World Hoppers {book one}

Three

Natalie hadn't seen Honic or Aza in over a week but she knew she was mad at him, so when he walked past her in the hallway, not even giving her a sign of acknowledgement, she grabbed his shirt and shoved him against the wall. "What are you doing?" He hissed, "Your scum." She spat, she heard footsteps running toward her, "I'll make this quick. Cas has already had his fingers crushed in a door and all the kids are scared out of their minds. You threw them into a new environment with no regard for-" "It's not my faul-" she slapped him and he dropped to the ground as Noan pulled her backward. "Go get your lunch and then we're talking in my office."

Lunch was all vegetables and other healthy snacks, she didn't care for it but she was hungry so she ate anyway. She sat down across from him in the office, a small room with a small desk, a bookshelves and a few other pieces of furniture inside as well. "Why would you do that to Honic? What did he do- he's your guardian!"

Natalie simply stared at him, rolled her eyes and slumped back in the chair. "Natalie! You can't go around throwing people against walls." "I can do as I please." He snorted, "Is that so?" She shrugged, "I mean who's gonna stop me?" Noan sighed, "You think your on top of everything don't you?" She shook her head, Noan paused on his rant, "What?" "I don't hold myself at a higher ranking. I'm the guard dog." He nodded and opened one of the drawers and dig out a file, there were charts, graphs, and most importantly a picture of her, after the Jumper/Keeper escape. "You sacrificed yourself." Natalie stared at the picture for a long time, it only made her angrier.

"What even was that about? I mean that whole thing was ridiculous? Using us to power some life force? For what? Let em' die!" She stood up and rocked the chair back and forth. "Did you know Ollie just stopped talking to-" she stopped, huffed and sat back down, "talking to who?" "Not mine to tell." He nodded. "Your angry. I can see that, but don't take it out on your friends." "Honic ain't my friend." He sighed, "I'm not understanding what he's done to cross you." Natalie scoffed, "He busted into our house and snatched Cas against his will, then me because I was genuinely blinded and then went after Ollie and the kids, sufficiently scaring the crap out of them! I just-" she was on her feet again, "Can we spar?" Noan shook his head, "Before you take off, I do have someone who might take down your anger a few notches. Her name is Eri, I'll tell her to wait in the testing room this evening at-?" "Seven." He nodded, "Got it?"

Natalie didn't say anything, she didn't have to. A Keeper busted through the door,  "Noan! There's been another set of-" He collected himself, "Natalie please go back to your room." Natalie looked at him, "Sounds important." Noan stared at her, "Go." She went.

"Noan there's been another set of Hoppers found. It's insane! You thought the Keepers were in chaos when the next gen was found, oh no, this is worse. They're seventeen, that's only two years older than-" he gasped to catch his breath, Noan laid his head back and stared st the ceiling. "Status?" The man climbed into the chair, "We have them, Supervisor wants them integrated as soon as possible- tonight." Noan stared in disbelief, "Tonight? Is he-?!" He shook his head, "Whatever. Do it. Not as if I'm busy enough already. If he has any problems tell him to speak to me-" The messenger was already gone.

The new set was problematic. He ended up numbering them for his own sanity, the boys and Natalie being the first set, Blue and the girls the second, and this new group the third. The third had a similar setup as the second, two girls and a boy. They were all hesitant but seemed obedient, more testing things out than anything. The boy, Ryan, was loud, the girls, Naomi and York, were vastly different but they were all a tight knit group, all of them either seventeen or eighteen.

The integration was downright awful, Supervisor just decided to shove them in with the rest and let Noan mediate. The second group was okay with them, there wasn't any hostility between the groups, the same could not be said for the first. Upon seeing them Cas immediately stared down Noan, "They found another group of Hoppers." He scoffed, Naomi turned, "Don't scoff at us." She spat, Natalie was up now, "Oh sit back down pipsqueak." Noan got up now, Natalie was advancing, Cas wasn't making a move to stop it and neither was Ollie, arm draped over his shoulder.

He grabbed her a handful of her hoodie and pulled her backward, Cas and Ollie didn't approve. "Hey! Let her go I don't know what you think your doing grabbing her like that but-" He Let Natalie fall against them before he walked toward the third group. "Play nice please. Your the oldest kids here but they're the most experienced as far as we're aware. Seeing as you just arrived, I'd wait before you started fights." York nodded, "Thank you sir, we apologize." Ryan regarded him with a nod alongside Naomi. "Thank you. Move along."

He moved back to the first group, "Don't start fights with kids you don't know. That girl is bigger than you and-" "Doesn't matter." She growled, still staring at Naomi as she walked away, "Yes it does. Ollie you have common sense right? Tell her that-" Ollie backed away with his hands up, "No thanks, I don't think she's wrong, maybe her handling wasn't as good as it could've been but I'll always stand behind Nat." Noan sighed, "Sure, whatever. You guys have to tread carefully. I can't help to mediate fights all the time if they don't happen under my watch. Watch yourselves."

Natalie didn't get s chance to spar with Eri, she stumbled into Ryan in the hallway on her way. He looked her up and down and then shoved her backward and kept walking. "Hey! What do you think your doing?" She yelled, Ryan held up a finger and turned the corner. She huffed and rubbed her back, she'd hit the wall hard but that wasn't what made her eyes water, it was Atti. "I heard a thud! Are you alright?" Natalie laughed it off, "Ya, you doing alright?" She nodded, "We're coloring, do you want to? We have all the colors!" Natalie followed her into June's room, someone had hung a sheet of paper on the wall and they were all drawing various things. Atti pointed out her field of flowers, June's dragon, and Blue's robot, all crudely drawn in crayon. She smiled, "They look beautiful, can I grab a jacket real fast?" Atti nodded.

Natalie returned to her room for one of her hoodies, she bumped into her another person, this time Noan. "Eri's looking for you." He said plainly, "I'm coloring," he nodded, "Alright, I'll tell her. Have a good time."