Waiting for her with food, at least, so that was good. Wasn't it?
Sparks had been worried when Amelia was nowhere to be found that morning, but coming back to find that she'd eaten the food he brought for her had been reassuring, at least. Still, he sort of bummed around the warehouse for a bit all the same, in case she came back. This time, he'd even brought the kitty. Velcro was pretty excellent for putting wary little minds at ease, after all.
He'd been a few pages into a novel he'd brought with him when she ducked into the warehouse, and this time he did catch the movement, looking up toward her with a little smile.
"Hey, kiddo," he greeted, dog-earing a page before closing the book, and then nodding at his backpack. "Missed you this morning."
"Yeah? I bet she's a great kid, though, if she's your little sister. I never really got to know most of my siblings. The only one that isn't way younger than me is my big sister, Carla."
He tapped his finger against his leg thoughtfully, and then reached for his backpack, pulling out a tupperware container with meatloaf and something that the school cafeteria insisted was made of potato.
"But you're here on your own, huh?"
She could think while they ate. All part of his nefarious 'get the kid in out of the cold already' scheme.
Amelia craned her neck to see what he was holding.
"I was home on my own too, at least for a little," she said, wriggling over a bit closer because, well, food. "I went to bed one night, and everything was normal, then I woke up the next morning and..."
She petted Velcro. "And Elena and Dad and almost everyone was gone."
Sparks was so damn happy he'd brought the cat. He was starting to grasp that petting Velcro was Amelia codespeak for 'I'm upset and talking to the kitty is safer.'
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, gently. "My parents left me behind when I was little, too. I got new ones, eventually, and they're great, but... I get how hard it is."
He swallowed and forced a little smile, pulling the lid from the container and nudging it her way.
"I wasn't left behind," she said indignantly, but subsided enough to take the container. Amelia smiled a bit, when Velcro, of course, wanted to see what was in the container.
"Okay, not left behind," Sparks replied easily, holding his hands up in a small gesture of surrender. "Either way, I mean... I know what being alone is like."
Not as well as some, maybe, but he'd been there.
"And... you're welcome. It's a little cold. I've been sitting here for a while. But I tried to keep it by the heat, at least, so it shouldn't be too bad."
Sparks had been worried when Amelia was nowhere to be found that morning, but coming back to find that she'd eaten the food he brought for her had been reassuring, at least. Still, he sort of bummed around the warehouse for a bit all the same, in case she came back. This time, he'd even brought the kitty. Velcro was pretty excellent for putting wary little minds at ease, after all.
He'd been a few pages into a novel he'd brought with him when she ducked into the warehouse, and this time he did catch the movement, looking up toward her with a little smile.
"Hey, kiddo," he greeted, dog-earing a page before closing the book, and then nodding at his backpack. "Missed you this morning."
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He tapped his finger against his leg thoughtfully, and then reached for his backpack, pulling out a tupperware container with meatloaf and something that the school cafeteria insisted was made of potato.
"But you're here on your own, huh?"
She could think while they ate. All part of his nefarious 'get the kid in out of the cold already' scheme.
Reply
"I was home on my own too, at least for a little," she said, wriggling over a bit closer because, well, food. "I went to bed one night, and everything was normal, then I woke up the next morning and..."
She petted Velcro. "And Elena and Dad and almost everyone was gone."
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"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, gently. "My parents left me behind when I was little, too. I got new ones, eventually, and they're great, but... I get how hard it is."
He swallowed and forced a little smile, pulling the lid from the container and nudging it her way.
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"Thanks," she said, a bit grudgingly.
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Not as well as some, maybe, but he'd been there.
"And... you're welcome. It's a little cold. I've been sitting here for a while. But I tried to keep it by the heat, at least, so it shouldn't be too bad."
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