Coming home after so long, Natalie expected a loud dressing-down from Lily. She expected scolding and punishment. She'd been gone since Friday afternoon, and only shown up again after sundown on Saturday. They'd be worried sick, wondering where she'd gone, if she was in trouble, if they had to help her.
As Natalie walked into the kitchen, with mud caking her pants and scuff marks everywhere, Kendra glanced up from her laptop.
"You should take a bath."
Natalie gaped at her. "I—"
Lily looked over from the teapot she was pouring out into a mug. "Good heavens. I agree. Upstairs, right away."
Natalie didn't know how to respond to the total lack of judgment. She went with silent compliance, heading upstairs without a word. She dumped her clothes into the hamper and turned on the water. She set her purse atop the counter, where she could still see it and still feed it that tiny trickle of magic to keep it working. Percy fluttered onto the towel bar and latched on, watching her with a great deal of concern. He'd never quite understood how clothes worked, so to see her change appearance so dramatically always sent him into a panic.
Percy pointedly licked a few of his feathers, then waved a wing at her arm dismissively.
Natalie slowly stepped into the steaming water, but quickly recoiled as it stung the cuts on her leg. She sat down and examined her leg carefully.
Percy squawked in confusion, tilting his head to the side again.
No risks. Don't end up screwing up even worse.
Natalie sighed and gingerly stepped back into the bath, wincing at the sting on her legs. Still, once she got used to it, the bathwater felt amazing on her skin.
Percy cocked his head to the side again, eyeing the water uneasily.
Natalie luxuriated in the hot bath for a long time, thinking. Truthfully, she knew she couldn't actually live out in the forests all the time. Besides the obvious needs like food and water, which she wasn't totally sure how to get on her own, she was still too tied to the comforts of the real world. She loved baths like any other girl might, she loved the internet and games and TV. She loved lounging on the heater vent whenever it kicked on, and she loved sneaking chocolate while reading her favorite book under her comforter late at night.
She couldn't give all that up, but that realization only confused her even more. For a brief moment out in the forest, Natalie had felt like she'd finally uncovered a piece of who she really was—but now, back at the Laushire house, she felt all of that fading away again, replaced with the old familiar Natalie she knew.
Percy only looked at her, not understanding the question in the slightest.
----------------------------------------
To her surprise, the lack of concern from Kendra and Lily continued through the weekend. As Monday rolled around, the only nagging Natalie heard was the usual about finishing her homework or waking up on time. She went to school without a single mention of her excursion into the forest.
Still, school wasn't exactly somewhere she could relax. Right off the bat in English class, she had to hear his name called again, only a couple after her own, and with still no response. It's been five days now. Where is he?
She still didn't feel ready to talk to his friends. While she'd finally started feeling comfortable around Quinn, she'd had way more time to spend with him. Steven, Tyler and Mitch were practically unknowns. Tyler was the closest she could get to calling a friend, but that was a stretch. The cat-and-mouse game continued, and she was determined to be the fastest mouse out there.
The Glasses Gang didn't need speed though. They could outsmart her instead.
Natalie was back in her usual haunt, the least popular bathroom at lunch. She hadn't had a single person come through, as usual, and she was beginning to realize it was deliberate. Now that apparently the whole grade knew she was a loner trying to hide from everyone, they were happy to oblige and leave her to suffer in the quiet. She took it as a minor victory though, since it left her in relative peace. She still felt as lonely as ever, but at least she didn't have to deal with constant interruptions.
When the door swung open, Natalie didn't have any particular reason to be concerned. She assumed it was a girl from another grade. She lifted up her feet as usual, chewing as quietly as she could while she waited for the other girl to leave.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
To her surprise, the girl stopped right in front of her stall. Natalie vaguely recognized her bright white tennis shoes, and paired with the dark skin just above the sock made it official. Still, hearing her speak was a shock in itself. No one ever talked in her bathroom anymore.
"Hey, Jenny."
Natalie froze, not even daring to chew, even though it was pointless. The girl obviously knew she was in there. Natalie hesitated before answering. "...Hi Kelsey."
It was Kelsey Lincoln, a girl Natalie actually liked a lot. They'd bonded on the first day in gym, and Natalie had considered trying to make friends with her—right up until she'd accidentally attacked another kid and sprinted for the hills. Since then, they'd spoken a few times, but Natalie had always been a bit afraid to talk to her. Unlike Quinn and his friends, Kelsey had actually witnessed a snippet of her real strength.
What if she started asking questions that Natalie couldn't answer?
"You all right?"
"Yeah. Why?"
Kelsey walked up and down the set of stalls. "I'm sorry, okay? They wouldn't take no for an answer."
Natalie shoved her lunch into her bag and threw the door open, just as Kelsey called out an "all clear!"
Mitch, Tyler and Steven trooped in, while Kelsey moved to the back to guard the door.
"See? I told you it isn't that different," said Tyler smugly, nudging Steven.
"Not the time, dude," he muttered back.
Natalie stood at the door to her stall, facing down the three of them. "What's going on?" she asked, more to Kelsey than to the guys.
"We're all worried about you," Kelsey said.
"Seriously, what's up with you?" Mitch added. "Q gets taken to the hospital and you bail on us for the whole week?"
"He went to the hospital?" asked Natalie, feeling like she'd just had a bucket of ice dumped on her.
"He's okay though!" Steven said quickly. "He already got out, but his parents wanted him to stay home a couple days and rest up. He'll be back on Wednesday."
"Which you'd know if you didn't keep bailing on us," Mitch pointed out.
"Sorry," Natalie said, looking down at the floor.
"Would you chill?" Kelsey cut in from back by the door. "Stop shitting all over her."
"We are in a bathroom," Mitch shot back.
"Don't make me beat you up, shorty."
"Look, Quinn told us what happened," said Steven. "You pushed him around and you hit way harder than you meant to. It happens."
"I've beat him up worse than this," Mitch added.
"That's not a good thing, dude."
Mitch rolled his eyes. "Point is, he's good and you didn't mean it. Shit happens. So you don't gotta be so uptight."
"We want you to come back," said Tyler. "Come sit with us at lunch and everything. We can teach you how to play Conquest."
"Real exciting," said Kelsey sarcastically.
"Says the girl who plays MMOs twenty-four-seven whenever she's not at practice," Mitch shot back.
"Screw you, I'm a badass in those."
“If she played twenty-four-seven she wouldn't be here,” said Tyler.
"Don't worry, we're not gonna out you as a closet geek." Mitch rounded back on Natalie. "But you gotta come back, before Quinn finds out you've been hiding from us."
"Yeah, he was already super worried about you being in hiding," Tyler blurted out.
Everyone froze. Kelsey looked confused, but Mitch and Steven were livid. "Dude, you weren't supposed to tell her that," Steven said slowly.
"You know?" Natalie asked, color draining from her face.
"...Yeah," Mitch said, looking embarrassed for the first time since she'd met him.
"Know what?" Kelsey asked.
"Nothing," Mitch said unconvincingly.
Natalie sighed. "It's okay, she can know. I trust her more than you guys."
Kelsey grinned. "Thanks, sister."
Steven cleared his throat. "Quinn was on painkillers first day out of the hospital. He was talking all sorts of crazy stuff. Most of it was really dumb and hilarious. We actually recorded that if you wanna hear it later," he added with a grin. "But there was a bit where he kinda let slip that you were in witness protection."
"So we googled it and… yeah. That's scary stuff," finished Mitch.
"Were you in a big crime family or something?" Tyler asked excitedly.
"Dude, she literally can't talk about it," Mitch snapped.
"Sorry!"
"Anyway, yeah. We know. So you don't gotta keep that secret from us anymore. You and Quinn can just go on normal dates like normal people instead of going to the library to 'learn a card game'."
Natalie's face heated up instantly. "You think… we were on a date?"
"Doesn't he have a huge crush on you?" Tyler asked.
"Oh…" Mitch said slowly. "Shit."
Steven clapped a hand to his forehead in exasperation. Natalie shot a dark look at Kelsey, who looked like she was about to double over with laughter. "Okay, I changed my mind, I'm totally joining this gang. You guys are hilarious."
"Oh good, now we'll have two girls to make fun of us," Mitch grumbled.
"You were the one that wanted Kesley to join," Tyler pointed out.
Mitch elbowed him in the ribs. "Would you be quiet, man?" Tyler laughed, then started coughing and had to pull out his inhaler again.
"Don't worry," Steven said, tapping Tyler on the back. "He won't tell your secret, no matter what this looks like. He's only a blabbermouth around us."
"So we'll see you at lunch tomorrow, right Jenny?" Mitch demanded, facing Natalie down.
Natalie nodded, though she still felt uneasy. "I'll be there."
"Good. Now let's get out of here before someone sees us. Kelsey?"
Kelsey shrugged. "I think it'll be more funny if you guys get caught sneaking out."
"Are you kidding me?"
She grinned. "Okay, fine, give me a sec."
Kelsey poked her head out, and after waiting for one student to pass by, gave them the all clear. The trio of boys left, leaving them alone. Natalie tapped her on the shoulder, keeping her from leaving.
"Why'd you help them?"
Kelsey looked surprised. "You needed help, didn't you? I'm just lookin' out for my friends."
"We're friends?" Natalie asked, surprised.
"Sure, why not?" Kelsey shrugged.
"We've never hung out or even really talked to each other much though."
"No better time to start." Kelsey held up a hand. "Give me a high five."
Natalie hesitated, but did it. She held back, not wanting to hurt Kelsey.
"No, not that shit. Give me a real high five."
Natalie's eyes narrowed. She focused on Kelsey's waiting hand and slapped it, as hard as she could—while making very sure she wasn't using any magic at the time.
"That's more like it!" Kelsey grinned. "Don't hold back just because the world thinks you're supposed to be a little girl. Own that shit. Don't ever let them tell you who you're supposed to be. You choose that for yourself."
"Who told you that?"
"My moms." Kelsey held out a hand. "Now come on, let's stop hanging out in the bathroom. We've still got a bit of lunch time left, and I want to go outside. You in?"
Natalie didn't hesitate again. She took Kelsey's hand, and together they marched back out into the open air, where her new friends were waiting for her.
She still wasn't sure who she was yet, or even who she wanted to be, but Natalie knew one thing at least—she finally had real friends, who cared about her and went out of their way to find her. More than anything, whether that was the forest or the animals or even something silly like a warm bath, those real friends were what she couldn't live without ever again.
Thanks, Jenny.