Daniel Bennett's Story

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"Can you feel the love tonight?" The vivacious adolescent belted out, his voice reverberating against the tiled walls of his shower. "It is where we are. It's enough for this wide-eyed wanderer that we got this far," His tanned skin glistened under the flourescent bulbs overhead, his aura glowing with the aid of the light reflected within the multitude of water droplets dancing across his body. "And can you feel the love tonight? How it's laid to rest. It's enough to make kings and vagabonds believe the very best," His darkened chestnut hair clung to his skull, the dampened fridge sticking fast to his forehead whilst he coated himself with Old Spice body wash. As he continued to sing, he ran his soapy fingers through his choppy, sodden locks. His voice bounced from one wall to another, filling the bathroom with his voice. It wasn't spectacular, just half-way decent, yet Daniel held no qualms with singing aloud for his whole apartment floor to hear. Thankfully, his mum didn't mind otherwise this little 'habit' of his would've gotten him bludgeoned a long time ago.

A light rasping on the door snatched him from his reverie, "Dan?" his mum called from the other side, "Are you about done in there? You'll be late for community service?"

With renewed urgency quickening his actions, Daniel quickly shut off the water, calling out to his mother from behind the glass door of his shower, "I'm coming out now!"

"Wouldn't be the first time," his mother quipped in a sing-song voice.

Daniel laughed as he began toweling himself off, having stepped out of the shower to stand in the middle of his bathroom as naked as the day he was born. "Very funny, mum. I'll be out in a few minutes." Of course, until yesterday, this had always been an empty promise. Once he was finished toweling himself off, Daniel shut his eyes and concentrated, his thoughts honing in on images of his bedroom just across the hall. He felt a strong pull in his abdomen, a forceful suction at his chest that preceded an abrupt sensation of being sucked through a straw. Ever read the Harry Potter books? Well, if you asked him, Daniel would associate this sensation to what the famous protagonist felt whenever he apparated. And, such with apparation, when Daniel opened his eyes he found himself somewhere else. Yes, when he opened his eyes again he was in his bedroom—the very one he had been picturing in his mind's eye just seconds before. His mouth contorted into a celebratory grin, giving himself a self-five for a successful zapping.

Until yesterday, Daniel was just a regular guy. He has a job at Tesco to help pay the bills while attending night classes at a local community college. He's only been doing community service for a short time, not long enough to get acquainted with anyone. And yet last night had been the night that would begin an extraordinary chapter in his life. He'd been struck by lightning. Sounds like he shouldn't be here, right? He doesn't know what happened, all he knows is that he definitely shouldn't have woken up feeling rejuvenated and singing Elton John songs in the shower after what he remembered from last night. And he wasn't the only one to get powers, oh no, the other blokes in his community service group got some too. Well, all except that one guy, but that poor sod was probably just glad he survived. What Daniel got was teleportation. He hasn't really tested the boundaries of this new found ability yet but you'd better believe that he'll be testing his limits today while they're out in the field. His outfit was plain, having taken in consideration that he'd be in an orange jumpsuit for the majority of his community service anyway. Why bother? Once he adorned his monochromatic attire, he shut his eyes, zapping himself behind the closed bathroom door within seconds. He brushed his teeth and straightened his bangs, ridding himself of his Hobbit hair. He finished by spritzing himself with Old Spice before walking out of the bathroom.

Daniel's wallet was lying in the key bowl on the end table by the front door, his phone on the charger in the kitchen. He popped in to collect it as well as plant a kiss on his mother's cheek, "Bye mum. See you later on tonight then." He told her, checking for any notifications before tucking the iPhone in the pocket of his skinny jeans. "If I'm not called in we'll have Fettuccine" She told him as he walked towards the door. He grabbed his wallet, waving in acknowledgement though he wasn't getting his hopes up. He started towards the lift, making his way three blocks once he reached the ground floor. He'd taken the tube countless times before. Needless to say, he had his Oyster card ready to go once he got underground.

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Daniel made the four and a half block trek to the community centre from the Underground Station, paper bag in one hand and a clear plastic travel cup in the other. He had taken the liberty to visit The Riding House Café for breakfast, getting himself a toasted English muffin, an orkney bacon sandwich, and a breakfast smoothie. He loved the smoothie; the combination of granola, natural yoghurt, milk, honey, and banana never failed to fill him up. He didn't even know why he'd bought anything else when he had to practically force the muffin down. Nevertheless he wouldn't let the food go to waste. He'd probably end up giving it to Nathan. The bloke never turned down any of the food he'd offered up, but then again who would? He opened the door to the centre meagerly, making sipping at his smoothie more of a priority than actually getting the door open.

The eighteen year old meandered down the hall towards the locker room where his mates were likely waiting for either his arrival or that of their parole officer. When he walked in, Cordelia had inquired on the bottle currently residing in the curly-haired young man's hand. "Little bit early for that, don't cha think?"

Nathan quirked a brow, regarding Cordelia with indifference. "You don't say," he said with the same amount of sarcasm he threw everyone's way. "I was completely unaware that the sun was in the sky. Thank you, Cordelia. You did me a service."

Daniel finally decided to make his presence known, chuckling before turning up his chin up at the skinny young man in the orange jumpsuit. "Alright there Nathan, put away the claws if you're not going to share your booze."

Nathan cast his eyes at the doors, sizing Daniel up it would seem before bringing the bottle to his lips and taking a hearty swig. He brought his arm down, pointing with the hand caressing the neck of the jager bottle as he wagged his finger at his skinny-jean wearing acquaintance. "If you come bearing food, I'll even tuck in my tail, mate." he propositioned, no doubt seeing the bag in Daniel's hand.

"So a sandwich can buy your kindness then?" He chuckled, tossing the bag over to the curly-haired adolescent and smirking when he caught it with ease. "I'll keep that in mind. There you are mate." He turned to the others, nodding in greeting before his amber eyes fell on Phil. He gave a slight wave, muttering a slightly shy, "Morning," before turning his attention back to Nathan. "Any sign of that parole blighter yet?"

"Probably off wanking to the thought of watching us pick up trash. I swear, I saw the bastard staring at my arse when I dropped a pound." Daniel smirked, pulling his shirt off out in the open before tossing it in his locker precariously. Phil's eyes widened considerably at Dan before they grew even bigger at Nathan's next words. As Daniel shimmied out of his jeans, Nathan took a large bit of his sandwich upon unbagging it. He eyed Phil cooley, his expression unreadable. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look like a panty sniffer."

Phil looked away, wincing as he responded shakily, "I'm not a panty sniffer-... I'm not a pervert."

"Exactly what a pervert would say. I bet you smell like candy to attract small children, don't you?"

"Oi!" Daniel interjected, standing in nothing but his knickers, his brows furrowed as he eyed Nathan. "Knock it off, alright?"

Nathan threw his hands up in defeat, eyes narrowing at Dan in suspicion, "I'll only stop because you gave me breakfast and your arse is quite fit."

He chuckled, sending a wink Nathan's way before turning back to his locker to grab a jumpsuit of his own. Unbeknownst to him, Phil flashed an astonished glance Daniel's way, bright baby blues boring into him for a millisecond before quickly moving to his filthy trainers. The younger man didn't say thank you, but that look alone expressed his gratitude. As Daniel zipped up the jumpsuit he leaned up against the locker taking a long swig of his smoothie. The ginger-haired girl sat opposite him, looking down at her boots. He nudged her with the toe of his Converse sneakers and she turned to scowl at him, as if she was concerned with mucking up her jumpsuit. Or she just wasn't in the mood to talk. One of the two. He offered the smoothie out to her, its contents only half empty, and he shook it—the tan colored smoothie sloshing about as a result. "Want some?" he asked her, "It's really quite good."

She eyed the sustenance and slowly reached out for it, taking a hesitant sip before regarding Daniel once more. Her gratitude came in a simple "Thanks."

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Noah swore under his breath, the word escaping his lips before be could rein it in. His mother, who had ears that could catch the quietest of sounds, snapped her head around and aimed a glare at her youngest son.
"Noah Felix Brookes!" She said, her voice easily carrying over the noise of the dishwasher and microwave, "I did not raise you a sailor. Language like that doesn't belong in this house." Noah fought back the urge to point out that his mother swore just as much as he did. He knew the point, while fair, would get him nowhere. Instead he pursed his lips slightly, fighting back the urge to lash out at his brother Samuel who was making faces at Noah behind his mother's back. "And you're no better Samuel." She added without turning around. Noah felt a moment of contentment before it was once again replaced by worry. The reason for his original swearing; he was running late. Taking a last bite of his breakfast he threw the plate onto the kitchen bench, gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek and then darted out of the kitchen. "I'll be home for dinner!" He shouted behind him as he opened the front door and leaped out.

It took a ride on the tube and then a bus before he was within walking distance of the community centre. He slowed his pace as he neared it, glancing at the scratched face of his wrist watch as he drew closer. Ten minutes past eight, he had made good time getting here from his house. He loathed the place already, not just because of the graffiti that decorated the surrounded walls and fences, but because of what the building represented. His punishment for defending his family was to pick up rubbish, clean up parks and be shouted at by passing chavs. He felt a familiar scowl settle on his face as he pushed his way through the entrance doors.

He made his way down the corridor, following the faint echoes of voices into the locker rooms. All his fellow criminals were there. Noah turned into his locker, outside the circle of the group and tried to tune them out as best he could. However that proved to be difficult. The conversation, as Noah walked in, seemed to be revolving around the bottle of spirits in Nathan's hand.

"You don't say... I was completely unaware that the sun was in the sky. Thank you, Cordelia. You did me a service." Noah was rooting through his locker and didn't see Cora as she rolled her eyes at Nathan. Nor did Noah catch the movement Cora made as pulled the finger at Nathan. He did, however, manage to catch the
"Wanker." that the girl directed at him. Fighting to keep the smile off his face Noah concentrated on quickly changing into his orange jumpsuit. He half listened to the conversation behind him, doing his best to ignore the constant drone of Nathan's sarcastic comments. He hoped whatever they were doing today would mean that Noah didn't have to listen to Nathan drone on. His sarcasm wore pretty thin rather quickly.

Once Noah was changed he turned around and finally faced his five peers, feeling a similar distaste that he had when he'd entered the building. Simply put Noah didn't feel that he belonged here. Out of all of those fighting on the street that day he was the only one caught and sentenced. Everyone else had got away scot-free, and then there was Noah, forced to spend countless hours picking up trash and painting park benches with people he didn't really want to associate with. If he was being fair it wasn't really the people that he disliked, it was just the whole situation. Noah had a chip on his shoulder and he generally took it out on those around him.

With a sigh Noah took a seat, sprawling his legs out in front of him. He hoped the man in-charge of their community service arrived soon. The sooner he arrived, the sooner they could begin their tedious task and then leave.

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Phillip kept his head down after Nathan’s verbal attack. The poor lad was just prone to end up as someone’s punching bag. He was used to it…but it didn’t stop it from hurting like a throbbing wound. He had learned a long time ago how to hold back his tears, so as he stood in the presence of the one person he feared most, he kept his face straight. However, when he glanced to his left he could see his savior zipping up his orange jumpsuit. In his head, Phil was thanking him. No one has ever spoken up for him the countless times he’s been bullied and to have a complete stranger stand up for him, well, it gave Phillip hope for the human race.

Phillip silently meandered to his own locker, kicking off his trainers to shimmy into the unflattering orange jumpsuit. He kept his clothes on, seeing as he didn’t think very highly of his scrawny hollow frame, in fact, he felt disdain towards his milky pallid skin. He looked dead due to the stark contrast of his inky black lock to his ashen flesh. Phil zipped up his jumpsuit, wordlessly. He then seated himself in a corner of a locker, leaning against it as he eyed the people around him, cautiously observing them, memorizing their mannerisms. He noticed that Nathan tended to shake his right leg whenever a sarcastic quip was brewing in his mind, Cordelia like to be near a mirror which was understanding seeing as she was quite beautiful, but wasn’t Phil cup of tea. He preferred men, but he’d never admit that aloud. Speaking of men, Noah seemed almost as reserved as him and Charlotte was a little off-putting, intimidating even. Phil made a mental note to keep his distance. Daniel was just too friendly. Phil narrowed his eyes as he brooded, think of a single quirk that Dan had displayed. He seemed like an open book, but no one could possibly be that comfortable with themselves. He had to have some sort of weakness. The harder Phillip thought, the more his head began to ache. A sharp stabbing pain assaulted his brain. As he yelped and winced, the locker beside Daniel slammed shut causing a loud metallic BOOM to echoes through the space. Phil stared wide eyed at it. Certainly, it had to be a strong sudden gust of wind that made that happen. Yeah, that was it. And as illogical as that thought was, Phil was comfortable with the mental inquiry. There was no possible way he was responsible for that.

He glanced at Nathan, knowing that the lad was bound to comment and rest assured, he did.

“I guess the ghost wasn’t fond on my humour. It’ll warm up to me. Oi, ghost, I have a good one. So, three Catholic priests walk into a bar and see a small boy—“

“Alright guys,” Phillip’s eyes were pulled from Nathan’s hunched form to the tall dark skinned individual that was now entering the locker room. He was a husky looking fellow with muscular arms that and long athletic legs. Phil had a feeling that this man was once a dashing teenager that had women swooned over him because of his status rather than his personality and looks. Despite his impressive physique, their probation worker had a hard face; made up of distinct lines and touch bone that made him all the more intimidating. In short, he was the definition of aggressive big black man. “You’ll be covering up graffiti on the walls of the Centre. Don’t fuck up.” His eyes shifted to Nathan as he spat the command. The curly haired troublemaker grinned cheekily, blowing the man a taunting kiss and a wink.

“Last time someone looked at me like that, I got laid.” Nathan quipped, receiving a nasty glare from their authority figure.

“Just get to painting. The paint is in the supply closet,” His brown gaze scanned the room glaring at each individual with an equal amount of disdain…well, almost everyone. He seemed to have a chip on his shoulder for Nathan in particular. His stony chilling stare landed on Phil. It made his blood freeze, but then again, anyone could do that. “You, awkward one, go get the paint. And you, you go with him, I doubt he can carry those cans on his own.”He was pointing at Daniel as he said this. Then he left without another word.

Phil peered at Dan through a veil of long dark lashes. He stood up from his perch of solitude and scurried out of the locker room, wordlessly. He didn’t even wait for Dan as he walked down the hallway to reach the supply closet, however as he counted his footsteps, Phil could hear the echo of Nathan’s obnoxious voice.
“The lad is cripplingly shy, I almost feel bad for him, but then I remember that I don’t give a damn and I suddenly feel so much better.”

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Daniel had been leaning against his locker thinking about dinner when the empty locker beside him suddenly slammed shut. He leapt forward, nearly knocking Charlotte off the bench as he let out a short, high-pitched squeak. Dan's heart beat rapidly in his chest, panting from the adrenaline rush that came with the surge of panic. He didn't even realize he had been clutching onto the fiery-headed teen until she shoved him to the floor. "Get the hell off of me, you twat!"

"S-Sorry-..." Nathan burst into uproarious cackling, bending at the waist with his hands at his abdomen from the exertion. Dan scowled, hissing a short, "Oh shut up! It's not funny, I almost had a bloody heart attack!" knowing that he was the cause of the adolescent boy's fit of laughter.

Nathan stood, letting out a sigh as he recovered. “I guess the ghost wasn't fond on my humour." he quipped, "It’ll warm up to me. Oi, ghost, I have a good one. So, three Catholic priest walk into a bar and see a small boy-..."

When the parole officer strolled into the locker room, Dan busied himself with standing upright. He couldn't be bothered with what that meaty bloke had to say, not when he'd almost died of fright. That is, until the burly man pointed to him, "And you, you go with him, I doubt he can carry those cans on his own.” It took him a moment to realize that he was supposed to go with Phil because he was stuck on how idiotic this man's logic was. He was dumbfounded for a moment, caught off guard by the sheer idiocy of what he just said. He almost couldn't get past it but he didn't want to leave the workload entirely up to the younger man who'd left the room. Dan wouldn't waste anymore time, walking around the bench to head out the door before Nathan piped up another comment.

“The lad is cripplingly shy, I almost feel bad for him, but then I remember that I don't give a damn and I suddenly feel so much better.” To this Dan shot him a leering glance, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly as a warning. It was an inadvertent promise but it was one nonetheless; a sandwich for his kindness and he'd leave the poor guy alone. Nathan saw this in his gaze and just shrugged with a cheeky grin on his face. Dan could do nothing but roll his eyes at this wordless snark, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. He meandered down the hallway, Phil walking in front of him at a brisk pace. He let his eyes wander the length of the younger man's back and down to his behind, the jumpsuit concealing anything and leaving everything to the imagination. Dan cursed the day they were made, his eyes picking up on the manner in which Phil strode down the hall. The lanky boy had a rather short gait for his lengthy legs, his feet quick to scurry though walking at full stride would probably get him to where he wanted to go much faster. He noticed the way Phil went along with his his head hung low and his shoulders slumped; a visual epitome of insecurity. Dan felt sorry for him, wanting to walk over and cheer him up, maybe coax him into a smile. So that's just what he did.

"Oi Phil! wait up a tick!" He jogged ahead, slowing back down until he was in stride with the quiet teen. With his eyes cast down, Phil shrank away upon Dan's arrival but the older man didn't let that deter him. There was an awkward silence between them, no greetings or small talk so ultimately it was Dan who had to strike up a conversation. "You've got to love the wit on that guy, yeah? You can tell he wasn't the brightest kid in secondary school." Still there was silence, so Dan carried on. "I mean, he thinks you cannot lift up paint cans on your own, right? So what does he do? He picks the second lankiest guy in the room to help you. He's an absolute idiot." Not to sound conceited but he at least expected a chuckle or two, yet still he was given no response. "I mean I'm not saying I don't want to help you or that I have a problem with being alone with you because I don't. I mean-..." His expression scrunched up in minor embarrassment and scrambled to try to save face, "I mean, not that I'm trying to get myself alone with you I'm just saying I don't-..." He sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair, "I'm just going to stop talking now."

Phil glanced up from his trainers, his blue hues staring unblinkingly at the other boy. His voice was low, barely audible as he said; “It’s fine…” He actually sort of liked the sound of Dan’s idle chatter. “You can keep talking if you’d like…”

Dan smiled looking away from Phil only to catch the door before he could reach out for the handle. He opened it, giving a curt nod to Phil as he walked across the threshold. "So what colour are we supposed to be picking up? Did he say?"

“White.” came the younger man's meek reply, “That's the colour of the walls-…”

Daniel smirked, his iridescent amber eyes almost glowing as he looked at Phil with that crooked smile. "I don't really pay attention to walls, Phil." His response was neither sarcastic nor unfriendly, just laden in an implicit chuckle. He also, for some reason, couldn't stop saying the younger man's name; as if he liked the way it sounded coming out of his own mouth. "My attention is usually elsewhere." Phil, of course, was oblivious to this blatant flirtation even when Dan practically drank in the sight of him. He tore his gaze away as Phil eyed the paint cans on the top shelf, moving up to assist him. "Want me to help you get that?" The younger man didn't say anything after briefly meeting his gaze, however he did move to the side to give Dan more room. As Dan stood on the balls of his feet to get the paint cans safely down, he could've sworn he'd felt the younger man's eyes on him. But he shook that off. Even if Phil was staring at him, it wasn't for the same reason Dan always stared. Once the cans were at their feet, he grappled two of them up, looking to see if Phil needed any help. He seemed to manage, and the two of them found the group waiting in the hallway by the locker room.

Nathan saw them first and hollered, "Hey Dan! I didn't know you were a minuteman!"

Despite himself, Dan laughed, "Piss off, you tosser!"

"Alright knock it off you two," spat the probation worker bitterly. He cast a glare at Dan as he and Phil merged with the group, cutting his eyes to Nathan as a last resort. "We'll head on to the park so you delinquents can start painting before I lose my temper."

Dan rolled his eyes as the burly bloke turned on his heels, leading them out of the community center. Nathan bumped into him, taking one of the cans off his hands. Dan didn't tear his gaze away from the man's broad back as he taunted with blatant sarcasm, "Captain Hitler not letting people have any fun."

Nathan chuckled, nudging Daniel in the side with his elbow. "Come on Dan, we'd better get going before the bull rapes us with his horns." The amber-eyed teen laughed openly, tossing his head back slightly as he did so, his peripheral vision catching sight of Phil standing in a slump beside him. As Nathan sauntered away, Dan caught Phil's gaze, dragging it up so he could smile at the shy teen. He placed the paint can in his right hand in the one now empty, reaching down to relieve Phil of one of the paint cans he'd been carrying. Their fingers intertwined briefly before he walked off to catch up with Nathan, the two of them spouting off funny little sardonic remarks about what other things the burly man might've lost along with his temper.

The group chatted as they waited for their probation officer to arrive. Or at least that's what Cora assumed they were doing. Her phone had given a sharp vibration and her attention had moved to the sleek screen of her handheld device, giving little heed to the talk of the others. Lucy had just found out that Mara had been found naked with Craig and like wildfire the gossip was spreading. Cora let out a short laugh, thrilled with the little piece of gossip that drew her temporarily out of the community centre

It was only the arrival of their large probation worker that finally made Cora glance up. She didn't think much of the man, after all who in their right mind would want to willingly spend their time in a dump like this? Didn't he have better things to do?
“Alright guys, you’ll be covering up graffiti on the walls of the Centre. Don’t fuck up.” His eyes shifted between the group of young offenders before landing on Nathan, the one most likely to cause trouble. And of course, not wanting to let anyone down Nathan replied with, “Last time someone looked at me like that, I got laid.”
Cora laughed, the guy may have been a twat but at least he was a funny twat. When his tongue was aimed at someone else Cora was able to enjoy the humour in it.

The painfully shy Phil was sent off to collect the paint with Dan following quickly behind. The remaining group wondered out into the hall where they would wait for the two young men to return. Cora leaned back against the wall, her thumbs speeding across her phone screen as she replied to a string of text messages. Noah stood a step away from her, close enough to be technically in the group, but not so close that it would encourage anyone to speak with him. His plan to get through the hours of community service ahead was to keep his head down and just get on with it. Of course he had thought about making friends with the others, after all having someone he enjoyed speaking with would make the time go faster, but he was hesitant to create ties with anyone.

Dan and Phil returned shortly, paint cans in their hands. Their probation worker led the way, although not before casting another baleful glare at Nathan, Phil and Dan. Cora followed him, head down and attention still focused on her phone. Her ears picked up the traded banter of Dan and Nathan behind her and she couldn't help but grin. Noah, bringing up the rear only shook his head, but didn't butt in. He secretly thought that the probation worker needed to lighten up a bit. Perhaps the storm had stressed him out or he'd simply reached the end of his tether with Nathan's sarcastic humour, whatever it was he seemed a lot more short tempered this morning. Noah only hoped that the large man's temper would affect Noah.

A sudden burst of song broke through Noah's thoughts and he glanced up to see Cora swiping the answer button on her phone. Cora's ring tone, a nondescript pop song, played for only a breath before the girl answered it. "Hey... Yeah, I'm doing my probation... Nah, no one... painting graffiti... I know, pointless." Cora laughed at something said on the other end, "Skinny Johnny and Natasha? No way..." And so Cora continued, oblivious to anything but the gossip she was collecting from her friend. She continued walking with the group, even as her mind raced over the new information from Saturday night's party. As she spoke she heard a small, tinny beep sound that indicated the nearing death of her phone battery. It would hold for at least another hour, but after that she'd have to wait until she got home to check for any more updates since she'd left her charger at home.

Noah, who was close enough to hear everything the brunette said, could only roll his eyes at the vapid conversation. He openly admitted that he wasn't the most intellectual, but at least his life didn't hang upon finding out who had got with who at the last party. Yeah, she was hot, but there was more to life than drinking and parties.

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Was it rude to toss the boy who just gave her a delicious smoothie onto the floor when he unconsciously clung to her after get the shite scared out of him? Probably. Not that Charlotte cared much. She didn't care if he'd given her the keys to a Ferrari, she wasn't about to just let him nearly knock her over because of a loud bang that caught him by surprise. She hadn't even been able to react to the locker properly because of the scene that ensued shortly after. Yet, as she stood amongst the group—minus Dan and Phil—she couldn't help but look back on it and wonder what had happened. That locker room was by no means drafty despite the lackadaisical upkeep. There were no windows. Even so, what breeze other than one from a hurricane had the capability to slam a locker door shut like that? Her musings were cut short when the lanky teens returned with the paint cans, her blue eyes cutting to Dan as he muttered, "Captain Hitler not letting people have any fun." She smirked, concealing her laughter to save face.

When the group moved, she fell back alongside Noah. He was tall, rather broody, and handsome without a shadow of a doubt. Despite his aesthetic appeal, she wasn't the type to jump on his bones at first glance. She'd learned that the hard way. If anything, she'd like to get to know him on an acquaintance basis first. Get him to come out of his shell before Daniel could. That bloke was just too friendly, at least to Lottie. There was no way he could be so happy all the time. It was almost irritating. He walked around like he wanted to be here, like he didn't have anything better to do. She'd never seen excessive happiness of such magnitude in such a dour situation. If anyone was going to bring this group together as mates it would be a combination of Dan's friendly disposition as well the unified snarkiness of both him and Nathan. Those two together were hilarious. As Charlotte watched them up ahead of the group, chattering away, she mused at how seemingly inseparable they already were after a short period of time.

Then Cora began gossiping right in front of her. The ginger rolled her eyes a bit in a bitter way. In her opinion it was far to early for that. Plus, hearing only one side of a conversation was flat out irritating. She let her eyes wander and for the second time they fell on Noah. This time she allowed herself to stare, analyzing his face as he eavesdropped on Cora's phone call. She huffed a slight chuckle when he seemed just as annoyed as she did, taking that as something they had in common. Eventually the group was stationed at the park, the parole officer wandering off down the pavement to God only knows where. Grabbing a paint brush, she took one of the cans with her to a loo building that had graffiti tainting an entire wall. She felt a bit of self-satisfaction when Noah chose to partner up with her in this endeavor. That is, until she thought it over logically. Cora was still on the phone, Dan and Nathan were practically cackling over by the benches, and Phil was ghosting behind them. Now Charlotte, she had yet to be loud or charismatic at all since they became a group. Obviously, if he wanted to avoid any conversation at all, she was the easier choice.

Call it force of habit but she pretty much ruined that for him. "You know you won't be able to keep up the silent treatment for long."

Looking at him you could practically see the abhoration oozing out of his pores, the pure aggravation in the way his eyes rolled back ever so slightly. Charlotte was slightly amused. She'd expected a reaction like that seeing as he's been avoiding everyone for the majority of their probation so far. What she hadn't been expecting was him to shrug it off and reply, in a rather gruff tone, "Apparently not."

"So what're you in for then?" she asked casually, squatting down to paint the lower bricks. Lottie was met with silence as the bristles ran across brick, concealing a portion of the graffiti. She felt someone leering at her and she gazed up from the corner of her eyes to see Noah leering down at her. She read his expression, 'Why would I tell you? and smirked. He really had no reason to but her curiosity got the better of her. She gave a shrug of her own, her expression reading one of impassiveness. "Fine don't tell me. I suppose it's probably something lame anyway. It's not like you committed armed robbery-..."

Noah scoffed, his tone laden in sardonic disbelief, "Oh and I suppose you have?" Charlotte looked at him, her mere expression eliciting a challenge. That was exactly what got her practically incarcerated. She didn't care if he believed it or not. It came as an even bigger surprise when Noah seemed to accept it, giving an indifferent shrug as if whether or not she was telling the truth didn't matter to him. Then he responded with, "Fine. I got in a fight and got caught."

"A fight." Charlotte deadpanned in an incredulous rich tone, her brow cocked in utter skepticism.

To which he gave an irritated tsk before replying, "It was a family honour thing. We started a fight with my sister's ex and his brothers. You know, big street fight kind of thing. Might have got a bit carried away." He shrugged as if it's to be expected, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Some neighbours called the police and when they arrived I was the only one lucky enough to get caught. There was a couple grand worth of damage. Someone had to take the fall for it." Charlotte watched his brow furrow into a scowl at the memory, roughly slapping his paintbrush onto the wall as a wordless indication that they needed to drop the subject.

Nice job, Charlotte, she badgered herself, sneering at the wall in front of her, Real smooth.

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Phil closed his eyes, took a deep cleansing breath then pressed record on his camera. He was sitting on his couch, eyes trained on the device on the tripod. He needed to document this, for it was a monumental feat, something the world has only dreamed of. The red light blinked like a beacon, indicating that he was being recorded.

"I-I've a discovery..." he said into the lens, "I might be insane, but I believe that this isn't just my imagination. I think I might have...might have powers." He glanced behind the camera at the empty hallway, his fingers flexing around the camera's remote control. "I started noticing strange things happening for the past two days. Two days ago, I think I made my cereal quiver without touching it. At first I believed that it was just the result of a car zooming by. However, it seemed all the more peculiar when yesterday, I accidentally slammed a locker with my mind. And if that wasn't strange enough, I levitated my Iron Man comic books."

Phillip paused, wrapping his head around the events that took place, trying to convince himself that this really was happening. "I think something happened to us...to all of us when that storm hit. I think we...-"

"Phil, are you ready to go? You have your probation to finish, love." His mother's voice rang throughout the house. Phil looked at the tripod.

"I don't know what's going on, but I'm going to find out.

With that, Phillip turned off his camera then meandered into the living room where his mother awaited him.

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Nathan sighed, listening to his the chipper sound of his mother's voice through his dying cell phone. Sadly, that voice was not actually her, but her voice-mail, simply writing him off. He hung up, closing his eyes to withhold his frustration. He threw the device onto his makeshift bed of cardboard and donated clothes. He had showered and dressed prior to this phone call because he strongly wanted to just hear her voice and tell her that he was sorry; that he'll change. He could just imagine her with her newspaper in hand as she sits at the dining table. The radio in the kitchen is playing some smooth jazz and toast has just popped out of the toaster. And she's happy; happy that he's gone and out of her life.

Angry, Nathan stood, biting his bottom lip. He paced around the small space before picking up his cell phone and dialing that number again. It went straight to voice-mail.

"Mum," Nathan said into the device. "Please...just talk to me...I'm-..." His plea was interrupted by the death of his cell phone. Nathan sighed, foiled by technological durability. He left his cell phone on the pile of clothes before venturing to the locker room. As he walked her spotted their probation worker, couching three kids in jumpsuits. Nathan quirked a brow, carrying on his trek to his destination. He eyed his fellow inmates as he walked pass them. "Hello, pole-smoker, fire crotch, and girl-that-I'll-probably-try-to-fuck."

Nathan meandered to his locker, stripping out of his clothes and into his jumpsuit. He glanced over his shoulder that the lot of them. "So, I saw the fresh meat getting grilled by King Kong." He smirked just as Phillip entered the locker room. "Ah, the panty sniffer has arrived. Hey, mate, I think the new bitch is a thong type of gal. Extra strong stench, just for you."

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He sat huddled behind a police box, his hood pooled around his countenance to hide his face from passerby. Not that anyone would notice him holding an open flame to the bottom of a bent spoon. They were too consumed in their own lives to notice the young man shooting up on the pavement. His golden tresses clung to the side of his face beneath the wool beanie, his hand shaking slightly from early signs of withdrawal. If there was anything Toby hated more than a bad supply, it was the shakes. He couldn't even hold his lighter still when he got real bad. Luckily he managed to fill the syringe, holding it in his moth as he shoved up the right sleeves of his windbreaker, hoodie, and long-sleeved shirt. He was right-handed so getting the needle point in the right place took a minute or two. If his vein didn't look damn right ghastly, he would've stuck it in his left arm. He shoved the hammer down and laid his head back against the side of the metallic surface he was leaning up against. The drug coursed through his veins, filling his body with a warmth the both soothed and elated him. Tucking away his supplies in a paper bag, he tucked it in his pocket before making his way to the community centre.

Two other people his age were already waiting outside the doors, a large brawny black man blocking their entrance. One of the adolescents was a female, Asian from what he could tell once he shoved his was between the two of them. To his right was the other, a Hispanic male. Toby was aware that he looked homeless compared to them but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was on Cloud Nine, musing to himself how this was some kind of white meat sandwich. The big guy cut his eyes to him and glared.

"So you're the other one then," He grunted.

Toby smirked, his hands shoved in his pockets and a cocky smirk plastered on his face, "Was that rhetorical?"

With his face screwed up in aggravation, the guy—whom Toby assumed to be the parole officer—leaning over at the waist to get up close and personal with the blonde Brit. Toby didn't cower, merely cocking his brow in amusement, his eyes half-lidded. A snarl shaped the officer's lips as he spat out, "Are you stoned?"

"Generally-.... Yeah." Toby replied without missing a beat, "I'm getting there."

The man huffed, grumbling to himself, "Sod this" Looking between the two new recruits, his meaty hand grasped the door frame. Get changed into your jumpsuits. Tell those other rat bastards that I'll be there to introduce you later."

"Oh we don't get a tour?"

"You'll get another week added to your sentence if you don't shut it." The man barked before yanking the door open.

With a lazy roll of his eyes Toby walked listlessly inside, ahead of the other two. He made his way through, following the sound of voices to the locker room though he's served enough community services to know where it was by now. As he entered, he counted three boys and two girls. One of the boys had tanned skin and a small afro of dusty brown hair, he seemed to be looming over the pale raven-haired boy as if he'd just been pestering him. Toby wasn't too surprised, the kid wasn't much. A strong enough breeze would be enough to knock him over. As for the other boy, he was leaning against the lockers with an aura of friendliness that sparked Toby's curiosity. Why would his happy as be here? What'd he get charged for? Excessive happiness?The girls, much to Toby's delight, were a sight for sore eyes. The black girl was one of those pretty ones, with enough tits and ass to drive a young man crazy. The other, a ginger, was thinner with less to offer but she had a nice face on her. He might have to hit that before his service ended. Their conversation stopped as he entered but he offered no greeting except a curt nod and a smile.

He stripped down to his knickers immediately, standing in front of the locker that'd always been his that had thankfully not been taken. It was beside the happy fellow, who looked like he wanted to say something but didn't. Pulling on his jumpsuit, he looked through his locker for a hair tie, just to get his hair out of his face. When he didn't find it he frowned, turning to the red head. "You got a hair tie I could use, doll face?" Though she seemed unwilling to hand it over, she snagged one off of her wrist, handing it over with a scowl. He winked at her and pulled his hair back, his eyes following the gaze of everyone else as the only two finally made it in.

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Rae woke up with a sudden jolt, gasping for air to escape the water she had fallen into in her dream. Heart still pounding, Rae glanced over to her alarm clock. 6:00. As if on cue, the device blared to life. Groaning, she turned the siren off and crawled out of bed, sluggishly making her way to the bathroom. After her daily routine was over and she was dressed Rae quickly made her way outside. The August air would have been quite pleasant if she had not been wearing long sleeves, but she didn't give herself the option of short sleeves anymore. Anything that showed her scars had to be thrown out of her wardrobe or adapted.

By 8:00 A.M. she had made it to her new assigned place- the community center and was ushered over to a large black man. She introduced herself, but was cut off by the man. "I know who you are." Blushing, she looked to her shoes and then over to the Hispanic standing beside her. Part of her wondered why he was there, but the majority of her reminded her that she didn't care. Her brown hues stared at the ground, waiting for who she guessed was their officer to tell them what they were to do next. It wasn't long before another figure joined them... well, sort of joined them. Mostly barged past them, but close enough.

"So you're the other one then," the officer huffed. Rae took a moment to sneak a glance at the new arrival. His hair looked like golden silk, but his features were damn near gauntly. He had a certain look about him, a look that she knew well. That far-off gaze, that easy smile. She stiffened, and mentally made a note to stay away from this kid. He would be trouble for her. Already her alter ego was purring, soaking him up, and revealing at the promise that hung in the air around him. He knew where to get It... and by the look of his high, he knew where to get the good It. Rae dug her nails into her palms, forcing herself to look away from him and to the man who was shoving an obnoxiously orange jump suit into her hand.

Her mind finally jumped back onto the current page, picking up on their current conversation. The officer had asked if the late guy was stoned. What a stupid question, it was written all over his demeanor but.. maybe it wasn't obvious to everyone else. Just an ex-user, maybe. Ex-user. She smiled a little, and perhaps it looked like she was smiling at the boy's snappy comeback, but what she was actually smiling at was the thought she had conjured. Ex-user.Ex... as in, not anymore. Pride bubbled in her chest, but she forced herself to pay attention to what was happening around her. "Get changed into your jumpsuits. Tell those other rat bastards that I'll be there to introduce you later."

The man's tone caught her completely off guard. Did he really just--... "Oh we don't get a tour?" Rae's eyes snapped to the white boy, widening at his blatant disregard for authority. "You'll get another week added to your sentence if you don't shut it," the officer growled before yanking the door open for them. Rae rolled her eyes at his display of authority. It was completely unnecessary. The gauntly looking boy who hadn't bothered to give his name took off down the hall, as though he were on autopilot. Rae glanced cautiously over to the boy beside her and then followed after the blonde, assuming that where the boys changing room was there would be a girl's room.

There wasn't. As she rounded the corner after him she was met with possibly the most terrifying sign she had seen in a while. The stick figure girl was separated by a thin line from the stick figure boy. A unisex changing room. They have to be joking... The blonde had stepped through the door without hesitating; meanwhile, Rae stood glued to the spot. They couldn't be serious. Wasn't this breaking code? Cautiously, Rae stepped toward the door and gingerly pulled it open. In her arms she held her jumpsuit like a shield, prepared to avert or cover her eyes if the unexpected happened to be on the other side of the door. What she was met with shouldn't have surprised her, but for some reason it did. A group of mixed genders, mid-changing process, either ignored or looked up at her as she came in. "You got a hair tie I could use, doll face?" the blonde was saying when the door closed. A beautiful girl with red hair handed one over, but she didn't look too happy about it.

"Are there really no girl's only changing rooms?" Her voice seemed stable enough, though there was an obvious mix of nerves and distaste in her tone. "Of course there are," Nathan glanced up, sarcasm brewing in his voice and taking root in his expression. "They are in right next to the stripper and the unicorn you walked pass, mate." Rae locked her jaw, desperately trying to stop herself from playing the game. A million retorts bubbled up into her throat but she managed to swallow them. She wasn't that girl anymore. She was going to be good. Do her time, and get out. "Thanks," she managed to say. The urge to play his game tickled the back of her throat, but she turned away instead. That wasn't her anymore.

With a small sigh she hugged her orange suit a little closer and looked around, walking out from in front of the door in case someone needed to come in. As she walked she spotted a row of showers toward the back. Perfect. Rae made her way over to the showers and opened the curtains on one. Luckily there was a small space between the actual shower and the curtain, allowing a place for her to change without standing under the shower head. Rae pulled the curtain closed and looked down at the orange bundle in her hand. As if picking up trash wasn't bad enough.

She changed quickly and folded her clothes neatly. She pulled the curtain and walked back out to the lockers, selecting one a fair distance from everyone else. From her pocketbook she pulled out a padlock and clicked it onto her locker after putting her stuff inside. She thought about introducing herself but changed her mind after the last comment she got. It was better this way, anyway. If she didn't make friends, then she wouldn't be distracted; she could get her work done faster and the sentence would seem like it was over sooner. Brilliant. It would be just like the last place she worked at. Lonely and uncomfortable.

"Felix! Wake up!" His mother's voice shouted from outside his bedroom walls. Following her impatient(and inconsiderate attitude towards his need of sleep) words were multiple sounds of her fist banging against the door, demanding to be let in.
Opening an eye, the boy glanced at the clock and through hazy vision looked at the numbers staring back at him. 7:23AM. He still had plenty of time before he needed to roll out of bed.
"Felix, I am not joking. Get up! His mother insisted, this time sounding like she was full out attacking the poor door.
Felix groaned and shoved the blankets off of him. He was already awake now, there was clearly no point in trying to go back to sleep. "In a minute!" Felix snapped, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
"No, now!"
"Okay, okay!" The boy gave in, rising to his feet and making his way over to let his mother inside the room. The moment the 'click' sounded, the doorknob turned and in burst the furious, scowling faced, wrinkle lined woman he occasionally was embarrassed to admit that raised him. At times Felix didn't understand why his father was still married to her, but he wasn't even going to begin questioning.
"You're late! Come on, I have your clothes ready for you." Monica said, grabbing her son's wrist and dragging him out into the main hallway of the house. Felix frowned and pulled his arm back. It was a nice thought, but he was eighteen and fairly sure he could pick out his clothing just fine. Besides, from what he knew of community service, he wouldn't get to wear the fancy shirt and dress pants anyway.

It took a bit of arguing, his mother's pleading for him not to go around in his pajamas, and a few reminders that jeans and t-shirts weren't really considered sleepwear, but in the end Monica Basilio won.
Off to community service Felix went, dressed in his fancy shirt, nice pants, and perfectly clean shoes.

He arrived at the South East Community Centre at 7:59AM, took a little bit of time to fix his shoelaces, and when he stood up again he saw an Asian girl and standing beside him.
Apparently he took a lot longer to tie his shoelaces than he thought.
The girl introduced herself as Rae to the dark skinned man who was glowering down at them, but he didn't seem very interested in who she was. Truthfully Felix wasn't either, but it was nice to know at least one person's name.
"I'm Felix." The boy said, flashing a friendly smile towards the girl.

Footsteps sounded behind the three of them and the dark man's scowl seemed to deepen, "So you're the other one then," he said, still no trace of joy to be detected in his voice. This guy was definitely the definition of friendly.
Felix casted a glance at the new arrival, and in one look he rolled his eyes and turned away. The blond was pathetic, not at all worth his time. The dark man, who Felix had just come to realize was their 'officer', asked if the newest arrival was high. It was a question that Felix chuckled at, but one cold glare from the officer shut him up. A second later, the officer was shoving an orange jumpsuit into his hands, "Get changed into your jumpsuits. Tell those other rat bastards that I'll be there to introduce you later." He snapped.
"Oh we don't get a tour?" The blond asked.
"You'll get another week added to your sentence if you don't shut it." The officer warned before yanking open the door to let them in.
The stoned white boy strolled on through, walking quicker than Felix and Rae and seemingly knowing where he was going. Felix caught the Asian glance at him, but quickly she followed after the blond.
Shrugging, Felix trailed behind the two.

Now, not a lot of things surprised mister-I-drive-cars-through-walls, but a unisex changing room was a bit on the unfamiliar side. Not that he minded, but Felix had at least thought there would have been some sort of barrier separating the two. However, the view in front of him told that his guess was wrong.
While Rae and the others began to chat, Felix got straight to finding a spot and switching in to the orange jumpsuit that was certain to catch eyes. Really he thought that the outfit was humiliating, but then he realized that that just might be the point.
Whatever, though. Community service wouldn't last too long.

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Charlotte eyed the new members of their little family, almost reassured when Nathan immediately showered the new girl in sarcasm at her idiotic question. Why would the girls be in here changing if there was a girls' locker room? Honestly, the ginger thought in revulsion, some people really didn't use their common sense. And why, for that matter, were there three newcomers instead of one? Wouldn't a replacement match the number of those being replaced? The lack of logic within these walls never ceased to amaze her. She turned to her locker and shut it with slight annoyance, still miffed about giving her hair tie to this guy who seemed to think he owned the place. After he pulled his hair back, Charlotte's eyes began cataloging all of the visible tattoos in an effort to ignore the other arrivals. She spent a few minutes in thought, ignoring everyone the best she could. A goody-two-shoes Asian trying to put her life back together wasn't her idea of good company. And as for the Hispanic boy, well, she'd learned the hallway what happens when she associates with some men in their group. Not that she thought Noah's incarceration was in any way related to her, but it was a weird coincidence that she couldn't help but feel self-conscience of. Better stick to talking to Dan, she decided with a disgruntled sigh. Or perhaps, she thought as she cut her gaze to the blonde in front of her, someone she wouldn't mind see leave.

"So what're you in for?" She inquired lightly, catching his attention.

A small smirk graced the blonde's thin lips as he scoffed, "More like what aren't I in for, rather." He turned to her completely, leaning up against the lockers with his arms crossed, "What about you?"

"Armed robbery." She stated simply, as if it were something trivial like the weather.

At her monotone reply, his clouded eye's glistened in amusement, a soundless laugh shaping his mouth into a full grin. He glanced into the corner where the Asian girl was putting a combination lock on the locker she chose and he smirked, nodding his head in her direction as he met Charlotte's unrelenting gaze, "Good thing she brought that then."

Charlotte simply shrugged, ignoring the girl completely, "I never steal anything without a gun."

"Nice," the blonde chuckled, nodding his approval, "I like a girl that can pack some heat. So what's your name, freckles?"

"Charlotte."

"I think I prefer freckles."

That irked her, "Well what's your name?"

"Toby." he replied. The amused glint in his eyes an indication that he knew where this was going.

"I prefer Cokehead, personally."

He shrugged nonchalantly, "That's only because you've never watched Roots." At this Charlotte cocked her brow, narrowing her eyes in question before the parole officer tramped through the door of the changing room like a herd of buffalo. No small feat, the ginger decided, even for a burly man such as himself.

"Alright maggots," He hollered in the small space, "Because I doubt that any of you bothered to learn the names of our new members, I'll tell you who they are. The girl's Rae and the Spaniard is Felix, or something like that."

Charlotte watched as Daniel snapped his attention from the blonde back to the parole officer, "But-...what about him? He's supposed to be here right? What's his name?"

The officer had opened his mouth to retort but the blonde beat him to the punch, interjecting with a laugh, "Go on Kyle, tell him." With his mouth he made a whipping noise, gesticulating to match the sound, "What's my name?" This he shouted with a toothy grin, clearly pleased with himself at some joke Charlotte didn't get.

"Toby." the parole officer spat, glaring daggers into the blonde. "We'll be picking up trash today in the park. I'll be waiting outside so don't hold me up." With that he turned on his heels and left the room, leaving silence in his retreat. Charlotte's eyes drifted over to Toby, her eyes doing the talking for her as she silently wondered what the hell was wrong with him.

He put on a meek face as he shrugged before stepping over the bench, leaning in close and muttering, "You've got to love his bedside manner."

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"So what're you in for?" The question caused Rae to pause as she finished at her locker. She made a point to stare straight at the metal, pretending to be uninterested even though she was.
"More like what aren't I in for, rather." It was the blonde haired boy who answered. "What about you?" Rae rolled her eyes and continued adjusting things in her locker.
"Armed robbery," the red head stated simply, as if they were asking each other about how their families were doing. "Good thing she brought that then." Rae didn't have to look up to know he was gesturing towards her as she locked her locker.

She slowly locked her jaw, refusing to say anything that might cause trouble. She wasn't that girl anymore, and she wouldn't start trouble here. She would be good, and she would put her life back together, damnit. "I never steal anything without a gun." The girl's answer was reassuring, at least. Besides, there wasn't anything worth stealing in the locker anyway. Rae sat down on the bench in front of her locker and rubbed her hands over her arms. It was strange having them exposed after so long of wearing long sleeves.

"Nice, I like a girl that can pack some heat. So what's your name, freckles?" She wanted to puke. What was it about community centers that did it for people? How could he be flirting with her in a place and time like this? Rae glanced up to the red head. "Charlotte." The look on her face gave Rae some comfort. At least she wasn't air-headed and falling for whatever crap the blonde was trying to pull. "I think I prefer freckles."
"Well what's your name?" "Toby." "I prefer Cokehead, personally." Rae smiled, unable to stop a small giggle. Immediately she pulled herself together. Whatever Toby had said in response was lost to her as the officer came barging in.

"Alright maggots," The officer yelled as he came in, "Because I doubt that any of you bothered to learn the names of our new members, I'll tell you who they are. The girl's Rae and the Spaniard is Felix, or something like that." Rae glanced up at her name, and felt a stab of anger as the officer refereed to Felix in such a rude way. So far, Felix had been the only one to show any sign of possible tolerance. She knew better than to hope for friends, but perhaps- her eyes cut across to the sarcastic one from earlier, the boy with messy dark hair- allies. She quickly directed her attention elsewhere, back to the officer. She didn't want to start anything with the sarcastic boy. He looked skinny and small, but in her experience that didn't mean shit. It meant he would be the first to throw a punch. "Toby."

Rae glanced over to Toby as the inside of her left arm started to itch. "We'll be picking up trash today in the park. I'll be waiting outside so don't hold me up." Her attention drifted back to the officer as he left the room. Rae knew that in any other situation it would be time to learn the names of everyone else in the room, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. Was it that she didn't care, or was it that she didn't want to test her temper with the smart-ass remarks that would inevitably follow any other questions she posed to the group.

Feeling uncomfortable and out of place, Rae ran her hands over her bare arms. She felt exposed and heat began to rise in her cheeks. The jumpsuit was short sleeved and left her scars unprotected. Crossing her arms in an effort to hide the insides of her elbows, Rae turned to Felix. "Hey. Felix, right? I've seen you somewhere... on the news.. Are you that guy that drove a car into the mall?" Her tone was curious if anything, with possibly a hint of awe. It was the type of thing you saw in movies, but certainly not something that came up in real life. It sounded like something off of Grand Theft Auto or Fast and Furious.

"Sorry," she added after a beat, glancing to the door, "it's none of my business." Glancing around at everyone else in the room, she tried to think of how they all got there even though she had no plan to ask. "Guess we should get going.. no point in delaying the inevitable.." she muttered, more to herself than to anyone else. With a sigh she went to the door and stepped outside to wait with the officer.