Home for the Odd Ones

This place is horrible. Sometimes.

Cold wind whipped across Gwen's cheeks as she sat outside, watching the girls play. They didn't seem to care about the weather, and she couldn't complain either. Having a fire inside means a warm outside. Everyone seemed to appreciate it, seeing as how all the girls had moved as close to Gwen as possible. She even woke up with the girls sleeping beneath her bed one day in a mass of blankets and pillows. Everyone even crowded around her at mealtimes, but she was pretty sure that was part of popularity as well. Things were going as well as they could, but she was still scared to go into class each morning. Ms. Riffet was the teacher, after all.

She noticed a difference around the second week. When upon first entering the home, Ms. Riffet looked to be about thirty, but she had slowly began aging. It was about a week after that, and she looked about five years older. It was scary, and no one else seemed to notice.

"Gwen?"

"Yes Delilah?"

"Why did parents put us here?"

The girl crawled into her lap, staring with bright eyes. "Well, some people think its odd to be like us, and to them, odd is bad. So they couldn't take care of us anymore, and brought us here."

"My parents hated me." She pouted. "They tried to lock me away, but I kept telling them to let me out so they did. They put me here because they didn't want me."

"Its not that they didn't want you, its because you probably scared them." She pulled the girl closer. "They aren't used to people like us."

"But why?"

"Because we're special. We're smarter than them, and we can do things they can't."

"Oh."

"Come on." She picked the girl up, holding her bridal style. "Lets go see what Serah's up to, okay?"

"Okay." She smiled, curling up around Gwen as they walked inside and up the stairs. A radio was playing loudly, so they knew the space was occupied. Delilah pushed open the door, revealing a busy space. Serah and Ari were walking from shelf to shelf, cleaning and gathering supplies. Iden was at a table with Ophelia and William, playing with modeling clay. Little Delilah hopped from her arms and joined them, grabbing a blue piece and flattening it out. Gwen walked over to the shelves, sorting alongside the two others.

"So what are you guys doing?"

"Looking for sewing needles." Ari laughed, climbing up on an overturned bin and pulling down a small bin. "Got em."

"Nice find." Serah giggled, pulling fabrics off another shelf. Gwen grabbed the buttons, knowing what they were doing. They crowded around the supplies and the radio, cutting out pieces and making little animals for the little kids.

Gwen got about halfway through sewing up a little bird when a song began playing that she knew. It was sad and happy, and she loved it. Before she knew it she was up and dancing with little Delilah.

"Hey there Delilah what's it like in New York city, I'm a thousand miles away but girl tonight you look so pretty yes you do."

She picked up the girl, singing her heart out. Before she knew it they were on an empty table, spinning along with it. Ophelia joined them, her soprano voice chiming along.

"Hey there Delilah don't you worry about the distance I'm right there if you get lonely, give the song another listen close your eyes, listen to my voice its my disguise, I'm by your side."

Someone pushed another table against theirs, and Iden and Serah hopped up. He spun her over to Delilah, and Gwen ended up dancing with him. He laughed and pulled her against his chest, hoisting her in the air. Her skirt spun around her feet as she landed, looking at Ari.

"Hey there Delilah I know times are getting hard but just believe me girl I'll pay the bills with this guitar we'll have it good, we'll have the life I knew we would, my word is good."

"Oh so I'm a girl now?" Ari chuckled as Gwen stretched out a hand, and he walked towards her.

"Just get up here." She smiled, and he took her hand as she pulled him up and started dancing.

"Hey there Delilah I've got so much left to say if every simple song I wrote to you would take your breath away, I'd write it all, even more in love with me you'd fall, we'd have it all."

Everyone was up, spinning and twirling and dancing. Ari held Gwen close, looking right down at her. His orange eyes glistened with mischief, her brown ones with joy. Even through impending doom they can have fun.

"A thousand miles seems pretty far, but they've got planes and trains and cars, I'd walk to you if I had no other way. Our friends would all make fun of us and we'd just laugh along because we'll know that none of them have felt this way. Delilah I can promise you that by the time that we get through the world will never be the same, and you're to blame."

He smiled, placing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek. His gaze softened, and he began humming along with her.

"Hey there Delilah you be good and don't you miss me two more years and you'll be done with school and I'll be making history like I do, you'll know its all because of you, we can do whatever we want to, hey there Delilah here's to you. This ones for you."

Ari leaned in closer, putting his hands on her waist. She felt weird, but it was a good weird. His arms wrapped around her, pulling her into him. She rested her head on his shoulder, glad to have him. He's the best friend she always wanted.

As the song came to a close, they all smiled and cheered. Gwen noticed something weird though, Iden kept giving her sad looks. She didn't think he knew she noticed, but it was still odd. She had an idea, but she didn't believe it. Delilah climbed in her lap, still humming the song. She was molding a little red heart in her hands.