"Aelwen, we have company," he called, as the two walked in the house. Although she didn't live in his house, she was often there.
"Yeah," she replied. "Who's that," she said, a moment later.
"Uri," he said, and received no answer. She suddenly appeared in the kitchen, where they'd walked in, looking at Uri with a mix of friendliness and curiosity.
"How are you, Uri," she asked, but looked at Landers.
"I am alright," he said, looking between the two, knowing something was being said between them, but no clue what. He didn't even know they could talk mind to mind.
"The people that are looking for him have arrived, and I thought he'd be safer here. Would you be willing to stay here with us," he then asked, and an eyebrow rose, yet again, with that request.
"He'll sleep in the guest room, you can have my room, and I'll sleep on the couch," he explained, seeing her look.
"I don't mind, but why do I need to stay," she asked.
"For propriety's sake, considering he's not my child, and he'll be staying in my house," he said, then thought about it. "Technically, I was given custody of him, with Anne Hawthorne sharing it in a subordinate role. Maybe it would be alright," he said.
"I'll stay," she told him, before he could withdraw the invitation, not that he would.
"Let's get something to eat," Aelwen suggested.
"Are we cooking," Landers asked.
"I'm thinking Lucy's, or we could go in town to someplace nice," she said.
"I think going in town would be nice, if Uri's up to it," he replied.
"Could Anne go," he asked.
"I don't see why not," Aelwen replied, before Landers did.
"Why don't you call her, and see if she's able to," Landers said.
"Alright," she replied.
"Uri, let's put a baseball cap on you to hide the color streaks," Landers said, following words with action. Uri didn't offer any resistance, letting Landers do what he wanted.
A short while later, Anne was getting in the back of the car with Uri. As they pulled out, Landers said, "Being that Uri's a kid, and probably hasn't experienced a lot of what normal kids experience, I was thinking of taking him to Chuck-E-Cheese. I know it's not the best pizza, but it's not bad, and kids love it. What do you say," he asked.
"Deputy Landers, I don't think he'll like it," Anne told him.
"Why not," he asked.
"It's noisy and probably crowded. He's come a long way, but I don't think he's come that far," she said.
"I hadn't thought about that," he replied, then said, "Wait! I know where we can go," he said, his face lighting up.
A relatively short distance and time after leaving the Hawthorne's house, they pulled up at the Original Roadhouse. The parking lot was full, and there were people walking to and from the building.
"It'll be alright, I promise. I'll be with you," Anne told him, seeing the beginning signs of panic.
He nodded, but didn't say anything, as they walked toward the door. Inside, a veritable smorgasbord of noise assaulted him, the normal noises of a busy restaurant. But it was an experience he still wasn't used to, and his senses didn't have the experience processing it. He put his hands over his ears and pressed, hard.
YOU ARE READING
The Demon's Bowl: An Oakmont Story
Teen Fiction[COMPLETE] As Uri watched his parents die, life would never be the same again. Of course, that would be the case for any child who lost their parents. For Uri, it was especially true as his new guardian wasn't human. To make matters even more comp...
