Rogue (Supernatural) [Rogue Trilogy] {1}

15. The Guinea Pig

15. The Guinea Pig

"This library is amazing," I murmur. I'm biting into a PB&J sandwich as my fingers skim the book spines. Sam left for somewhere earlier, leaving me with Castiel. I was craving food, and for some reason a classic sandwich was what I craved. I'd made Castiel one too as an afterthought. "This must be Nirvana for Sam. He's always been about the books."

"You aren't scholarly?" asks Castiel.

"Not as much. Sure, I did well in school, but we moved around a lot, so trying to change into different material from a different school was hard. Socializing wasn't so bad though. I met some nice people."

"But you never really got to know them."

I take another bite. "I never really did." I sigh, remembering just how lonely I was as a girl on the road with her family. Not that I hated my family, I'd always craved more attention than just theirs. I actually liked school, I felt normal. I didn't feel like such an outsider, having a 1967 Chevrolet Impala as my home compared to the other kids. I felt like I had a normal home, with a normal family.

Nobody really asked me about my family whenever I made friends. I was never in a school long enough to really tell anyone.

"Mm," I hear Castiel.

I purse my lips, looking at him. He doesn't look happy with the sandwich. "What? It tastes fine to me."

"Hey," Sam calls. I hear the door open and see my brother coming down the stairs.

"You're kidding, right?" I ask Castiel. "You were okay with anything I put in front of you, and now you don't even like a PB and J?"

"Tastes like...molecules," says Castiel, eyeing the sandwich.

"What?" Sam's in the room with us now. "What are you talking about?"

"When I was human, you know, I had to eat constantly. It was kind of annoying."

"Yeah, a lot of human things are pretty annoying."

"We'd know that better than anyone," I voice.

"But...I enjoyed the taste of food—particularly peanut butter with grape jelly, not jam," says Castiel. "Jam I found unsettling."

Sam sits on the table. "So, what? Now you can't taste PB and J?"

"No, I-I taste every molecule."

"Not the sum of its parts, huh?"

"It's overwhelming." Castiel looks at the sandwich longingly. "I miss you, PB and J."

"Kind of makes you miss being human just a little bit, huh?" I ask.

Castiel stands up, looking at Sam. "We need to continue your healing. We're almost done."

Right, for a few days now, since I've started staying here, Castiel has slowly been healing Sam. The progress is noticeable.

Castiel puts two fingers to Sam's forehead. I notice the change in the angel's eyes.

"What?" I ask him.

"Nothing."

"You're a terrible liar."

Sam slaps Castiel's hand away. "I'm with Jo on this one."

"That is not true," Castiel defends himself. "I once deceived and betrayed both you and your brother."