When Feral Kids meet Runaways

Chapter Eleven = Relief And Not

"We found the missing girls, I was asking about," Caroline said.

"Well, I'm very glad," Oki told her, her not feeling quite so glad.

"Picked them up not far from here. Just across a couple of rural roads from this back yard."

"I can't believe they were so close," Oki replied, hating every word that came out of her mouth. "I hope you got them home safe."

"I did."

At that moment Natali entered the loungeroom. She had her hair turbaned in a towel and was wearing her pajamas -- Lilac silk with little fleur-de-lis all over.

"Caroline, you're back!" She exclaimed.

"I am, I found the girls that you had hidden here."

"Only girls I had here were Oki, Milli and Natasha."

"See I find that hard to believe," Caroline admitted. "I'm your friend Natali, I know what you're like and I know those kids especially the eldest one. They're story tellers, the lot of them."

"I--" Natali was cut off.

"Those girls have done nothing to deserve this," Oki spoke up.

"So, you admit they were here?"

"So what if we do? If you know them then you know about their parents?"

"Sick with worry because the kids go running off telling stories to random families?"

"Uhmm... Not sure what girls you are on about," Oki said.

"The three you had here."

Oki chuckled, "I thought you knew them."

"I do."

"Then why won't you say their names."

"Very little point. You would most likely know them by different names."

"Do you have any idea what you have done by taking them home?" Oki asked.

"What have they told her?" Caroline asked, Natali.

"The truth about their Parents," Oki answered.

Caroline sighed. "They have been at it again, it seems..."

"At, what again?" Natali asked.

"Lying, their mother said they do this frequently. It's the second time I've heard about it."

"How do you know you know they were lying?" Oki asked.

"Because... They admitted it wasn't true..."

🐾 ✴️ 🐺 ✴️ 🐾

Brianne sat on her bed hugging the tiny fur worn gold and copper lion plushie. It had been a gift from their Great Aunt Minerva.

She couldn't remember ever meeting the woman, but it was one of the only soft toys she had ever owned -- and the only one left.

Her twin, Adrianna, had a matching one but in white and silver.

Katy sat on the floor digging around in the closet. Brianne didn't know what she was looking for.

"Katy?" she asked.

"Yeah?"

"Has Kitty written?"

Katy's shoulders slumped. "I don't know... He took my phone Brianne. I can't contact anyone."

"Oh..."

Katy returned to shoving her head in the cupboard. Neither girl knew how much time they had before Markus came for them.

They were willing to bet not long.

The Officer Caroline had sent home with them hadn't long left, so they were sure things could only go down hill from here on out.

"Ah-ha!" Katy cried.

"What ah-ha?" Brianne asked, her brow wrinkled.

Katy held up a small flat hot pink device.

"Hopefully, Kitty still has hers," she muttered and flipped the top up.

"It's a BFF code and message sender," Katy explained. "Kitty and I used to use them alot when we were at school. It was fun and since they weren't technically phones we couldn't get in trouble for having them out in class."

Dont get caught using them in class still though, she remembered, that never went down well.

They heard foot steps in the hallway outside their room.

Katy quickly tapped out a message and slid the device back into the wardrobe.

Brianne hid her lion under the bed. It hadn't survived this long by being out in the open.

Their door opened up, "Hello girls," their father said. "I do hope you're feeling better after your little trip. I wouldn't mind an explanation..."

You know exactly why we left, Brianne thought fiercely to herself.
She didn't dare speak it aloud though.

Neither girl spoke.

Markus entered the room and grabbed of their arms. They didn't fight as he walked them out of the room, hurrying to keep up with him.

🐾 ✴️ 🐺 ✴️ 🐾

Kitty had been laying in bed when she heard a sound she hadn't heard in a lot of years. A tiny little, bleep.

It was coming from her bedside table and she quickly pulled the draw open. Pulling out her BFF messenger.

She flipped it open and quickly bashed in the password she'd chosen when she and Katy had been in fourth grade. In seconds, Katy's message was scrolling across the screen.

It's calm right now... I fear it's a calm before a storm... Help...

Kitty typed out a message.

I'm not sure what I can do right now. PHN me if it gets worse.

After a moment, she added a second piece in case Katy had forgotten their codes. However unlikely that may be.

Please Help Now...

After that she tucked it into her pink and blue dressing gown and headed out to the kitchen to her parents.

Harold, her adoptive father,stood at the table dishing food off of trays onto plates.. While Polly was squirting topping into three glasses while simultaneously stirring a pot of milk with her right.

Katy went over and took the stirring spoon from her.

"What you making Ma?" She asked.

"White hot chocolate," Polly answered. "In milkshake glasses, obviously."

The three of them sat down to chicken parmigiana and scalloped potatoes. Kitty helped Polly bring their drinks to the table.

"Have you heard anything more from Katy?" Harold asked.

"They're in the eye of the storm," Kitty told them. "It's about to hit the fan..."

"Does she need help?"

Kitty took a sip of her drink. "I told her to let me know, when it gets bad... I want to talk to Natali I think with them and--"

"We're happy to help too," Harold said.

"I was about to say you guys if you wanted to," Kitty chuckled.

"Who's Natali?" Polly asked.

"She's a woman we met actually... I don't know if she'll help. But I'm hopeful..."

Although if I'm wrong I might lose my only hope of saving them, Kitty thought.

"Maybe I should step in before it gets bad..." She murmured.