#so in my version leos abused and r@ped and been homeless and three years younger than Jason and Piper

[lostinbooks14]

Times in the Wilderness

Leo comes to the Wilderness School

Leo had his head down in the car, his face buried in the paper bag in his hands as he tried to keep himself from vomiting.

Goddammit he hated cars. He hated wherever he was going too. And the stupid court for saying he had to go there. And all his stupid foster parents and his stupid Tìa and his stupid fire curse and his stupid self for ruining everything.

"Leo," his social worker sitting next to him called sharply. She was middle-aged. Probably in her late forties, with light brown hair pulled back in a bun. She was about his height, but he couldn't really tell because of her heels. She was wearing a frilly green blouse and black tight skirt. He thought she was trying too hard.

She'd been really nice to him the first few times they met, but eventually she'd given up. He couldn't blame her. He'd been in eight foster homes and orphanages in the last five years, run away from six of them- her patience was probably wearing thin.

When they caught him five days after he ran away from his eighth home, he'd been taken to court. They said they'd put him in a mental hospital if he ran away again. And he'd overheard his social worker saying she'd be fired if he didn't find a home soon.

"Leo, are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry, m'am," he mumbled, glancing up from the paper bag for a split second.

"Look, kid, I don't know why you keep running-"

"I told you he-"

She ignored him just like everyone else did, "But I need you to stay put this time, ok? My job's on the line here. I've got a kid who's college fees I need to afford, and another who's getting married soon."

"What if someone hurts me?" He mumbled, tears stinging the back of his eyes. Everything was happening way too fast.

"This is a school for children like you," he knew what that meant, delinquents "Teachers are always on the lookout for any signs of bullying. You'll be fine."

He didn't say anything, what was there left to say anyway? She always said he'll be fine everytime he was taken to a new home. He never was.

They'd finished going over the bumpy roads now, he could see the school just up ahead.

It was just a normal building, victorian style, no barbed wire fences or barred windows. Appearances can be deceiving, he knew that better than anyone. But no bars was good. He would've gone insane if he'd been locked behind bars, especially after that incident.

OK, he was not going to think about that.

Or about where they were taken to after it.

Or about what happened when they ran away.

Or about where he was taken to after it.

Yup, he could do this. Totally.

"Leo, we're here."

He got out, leaning on the door of the car for a few seconds to get the puke taste out of his mouth before taking his backpack. It was blue and worn and held every possession he had left. It had been with him for six years now. It was probably his best friend at this point.

A smiling man met them at the door. "Hello, you must be Leo and Mrs.Patroner. I'm Mr.Donovan, head teacher here. We're very delighted to have you here." Somehow Leo doubted it, he could clearly see the sweat on his bald head. "Let's go talk in my office, shall we?"

The school looked old, he supposed it would've looked grand if it weren't for the dirt and mud splatters on the carpet. There were high ceilings and steep wooden stairs curving up eight stories. He couldn't see any machines anywhere, not even a lift. He really hoped the dorms weren't at the top. The thing that caught his eye, though, was the fireplace.

He shrank back from the golden flames involuntarily. They were dancing and licking at the wooden logs, and Leo felt that familiar tugging sensation in his gut. It always appeared when he was close to flames, as if they were calling out to him. Begging him to make them hotter and brighter and stronger. Leo turned away.

"Leo Valdez, yes? You've got quite the resume here," the man laughed nervously. "So, uhm, you'll be boarding with four other boys-"

"Couldn't he have a private room?" Mrs.Patroner interrupted, glancing at him nervously. "He's had a bit of a rough time over the past year," Wow understatement of the year- "so it's probably better if he could stay alone?"

Mr.Donovan looked confused. "Why?"

Mrs.Patroner looked uncomfortable so he spoke up.

"I'm a psycho, sir. I have violent tendencies. Killed a bunch o' people last year," he nodded at his file, forcing himself to keep his voice steady. It'd be worth it if he could get a room alone. He didn't want to talk to anyone any more than he had to. He pretended to count on his fingers, as if their faces hadn't been haunting his nightmares for weeks "Like three, right?"

"He didn't do it on purpose!" his social worker cried, glaring daggers at him. "And the term psycho is very strong, Leo. You can't just throw it around."

"Just saying what you were thinking, m'am," he shrugged.

"Well, uhm, I'm sorry, miss," the head teacher started, choosing to just ignore him. That was fine with him. "You need to pay extra for private quarters. As for the therapy sessions the court ordered, he will have two per week to start with. Ms.Loraine is very nice. Leo can talk with her after you leave. Get his school schedule and all that. Afterwards he'll be assigned a student to show him around. I'm thinking Piper McLean, she's here because of her tendency to steal, but other than that, she's a very sweet child. He'll be getting his uniform and books from the school of course. And he's been assigned to Year 10, though he should be in Year 7, since he's still twelve. I must say he's got an excellent mind."

"Got that from my pops," he grinned, Mrs.Patroner looked at him wearily. "He was mighty good at running away too ya know. Took off three days after I popped out, or so I heard."

Thankfully a knock on the door prevented anyone from reacting.

"That must be Ms.Loraine. Come in!"

A lady came in, dressed in a nice beige coloured business suit with her golden shoulder length hair curling around her shoulders. She wore a white shirt under her coat, a gold chain encircling her throat. Her eyes were large and green. She looked young. Leo bet all his money- well he would've if he had any- that guys went to therapy just to stare at her.

"Good afternoon! I'm the school therapist. You must be Leo."

His social work gave an encouraging nod.

"Yes, miss."

"Come with me to my office? I'll talk you over the school rules, the subjects you'll be taking, and about your mental health for about an hour. After that classes will end and Piper will meet you at my office."

"Sure. See ya m'am," Leo gave a mock salute and practically ran out the door.