Chapter 10 Introductions with fries on the side

We all crowded into the barn, and my nostrils twitched involuntarily. Mmm, bacon!

"Is anyone hungy?" The black-haired girl, whose name was Raven, asked. The starved stares she got in reply were evidence enough, and she laughed. "Okay, okay, I'll go get the food!"

We all stood uncomfortably for a moment, before one of the boys spoke up. It was the slightly shorter, brown-haired one. "Soo... what's your story?"

I gave him a slightly confused look. "My story?"

"Yeah, when did you learn you were a changeling? Why did you decide to join this motley group?" He asked, grinning at the end.

I shrugged. "I haven't really processed it myself. I don't really know why I came here, except that I really have nowhere else to go." I told them all about the orphanage, and how I first noticed something when that huge sound went off by my building, and I ended up on the other side of the city. At that point, Fiona blushed. "Uh, actually, that was me."

"What?!"

She shrugged, self-consciously. "When I first arrived here, it was really foggy, so I ended up breaking one of the bones in my wings and crash-landing on top of a building... and then when it healed, screaming at the top of my lungs and... basically shattered a lot of windows."

I looked at her sharply. (no pun intended) "What building did you land on?"

She raised an eyebrow in confusion. "It was smallish... a little white apartment building with a stone courtyard in the front..."

I cut her off with a squeal. "That's it! That's the orphanage! And I was standing right below you!"

We stared at each other in delighted astonishment, while the boys looked on with amusement. Fiona grinned. "That is so cool!"

Just then, Raven came back from rummaging in one of the stalls, where I guessed they kept their food. "Order up! Seven burgers, twenty slices of bacon, one block of cheese, one package of buns - don't snigger at me, Dane! - one bag of tomatoes, five cokes, two hundred and thirty-three french fries, and one giant bag of potato chips."

"Sheesh Raven, no wonder you took so long! I think most of your time in there was counting food items!" Fiona frowned, playfully. "And leaving us out here to starve! How shameful!"

I barely concealed a grin. This is going to be so much fun. Annoying at times, but fun. I snuck a glance at the taller boy, the one they called Duncan, out of the corner of my eye. Wow, he's actually really cute! I wonder what his connection to all this is?

As if reading my mind, Raven suddenly sat straight up. "Oh, my gosh! Fiona, we haven't given introductions!" She shook her finger mockingly. "How shameful!" Dane smirked, while Duncan remained impassive, as if he didn't get it. "Well," continued Raven, "This is Fiona, the de facto leader of our little group." Fiona nearly spat out her bite of burger. "I am?!" Raven continued without a pause. "That guys sitting way too close to her is Dane, who she rescued from bandits, and then asked on a date." They both blushed furiously, and scooted away from each other on the straw-covered floor. "Over there, brooding, is Duncan. He's Fiona's brother."

My eyes were going to fall out of my head, I was sure. "Her what?!"

Raven grinned at my reaction. "I know, they don't look or act anything alike, do they?"

I shook my head, still staring at Duncan, who was looking slightly uncomfortable. Then something occurred to me. "Does that mean he's a... what was the word again?"

Raven nodded. "A changeling, yes, and so am I."

My mouth dropped open. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

I blinked, trying to absorb this new information. Fiona and Duncan both seemed to have a slightly mystical air, like they had something special. Even a normal person would notice, I thought. But Raven?! She was as down to earth as you could get. All I could say was, "Wow."

We finished our burgers in silence, then they showed me the loft, and left me alone while I made myself a bed. I say down, my mind buzzing with a million questions, and I was sure I would never get to sleep. However, I surprised myself by quickly dropping off. Just as I was drifting off, A creak on the ladder made me open one eye a crack. The little twilight that seeped in the window outlined the form of Duncan as he walked soundlessly across the wooden floor, and stood looking down at me for a long time. Finally he turned and walked to his own bed. I closed my eye, and sighed. I'll worry about what he wanted when I wake up. I'm too tired now. And with that, I dropped off into a deep sleep.