Fate and the Defiant Angel (COMPLETED)

Chapter 27- Revelations

"How you feeling?"

Elliot fidgeted with his hands, picking at some scabs on his knuckles idly. His hair was an unruly mess, it hadn't seen a comb in weeks. Clothes were stained and ripped, having a distinct smell of soap that was earned through scrubbing at them in a sink. He was a bit of a mess.

And Cassie felt for him.

"You know you can talk to me right? I'm just here to chat with you, that's all. I won't be telling anyone and I'm not gonna a analyse you or anything. I just know how much you need to talk to someone." Cassie kept her words soft and tone low.

She'd never seen Elliot before privately, but she'd seen him at the centre before dragging a small little girl around. She didn't know much about his home life, just that he had no parents around and a grandmother suffering from Alzheimer's. Social service wanted him removed from her care.

Elliott just wouldn't open up.

Cassie didn't blame him.

She sighed and tucked her legs underneath her. She stared out the window, watching as rain hammered down.

"So, I heard that you haven't been going to school," Cassie began casually. "I didn't use to go to school, hated in fact. It was just too boring is what everyone said, but actually that wasn't it." She glanced towards Elliott. "The real problem was that everyone talks about everything, don't they? They are so focused on gossip. They always wanna talk about who has the best shoes, and the brand name bags and really stupid stuff."

Cassie stared out the window. "When I was your age, I had lost a lot of people, and I started to think that 'hey, nobody here knows what I've been through'. No one at school or the teachers really understood everything in my life, and how difficult it was. I began to think, why should I even bother? And then I stopped bothering."

Cassie glanced back at Elliott, who still didn't look at her, but she noticed that he was no longer playing with his scabs, almost completely still.

"It really didn't help. You miss a few days, and it just gets so hard to keep up. Then you say, lets just not go today because I'm already behind! And then it's worse because you head back in and there is just so much do, so much that you don't know, and you feel kinda . . . stupid. All the other kids aren't helping, just asking you what you were doing and giggling about your appearance. It's a vicious cycle which is really hard to get out of."

"Sometimes school isn't for everyone," Cassie said evenly, allowing her gaze to rest on Elliott. "Sometimes people don't need to finish high school to do what they want to in life. But, because there is always a but, you do need to be there a little longer. You need to learn a few more things so that you can help out yourself and your little sister."

"They want to take me away," He mumbled, the first time he spoke. "They wanna take me away from her and everyone."

Cassie let out a soft sigh. "No, they don't. They want to help you. When I was a bit older than you, I didn't want to be anywhere near school and I just wanted out. I didn't realise how many people wanted to help me, because all I wanted to focus on was how people were not helping, and it made me able to accept any of the help I needed. Alice, you know Alice? She's the coordinator. Alice wants to help keep you with your little sister, but she just needs you to go to school and try. Your grandmother can't take care of the both of you, but there are a lot of people who can."

Elliott didn't say anything but slowly nodded his head.

Cassie smiled at him. "I know you might not listen to anything I say, but I just wanted to try. I'm here every Tuesday and Thursday all day, and I'm always ready to listen."