Devour

Chapter 7 - Errol

I wake up with a slow, unsteady breath. My lungs were damaged worse in the fire than my body and mind, and that's truly saying something. It's peaceful and dark in my room. If cold. There's a cat on my bed, of course there is. That boy and his cats. I sit up and move the cat off, and wonder if I want to get up and get a drink of water or just try to go back to sleep-----and the kids are gone. Shit. Of course they're gone. Of course. That's why Pasch woke us up early goddamn it. They were planning on sneaking out. Little shits.

"Kids are gone," I say, knocking on Cora's door. She doesn't wake up. I sigh. Creepy or not creepy? Creepy, but kids are gone. Kids are gone you gotta wake up.

"What do you mean 'kids are gone'???" Cora bolts out of bed and to the door so fast she nearly slams me in the face with the door.

"They sneaked out, maybe a half an hour ago, but they're headed off into the fields," I say, nodding behind us. As I previously mentioned, I sleep dressed. Shoes on. Ready to go. I start fiddling with my wrist tracker, "They're past our pastures already--- you ready?"

"Let me get my bag," Oh Cora's dressed too, good. She grabs her purse and jacket. "What are they doing?"

"Meeting Jordan's kids probably for their little fight club. I don't know. let's just find them," I say.

"They don't let you go that far just wait---what are you doing?" she asks.

"What, concerned?" I ask, as I toss my wrist tracker onto the table and move on to work on the anklet.

"I didn't know you could do that," she says, mildly concerned which completely pisses me off.

"Well, you have your stun gun set it to kill that'll slow me up," I say, taking off the anklet as well and tossing it on the hall table.

"Don't be an idiot," Cora says, dismissively, "It's useful that's all, and I'd rather not collect the children alone."

"Well, you're not," I'm still unreasonably pissed off at the flash of panic at the fact that I can get out of those things anytime I please.

"Are you mad? It's not fair you get to be mad I've just lived with you for like seven years and didn't know you could actually do that."

"Well, it's kind of illegal so I didn't mention it," I say, pulling my jacket to me as we walk out the back door. I'm being stupidly sensitive, but she typically trusts me. In fact, she's like the only person to have read my files and moderately trust me and yes I'm protective of that.

"Well, it's useful have you taught the children how to do that?" the kids oughten't be shocked and locked up like that even if they do things like this sometimes. Oh. That was what she was mainly thinking. Other than surprised of course she's surprised. I'm being an idiot. As per fucking usual.

"Yes----just Emma she was the only one I thought could manage and I could trust to know what to do with it. She's not good at it, but she at least knows how, it's just overriding the circuits in the thing," I say, shrugging.

"Is this a common practice?" oh she kind of hopes it is. Like I said, I'm just a jerk.

"No----it's----possibly just me----it's not easy at all and you have to have an idea of who programmed the code and be reading their mind while they did which of course I did," I say, as we hike out past the pastures. That cow the kids named something idiotic follows us hopefully, hoping we'll bring back Oats God Child which is what it thinks Pasch is. "I'll show Nel sometime. Or Emma can once she's a little older. I doubt if Dax could manage it without knowing the code also he doesn't like doing wrong things."

"Yes, poor thing, did they kidnap him again?"

"Pretty much-----Pasch threatened to cut him?----I need to talk to Dax about not being afraid of normal---goddman it," I walked into a fence post 'cause I was looking at the kid;s minds, no big deal.

"Poor sweet Dax----where are they?" Cora asks, taking my arm to help me even though I don't need it, I can hold myself up. If I remember to.

"They're meeting up with Jordan's kids for some reason."

"Should we tell Victor Jordan?"

"I shouldn't think so he gets cross with me when I use telepathy, and I don't really care if his kids are lost or in trouble or no. Pasch gets to see his mum in a month if he doesn't get infractions so I'd rather keep this between us," I say. Of course Cora's the one who could write us up or not.

"Agreed, he deserves to get to meet her."

"Well, let's not go that far I really just want to give him back at this point."

"He should get to meet his mum, even if he's being naughty-----I hate them wandering off like this, middle of the night. Anything could happen."