Nomad 101 (Completed)

Chapter 99

Finally! WP isn't being so mean anymore. Here's another update for your enjoyment.

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**| Sang's POV |**

We didn't get back to the safe house until two hours later. Owen wanted to make sure we weren't followed and the others wanted to make sure the safe house wasn't jeopardized. Once we got in, we were going into lock down. I asked about Ailee, but they said she was with her boyfriend for the night, so she was fine.

When we pulled up to the house, I jumped out and went to the trunk, Owen already there, popping it open for me. I grabbed a couple of bags, Luke grabbed the others.

"What is this shit?" Gabriel asked, standing on the porch. "You went shopping without me?"

He glared hard at Luke and then me, skipping over Owen. I figured none of the boys dared to glare at Owen.

"It's for Sprinkles," I said.

Gabriel frowned. "What's a Sprinkles?"

"A skunk," Luke said. Owen grabbed a couple of bags and didn't say anything as he disappeared inside.

"A skunk. Where the hell did you find a skunk?"

"In the garden," I said.

Gabriel looked like he was really struggling with what we were saying.

"Wait. Wait the fuck up. You find a skunk in the garden and named it Sprinkles? Please tell me you it's still in the garden."

"It's in the room I took over," I said.

"No. It needs to go. It's going to spray and stink up the whole place. I'm surprised it hasn't done it yet."

"It can't, Meanie," I said. "It's a pet. We called the owners and the owners didn't want him, so we're keeping him."

Gabriel looked between the two of us and then behind him. "And Mr. B is okay with that?"

Luke and I both nodded. "Very. He's the one who suggested going to the pet store for supplies."

"And when this is done with, Sprinkles is going to stay with us," Luke said.

Gabriel blinked a couple of times. "I want to meet him."

I broke out in a huge grin. "Then you will. Come on."

I ran up the stairs. Gabriel grabbed the bags in my hands and glared when I tried to say something. I sighed and stepped into the house. I heard the others in a room nearby but ignored them as I ran up the steps and headed toward the room Sprinkles was in. Gabriel stayed right behind me, the plastic bags rustling as he moved.

When we got to the door, I stopped and Gabriel brushed against me before backing off a little. I glanced at him, Luke right behind him looking just as excited as I felt. I reached for the knob and turned it, doing everything slowly. I didn't want Sprinkles slipping out again like last time. For all I knew, he could be right there, waiting to make a dash for freedom again.

I didn't think I had it in me to go chasing after him again.

When there was enough room for me to slip through, I did, searching for the little guy. I spotted his little black and white form curled up on the desk chair, dark eyes blinking at us.

"Hi," I cooed, approaching him slowly and carefully.

He didn't move. Not even when I went to pick him up. I cradled him to my chest and turned to Gabriel with a huge grin on my face.

"Gabriel, meet Sprinkles. Sprinkles, this is my friend, Gabriel."

"Shit, he's cute."

I giggled as Gabriel eyed the skunk with wide eyes. "Can I hold him?"

I nodded and handed him over. He cooed over Sprinkles and while he was distracted, I began setting everything up, removing the newspapers I laid down and replaced it with the litter. I took some toys out and scattered them around the room. Some of them made noise, others didn't.

"What made you decide on having a pet?" Gabriel asked. "I mean, just because the owners didn't want Sprinkles didn't mean you had to take him in. There are shelters that couldn't done it."

I shrugged, not wanting to answer. I glanced at up to see both Gabriel and Luke staring at me, waiting for an answer. I bit my lip and tried to focus on getting a toy out of a box, but my fingers fumbled and I swore I could still feel their stare on me.

I glanced at them and was right. They were still watching me. I swear, even Sprinkles was staring at me. So much focus on me. I didn't like it. I had spent so much time going unnoticed that I was still not used to so many people paying attention to me.

"Tent City does a good job hiding the horrors of being a nomad, but not everyone goes there," I said.

Gabriel frowned and I knew what he was thinking. There were kids at Tent City who were raped or beaten, people who had been stabbed, others who are addicts. I never noticed anymore, but I knew the area had to smell too. When volunteers came by, the first reaction they had was the scrunching of their nose as they smelled something bad, but they ignored it and helped.

"I got lost early on and I came across this older man, he was a war vet, completely lucid, just had trouble dealing with life. A lot of homeless have trouble with society in some way. After some research, I learned he suffered through PTSD and because of it lost his job and ended up on the streets. He had a dog with him." I smiled, remembering the dog. He was beautiful, a golden retriever like Max, but with a darker tone to his fur. "His dog was his whole world. He didn't bother with homeless shelters because many of them didn't let in animals. If he got money, it went toward his dog before himself. It's that loyalty and companionship. I thought it was beautiful." I shrugged. "And then I found Sprinkles and I couldn't leave him out there. I could feel his ribs. He was hungry."

"Damn," Gabriel whispered.

I sent him a sad smile. "There's just something about having a pet. Everyone in the world left that man, but not the dog. Some woman tried to take the dog away, saying something about animal cruelty, and the dog fought tooth and nail to stay until she gave up."

"He's not a pet, he's a companion," Luke said with a kind smile, his eyes a little distant.

"He really is," I replied and looked at Sprinkles.

I wanted that. The companionship. Someone always there with me through everything. Someone I could fall back on when I needed to. I glanced at the boys. They were staring at me and I quickly looked away.

I didn't want to go in that direction with my thoughts. It was a dangerous road.

"Meeting!" North bellowed and I flinched at the way it traveled through the entire mansion. I giggled. He did not need a blow horn to be heard, ever.

"Time to figure out what the hell happened earlier," Gabriel grumbled, holding Sprinkles even closer to his chest. He didn't want to let him go.

I giggled. "And maybe introduce Sprinkles?"

"Yes!" Luke said, a little spark in his eyes. He had something planned, but we could only wait to find out.