Stay...Calm

Chapter 3

Victorine firstly followed Pauline over to the piano. It was large and a shiny shade of black. The keys were polished, though you could tell they'd been used a lot throughout the years. The word,"Yamaha" was on the top in gold letters. Pauline sat on the stool and started to play notes that got gradually higher.

"This is my favorite part of staying here," Pauline giggled. "Other than drawing mustaches on Horace's face when he sleeps."

She played the melody of a nursery rhyme, then started talking about how she'd lived there for about a year with her aunt.

"I'm glad I got here when I did," She said with a smile "I was here before it got out of hand! I'm glad I didn't have to journey here, in a beat-up vehicle scared to death! Oh, I'm so sorry if that was...offensive or anything...just sorry. But the piano always helps with all these feelings I could get. My fingers just fly across the keys, like this!"

She played a happy tune on the piano, her fingers hopping from one key to the next at a fast pass.

"Isn't that fun? I like how I just make it up as I go," she told Victorine. "Kind of like improv, but for piano. You know what that is? Improv?"

Victorine started to space out and crawled away with her legs dragging behind her on every step. She turned the corner to find the other kids from before, all sitting on red benches by a

small T.V. chatting. There was a small, fake fireplace that seemed to be radiating real heat. The older one, Parker, was standing in the corner on his phone. The blonde twin noticed her first.

"Oh hey, it's the new kid," he exclaimed as everyone turned their attention to her. "Victoria, right?"

She shook her head.

"I think it was 'Victoreene,'" Timothy corrected.

"Oh, that's kinda strange. Even though a bunch of kids at school would tell me that my name just sounds obnoxious. But then again, that person was named 'Bartholomew.' And then again..."

"Did you forget to take your pill today?"Horace teased.

"Hey! Be nice!"Parker called, glancing up from his phone and pausing.

"I mean this in the most literal way possible," he said as he stared at Victorine. "But you are the whitest person I've ever seen."

Victorine rubbed her bracelets against her face again.

"And...she kinda looks like a cat,"Anais pointed out, momentarily turning her attention away from the window.

"Aw, I've always wanted a cat!"Asha said in a sing-songy voice. Buckley gestured to pat Victorine's head, but she hesitated.

"Guys! She's not really a cat!"Parker yelled.

"She's walking on all fours," Horace pointed out. "Kinda like your mom when-"

"Maybe she's a furry," Timothy suggested sarcastically. "And shut up you little crap."

"True," Horace nodded.

"Oh my God-"

"Guys, why don't we just show her the pool," Asha said, probably trying to change the subject.

"There's a pool?!"Thelma exclaimed. Everyone flinched. By some chance, she was standing right there. "I wanna see!"

Time for dinner,"Ms.Daniels called from downstairs. Horace rolled his eyes again. "And don't give me that sass, Horace!"

The dinner table was mildly long and lined with eight chairs and four folding chairs. Ms.Kion sat at one head of the table, and Mrs.Daniels at the other. Victorine sat in one of the folding chairs and watched as Mrs.Daniels set the pot down in the middle of the table, with a ladle sticking out of the side. She started to pour scoops of it into everyone's bowls across the table, asking,"Now, how do you like my beef stew, kids?"

Buckley sipped a spoonful and responded with,"Eh, bronze medal."

She gave him a sideways glare but maintained a smile. "Bronze medal?"

"No, you cooking's fine!"Pauline exclaimed to justify. "It's probably all Horace's fault."

"Hey!" Horace yelled. "I only peeled the potatoes!"

Buckley plucked a slimy, thin peel out of the stew. "So that's what this stuff is."

"Don't worry, he probably just took a shot beforehand," Pauline said, frankly.

Parker looked up, glaring at Horace. "Did you take a shot before helping make dinner this afternoon?" he questioned.

"You can't confirm that,"Horace defended, his eyes wide like he wanted to be a joke. "At least I could handle vodka. Unlike Timothy here, cringing up and shrieking like a girl."

Timothy slammed his spoon down on the table

"THIS IS WHY MOM DOESN'T LOVE YOU!" he yelled. Victorine watched closely as the bickering jumped from kid to kid. It was like when she would watch T.V. at home. Just random entertainment that went on and on. On and on until the adults would chime in to subside in (for now). Buckley and Pauline would take it more lightly, while Timothy and Horace weren't afraid to lash out, 

"So...new guys, where ya from?"Asha asked, secretly hoping that it would stop the fighting for a moment.

"Pretty far from here," Lee said. "I used to babysit little Thelma here. One time, I was taking her out to McDonald's, and we ran into Victorine by a junkyard."

"And how 'bout your baby?"Pauline asked Melissa, is a cute voice, almost like she was talking right to the baby.

"Oh, Beau here," Melissa said. "He's my little angel."

"Wait, you're a bit young,"Ms.Kion pointed out. Melissa grew tense.

"Well, you see, my parents weren't too happy about it either. I had to try raising him on my own."

"What about the father?"

"He couldn't take the pressure."

"So he left?"Pauline asked.

"Okay! How 'bout someone else shares something 'bout themselves,"Asha suggested. For some unusual reason, everyone seemed to turn to Victorine for an answer. She glanced up from her bowl. She was sipping it without the spoon, and plucking out potatoes and plucking them into her mouth with her fingers. This, oddly, make the others try to avoid eye contact.

"Not much of a talker?"Mrs.Daniels asked.

"She's a quiet one," Melissa explained as she fed Beau spoonfuls of stew.

"Oh, is she?"Timothy muttered sarcastically. Victorine glanced next to him, at that girl Anais. She was staring into space as she spun the spoon around in the foot. Her hand propped up her cheek, and her face was just a blank gaze.

"Anais actually saw an air raid once," Asha whispered to her. "Fighter jets came in and attacked her town. She had to hide for all the bombing. Barely escaped with her life, the poor thing. She ran all the way to this mansion and showed up on the doorstep looking downright pitiful. That's probably why she could be a bit...timid and shy."

This made the light Anais sat in even darker. The blank stares etched into scowls. The spoon turning became harder. All from more knowledge of her past.

That night, just before she headed off to sleep, Victorine bid goodnight to each of the old friends she traveled therewith. Melissa resided in the same bedroom of Ms.Daniels. An old crib that looks like it could have been used for someone decades ago was right next to the bed. Melissa sat on her own bed, cradling the baby close to her chest.

"What they pointed out earlier was right," she told her. "I know I'm a bit young for a baby. I didn't expect my little guy to come so early on. Still, I'm trying my best. Even if he was brought into a world that hasn't been nice to any of us lately, I'll try and make it better. Beau still has a decade of childhood ahead of him. If he's here, I know he'll be safe. All you other kids could be his friends. Except for Horace."

She leaned in closer and said quietly,"He's a bit of an a-hole."

Victorine giggled a bit, then headed back to her room. She scurried up to the top of the canopy where Pauline had tossed up a throw blanket for her guest. Victorine wrapped it around herself, then curled up in a ball. She rested her eyes and stayed still until she was able to drift off to sleep.