Trials of the Bitten

Part 4

The next few days were a strange mix of domestic and being locked away. There was a slight routine to it. In the morning he was allowed upstairs to watch TV and interact with whoever was in the house at the time. At lunchtime, as more people started to arrive, he was taken back downstairs to his cell and given some lunch in there. Then he was left to his own devices while the house was busy. In some ways, Martin was relieved at this. He wasn't sure he wanted to spend time with a big group of strangers. They all seemed to hang off each other and fight all the time. It made him ache with nervousness.

Then one day, he wasn't taken downstairs. Or rather Barney got distracted by someone and he got left on his own in a growing room of people. Martin listened to the steady increase in volume and felt his shoulders tense with every growing moment. Leia hummed next to him, pressing against him.

"Martin?" She said softly. The girl had been there most days in the morning, her mother apparently looking after her sick brother while her father was busy with 'pack' business. She had been happy for a playmate it seemed and Barney seemed amused by how Martin just let her pull him into any game she wanted. Playing with her hurt sometimes, she reminded him of his own sister, but she was the only thing that seemed to keep him going at the moment.

He hummed, eyes fixed on the TV screen though he wasn't really watching the colourful images. Instead, he was focused on where people were. Most headed straight to the kitchen or the shower, but one or two lingered in the living room too. Martin felt as Leia felt his forehead as if to check for a fever. She grumbled unhappily but remained pressed against him. The noise increased again and Martin found himself taking deep breaths slowly to remain calm.

"Come on," Leia finally said, tugging at Martin's arm.

Martin looked at her warily but stood up and let her pull him out of the living room. The people in it looking at him curiously but without any real hostility. Leia led him to the back of the house, an area he hadn't really been in outside of the loose tour they had been given, and to the back door. She opened it and a blast of fresh air washed over him. His shoulders slumped, enjoying the sensation, having been trapped inside since he had been caught. She pulled him out but he kept still. She looked at him unhappily.

"I don't think I'm allowed out," Martin said softly. His stomach curling for different reasons now. No one had actually said he wasn't but there had been a clear message he was under watch.

Leia gave him a look and Martin bit his lip nervously, glancing over his shoulder. Leia tugged him out the door with more strength than he was expecting. "Oh, damn. You're already out now," Leia shrugged, shutting the door behind them. "Come on, stay low," she commanded, continuing to pull him along. Outside the house was a large wooden porch area with a roof to protect it. A good thing that day as it was raining, leaving the air damp but fresh.

Martin obeyed, ducking under the windows and following the girl around the side of the house to a different section of the porch around the corner. It was quiet here and there was a bench swing and a few other lawn chairs. There was a pot of flowers growing too.

"Here we are," Leia smiled. "Most people forget this is here," she chuckled, sitting on one of the chairs. "We can stay here until they miss us," she shrugged.

"I see," Martin said softly, weighing up the risk of staying out here without permission or anyone knowing against Leia being annoyed with him. Also if he went to ask, chances were he'd be put back in the cell while if he risked it, he could sit outside for a bit. He moved over and sat on the bench slowly. It creaked slightly but rocked gently and Martin felt his shoulders relax again. "Thank you," he offered the girl, who beamed at him.

"Everyone at once can get overwhelming," She smiled calmly with a look of understanding. "You can nap if you want," she offered, pulling a handheld console out of her pocket. "You look tired."