She could only blink after him, taken aback by his statements. No boy with the concealed sweetness she sensed in him would kill. She knew that. Yet he’d felt the need to defend himself to her anyway. Shaking her head, she nudged Helios away from his sulk at the now-closed bathroom door, and picked up the few clothes she’d found of Isaac’s.
“Come on, silly kitty. He doesn’t want to share the shower with you,” she said. After she started the dryer, she rummaged up sheets and a blanket and pillows, piling them on the couch. Then she tapped on the bathroom door. “Everything alright in there?”
It was a relief to stand in a steaming hot shower. He immersed himself in the water, closing his eyes as the heat engulfed him. All the grime and dirt from the lake dispersed down the plughole and he was finally able to feel clean. As she called in, Isaac jumped slightly: he was easily startled when his mind was so relaxed. “Oh-uh, yeah…I’m fine…this shower’s perfect.”
Letting out a relaxed sigh, he did a quick once over with the soap before shutting off the water and wrapping himself in a towel. He hoped he didn’t seem like a killer to his new friend… Before long he was changing back into his mangled clothes from the lake. He didn’t mind that they were tattered, it didn’t bother him.
Summer perched on the edge of the couch, and gave him a quick once-over. “You look much better,” she commented, and stood up. Beckoning, she led him around a low half-wall, lined with bookcases, and gestured at the bed.
“Helios may try to knead you, just push him away if it’s a problem.” The fluffy, Siamese-pointed cat leaped up onto the bed and watched Isaac with blue eyes. “I’ll see you in the morning, okay?”