Act Natural!

Chapter Five

"How'd it go?" Josie asked as I slid into the passenger seat.

"I'm pretty sure I just swindled myself out of all of my money," I breathed.

Josie raised an eyebrow. "Do I even want to know how you managed to do that?" she cautiously asked.

"I paid the kid for every question he answered," I said quietly.

"As much as it pains me to say this, Poppy. You are really smart sometimes," she said sarcastically as she put the car in gear and started to drive off.

I leaned against the window and tried to organize my thoughts. He had answered almost one hundred questions and I learned a lot about him. I hope he was keeping count of the questions.

I learned that he was, in fact, a runaway. His parents were used to it though. They just wanted him to make sure that he wasn't able to be traced back to them. I learned that his favorite food is teriyaki orange chicken and noodles from Panda Express. He did have an older sister but she killed herself. He likes to draw more than he likes to watch Netflix. His favorite Disney movie is Hercules. He's always been homeschooled. He's never been to a party. He's taken multiple self-defense classes at home. Basketball and swimming are his favorites sports. He's been a ballet dancer since he could walk but he doesn't like to talk about it. And so much more. 

"So you managed to get the kid to talk and you like him?" Josie asked cautiously.

I nodded my head slowly. "He's not that bad. Granted, he's been living under a rock for his whole life and he's as pale as a ghost, but he's not bad."

"Do you think he might be your little brother?" she asked quietly.

I considered the question. "Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised if he was," I said and left it at that. 

Josie left to go to the mall as soon as she dropped me off at the apartment. She was probably going to get more clothes and shoes. My butt started to vibrate when I unlocked the apartment. An unknown number popped up on my screen. I hesitantly answered it in case it was Dr. Zed calling because of Aiden.

"Hello?" I said quietly into the phone.

"Oh, Miss Poppy. You did give me the right number," he said and I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Did something happen?" I asked. Skipping the small talk and getting right to the reason why he was calling. 

"No, no, no," he assured me, "I was just calling because I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"You are probably right," I said as I crouched down to pet Fenrir. 

"I don't know," he said and sighed into the phone. "I was thinking that maybe we could get something to eat or maybe some coffee?"

"Uh," I said and looked at the clock. It was only six o'clock. "Today is Sunday, right?" I asked him.

"No, tomorrow is Sunday. Do you have plans tomorrow?" he asked.

I clicked my tongue. "In a way," I said.

"Oh," he said and I could hear the wheels turning in his head through the speakers on the phone. "We could do something right now--if you're not in the middle of something."

"Sure. What did you have in mind?"

"Can you skate?" He asked.

Sorry for the short chapter. I will have another one out soon!