((Repost for chu RuRu. xD))

Angel shook her head and returned the smile to Zane. "It's nothing really... I just couldn't imagine my parents not caring if I never returned or not..." Angel looked into the kitchen where her mom was making a pot roast, humming Angel's lullaby. She couldn't imagine her mom in that way, niether her dad who was walking down the stairs. "In fact, I can't imagine then not caring at all... I've never seen my parent's drunk... I've barely seen them drink a little wine! It just amazes me how people can act in such ways..."

What she said last made Josh crack one of his rare, charming crooked smiles. "A secret for a secret..." He said, bobbing his head. His eyes focused on a far willow tree, judging it's distance carefully. He kept every centemeter in mind.

Then Josh turned his head from side to side, making sure nobody was looking. Not every human on earth could run, and then jump to the top of a tree that was at least a good fifty feet high. Seeing nobody was there, he glanced back at Carol. "Alright,"

He spun around, sprinting at the tree as fast as he could. He could feel his body blurr with the speed; wind tore at his clothes. Then, in a split second, he kicked off the ground, and caught himself on one of the top branches of the tree.

Hw whistled loudly like he would at a dog to get Carol's attention. He was smiling widely. A thin stream of blood leaked from his stitches, but Josh wasn't too concerned.

__________

Jace's parents walked in. He looked at them, frowning, and said the only five words he needed to. "I want to go home." Automatically his mother went to go tell the nurses to disperse him as his father helped him out of the bed.

The three of them walked out of the hospital, then climbed into the car. His parents drove in silence, making him sure something was wrong, but he ignored it.

Jace pas sed out in the back seat, silver hair splayed out around his face. His glas ses slipped off and cracked as they hit the floor.

Jake smiled. "Then I guess that's where they met?" He looked up at Angel and blushed slightly. "Anyways, your lucky to have such nice and sweet parents.. Just to a comparison, Jake knows not love from a parent. He knows the feeling of getting beat by a parent tho.. He shuns out the world because he thinks the parents are all mean.. He's happy here I think. He usually leaves if he's not happy."

Jake opened his eyes once again and sat up slightly. "Hmm.. John?" He looked at the bear and wiped the drool off it. He smiled slightly. "John, are you anywhere near right now?" He looked around.

Angel nodded and smiled when Zane blushed. She thought he was so cute when he blushed. "Wow... You sound so grown up... It's adorable!" Angel giggled to herself and smiled. "I'm glad Jake likes it here. It's good he's not going away." Angel paused. "Do... Do you like it here?"

John just so it happens was walking up the stairs to tell Jake dinner was done. He opened the door and grinned. "Right here, son. What'd you need?" He grinned a nice grin. One where his laugh lines and wrinkles seemed to make it all the more friendly.

Josh chuckled, and hopped out of the tree without another thought about it. He landed gracefully, hair over his eyes in a black curtain. "Don't over-exaggerate. I'm not even bleeding that badly." He rolled his indigo eyes.

Flicking his head to the side to get his hair out of his face, a sudden thought occurred to him. "I want ice cream," he decided. "I got some earlier with...this person I met..." His features were clouded for a moment with a flurry of emotions. He recovered. "But I didn't even end up eating it."

He looked up at the sky, grinning. "Do you think it's even open? If not, I guess we could always...y'know, steal some or something. Not like they can catch us."

(( Josh = Horrible influence. xD ))

The car suddenly swerved, throwing Jace against the window with a painful shock. His mother cried out in shock, and screamed something at his father. Everything was hazy for Jace as he watched his parents approach someone at the side of the road.

He looked for his glas ses on the ground, everything fuzzy without them. Looking...looking.... Found them. He put them on his face, ignoring the fact that the glas s was crack in an elegant spider-web pattern.

(whoa.. WHat happen to Sunni?)

Zane blushed more. "It's not cute..." He turned bright pink and turned his face and urried it in the couch. He calmed down and turned back. "Anyways, I do like it here." He smiled. "it's very warm and snug. It's very inviting in here. Yor mother and father are so helpful and nice.. Jake hasn't even slept this long at our house. Mom works him like a dog. I feel bad for Jake."

Jake smiled. "Is Zane okay? Did he go off home or did he stay? I'm very sorry for bothering you guys with me...And.. it might sound very selfish and rude... but is dinner ready yet?" He shut his eyes tightly, waiting for a slap to the face or a hit on the top of his head.

(( Quite agree. xD))

Caroline laughed a bit. "A girl I take it," She said with a grin. After a moment of consorting, Carol smiled again. "You know, I do have a key. Breaking in always causes a disterbance. Might as well walk in the front door." Carol laughed as she twirled a set of keys around her finger. A long set of scars showed on her  hand. She quickly put both hands in her hoodie pocket before looking at the ground again. Carol was always self concious about her scars.

Angel smiled broadly at Zane's childness. It was so cute, as she said before. It made her smile. "I'm very glad you like it here... Very glad." Angel sighed and closed her eyes. She smelled the dinner and knew it was done. "Dinner's ready.." She mumbled. Sighing, she got up and held out a hand to help Zane up, though he probably didn't need it.

John grinned, glad to see Jake was feeling better. "No.. No, Zane's fine and well. He's downstairs talking to Angel. In fact, they haven't stopped talking yet. And no need to appologize, we should for not having it ready by now. It's done. I hope you like Pot Roast...." John said with a smile. He rested his hand on the top of Jake's head, a soothing and friendly gesture.

Josh shook his head, looking back at her. He was smiling, but it wasn't as natural anymore. "I didn't know her well. She was...nice." He added with a small frown. "But she had to go help some dude she knew, so I just left. There was no point in sticking around to meet her boyfriend or whatever."

He perked up again. "Having keys is great, but it doesn't give you an excuse to kick things down," he pointed out with a chuckle. "Right, so, I take it you work there? Because I have no clue how to use the stupid ice cream machine thingers." Josh stared at her hand for a moment, deciding whether or not to ask her about it, but ended up not.

He knew he wouldn't want her to ask him about his marks and scars.

Jake twitched a little and looked at John. "why should you apologize? Food can't beunderprepared bcause you could get sick.. And like I said, anything was fien with me." He sat up and slowly rose to his feet. He put his hand on his sided and winced. "Anyways, you mind helping me downstairs a little? If it's not too much to ask?"

Zane smiled and took her hand. He stood up and looked at Angel. "Hey, if we are going to stay here for a little, do you mind helping me rehabilitate Jake? He winces when someone raises their voice and cringes when someone tries to touch him. He need to learn thatt not everyone is going to hurt him..."

Caroline saw the change in his smile, it wasn't as sinscere. She shrugged it off. "Been there, done that." She said with a grin. Before I had all these scars... A small voice said at the back of her head.

Caroline couldnt' help but laugh. "Yeah, unfortuanantly I do work there... Just tryin' to survive on my own. And it's not that hard once you do it a few times." Caroline was aware that Josh was staring. It made her self concious even more. She gently touched the scar on her right cheek, thanking god it was hidden by her hoodie.

((Gotta go. D:))