The Truth

Hi Hungry, I'm Dad

After the shower I felt a new sense of appreciation. Like after you visit a big city and see the poor begging. Then imagining what they don't have. Needless to say I love water, razors, and clean bras, well and a nice clean sniper rifle, but that's beside the point.

I walked out  of the bathroom in fresh clean clothes, my hair finally tamed. Ben was busy tinkering with some sort device. A smile on his face as he must of figured it out, or got it working again.

"What's that?" I asked gesturing towards the box in his hands. He looked up and his face instantly turned red. Like one giant tomato, ignoring his mind boggled face I grabbed the box from him.

"Careful! We don't want to set it off." He cried trying to grab it back. He stood up and I raised it above my head. Frowning he jumped trying to reach it.

"Not cool Erica." He pouted jumping again.

I eventually lowered it and handed it back to him. He glared at me opening a hatch in the back of the mysterious object.

"They never really told me what it is, but simply not to set it off. I'm assuming some sort of like, gas bomb." He mumbled as he continued to tinker, closing the hatch.

"Were you good at tinkering things before?" I asked watching as his fingers moved like a mechanics, Expertly and carefully.

"No, it just happened, like I know what all of this is. This little guy right here." He said while pointing at a little muzzle thing. "Well down in it is a mechanism that will dispense whatever's in the chamber." I nodded my head following along, still confused on how he knows all of this so suddenly.

"Anyway, I'm confident it works though, everything's aligned and such." by then I zoned out he honestly said more but I didn't follow through with any of it. Thankfully someone knocked on the wall then stepped into the room. Sophie smiled at us and said two of the greatest words ever "Dinner is ready."

"Finally it's been 5,220 seconds since I've got here." Ben grumbled following Sophie through the hall. Yeah I'm not even going to try and figure out how long 5,220 seconds is. Well I guess it's 5,220 seconds... haha I'm so good at jokes.

——

"I'm hungry!" Ben whined and I smirked looking at him.

"Erica no." Ben frowned I smiled bigger "Erica, seriously no."

"NiCe tO mEeT yOu HuNgRy I'm ErIcA." I grinned and Ben's frown got bigger. I grinned feeling the powers of the 'dad' wash over me.

"I hate you." He grumbled walking ahead to the kitchen.

"Do you now?" I asked holding up the weird gas launching thing. He turned rolled his forest green eyes and walked on. I smiled following the smell of hamburgers.

——

"Why are you smelling it?" Ben asked ketchup smeared on his face, he looked like a vampire. Not the hot kind ether. I rolled my eyes and continued to check and see if anything was put in these burgers. I took a glance up at Carol who's smiling at me. Hesitantly taking a bite I had one major food-gasm. I didn't even bother checking if the inside of the patty was safe I just kept on eating.

By the time I finished kids were snickering at us. I didn't even care, and grabbed another burger. I love a light salad but these greasy burgers taste way better.

After downing another burger I finally looked up, to see all eyes on me. Around me about 10 kids sat, including Ben and Warren. A little boy in a high chair interrupted their starring by throwing a chunk of burger at a boy.

"Hey! David no." The boy grumbled adjusting his glasses. He had deep blue eyes and shaggy blonde hair. The girl next to him laughed as David launched another attack, this time throwing pickles as well. I couldn't help but smile, glad these kids were having fun.

"Wow, that's the first I've seen you smile today." Carol laughed grabbing the ketchup and drenching her burger with it. Ben cringed next to me taking a bite of his mustard soaked burger.

"Now, I'm sure everyone's curious about you three, and I'll let them introduce themselves." Carol notes waving her burger as she spoke. Ketchup dropped from it like blood, I frowned remembering.

A boy with black hair styled neatly with deep brown eyes waved at us. His face sculpted in ways I didn't know it could be. I had to admit he's pretty handsome, don't tell Ben. He smiled revealing perfect white teeth lined up straight. He must be the pretty boy of the group.

"Hello, I'm Oliver." He grinned nodding at Warren, Ben, and I. Of course he had an Australian accent that seemed pretty real to me.

Ben smiled mustard all over his teeth and responded "I'm Ben." He turned pointing at me "Erica." He turned facing Warren "And he is-."

"No, no I will be making my own introductions here." Warren grumbled and Ben frowned. "I'm Warren the II. Son of Warren and Laura." I swear he bowed after he finished. Whatever happened to him when he got launched really screwed up his brain. Well I suppose it helped it out more than ruined it. He's not a geek anymore, now he's become a nerd.

"Anyway..." Sophie frowned glancing at Warren with a worried face. "You know me already." She said with a smile her hazel like eyes shimmering.

"And me." Julia grumbled on her right, her eyes were like storm clouds. They swirled with emotion, flickering with blue and grey. She reached up and itched her nose with her middle finger. Sly move, I pretended to pick my teeth with my own.

"I believe I saw you watching me cook, I'm Paul." He smiled his brown eyes glinting as he took a huge bite of burger.

"And this little guy." He said pointing at the kid in the high chair, "is little David." David grinned throwing a pickle at me, surprisingly it was fast but I grabbed my knife and held it in front of me. The pickle split in two the two halves going past.

"Nice to meet you David." I nodded looking at the next boy. He was no doubt a geek, he readjusted his glasses three times since I've noticed him. Long shaggy blonde hair that looked like Tangled's and blue eyes that were deep and mysterious.

"And I'm, uh." His voice cracked loudly and I cringed, the dreaded puberty. "Excuse me, I'm Simon."

I nodded and Ben held in a snicker besides me. I rolled my eyes as the boys face turned bright red in embarrassment. The girl next to him snickered but eventually introduced herself.

"I'm Kennedy." She had long brown hair and fierce brown eyes that danced in the light. A pair of glasses framed her face, I instantly could tell she was a jokester.

"That's the gang, ten of us counting you three." Carol smiled finishing up her burger with one last crunch. Wiping her hands on her shirt she smiled at all of us.

"Wait. What about that boy who was punching Ben?" I asked Carol giving her one of my signature looks.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She held a straight face and returned my glare. I frowned looking away. I no longer felt like the one in charge, and I didn't like it.