Questions

It usually took a lot to startle Carson, but as he realized it was Misty who has just come up beside him, his eyes widened in surprise and he almost jumped. What on earth was she doing here? He said nothing as she helped him finish off the pepperoni pizza, bewildered by her presence. Her comment threw him for an even bigger loop and he finally turned to face her. "Of course you're not a bother...you're never a bother." 

Seeing her tears, he suddenly realized something was wrong. Was it something he'd done again? If it was, she probably wouldn't be standing here, though. "Hey, hey, what's wrong, ay?" he asked softly. His eyes glanced up to Aerith and he nodded to the oven for her to take over. 

Taking Misty to the side out of the way, he pulled her into a strong, warm hug, just holding her for several moments. "It's okay," he assured softly and kissed the top of her head. "You wanna tell me what happened?"


Scott didn't look up at Dalton as he talked, but he was listening. Still so thin, he pulled his feet up on his chair and wrapped an arm around his legs, while he took another sip of pop. Sometimes it bothered his stomach, but it was a comfort food for him. He stared at his computer screen in silence for a few minutes until he finally nodded. "Thank you..." 

He took another sip of pop. Maybe he'd made progress like Dalton said. But would he ever feel normal again? Would he ever feel even close to how he used to? A vague reflection of his face could be seen on the outer edges of his computer screen. No matter what, every time he looked at himself, his grey eye was a stark reminder of things he wished he could erase from his mind. He never would be back to his old self, would he? It was impossible. The old Scott had been brave enough to live life. To even propose marriage to Katie. Now, he hid away in his house after work hours, and could hardly carry on a normal conversation with Hope...someone he loved deeply. How unfair it was to those around him, and he just couldn't seem to pull himself out any further. 

"I don't know what I'd do without the Elite," he admitted quietly. "Anywhere else, they'd never let me keep working, and I'd prolly wind up on some sort of disability and never leave my house." He sighed deeply. His panic had passed. For now. 

A message on his screen caught his attention, and he put his feet back on the floor, leaning in to look more closely. "Um...someone just navigated through our system and is trying to hack into something... Agency files. I recognize the coding. It's coming from in our building, but whoever it is didn't have access, 'cause they had to go through a back door." He did some quick investigating. "Susanne's computer? But she's gone to lunch." He glanced at Dalton. Odd. Who was using her computer to access things they shouldn't, let alone be trying to hack into the Agency? If they didn't know what they were doing, it could backfire and the Elite would be left wide open. 


Travis couldn't really imagine being homeschooled. Not that he had very many friends, but being alone just sounded boring. Although living somewhere like this would probably help. He chuckled and shrugged. "Not much to tell about myself, really. I just graduated and have no plans, which irritates my mom. But...I like to fish and work with horses."

He paused as he worked a tangle out of Stardust's mane with his gentle fingers. "I like movies...music...I like to paint a little, but I'm not nearly as good as my dad. He's amazing." He leaned on the mare's back and looked over at Ashlee. She hadn't said which grade she was in, and he still couldn't guess her age. One minute he'd guess maybe young teen, and the next, she talked like she was older than he was. Regardless, she was being super nice, and he was glad she was around so he had someone to interact with while he was here. Not to mention, she didn't seem to let his condition faze her. 

He gained a new crooked grin. "So...your turn again. What do you like to do, besides ride?"