oo1 [location: outside the central mansion] fear and wonder all wrapped into one
This wasn't home. Of that one fact, Noah was absolutely certain. The rest of it: how he had come to be here, where here happened to be, or how he was going to leave, he didn't know. He knew without a single doubt, however, that this was not his home.
As he peered up with wide eyes at the sprawling building before him, tiny hands clenched into fists at his side, he tried to decide just what to do. Should he go inside? He could practically hear his daddy's voice reminding him not to go into strange places alone. The only problem was, it was all strange. Every last bit of it. From the people to the building to wherever the building happened to be. None of it was the least bit familiar.
So, what was he supposed to do? He understood even at his tender age, that he couldn't simply stand there forever. Even if he hadn't been dressed in his race car pajamas and hadn't only been three he couldn't just keep standing there. Sooner or later, somebody was going to try talking to him. If they were a bad person he might be in even more trouble than he was pretty sure he was already in, and the last thing he wanted was to end up on one of those little pieces of mail that had pictures of kids who didn't live with their mommies and daddies anymore.
Hovering in indecision, he bit his lower lip anxiously. Panic was working its way slowly up his chest, the knowledge that he had to make a choice weighing heavily upon him. He didn't know where he was, he didn't know what to do, and if he didn't see a familiar face in the next few minutes he was going to start crying like some sort of baby.
Too late.
The tears began trickling down his cheeks, one right after another. He clamped his mouth shut to stifle the sob that threatened to join them and slowly turned his gaze to the ground. He didn't want to be here, wherever here was, he decided as he scrubbed at his wet eyes. He didn't care if the place looked big and fancy. He wanted his own house back. He wanted his dad and his dog and his toys. He wanted something familiar and decided in an act of juvenile stubbornness that he was going to stand right where he was until that something appeared.
Or he got hungry enough to venture inside to find some food. Whichever came first.