Connections

Chapter 10: What the Heart Wants

Ric and I arrived at the Animal Penz later that day, just as the sun was setting, one backpack of things slung over each of our shoulders, Melanie and Chris standing  just in front of us. I could feel my heart racing. Out of all the things to be scared of in the world, what I was most afraid of right then was that we would be met with hate, just as we had the last time we visited them. I was afraid that maybe us asking for their help, when we've never technically done anything to help them, would somehow prove whatever horrid thoughts about us they've conjured up in their heads. 

This scared me even more, because it had been five years since I gave a rats ass about what people thought of me. But I couldn't back out yet. I had to prove to Ruler that I wasn't joking around, that I wasn't just going to blindly follow his footsteps. 

When we entered the building, it was like that day at the mall with Ruler. The Penz were crowded and bustling. Everyone seemed to have something they needed to do, or somewhere they needed to be. Even the smallest of children (around 3 or 4) were hanging clothes up to dry or sweeping. But as we entered and people started to catch sight of our faces, everything stopped as people just froze and stared at us with mixed emotions. Fear, suspicion, anger, and hatred were just a few. Then in the next second, everyone started whispering, throwing glances and pointing at us as if they couldn't care about subtleity. 

The same flustered looking lady from before (Melanie and Chris' mother) ran up to us just like the last time demanding to know, "What is going on? Why are they here again?"

Melanie took a deep breath to try to begin to understand, but Chris beat her to it. "Mom, they needed a place to stay, and we thought we'd help them."

A woman from the sidelines broke apart from the crowd to argue. "No place to stay? What do you call that freakin' palace at the top of the hill? An orphanage?" 

Melanie sighed. "It's complicated." she said.

"Well uncomplicate it." said another man standing off to the side. "Because you're putting our lives at risk too. Let's not forget what they've already done to Chris." 

"We haven't done anything to Chris!" Ric said, angrily stepping forward.

The response to his actions were immediant and scary. Every single Animal - I mean human - took one huge step backward, and several held up whatever they had in their hands as a weapon. As if Ric really posed a threat to their sheer numbers. As if he was really trying to threaten them.

Ric's response was just as immediant. He cringed back from them like a deer surrounded by wolves (Chris explained to me what a deer was as we were packing. Turns out they went extinct during the war), his expression alarmed and a little scared. 

I felt as if I were in a silent battle as the humans responded yet again, most of them looking confused, many of their expressions obviously saying What cause does this Kreater have to fear us? We are the ones being threatened. Then just as instantaneously, they looked down at their weaponed hands and put them back to their sides. 

"I just meant," Ric continued hesitantly. "that Sly and I weren't the ones that put in a report for Chris to be replaced. Ruler did."

"But Ruler's your father." the man insisted. 

The crowd parted like the red sea as yet another person stepped forward. This time it was the old man that had stepped forward the last time, who's word everyone seemed to follow like law.

"He's their stepfather, you know that, Remus." he said to the man, who then bowed his head.

"Yes, Father, I know." the man, Remus, said. "But they were still raised under his beliefs."