British Bird - Complete

British Bird - Chapter Ten

"Mr Blackbourne told us," Kota says, pushing his glasses up his nose. "About the girl that was looking after you. It's all we knew up until now."

I want to be mad, but I'm not. They have good hearts, it's obvious to see. "I've been lucky," I say, clearing my throat. "I've never had anything like that happen to me but witnessing it is enough to scare, scar me, for the rest of my life. It's one of those things you can't ever unsee."

"Have all the foster homes you been in like that one with the girl?" Gabriel asks.

"No. Some are okay, some are bad, and then there's Cara and Johnny. They're simply the best." A smile curves at my lips, "They've helped me so much, taken care of me. I owe them everything."

"They love you," Sean says.

What Cara had said to me before we left comes back to me. She told me she loved me, that her and Johnny both did. That's something I'll have to talk to her about later. Nobody has ever told me they love me before and I'm not sure how to take it. One thing I know is that I love them.

I don't say anything in response, instead we just let the silence consume us. Thoughts of the Academy go through my head, questions I want to ask but honestly, they can wait. I understand now that this Academy is what they've been busy with. What I also know is that after the rest of the week, they have the next two weeks of until I return back to England. Is it to early to say that I don't want to leave here, to leave them? I barely know them and that scares me. I'm so attached already. How much more are my feelings,  the attachment and the need to be close, going to grow for them?

Them. That scares me too. It's not just one, it's all of them. What I feel towards them is something I'm not sure I completely understand.

Sinking back into the sofa, I close my eyes, resting my head back on the cushion. Low murmurs go on around me, but I feel completely drained of energy. The last thing I remember is something wet and firm, yet soft and gentle press the back of my hand and Nathan whispering, "Sleep, you're safe with us."

I believe him. I'm pretty sure he also just kissed my hand.

End of Flashback

Coming out of the staff room, I get to work helping Laura with filling glasses of juice and preparing pots of coffee and tea. Adam shows up just as I round the bar to start taking orders from the few tables that are seated, including the one the boys sit at. He sends me a frown, but clearly running late he doesn't stop to chat and honestly, I'm thankful he doesn't.

Laura rounds the bar with me. "I'll do the ones at the back," she says. I look up at her from my notepad that I already have in hand, but find her looking in the direction of where I know the boys sit. I've felt them looking at me as I worked, I just didn't let it faze me. "As you know that handsome group of boys," she sends me a smirk before wandering of.

Moving my eyes up, I look in their direction. Kota is nodding at whatever Nathan is saying while Victor just stares at Luke like he's lost his mind. I wonder what they're talking about. Some of their conversations were sometimes serious, yet sometimes completely pointless and amusing. North is watching me, not giving any reactions to whatever Silas and Sean are saying to him. Gabriel and Mr Blackbourne are on their phones.

Taking a deep breath, I go over, picking up some breakfast menus on my way. Reaching the table, I start reaching over shoulders and placing the menus on the table while trying to ignore how close to them I'm getting. "Here are the menus with a selection of breakfast options. Each breakfast comes with a tea or coffee and an orange or apple juice. Our breakfast special for today is a Full English Breakfast: sausage, bacon, eggs, mushrooms, hash browns, and black pudding with beans or plumb tomatoes, and two slices of toast. It also comes with bowl of fruit of either mixed berries or Apple and grapes."