Misinformation Can Be Deadly

Chapter 36: Moving Out is Scary

"Okay, they should be here any minute," Delores told Virgil. He had packed up everything he had, and had it all set out next to the door.

"You better visit," Sal told him.

"I will, I promise," Virgil replied, messing with her hair.

"It's not that I'm gonna miss you, but the others will!" She pouted and folded her arms.

"Got it, guess my little warrior doesn't need me anymore."

"Nuh huh! I'm all grown up! But... you still better visit!"

"You will come back, right Vee?" Maggie asked, hiding behind Sal.

"Of course I will, I can't just leave you all behind."

Victor, who was four years old, ran up to Virgil and hugged his leg. "We're gonna m-miss you," he said.

Virgil sighed and kneeled down. "Okay, group hug, come on." All the little kids got pulled into the hug, and Virgil held them as tight as he could. "I will come visit again, I promise you guys. But I'm going to miss all of you too anyway."

The only ones that weren't in the hug were Janus, Lila, and Delores. Lila was fifteen, soon going to be the second oldest in the orphanage. And once Janus moves out, she'll be the oldest.

Roman and Remus also stood off to the side. Roman was pretty excited, but Remus seemed pretty mellow.

"Hey, Ro, if you ever need us you know how to contact us, right?" Remus whispered, not wanting to ruin Virgil's moment.

"Yeah yeah, phones and summoning you, I got it," Roman told him. "I'm sure nothing will happen though."

"Just be careful. I know you'll still be in town and everything, but I don't want you getting hurt again."

"You'll know if I am the moment it happens. But I will do everything in my power to not be hurt."

"They're here!" Delores said, since she saw their car through the window.

Virgil stood up and wiped his hands on his pants, getting more and more nervous by the second. This didn't feel real, it felt like a dream. Was he really going to move out from the orphanage? He did have nineteen days until his birthday...

Kayden moved away from the group and to Janus, which had surprised the witch. But he softly sighed when the little boy took his hand, his eyes never leaving Virgil. Janus gave it a soft squeeze to comfort him. He himself only had two weeks left, but he'll still try to fill in the hole that Virgil's leaving. It was going to be hard, seeing as Virgil had somehow become an older brother to all of them. Somehow he didn't realize it though, which was absolutely ridiculous.

There was a knock on the door and Delores opened it, giving Logan and Patton a welcoming smile as she did weeks ago. She couldn't deny that she was both happy and sad herself. It was hard seeing Virgil go, but knowing he was going to a safe place and be happy made her excited for this.

"Hey! Are you two ready?" she asked, stepping aside to let them in.

"Yup! We have everything set up at home!" Patton said, before looking at Virgil. "Are you ready?"

"I guess," Virgil answered, holding his arm. "As ready as I'll ever be."

"We can help you pack your things into the car," Logan said. "Just double checking, you have everything, right?"

"Yeah, I should. I don't have much so... I think I'm all good."

"Oh, one more thing," Delores said, before pulling him into a hug. "I'm so happy for you! I want you to know I'm proud, and that I love you."

Virgil tried to hug Delores back, but he felt stiff. He had forgotten how much of a mother Delores was to him the whole time he was here. She was constantly stressed, but always made an effort to care for everyone in the orphanage. He was really going to miss her.

She pulled away from the hug with a giant smile on her face. "Stay safe, okay? And if you ever want, or need, to talk, you have my phone number," she reminded him.

"Okay," Virgil promised, trying to keep tears out of his eyes. "I love you too."

"Bye Virgil!" Kayden shouted, waving his free hand.

The other kids followed, telling Virgil their goodbyes. Everyone but Janus, who remained silent.

"Okay, let's get these into the car," Patton said, picking up Virgil's suitcase.

Virgil picked up his backpack and put it on. He looked back at the others one last time. "Bye guys, I'll visit soon, I promise."

Patton put the suitcase into the trunk as Delores stayed by the open door. Some other kids peeked out of the windows, while others had left already to do their own things. Virgil set his backpack down next to his suitcase before going to the back.

"Are you excited?" Patton asked.

Virgil nodded shyly, he couldn't help but feel awkward. He took a breath before pulling Patton into a hug, shocking him as some tears came to his eyes.

"Thank you," he mumbled.

Patton's shock melted away and was replaced by joy. "Of course, we're so excited to have you live with us."

"Indeed, and we'll do whatever we need to do to care for you," Logan promised, putting his hand on Virgil's back.

Virgil pulled away from the hug and blinked back his tears. "I know... you guys are going to be great parents."

"Let's get into the car, I'm so excited for you to see your room! And we can go shopping later to get you new things for it, so you can personalize it! It's going to be so great!" Patton said as he got into the passenger's seat.

Virgil climbed into the back, putting on his seatbelt. "That sounds like fun."

Logan got into the driver's seat. "We do want you to feel at home in your room, even if it'll take time to get used to it."

"Yeah, it probably will take some time."

Roman had gotten into the back of the car himself, curiously looking around. He's been on buses but never a car, it was weird, much smaller. However he kept his focus on Virgil for the most part.

"Guess this begins a new chapter of your life. I will do everything I can to make it a good one," Roman promised. Virgil sent him a smile and nodded before he got a text on his phone.

He looked down to see it was from Janus. It simply read, "I better see you at school still. You better visit. Bye."

Virgil smiled a bit wider. Janus didn't like showing vulnerability, so this was the closest he was going to get as a goodbye. That was okay though, it was all going to be okay.