The Milton Hillside Library

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Andrej chuckled with Kat, recognizing the sudden change on her words and pose and deducing it came from someone working at the High School, probably the very principal. It seemed all principals have basically the same motivational talk. "Sorry, I don't follow the Milton Hillside High School classes. Maybe if I did, I wouldn't skeep so much..." he said, still chuckling. He had the strange habit of covering his mouth when laughing, like it was something wrong. "I attend St. Paul's. It's my last year." he mentioned the feared and despised school from the 'bad suburbia' of MilHill. He also heard the comment about her family and the future travel, raising his eyebrows. "Oh... I thought you were from Poland too." It was kind of sad; he was the only stranger again. "I understand, I was also taught the idioms of my parents. It will be very interesting when you get to know some of your roots."

He looked at Catie, always silent, still resisting the connection the others were creating. He knew the feeling. "Were you born here, Catie?" he said, like someone throwing a life jacket, pulling back to the boat the one who got stray.
 
As Kat wrapped up her sudden dramatic speech, Paul actually found himself laughing. It wasn't a particularly loud laugh, but definitely more genuine than any snicker he might have otherwise displayed. "That is cool," he added onto Andrej's comments, still smiling. "You're lucky that you get to see your mom."

Right as he said it, he knew it was a mistake. His smile dropped slightly. He'd lowered his guard, and now they'd probably be poking about his family history, wanting to know about the other side of the famous Dericksons. The neglectful, always-busy side.
 
Catie wrenched her posture into perfect form the second she realized someone was addressing her. Andrej was asking about her heritage. Her first thought was to lie, to make her life seem eons more exciting then it was- perhaps then she would indulge the interests of the diverse people around her. She shuddered at her instinct and instead responded with the truth in her typical mouse-like manner.
"Oh-- yup! Lived her my whole life," she said, happy to at least to take part in the conversation, if only for a few seconds.

The natural thing to do would have been to continue the conversation, ask questions that could harbor interesting responses. Catie considered this, but realizing she had nothing to ask, shut down and stared at the table.
 
She wasn't sure if anyone else caught it, but Kat did. What did Paul mean she was lucky she got to see her mom? Not as though she saw her much nowadays anyways. Brows drew together with confusion, but she didn't press him about the topic – at least she wouldn't with everyone around. If they were alone like they were the other night she would ask him without hesitation.

Turning her blue eyes, which were previously locked on Paul, to Andrej, Kat put a smile on her face. "Were your parents born here too, Andrej, or were they born somewhere else?" As she spoke she rummaged through her bag, looking for a granola bar or something to snack on. In her haste to leave the house as soon as possible Katarzyna forgot to take a snack with her, and as a result her stomach was gurgling. Hopefully it was quite enough that the others didn't hear, but if they did and they offered her food she would have no complaints because the only thing she found in her bag was a candy bar wrapper. Katarzyna turned her attention back to the group when she came up empty handed, a slight scowl on her face.
 
Andrej noticed how the place seemed subtly less joyous after the subject 'family' was brought up, and he was one of the sources of this vibe. His calm face continued the same, but his chest felt a jolt, and dropped a little. Were the others problematic too...? He was cautious. One step at a time... "I live with a cousin of my father here. My mother was born at a Caribbean Island, with French provenance. My father, who traveled a lot (and now does it again) met her there. She was hostess at an hotel. My father is Spanish. They traveled together for some time and I was born during one of this travels, in another island, in the middle of nowhere... That's the story of why each one of us have a different citizenship."

He hoped this story made sense, because he tried to condense a lot of information in a relatively short story. And that was roughly half of it, maybe not even a third. He glanced again at Paul, sympathizing with him for also living without a mother, though for him, it was for the best for sure... Unwittingly, he adjusted the neck of his shirt, cheking if it was stil buttoned all the way up. "It must feel safe, having an entire life at the same place, until everything becomes familiar. Everything at the right place." he smiled to the others, including Catie, silent once more.

If he didn't notice what exactly Kat was searching among her things, his stomach was just having the same needs as hers. "I don't have much to offer but... if you'd like to stay here a little longer, I can offer you coffee, mint tea and cookies. Officially we can't eat much inside the Library, but there is only one secretary at this hour... and she's sweet. Also, she wouldn't mind. She eats too." the boy offered the others.
 
For once, Paul was silent. His sunglasses made it difficult for the others to discern what was going on in his head, but the sudden tense atmosphere was bugging him big time. It seemed that Catie was the only one with a traditional household, at least according to what she had (or hadn't) told the others, but Paul was still a little concerned that she was covering up a past of her own. It would explain her quiet, shy demeanor. Everyone else had family problems, or at least relatives who were across the globe all the time. Suddenly Paul felt even less alone than he already did.

The offer of food didn't make him speak up either. Paul was often too proud to take up offers of free food unless everyone else was indulging as well. He didn't want to seem like a freeloader, having worked for the life he had and built up a reputation for being a diligent individual, even among this group of people that he barely knew.
 
Katarzyne wasn't the most keen when noticing changes in the atmosphere—she was often oblivious if people were offended by her or bugged by her presence—but the sudden tension that entered the air when the topic of family was thrown into the discussion was almost palpable. "That actually sounds a little romantic, Andrej," She admitted with a ghost of a smile on her face, a slight twinkle in her eye. "Do you visit your mom? Have you gone on any trips with your dad?" Her curiosity was evident by the near excited tone of her voice. Travelling around the world was something that caught Kat's attention at a young age. Visiting her family in Poland may seem like a small trip to some, but to her it was a big milestone in her life. She would be flying there alone and staying for most of the summer before flying back to Milhill for her senior year. After that she'd be free.

Andrej was extremely observant, or a good guesser. Either way, his mention of food was right down her alley. "You're speaking my language, my man" She cooed, giving him a bright smile. "Cookies sound amazing, but I'll stick with water." Her eyes drifted over to Paul, a brow raised. "What about you, Prince? Catie?" Kat's head turned to the other girl, giving her an encouraging smile.
 
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