A New Chance, A New Start (SWR)

Chapter 5: The Tour

The next morning, Hera and Ezra filled the house with the aroma of a home cooked meal. Heart filled thanks echoed around the room before small conversations started. As Hera spoke to Kanan, a word triggered his memory, "Ezra you haven't seen upstairs yet have you?"
Hair shook as he replied with a 'no'. Hera stood up with excitement of a tour, "Come on, let's give you a look at the rest." The group joined her on their feet, wanting to show their rooms.

Down the one, long creme hallway, the first door on the right was Sabines room. Ezra was sure his jaw unhinged in amazement.
Colors flew about the room, not letting a peak of white shine through as stories were told on the walls.
But there was something about it that was... off or wrong about. As his eyes roamed the room, it clicked like legos. He said to Sabine with the curiosity of a cat, "Your Room is amazing for sure but this isn't your regular style is it?"

Sabine stepped forward with a raised painted eyebrow, "Its not, how'd you know?"
Ezra smirked at the accomplishment, "Your art, it looks uncomfortable. Oh, and one question, where is your bed?"
She stepped towards the back wall, pulling on a string making a neon purple bed come out of the wall.
The boys mouth opened once more, "Now that was cool."
Sabine's lips turned up as she put her marked up hands on her hips, obvious joy of the compliments to her room, "Yeah I keep everything in hidden compartments in the walls so I have more room to paint."
Ezra nodded in agreement with what she said and Zeb said with cockiness, "The best room is next."
The room across was Zeb's and it looked exactly look what you'd expect from a teenager, like one that isn't apart of the poor side.
A wall of built in shelves filled with trophies, a football helmet sticker hung over his plush bed and the walls were painted a calm beige like seen throughout the house.
Ezra smirked, "Let me guess, you play for the team at school and want to pursue it as a career."
Zeb smirked and in his thick accent, "Yeah I enjoy bashin' the players' heads togetha."
Ezra chuckled and glanced up at the large man, "I bet you do. They must have ice on the side lines for those killer headaches."
Everyone chuckled while Kanan whispered to himself in exasperation, "You have no idea." as he pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering the phone calls from the school before he just blocked the number.
Hera clapped her hands to gain everyone's attention, "Ok we'll show you Kanan and I's room and then Sabine said you paint in her room for this week while we get your room ready."
Ezra nodded with a far away look in his eyes.

"Yeah, um sure but what about school? Don't we have to go tomorrow?"
Hera smiled happily, "I requested a week off for all of you so we can all get to know each other."
The kids fist punched the air like they won the lottery while Ezra looked at Hera hesitantly, "Are you sure it's not to much trouble, Hera?"
She nodded and placed her hand on his shoulder which he immediately tensed at, distant memories flooding his shuffled mind.
Ezra glanced at the limb on his shoulder and slowly stepped back, out of her reach. Hera watched his actions, hurt sparking in her eyes. Kanan cleared his throat to break the now deadly silence and said loudly, "Let's show them our room. I think it's the best room."

They all walked silently down to the last door briefly saying the door besides Sabines was the bathroom.

After everyone got back downstairs, Zeb, Hera and Kanan all left to be back upstairs in Ezra's room. The younger teen glanced at Sabine in hesitant excitement , "So I heard we are painting?"
The girl smirked and said, "Is there anything better to do?"
Ezra chuckled at the enthusiasm she possessed for art, allowing his own to fill him as his feet followed her to the room.
After simply painting his designated wall white, the already messy girl stated, "Lets get a snack while this drys. You will use this wall while I finish my other painting."

While munching on Pop Tarts, Sabine decided to actually use this time to 'get to know' her new brother. Or as Kanan called it, interrogate.
"So Ezra, you got any best friends?"
The kid was taken back by the bluntness of the question blinked wide-eyed before actually thinking about it, "No, I kept moving schools every about 6-8 months because of foster homes so didn't have a chance. How about you?"
Sabine nodded, "Yeah but only a few but one is Wedge as I like to call him. You got any nicknames?" Ezra chuckled but nodded nonetheless, "Yeah, I had most of the orphanage call me Ez or Ezzy. You?"
He chucked a sugary piece into his mouth.
"Nope not really. Favorite food?"
He shook his head, "Don't have one, whatever's in front of me I guess."
Sabine held sadness in her eyes, "Ok, not gonna lie, that's depressing but that won't be true for long. Where'd you get your leg?"
"I made it myself. One of my foster parents were welders."

Sabine was silent a minute, her analytic mind already making inferences about some of his scars and what he's answered. Questioning started filling her mind but one was stuck on the front like an annoying song. She looked at Ezra again to see him finish his last piece of PopTart before saying confused beyond her own mind, "Ezra, why are you so open about your past? I don't get it. When I first came here, I tried to avoid my past as much as possible but you come in here with a horrible past and flaunt it to everyone. Why?"
She cringed as she hoped she didn't hurt his feelings somehow.

Ezra looked at her with a soft look, one that showed no hurt or pain from the question.
"What's the point of running from your past when you know it's going to catch you now or later. I don't hide from my past because I have nothing to be ashamed of. So what if I have a bad past or a few scars, people have gone through worst and I'm proud I survive that. Now I get to see everything in a new perspective and get to live another day. That's all the counts in the end."

Sabine smiled back at the three year younger boy, "I guess your right. Running has never helped anyone. You either stand up at the battlefront and take the hardships or be a coward and run but in the end, the battle comes back to you and hits harder than before."
Ezra nodded in approval of her words. Then his soft smile turned into a sly smirk, "You think the walls done drying cause I'm ready to paint something I've been waiting to do a long time."
She smirked back and they both ran upstairs, laughing the whole way up, not once seeing the group standing in the archway that lead to the dining room which was connected to the kitchen as well.