Shad blinked through the rain and windshield, to the girl who was driving. He gave a semi-smile, and looked up the street. Lost was a word that could describe him. He had an idea where he wanted to go, and couldn't find there. There being a rundown house with a roof and a dry spot for the night. He turned back to the car and shook his head, no, he wasn't lost.

"No... Not lost. Just... Looking for a dry place to sleep."

He realized saying this while he had been jumping in a puddle wasn't exactly looking all the truthful, but then again, he wasn't lying. He had been looking... He just got distracted. He quickly picked his feet out from the puddle and back onto the sidewalk. The person wanted to get past, and he had been in the way. Besides, he just realized how dirty that water could have been.

It had been a quiet day in the scraping-by lives of the citizens of the slanged "Fast Food District". This may or may not have been its real name, but as the occupants were too busy living to protest, the name stuck.

It was raining. Enough to be considered a shower, though more annoying really, than a good downpour. What made it all the more frustrating had to be the line of blue just out of the boundaries of slate-gray blanketing the sky. In any such situation, Brenna might have been locked in her room, perhaps at the throat of an instrument or another. Very likely sleeping not long after. But today, she needed a drive.

The green Mustang crawled down the rubbish-lined streets as if the driver was looking for something inparticular. This was incorrect, Brenna was just giving anyone still in the shabby a good ear of her music. Alice Cooper blasted from her tape player. All right, the car was out of date in certain departments, but it played and that was what mattered.

She wasn't even looking at the road, makeuped eyes lazily turned towards the line of houses in their full brick casing. So bored. So devoid of something to do. No one to even intimidate. Not yet in sight, at least.

Her booted foot maintained a steady pressure on the gas pedal as she continued down the road.

Shad was cold, wet, and feeling utterly miserable. He had tried to sleep it out in kestrel forn in an oak tree, but it hadn't worked, and now he was soaked. So he decided to walk and get so wet that he seemed indecernable from a snowman in human clothes that had melted. Suited him, 'cept for the fact it was fridgid also. So cold... So frickin cold...

Shad was wandering the streets, hoping he might find a rundown building without a missing roof. Cars passed and one slicked him with a new coat of water, which brought on a burst of energy. This was quickly turned into giddy, almost hyper energy, and the boy dashed up the street a bit further to jump into a puddle formed by a clogged rain drain.

Now, completely soaked, and a bit tired, he looked to sound of a car. Music was blasting. He squinted through the rain, and saw a green mustang aproaching. The paint was chipping, and it looked pretty shabby. Then again, the driver looked dry. Shad stood his ground in the center of the puddle. If anything was to happen, it wouldn't be the girl merging over to throw water on him.

Brenna blinked through the bleary windshield.

A midget by the road. Must... resist.. urge.. to hit...

She drummed her bitten fingernails against the steering wheel to the now squealing guitar. Trying to decide what to do about the road block. Drench.. hit.. leave alone... Why not give in to bordem? It would be a lark in the otherwise bleak mid-afternoon.

She pulled over to slow alongside Shad, having to lunge over briefly and roll the window down.

"Hey there.. you lost or somethin'?"

Haha, not that she could help him. She was driving blindly.

"Dry, huh? Looks like you need it, kid. Get in. I'll take you somewhere dry..."

She cocked her head to indicate the passenger seat. It never dawned upon her that she did not exactly look like a nun. Her thick hair was brushed, but the blue roared out from the dark waves. She was in fully make-up regalia, her lips a shade of navy and her eyes light-and-dark purple. She was wearing her leather jacket, nothing else visible under its warm, black cloaking.

A guitar case was resting on the back seat of her Mustang as well as a few folders and the dying remanents of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich living in a grocery bag. She should probably take that out sometime....

Shad was almost reluctant to get in. 1) His tail made it extremely uncomfortable to sit in a car, because there was no place he could stow it that kept him looking natural, and not constapated. 2) The girl looked a bit... Freaky. Her choices of makeup and apparel had a gang and gothic look to Shad, and the boy couldn't help but notice the case in the back. Bodybag? No... Guitar case. He opened the door and slid in, letting his tail mash itself up good.

Shad glanced around, noticing a more beat up appearance to the car. The warn tan color of the seating was patched and tearing in some parks, and looking out the window showed him the peeling green paint. There was a bag of something in the back, and the car smelled old and moldy. It was probally older than him...

"So... Where are we going?"

"I dunno... where do you want to go...?"

She eyed him closely across the dassboard. Shrimpy thing. Did he live here? Would she have parents and cops come to her house looking for the missing boy? Ha...

"What's your name anyway, kid? Do you live around here?"

Police might not be good, on second thought, especially if they decided to search her room. No officer, I don't know how those got there... She still smirked at this idea even while waiting for her answer.

Shad shrugged, and looked out the window. The rain was coming down harder, and he was very happy to have this car to sit in, ugly as it was.

"I don't know where I want to go... I don't have relitives here, so I usually just find some nice place to sleep. That's all..."

He wasn't lying. He lived mostly in his kestrel form, and for the times he wasn't a kid, he spent them flying and hunting mice and voles and rabbits. Sparrows too, for he was a sparrow hawk. He slept in this form, usually in a tree. The rain was just so drenching and the wind so foul that he couldn't live like this this night.

"My name is Shad. What is yours?"

The 'e' that should be at the end of his name isn't there, for it is pronounced like the shade you would find under a tree, not like 'Chad' with a more 'shhh'ed sound. He smiled politely, and looked behind him, through the back window. It was steamed up, and he frowned. That had been his hope of shelter. Down that road.

"I want to go anywhere dry... Know a place that doesn't require money to go to?"

No relations. Excellent, no police. Her boot came down on the gas pedal and a spray of water accented their jerk forward. She turned a corner and began heading out of the run-down area, not wearing seatbelt of course.

"Brenna Jorgen..."

She responded without taking her eyes from the wet road. So the kid was broke. Figured if he lived down there somewhere.

"No money, huh? Not really, Shad... let's just keep going and see what we turn up with, hmm?"

She was all for a drive, and the company had, so far, not been offensive in the least.

Shad nodded, but began to feel uncomfortable. The woman looked spooky enough, and her driving her... Somewhere was just not making him feel much better. He scooted closer to the door in his seat, the seatbelt fastened over him. He spoke up, in a scared whisper.

"No offence, but you are a bit scary... I mean, well, the fact that you are just going to drive me somewhere frightens me... You sure you don't molest little boys...?"

He smiled some, but his brow was furrowed in worry.

((Ick... Short))

Brenna looked over and cocked a penciled eyebrow.

"Do I what..? No, no... not at ALL.. Shit, there's a ton of stuff I DO do.. but that isn't one, kid, trust me. Yeah, that's just sick..."


She rolled his ebony eyes and turned a corner, speeding up down the highway as she tried to think of somewhere to go.

Shad was happy that she wouldn't molest him, but the 'tons of stuff' she did do was beginning to eat at him. He quietly and nonchalontly replied to her statement.

"Oh? Like what?"

He let his face look purely placid so that she couldn't see the fact that his brain was racing and his heart pumping. He blinked as the came to the highway, and gripped the door handle. He was tense enough that the air around him probally looked constricted.

She paused. This one took thought. Tell the guy all the things she did do and have him search for an "eject" button on his seat... or lie. He seemed enrvous enough, so she went for the median.. dilute the truth.

"Oh.. ya know.. just stuff... Nothin' real major.."

She followed the nonchalant statement with a casual shrug. But it was time for a subject change.

"Er.. ya like Hardees?"

She asked to fill in the minor pause, glancing from the road to Shad briefly.

Shad nodded, and took a guess that they were things that 'little' kids like him shouldn't hear of. Sadly, he had heard all the things before. High school was hell... Shad nodded as she shrugged, and looked out onto the high way. Wet roads, fast, old car... He hadn't looked over the wheels to see if they had grip on them. He supposed they likely didn't. Her next statement made him blink.

"Er... Never met them...? Heard them? Ate them...? I don't know what they are, honestly."

He flashed the girl a nervous grin, and then turned to watch the road again.

"Uh.. it's a restaurant.. It isn't great, but the food's cheap and the service's halfway decent."

She turned again, keeping an eye out for the gaudy yellow star on the raised pole.

"So.. you go to highschool?"

She pulled into the puddle-laden lot and turn the car off, still watching Shad without moving. She remember highschool... certain parts at least. Only the important parts really. Not that is mattered so much.

"High school's a real haze for me, but don't take it for granted.. it's good times either way ya go."

She nodded sagely as if consuling a young pupil on the workings of the world.

He noted the fact that he was really hungry, and immeadiatly dug his hand into his pocket. He knew he had quite a bit of money today, for he had found a twenty lying under a bench at a bus stop, not to mention the numerous coins he collected from the amusment part. And food sounded great. They pulled up, and he pried the door open.

Shad got out of the car in the parking lot of what appeared to be Hardees. He looked over the top of the car, thinking about his answer. How to tell someone that you are classified as a genius and have already passed high school, and to make it worse, that was two years ago when you graduated. Maybe just tell it like it is.

"I am a grad. Graduated two years ago."

He started making his way across the parking lot, drenched and sloshing in his shoes.

"Really? A brain, huh? Lookin' for a scholarship? Try music, they give 'em away."

She strolled up to the doors, fogged with condensation. Brenna's short skirt was a mix of purple, blue, green, and yellow tartan. Her sleeveless shirt was gunmetal grey, the leather jacket open. Her boots buckled in four places up her stick-like calves, and she wore her favoured orange socks that ended just beneath her bony knees.

She bobebd her head to the music circling in her brain. She pulled open a door and entered.

Grease, fat, orders being yelled, customers chomping on salt-covered fries and squirting ketchups on the patties comprised of God-only-knows what meats.

"Welcome to the wide world of fast food, kid. Pick ya somethin' to eat an' grab a booth."

Was that the foxy drive-up guy? Hmm, maybe this was a good idea and not just ignited boredom.

Shad nodded at her, but knew he could never try for a music scholarship. He was musically challanged, and prefered it that way. When you played an instrument, the whole world watched and critisized you, even if they say they didn't. They judged your every note. One wrong one...

He followed her in, and swiftly read through the menu. She wasn't reading it. She was checking out another menu, and one which Shad was poorly versed in. Then again, he was of that age, but he wasn't looking for someone quite yet. His mind was only focused on one fufilment: food. Of course, he scans the cheepest of the items. He wasn't going to spend all his money on a meal, and if she was buying, he certainly didn't want to spend all her money. A cheeseburger, fries, and a drink, kid sized, would do wonders. He made a note, then told Brenna.

"Kiddy meal Cheeseburger. One with fries and a drink... Sounds good?"

Why did he need her opinion? He didn't. He was being lame and asking anyway.

"Sure thing."

She nodded vageuly, raising an eyebrow. Look this way... look this way... He had to take an order. Oh well. She walked to the counter and ordered herself some curly fries and a soda along with Shad's request.

She glanced over her shoulder while taking some napkins.

"Get your drink..."

She scooped up the cup and walked over to the soda fountain. Selecting diet Coke, she then flopped into a booth to wait for their number to be called.

Shad nodded at her ordering, and took the cup they had placed on the counter. He followed her over to the drink fountains and scanned them over. He hadn't had soda in ages. Whichever seemed to just scream sugar was for him right now. He looked over them, and, after not deciding, just mixed all of them together. His trial sip was good, though he figured the Diet, Caffine Free, and Regular coke had dominated the entire thing. He should have thought about that while he was mixing... Oh well. He followed her to the booth, and smiled before sitting across from her and drinking most the soda in the cup. God was sugar good.

"So... How much do I owe you?"

He could read the price, and he had memorized while picking out his order, but asked just to see if he was getting a free meal or really had to pay her back.

"Uh..."

Brenna turned in her seat to study the menu.

"Looks like..uh... $2.50? I dunno... that sounds right."

She shrugs, hearing their number. She stands and grabs the tray with their food and sits back down.

"Eat up, kid."

She gestures to the food, grabbing her fries and popping one in her mouth.

"So you have no family around here?"

While Brenna went to get the food, he pulled a few bills from his pocket, and counted out three dollars. She gets a tip too. He smiled, and laid the bills down on the table as she came back with the food, grabbing the kid-sized burger and a little bag of fries. He unwrapped the burger and took a bite. thinking about her question for a brief moment, then finishing his bite.

"Nope. Only family I got is way far away from here and I am never allowed to see them again... It's a long story."

He hoped she wouldn't ask to hear it, but he did bring it up so it was his fault if she did.

"Wow... that really sucks. So.. do you live in that place?"

Her first instinct was to say "dump", but if he lived there, that might be offensive.

She chewed another fry as she tried to think of something else to chat about. Other than the weather. Brenna was hopeless in sports, and this kid didn't exactly look like he went to raves often. Hmmm....

"So... what was your favourite subject in school?"

Test the waters.. find things out... Nothing better was coming to mind.

Shad shook his head, and smiled a bit through the ketchup that was dirtying the corners of his mouth. Mmmm... Burger... He licked his lips in order to rid his face of the ketchup and not sacrafice one single drop. Chew, chew, chew, swallow. Breathe. Speak.

"No, I don't live there."

Better leave it at that. Don't want to tell her that you are a homeless kid, and have her get curious about that.

"Sciences. All sciences. English too. I really liked Biology and Chemistry, so if I had to pick an absolute favorite, those would be the two..."

He realized that was two subjects and not one for a favorite, but he really couldn't decide between the two. Chemistry had been hard, but fun, and biology had been easy and a tad less fun, but the teachers had made the two classes the best. Good teachers, good classes.