you can do is remember them." She shook her head and looked down at the mess of paper work on her desk. She seemed to be ringing her hands. "Now, Stein, the people that interviewed you today said they won't adopt you because of your insanity. They say you were kind of… horrific." Stein nodded silently as she continued, "You need to get control of your insanity, Stein. You must or you'll lose something important."
The child's head snapped up suddenly. "What would I lose," he asked frantically. The woman pulled her round glasses off shortly to clean them with the tail of her shirt and sighed. "You're too young to know yet, but you have to promise me you'll try." The child nodded in silent agreement. She propelled herself from around the desk with her hands, rolling slightly backwards. "Let's get you back to your friends." She looked at him with a vibrant smile while rolling backwards at a brisk speed. Unfortunately, she fell over the door jam with a thud and a groan, thankfully only wearing a blouse and a pair of dress pants. Her blunder earned her a slight chuckle from the olive eyed boy in the office.
As she got up and patted herself off, she moved the dark green chair out of the way for Stein to get by. As soon as he was out of the office, he sprinted down the hallway. He barely heard the woman get back on her chair in her odd style and soon found that he was neck and neck with her. "What's your hurry?" Stein ignored her as he continued to sprint, skidding to a halt when he saw his two friends standing next to the pair of adults that had selected them. He looked on at them, hoping that his fears weren't true.
Marie turned to face him with her kind smile. She walked up to the boy and grinned while holding out her hand. "They liked me, Stein. They're going to give me a permanent place to call home." Stein looked at her with his usual straight faced expression, but his eyes displayed the hurt he felt. He shook her hand and was pulled into an awkward hug. "Remember what I said, Stein. There are some friendships that can never die," she whispered in his ear. As she pulled away from the hug and began to leave, she waved back at the lost grey headed boy. He let his hands curl into fists and his nails bite into his skin.
He looked to Spirit in wonder. "She liked you, too?" The oldest nodded gravely. Stein looked to his right and sighed roughly. "I see." Spirit nodded and reached out his hand to grasp the younger boy's shoulder. "Hey, man. You'll be alright. Just try to keep a lid on it." The child nodded and tried to smile, but failed. "Bye, Spirit." The red head waved goodbye in response as his new guardian walked off with him.
Eventually, it was just Stein standing in the hallway alone. He didn't know what to do and sat on the bench next to the office the quarreling people were in. He didn't want to destroy anything, so all he could do was cry. He sat there, silent sobs emitting from his small frame. The sound of an office chair rolling down the hall caught his attention. He looked down the hall and noticed the woman from before. She skidded to a stop and found herself on the floor again in front of the small child. "Hey, dinner." She got up and patted herself off and examined the kid. "Franken, c'mon. You'll see them again one day," she reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. He sniffed and looked up at her. "Let's get something to eat."
After she had guided him the lunch room and he had crawled into his bed, he thought of Spirit and Marie. He looked over to Spirit's bunk and peered down at Marie's. He could still see her slightly annoyed face when she had gotten his hair to look neat after a matter of minutes and it took him a matter of seconds to tangle. He could still see Spirit's disapproving gaze as he looked at the mess that the youngest would make after tearing apart a squirrel at play time. He could still hear the kind hearted blonde's soft voice singing to herself before falling asleep.
All the memories brought tears to his eyes and he cried himself to sleep, clinging onto his pillow with a deadly grip. That night was the first night in many he had nightmares. That night was the night, his mind began to unravel again.