The Lost Girl (Complete)

Chapter Eleven - The Breakfast Table

At first they all remained silent as Silas led them further into the woods, Celestia's eyes glancing furtively from one large male to the other. It wasn't that she was actually scared of them but she thought that things wouldn't have been so awkward if Sofia or Avery had come along instead of heading out with Gabriel to pick up another pair of girls.

"So, Celestia..." Silas murmured. "What do you like doing when you're not working at the diner?"

She tried not to look intimated at the way that all towered over her as she fiddled with the hem of her top, "I draw sometimes and I like to read."

"Any boyfriends?" Elias asked, a friendly smirk covering his face. "We can beat guys up if you need help to keep them off of you."

Celestia smiled, squinting through the sunlight, "No boyfriends."

"Seriously?" Dimitrius exclaimed, shock bleeding through his voice. "None? But you're so cute!"

She couldn't help the blush that crept along her cheeks. "Thanks. You're cute too." She stuttered, suddenly feeling panicked. "I mean...you're not...you're my cousin but you're...oh god." She groaned the last, wanting a sinkhole to open up or a tree to fall on top of her.

The four guys just continued to snigger before Silas clapped a gentle hand over her shoulder, "We all understood what you meant, anipsiá. So you draw and read," He grinned, "I'm sure that you'll get along quite well with Kota and Gabe then."

Celestia just nodded, not wanting to think about the fact that she might not be Charleston long enough to get along with them.

After that, they all allowed her the chance settle back down as Silas began pointing out all of the markers for the trail.

"If you ever do get lost, Celestia, just head east and you'll eventually hit people again."

She nodded, taking it all in and still hesitant to believe that she actually had relatives who were taking the time to help her. It was strange, fragile and new but she had to admit at least to herself that she liked it. Would appreciate it for however long it lasted.

"And here we are," Her uncle announced, branches snapping as he forced his wide shoulders through an opening which led out to an area towards the back of the diner.

"Thank you," Celestia sighed, touching the bare fingertips of her hand to his upper arm before she sent a querulous smile to the others before they started to crunch across the gravel of the parking lot.

She could immediately spot a number of the cars that had been driven by the Sorenson family and she wondered how long they'd kept them waiting, and whether Gabriel and Sofia had already returned with whoever it was they were also taking along to the mall.

Just as she reached a hand out for the door, one of the triplets yelled, "Woah! Slow it down, little cousin." His arm slipped past her to grasp the handle and pull it open so that she could precede them all into the entrance where she saw some of the younger employees slipping the chairs back under their tables since they had rearranged a few of them to ensure that there was enough room to fit everyone.

"You made it," Sang called from where she stood wrapped in Sean's arms.

"Tia!" Uncle cheered, pushing through the swinging kitchen doors with a platter resting on each hand. "I hope you're hungry."

"I know I am, Uncle," Mason called, rubbing his stomach as he zoomed around the table to find a seat. "Mum wouldn't have anything before we left the house."

"Suffering is good for the soul," North replied, pulling out a chair for his wife as Silas did the same for me.

It was honestly a shock, all of these good manners. First one of the boys almost berating her for going to open her own door while the gentle giant of the family had made sure that she was seated right across from her aunt before he went to find his own place. She was sure that if she was to comment all of them would simply stare her down with some excuse about it being the south but little things like just didn't happen to her.