Derek was a little startled at the sudden hug and rush of emotion, though he caught her and tentatively patted her back soothingly, still a tad bit stunned at the force of her gratitude but glad he could help and make someone feel so thankful.
The boy pulled her up so easily, even before standing up. She couldn’t decide how that made her feel. Neither one really seemed like they would hurt her, not on purpose, but even with her gift trusting was hard. Summer chewed on her lip and went down the stairs before Isaac, eyeing Derek a little sideways. Her stomach growled again, and she wrapped her arms around her middle, flushing.
Derek stood as he heard them coming down the stairs, catching Summer side eyes him. He just smiled at Isaac who returned it and then at her. “Come on Summer, let’s get you some real food. Come help me pick what to cook,” he said, motioning both of them behind him toward the kitchen.
She padded in, pausing in the doorway before going round the whole room, peering at everything on the counters and all the cabinets. She lingered before the refrigerator, inspecting what was on it. Then she started to open /everything/. She didn’t leave anything open, but she looked at it all.
It was a strange feeling — she knew the names of almost everything she found, but there was no personal context to any of it. She couldn’t remember tastes, wasn’t sure what she liked or didn’t like, but she knew that macaroni usually had cheese sauce and carrots could be eaten raw or cooked. After a little while she was reduced to staring at the boxes and cans blindly, frowning and feeling twisted up wrong.