OOC.

Erin stood on the garden path, clinging to her brother. Her skin was freckled with goosebumps, from the crisp chill in the air, yet also from the edgy anticipation of being somewhere new. It had been a long time since she'd been anywhere out of that school... that hellhole, up the road. The air was different to the stale must that had filled the old buildings; it felt fresh, yet the new sensation unnerved Erin. This was not what she was used to.

"Thank you again for this, Mrs Thomas. We're very grateful that you've taken them both; I'm sure they'll settle in fine with your family. Don't worry about their problems, though, Mrs Thomas. We're sure they won't cause too much of a problem." The taller of the two police officers turned to the siblings. "Don't worry, now. You'll be alright. You;" he turned to Nathaniel. "You look after her. And you;" he looked at Erin. "Don't you go running off again, poppet."

Erin flinched at the affectionate term. "Poppet." The word made her squirm. Hours and hours spent in the sick bay, with the Matron calling her 'poppet' had done her no good. She hung onto her older brother's arm, stepping closer into him. "Don't leave me," she whispered.

Naomi stood, watching this emotional scene. The police officers were talking to her mother. She walked over to Erin, and patted her head. "Hey, I'm Naomi, and I guess I'm going to be you're older sister." She glanced at Nathaniel. " But I'm not as old as your brother. I'm only fourteen." She looked down at Erin. "What's the matter? Don't worry, I'll look after you." She smiled, dropping down to Erin's height.

Erin instinctively stepped away from Naomi. As she dropped to Erin's height, Erin's face twisted into a look of terror and she jumped back, pulling on her brother's arm. She stood, frozen, watching Naomi, before speaking quietly. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "S-sorry."

Run. Run. RUN. Erin's mind raced. She didn't like this; not one bit. Right now, she desperately wanted to be back in the sanctity of that tiny broom cupboard she and her brother had spent long hours in, before Roddington closed. She wanted to be safe, she wanted to be protected, she wanted to be... indoors. The front door had been left wide open. Erin glanced across to it's welcoming mouth, and without a second's hesitation, she ran towards it.

Nathaniel swore.
"Shrimp!" he yelled, "Get back here! You can't go back!"
Heaving an enormous sigh, he ran after his sister. He was faster than she, and easily overtook her. He lightly slapped the back of her head and grabbed her arm.
"Listen, skinny," he said, "I know you want to go back, but you just can't. That place is no safer than anywhere else now. Less so, I'd say. They won't let us live there, and if they catch you they'll just force you back here. This is our turf now, shrimp, and that" he gestured toward the old building, still gripping his sister's arm tightly, "is theirs," he gestured at the police. "The house back there is safe and secure. It's some mom and pop with a couple kids younger than you. And if they're dangerous, which they're not, it's not like I can't defend myself. Or you. And you'd rather be protected by me," he pointed a thumb at himself, "in there," he pointed back at the house, "than by them," he pointed again at the police, "in juvie." He paused, then continued again, "Or, for that matter, by some losers in some foster home. You want to stay with me, and I'm staying out of trouble. Well, any big trouble, anyway."

Nathaniel put his other hand on his sister's other arm and turned her around. "If you're scared, if you want to run away, you run to me. Because wherever I am, you're safe. Back there, it was the closet. Here, it'll be wherever it'll be. We'll find out. But even so, there's nothing left for you, or me, back there."
Nat knew how to make his sister do what was in her best interest, even when her instincts told her otherwise. If she looked to him for protection, he could get her to do most anything. However, that didn't always work, and he knew how to counter it. If she was afraid of something, all Nathaniel had to do was make her fear him more, and fear that if she didn't do what he told her, the results would be worse than pretty much anything. So far, it had kept Nathaniel in control.

Erin skidded to a halt as Nathaniel grabbed her arm. She thrashed around, trying to work herself free, before bursting into tears and hanging there, held up by her brother's strong grip. All through his speech, she cried, and sobbed the three words she knew all too well; "I. Want. Out." Though she didn't fully hear what Nathaniel was saying, she caught important parts, such as 'protected by me' and 'staying out of trouble.'

"I want out," had always been Erin's way of saying when something was too much. Whether it be a frustrating math question, or being left alone, the way of stating that she didn't like it was simply "I want out." So now, the statement was repeated over and over, as her brother held her arms. She pushed towards him, resting her head on his chest. Though he scared her sometimes, he was always right. She needed to stay with him; she had to be with him. There wasn't another option, certainly not in Erin's mind. She took a few deep breaths, and looked up at Nathaniel. "I...I...We c-can go back. Down there." She pointed towards the Thomas residence, before dropping her head again. "I'm s-sorry."

All Mike could do at this point was sigh lightly and step forwards. He slowly walks forwards, his rather large, width-wise, form moving forwards a foot at a time, each step causing him to close more and more distance on the two children at the bottom end of his garden. He slowly breathed in a deep gust of air through his nose, which in turn pumped up his already large, muscled chest to an obscenely large degree.

He stopped dead just a foot or so short of touching the two teens, and leaned himself forwards. Then, he would kneel his left knee onto the floor beside him, allowing his six foot height to be cut significantly, his eyes now easily peering straight forwards and into those pretty little gems Erin had at the front of her face. "Look, Erin-" Mike starts, in a sighing tone, trying to sound as none-threatening as he possible could, before gently tugging the inside leg of his pants upwards, showing his socks in turn. He continues "Erin, I want you to do something. Every time you think you need to run away, just talk to me, okay? Come straight to me. But! If you can't do this, then what I want you to do is, use a safe word. Or maybe words. Imagine in your mind that your in say, Hawaii, on a beach or..in the alps sitting in a snow covered forest. Somewhere that you really want to be. Image yourself there, with your brother, and that nobody else is near you. 'Kay? But for now..you need to come inside, we have everything set up for you."

The man down on his knees before Erin talked slowly and softly at her, but all Erin could do was jump backwards, away from him. "I want out. P-please, I want out." The man looked familiar, and the speech sounded even more familiar, and this kept her close.

Then, the penny dropped. Mr Thomas, the psychologist from Roddington. Erin didn't know whether to hug him or hit him. He'd started her off with her phrase of "I want out" years ago, when she and her brother had first joined Roddington Hall Prep. She'd used that from then on, and owed a lot to him. He had always been seen as an ally in Erin's mind, though she had hardly ever shown up to their meetings.

"Mr Thomas, I-I want out. I don't like this anymore. I d-don't want juvie, or the police, o-or a foster home. I w-want Nat and the c-c-closet and I want out!" Erin began speaking rapidly, not pausing for breath until she finished. She wrapped her arms around her brother, and buried her head.

Inside, Erin hated how dependent she was on Nathaniel. But, no matter what, she couldn't convince herself that she was safe without Nat. "Mr Thomas, I n-need Nat."

The girl seemed even more skittish that she usually was, and this upset Mike Thomas to a certain degree. It was obvious the newer psychologist had not done a very good job with the girl, or her brother at that. He slowly shook his head, annoyed.

"Now, Erin. I need you to be strong, and do me a favor. Try to quell the urge to run, just for a little while. And this is not a prison, not juvie, and NOT a foster home. This will be YOUR home into you two feel your strong enough to leave. Okay?" HE spoke in his usual 'shrink' voice, which attempted to solely calm the patient enough to allow them to figure out what the psychologist was actually explaining to them.

"I know how hard this is for you two, but we are both here to help you, and I really do mean this" Mike said, before reaching his arm out, and opening his palm to allow the girl to take it, if she so wished to do so. He displayed a kind, knowing, fully white smile which glistened handsomely. He then nodded his head, encouraging her. "Go on. It's almost lunch time" he announced.

Nathaniel hated psychiatrists, namely because they helped Erin. Nathaniel liked being in control of Erin, and he disliked good-intentioned people who decided it was their prerogative to take her away from him. The small, frail girl was not all that useful for Nat to have under his wing, but he did enjoy being required by someone. Although, he did, in essence, require her as well. His control over her was like opium; if he found himself without it he became quite distressed.

Happily, though, Erin needed Nathaniel far more than he appeared to need her, and he could easily reinforce her behavior. He grinned at Erin in a "that's OK, do what you want" sort of way, then started walking back toward the house.

[[Pardon the shortness, but I need to be sure of Erin's reaction before doing more. Also I apologize for the delay, and any inconvenience it has caused...]]

Erin had looked to her brother for reassurance, and when she got it, she slipped a small smile back to him. Nat was always right, regardless. Nat was always right. She turned back to Mr Thomas, but and timidly placed her hand in his. However, she quickly withdrew it, and backed off, before turning away and hastily following her brother into the house.

The house was beautiful. Everything seemed to have a place, but it still felt lived in. It smelt clean and fresh, but welcoming, like white linen and sandalwood. Erin's eyes scanned the open-plan ground floor, mainly looking for doors and windows, before looking at anything else. She crept forwards, like an animal in new territory, and began to examine the large window. She pressed down the latch and pushed on the pane, making the window swing open. She pulled it shut again, and looked back to Nathaniel. "I-it's escapable."

The escapability of a room meant a lot to Erin. If she couldn't get out, there was a big problem. However, the house seemed very open, and it looked like it was easy to get out of. What was more, it felt oddly soothing, and Erin's tense shoulders relaxed, and her fists unclenched. She never clenched her fists to fight with; it was more a coping mechanism. She walked back over to Nathaniel, and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his chest. She closed her eyes, and sighed. "I don't think it's t-too bad, Nat. This house. I-I like it."

Nat raised his eyebrows as he walked away. Erin would normally have followed him...
Although, even as he thought this, he heard quick footsteps, then his sister came into view next to him. That was better.

He opened the door, and the pair of them stepped in. While Erin scanned the room for escape routs, Nathaniel took note of materials. The floor was treated hardwood, the walls drywall, no doubt held in place by wooden beams. Most of the furniture was also wooden, which was pretty, but flammable. There was a Persian rug on the floor, which looked quite old---probably not flame retardant. Also probably expensive.
Erin walked carefully toward the window. It's not going to bite you, he thought. His sister opened the window, and, upon seeing that it was large enough for her to get through, announced:
"It's escapable."
"You know that isn't a word..." Nat muttered.
Ignoring him, or not hearing, Erin walked to Nathaniel in a more calm manner, and hugged him. Nathaniel hugged back, although it did make him feel rather childish. Heck, they were teenagers. Teenagers didn't hug...
"I don't think it's too bad, Nat," Erin murmured, "This house. I like it."
Nathaniel smiled. "I like it too."

He was never quite sure whether Erin was stupid or not. Sometimes she was very intelligent, but when she got like this...Nat wasn't sure. She was messed up, but then again, so was he. According to the doctors, anyway. Nat didn't fully understand why his sister's obsession with safety was worrisome to people, while they had their own obsessions that were perfectly acceptable; obsessions that drove them to careers, successes, families...or lack thereof.

Erin let go of her brother, and sat down on the window ledge. She carried on looking around; there was a lot to take in. All the furniture looked perfectly placed, but it looked wooden. Erin's eyes flicked to her brother. "Nat, don't th-think about it. You said you'd stay out of t-trouble." She stood up. "I d-d-don't want to be h-here on my own, p-please, d-d-don't burn." Erin's stutter became more and more pronounced as her panic levels rose. "D-don't b-b-burn it, Nat. I-it's nice, they w-w-want to help!"

Erin shut her eyes as she thought about what she said. She knew her brother hated it when someone else got close to her, or tried to help. She'd never been sure why, but she knew it was a mistake to state this. They'd only ever had each other; Erin couldn't remember her parents, nor would Nat tell her what had happened to them. He'd merely stated that it was 'best not to know,' and Erin had just accepted this. She tended to just accept a lot of things Nat told her.

Jean smiled to the Officer and looked at Nathaniel "Young man, My husband told me all about you and your habits..." she sighed as she noticed Erin getting more panicked, "Calm down, everything in here is actually flame retardant." She said her voice soothing and trustworthy, She stood and glanced at her husband Mike, "You alright Hun?" She asked him looking at him then back to Erin again.

"Naomi could you help me in the kitchen please?" She asked her daughter as she headed back into the kitchen and started preparing Lunch, She glanced back at Nathaniel and Erin before continuing with lunch, "I Need you to ask Nathaniel and Erin if they want any Tuna on they're Sandwiches Please." Jean said to her daughter before cutting her own sandwiches into triangles.

"Young man, My husband told me all about you and your habits," Mrs. Thomas said. Nathaniel grinned, in spite of the fact that he hated being called "young man." The woman turned her attention to his sister and said, "Calm down, everything in here is actually flame retardant."
Nathaniel scowled and rolled his eyes.
"Well that's no fun," he said.
After Mrs. Thomas walked away, he muttered to his sister, "You know, the best way to make sure people don't hurt you is making sure you can hurt them back, and hurt them harder, and making sure that they know it. That's hard to do with adults. They have money and junk. The second best way to make sure people don't hurt you, however, is making them either like or need you, to a degree that will deter them from harming you, for fear of what you will think of them. Of course, that's dangerous, because you may end up in a situation where you actually can't defend yourself, and you end up being their property. People, namely parents, like being able to say 'It's all right, Erin, everything will be all right,' whether or not they mean it in the slightest, just to have you look to them for protection."

"I need you to ask Nathaniel and Erin if they want any tuna on they're sandwiches, please," Nathaniel heard Mrs. Thomas say.
I like how she can't ask us herself, Nathaniel thought, glaring in the direction of the kitchen.

"But I don't n-need them, I have you, right?" Erin looked at her brother. "You protect me, so I don't need them." Erin stepped away from her brother, but took his hand. "Who needs them when I've got you?"

"I need you to ask Nathaniel and Erin if they want any tuna on they're sandwiches, please."

Erin turned around to look at where Mrs Thomas was standing in the kitchen, and noticed something. The kitchen opened out into a conservatory, and beyond the conservatory was one of the nicest kept gardens Erin had ever seen. Her eyes widened, and she walked towards it, letting go of her brother's hand. Erin drifted past Mrs Thomas, through the kitchen, and into the conservatory. She pressed her nose against the glass, causing it to fog up beneath her breath. Beyond the boundary, glistening in the sun, was a lake. Beyond the lake was another wall, and beyond that wall was the very edge of the old school grounds. "We're still there..." Erin said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hand ghosted along the glass, until she found a door handle. Opening the door, Erin stepped out onto the decking, then down onto the grass. She hoisted herself up to sit on top of the wall between the garden and the lake, smiling absently to herself. "We're still there."

Nathaniel watched Erin walk through the kitchen.
"Where are you going, shrimp?" he said, more to himself than to her. He followed, then realized where she was headed. He sighed, and glared at the surrounding plants. Nat didn't like plants. They were good listeners, but they didn't burn well.
Hey...plants...
Nat began scanning for poisons. There were several lilies in one corner, chinaberry, larkspur, amaryllis...lots of plants that he could poison people with. And since nothing in the house burned...yes, Nat would have to spend a lot of time in here.

He walked out to where Erin sat on the wall and leaned against the red brick.
"You know," he said, "It's not a good thing. That place," he pointed in the direction of the school, "is not safe for us anymore. In truth, it never was. The Thomases are in charge of us, and hopefully they'll be good to us. Although they'll take some getting used to, and they'll have to get used to us. Well, used to me, anyway. I don't plan on being subservient to the shrink or his wife. I didn't ask for them, they asked for me. Well, I say good luck to them." He paused, looking out over the lake. It was a rich, deep blue, the kind of lake you could easily drown someone in if you had some rope and weights. "They might send me away," he said. "But they're sure to keep you. You're more...obedient."

Erin quickly turned to her brother. "They won't send you away, will they?" She looked hurt, and began rubbing her right palm with her left thumb. "I thought you said we'd stay together." Erin slid off the wall, lake-side. "I won't go back in there if they don't let you stay forever." She began stepping backwards, slowly edging towards the lake. Where Erin lacked in speed on land she made up for in speed in water. "I-I'll go back over to Roddington, and never see them again, 'cause I'm not staying if you don't."

Erin shoved her hand in her pocket, feeling around for a small, round pebble. She always carried it, and her thumb stroked it's cool, smooth surface. She had found it the first time she ever ran away; it was a small memento of a huge success. Admittedly, she'd been found and returned to Roddington within six hours, but it had proved to her that she could get out, and had helped her get out plenty of times before. She looked away, at the old school. "It's only there, Nat...it's only there..."

"Erin," Nat said slowly to his sister, "Wherever you are, no matter what's happening, you always want to get out; to be somewhere else. At Roddington, all you wanted to do was escape. Now that you're out, all you want to do is go back." He laughed and added, "You're like a cat that can't decide whether to be in or out."
"And I don't think they'd separate us if you felt strongly about it." It wasn't a lie---and Nat wanted very much to make sure Erin continued to feel strongly about it. If she found some other object of defense and protection, then there would be no good reason to keep him around. Unless, of course, he could establish a hold on the family they now lived with before that happened. Fear was a powerful motivation, and if the Thomases did kick him out, he would find more submissive people to live with.

Erin sighed, looking at her brother. "You promise they won't make you go?" She walked back to the wall and climbed back over, before shoving her hand back into her pocket. She looked at her brother, doubt momentarily flickering across her face.She shrugged, and walked back towards the kitchen.

Before even opening the conservatory door, Erin spotted another girl. "Nat. Who's that?" Erin stared curiously, before walking in, almost bumping into Mrs Thomas.