Their Marked Baby Boy

15

The sound of movement woke me. The car was parked in the driveway of a small house. The trunk was open was Alexander and Sebastian places boxes in ot before going to retrieve more. Caleb was in the front of the car, messing around on his phone.

"Uhm, Caleb?" I called out

"Hi sweetheart, have a good nap?" He turned to face me.

"Yeah. I...uhm. I need the bathroom." I informed him, squirming in the car seat.

"No worries, doll. I'll come undo the straps."

He took my hand as we walked into the house.

"Sebastian." He called.

"Yeah?" Sebastian poked his head out. "Oh hi, Lucas. What's up?."

"Where's the bathroom?" He asked as I continued squirming.

"Just up the stairs, first door on the left." He smiled.

"Thanks, love."

Caleb led me up the stairs and opened the door. I rushed in, desperately pulling my pull-up down and sitting down. I sighed in relief but realised I didn't quite make it in time. There was a small wet patch in my pull-up. It wasn't a lot, but it definitely wouldn't be comfortable to leave on.

I pulled it off and opened the door slightly to find Caleb. He was waiting just outside and looked to me as I peaked out.

"All done?" He asked

"Could... Could you get me a new pull-up, please?" A fierce blush stained my cheeks.

"Of course, just wait here. I won't be long."

True to his word, he quickly returned with a pull-up and packet of wipes.

"Do you need any help?"

"No thanks." I replied as I took the items from him.

I wiped myself down and put on the new pull-up, placing the old one and the used wiped in the bin before washing my hands.

"I'm done." I exited the bathroom with the rest of the wipes.

Caleb held out his hand, and u took it gratefully. The others stood by the door, Sebastian locked it behind us as we left and pushed the key through the mail slot so it fell inside.

We walked back to the car in a comfortable silence, and I allowed Sebastian to clip me into the car seat.

"It'll probably be another 3 hours before we make it home, so I figured we could stop for dinner on the way." Alexander explained as he began to drive.

"What kind of music do you two like?" Caleb called back as he connected his phone to the speakers.

"I'm fine with anything." Sebastian replied.

"I guess I mostly just listen to show tunes."

I'd found an old iPod and headphones a couple of years ago and loved listening to musical soundtracks on it.

Caleb grinned a mischievous smile as Alexander sighed.

"Not another theatre nerd." He complained jokingly.

"Oh, shush you." Caleb pressed a few buttons, filling the car with music.

The two hours consisted of me and Caleb belting along to show tunes. Sebastian occasionally joined in with some of the more popular ones, whilst Aleexander let out exasperated sighs and shook his head. Despite his protests, the smile on his face was obvious. All four of us were wearing huge grins as he parked outside a small restraunt. I'd never had so much fun before.

I held Sebastian's hand as we walked towards the building.

"I'm picking the music the rest of the way." Alexander declared.

"Boring." Caleb teased as he held onto his arm.

The restaurant was like most I'd seen (although I'd not been into many), but I noticed that there were people ,not children, in high chairs and a few knelt on the floor whilst eating.

Sebastian squeezed by hand as the hostess led up to a table.

"Don't worry, high chairs are just for when you're really little."

I smiled at his reassurance

"Why are some people on the floor?" I whispered

"Those are pets. They have headspaces like you, but instead of making them feel little, it makes them feel like animals."

I nodded as we sat in a booth and were handed menus.

The meal was uneventful, we made small talk as we ate. A few times, someone would mention something about when we got 'home'. Each time, the world filled me with a pleasant feeling. I'd always had a home,  but it was always just a place to live and not much more. The home they talked about felt different, like somewhere to feel safe and like I belonged. I couldn't wait.

I didn't manage to eat much, still full from breakfast and lunch. I hadn't eaten three meals a day in years, but it was nice. It gave me a sense of reassurance, knowing that I wouldn't have to decide how to ration the food I had available and that there would be a plate of food waiting for me when I was hungry.

As promised, Alexander found a playlist on his phone to play for the rest of the journey. I was surprised by his choices. I expected a lot of rock or something similar, but instead found myself listening to country music. It wasn't even just the manlier songs about farms and a rigid life6 playlist that included a lot of artists like Dolly Parton. Overall, it was a decent selection.

It fell like no time at all had passed when we approached a sign reading 'Oacken Claw'.

"Welcome home, guys." Caleb grinned as we entered the territory.

Despite my excitement, I couldn't help the nervousness settling in my stomach. Sebastian once again squeezed my hand and gave a knowing smile as our eyes met. We didn't speak, but the message was clear. He was telling me that I wasn't alone, not only did I have all three of them with me but this was all new for him too. I held his hand tightly.

I was ready for this new life.