One-shots [Reqs: 5]

Treehouse - First Day

this chapter technically comes before Home [the previous chapter], so i'm swapping them around :] 

just kinda to explain why the last Treehouse chapter is down here n stuff

heads up, though! i won't change it yet, but in about a day or two, i will, so any late readers, if you see that there's something off in the table of contents, this is why :]

now onto the story!!

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The bus screeched to a stop, the doors squealing open. The bus driver thumped her hand on the bus, "Alright, get off, the lot of you." Chattering immediately started up, voices overlapping as children got up and shuffled down the aisle. Killer took Cross's hand, pulling his friend along. "C'mon, let's go get breakfast." Cross hurried to get up, adjusting his backpack straps more securely.

Just ahead of them, Dust had urged Horror to hold onto the loop of fabric on the top of his backpack. Horror was clinging to the strap, shivering in nervous fear as he followed. Cross wormed past Killer, still holding onto him tightly, to reach for Horror, snagging the smaller's backpack. "Horror, do you wanna come to breakfast with us?" Dust paused as Horror stopped, glancing back curiously.

Horror nodded, holding up his free hand, and Cross smiled, taking it gently. "Dust? You wanna come too?" Dust shrugged, and Cross smiled wider. "Great! Let's go then!"

With the smallest troop of their little squadron in the lead, four filed out of the bus onto the busy pavement. Kids streamed past, hundreds darting either to class or to the cafeteria. Cross dragged Killer along, grinning as he took in the rush of energy around him. Killer commented something to Horror, blowing a raspberry and making him giggle.

Cross broke away to push open the cafeteria door, holding it open until the others were inside too. It was warm, summer still running its course, but it was worse in the cafeteria. The heat from whatever the lunch workers were doing made the room stiflingly hot. A long line of kids lined the far left wall, stretching all the way to the corner and then some, their overlapping chatter almost soothing. Cross led them to the backpack tables and placed his own on the seat, Killer tossing his onto the table top. Dust kicked his bag under the entire thing, shrugging at Killer's questioning expression.

Horror hung back by the door, backpack straps clenched in his fists, his eye wide. There were so many people...

The cafeteria doors squeaked open behind him as a pair of humans pushed inside, startling Horror into moving away. He stumbled away from the doors, wincing at the slam once they shut. The girls strolled away, their voices lost in the cacophony of other sounds. Horror made a face, whining through his teeth as his sensitive skull gave a throb. It was too loud in here, he didn't like it.

His lower jaw shook, tears welling as he tried and failed to spot his brother in the gathering crowd. Horror shuffled back against the strangely cold wall, breathing just the slightest bit faster. Where was Cross? Where was Killer? His fingers found their way to his skull, hooking onto the edge of the aching crack and tugging anxiously.

"Omigosh, that kid is hurt!" someone gasped nearby, and Horror yanked his hand away from his head as if burned, looking around frantically for his brother. He didn't like being looked at, and they were looking at him..!

Cross was nowhere to be found. He... Horror's tears swelled and spilled over, staining his shirt like blood and dripping onto the floor in dark red drops. Cross left him, he left Horror alone-!

He yelped, scrambling away from the sudden appearance of another littlebones. He was barely certain, but he thought that this kid might've been on the bus. Overly blue and starry eyed. Like one of those berries. Behind him was another littlebones, the exact opposite of Berry: completely red, like a cherry, with only one red eyelight.