Detroit: Staying Human || A "Detroit: Become Human" Fanfiction

Chapter 4: Spare the Pleasantries

  Norah gripped the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grasp as the sound of the Alvin and The Chipmunks CD filled the tense silence inside the car. Five-year-old McKenna sat in the back seat, sulking, with her little arms crossed tight against her chest as she glared at everything that passed through the window.

  It was only noon and they had only been home for less than a week. She did not want to deal with the little girl's anger issues so early on in their new beginning.

  After three months of dealing with her mother, dealing with a kindergartener's attitude was something she was not quite ready for. Having Gavin back in her life didn't ease her woes, either.

  Still, she refused to take out her anger and stress on McKenna. She promised she would never be that person. Reaching over and turning down the squeaky, high-pitched voices, Norah let out a sigh and glanced back at McKenna through the rear-view mirror.

  "You know we have to talk about this, McKenna. I let you stay home a day later than your brother so you could prepare yourself for today. What you did was unacceptable," Norah warned in a kind, easy tone as she brought McKenna back from her begrudging trance.

  McKenna didn't turn her head from the window, but her big, blue eyes softened at Norah's words. "It's not my fault Emma's such a big crybaby," McKenna mumbled with a pout.

  Norah arched a brow. "She would have no reason to cry if you had chosen to be kind," She said pointedly, watching McKenna's grumpy expression fade ever so slightly.

  "Ever since the news talked about Daniel, she thinks she's so special or something! A lotta people had mean androids, there's nothing important about her!" McKenna snapped, tearing her eyes from the scenery to look up at Norah in the rear-view.

  Norah felt a chill run down her spine at the mention of androids, but she resisted the urge to physically cringe. "A lot of people were hurt because of CyberLife's mistakes, honey. People still aren't over it and may not be for a while. We were lucky enough to avoid that chaos, but a lot of people owned androids and got hurt because of them. We should be sensitive to those that were," she paused when she saw McKenna's brows furrow together, "no matter how annoying they may be about it."

  McKenna looked back out the window and shrugged. "Or someone can tell her to stop being a drama queen."

  Norah shook her head dismissively and decided to change the subject. "Well, don't you forget your birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks. If you still want a party, you better start thinking about how you treat people."

  McKenna was silent after that and Norah didn't press the subject.

  The rest of the car ride home was quiet until Norah drove past their driveway and pulled into Hank Anderson's. She had sent Jackson over to give Hank's original leash and collar for Sumo back, but instead of having to drag him back home, Jackson had flown through the door and locked himself away in his room for an hour before he would let her come in.

  She still wasn't quite sure what had upset Jackson so much yesterday, but he refused to stay home today when she suggested that he rest from whatever episode he was experiencing.

  Before Markus became such a legendary figure and before the news reports of deviants, Norah and Hank had about a five-year-long agreement that Norah and the kids could come over to visit or walk Sumo anytime they wanted. At the time, Hank was hardly ever home because he kept the road hot on multiple cases, so Norah dropped in and made sure the house and Sumo were well taken care of.

  Even after...Cole and even though Hank was home more often than not, Norah still popped in every other day to take Sumo for a walk, make sure Sumo had plenty to eat, and refilled his water bowl with fresh, clean water. If she had the kids with her, she'd let them pet, cuddle, and play with Sumo until it was time to leave.