Andrew nodded. That was what he had thought. Her father had only wanted rid of her.

"I thought as much. My parents don't know about me. As far as they know I'm just really serious about keeping my word. Kevin and Lillian are decent people and ok parents but not very observant or intelligent enough to make the connection between my behavior and my promises."

When he was a child they were mommy and daddy. Then as he grew up they became mom and dad, followed by mother and father. It was after his mutation that they became Kevin and Lillian to him. They were like strangers. He felt as close to them as he did to those family members that he'd only seen once or maybe twice a year as a kid. Andrew brushed the topic away from his thoughts. It was too painful to consider those nearly dead bonds now.

Ahorta's incarceration in a mental institution was still cause for concern but now that he knew the story behind it wasn't nearly so frightening. Heck, if Andrew had been more open with his mutation that could have been him. His parents might have had him put in a similar place. He could have lived out his life as a sane man among the insane. Andrew gave a shudder at the notion. That was another thing he didn't want to consider.

All in all Andrew was glad she had explained. Convincing himself that she was harmless and hearing the reason he'd put together in his head validated by Ahorta were two different things. As long as he didn't over think it Andrew would be fine. There were a lot of things Andrew tried not to over think. He had enough problems keeping calm already. If he thought about every little thing for too long it would only make things worse.

"Are you sure they aren't making the connection because they lack the intelligence or is it that they don't want to even consider the possibility that you are a mutant?" she asked. How did that old phrase go? Ignorance is bliss? Was that it? Well, it made quite a bit of sense, even to the crazy mutant. If everyon around her ignored what the other was, that one mutant did not see a human as a rat simply because they didn't wish to, well, it made the world blind. She felt as though she was the only one who could see and Rew, to an extent, and Ms. Faust could also see, but not as clearly as Ahorta could, not in this world of lies.

However, at first, Ahorta thought this Kevin and Lillian were just old friends of Rew's, but it later made sense that they were his parents. He referred to them by first name. Many people used this as a way to convey their distance from their parents, but the words 'mother' and 'father' were far more trecherous and dangerous than any human names. Actually, Ahorta did not even bother to learn her parents' real names, if her mother even went by her real name after all. There was something about having a mother called 'Cherry Pie' that did not quite fit the average human baby name book.

A noise came from the hallway and Ahorta's eyes redirected to the door, yet the noise followed along the hall past the door, most likely some other residents arriving to their apartment. Never-the-less, it set her on edge and she could feel her mind beginning to spin. At the Sanctuary, at her home, she was much less likely to have a panic attack, the other residents were all mutants, all except the desk clerk, Lisa, if Ahorta remembered the name correctly. Still, Lisa wasn't nearly as bad as all the other humans out there, she was what Ahorta referred to as a 'dreamer', meaning she just wished she was a mutant (according to a paranoid schizophrenic mutant's mind, that is).

Andrew thought about it. It could be that they just didn't want to believe that he was a mutant. However Andrew had kept a very tight leash on his powers as long as he was at home. He didn't think that they had enough information to piece it together. Still, it was possible.

"That could be. They've never acted like they knew though. It doesn't really matter anyway. I barely have contact with them these days."

He avoided them when he could. Not because he didn't care. Mostly because he didn't want them figuring it out. The less interaction they had the less evidence they'd have. While Andrew thought of that he noticed that Ahorta seemed to be getting somewhat jumpy. The noise of someone out in the hallway must have startled her. Considering how cautious she seemed to be that was probably warranted.

However Andrew didn't quite know what to say or do to calm her. He had a hard enough time keeping himself level headed. The thought of trying to do the same for someone else was beyond him. Along those lines of thought Andrew wondered what would happen if his roommates returned while Ahorta was here. Craig had been suspicious enough when he'd showed up with Azalea. Adding him seeing Ahorta would likely only make things worse.

"That is probably the best idea for you," she said in regards to his limited contact with his parents. Even if his parents were ignorant, at least they weren't as bad as the slime of the Earth that brought Ahorta into the world. Neither of her parents even acted like they cared about her, not when she tripped and scabbed her knee, not when she went three days without food because they forgot to give her some, not when she passed all of her classes when she was in the 3rd grade, not when she failed all of her classes in the 4th grade. There were only a few select times that they seemed to even notice her. Her mother would notice her when she crawled into bed with her, not knowing the bed was already being shared with someone who wasn't her father. Her mother did not react calmly when this happened. Or when her father returned after drinking and found a habit of pushing her around.

More noises sounded in the hall and again, she shot her attention at the door, this time not letting it waver as the noise passed down the hall. They weren't loud noises, more like tiny pitter patters on carpeted floor, but to Ahorta, they might as well have been trolls rampaging down the halls, swinging their clubs left and right. Though she was comfortable with Rew, there were certain places that even with comfortable company, she could not handle. This apartment building was becoming one of them rather quickly. A creaking noise sounded followed by the soft shutting of a door and Ahorta leapt to her feet, no longer able to keep herself under control.

The noises, the sounds, the ruckus, they would send her into a panic attack any second and then she would not have the courage to leave the room if roaches, beetles, snakes and worms started pilling in from under the door. The thought of it made her cringe and she double checked the door, so far, nothing had slithered underneath it, but her anxiety was only building with ever thought that crossed her fragile mind. "Have you ever been to the Sanctuary?" she asked, hoping to hold out just a bit longer. Chances were, she would not return to this place, especially not if she had a panic attack, but Rew had become close enough that she found herself wondering if they would meet again. Perhaps at that store, though she rarely travelled to that exact location. If he ever found himself near the Sanctuary, she would most likely see him.

He gave a nod. That was what he felt on the subject of his parents. Over all it was best to avoid them and the trouble they could bring into his life. Andrew tried not to dwell on it. Ahorta was getting jumpier by the moment. Each tiny sound seemed to exacerbate the problem. He was reminded of himself when he had a panic attack. That said he really didn't know what would calm Ahorta down. So when she asked whether he'd ever been to the Sanctuary he jumped on it in an attempt to distract her somewhat.

"Afraid not. I have heard of it though."

Amber was the one that had told him about the Sanctuary at the same time as she'd mentioned the Mansion. Andrew hadn't exactly made a decision about either. On one hand there was a possible job waiting for him at the mansion. The idea of the Sanctuary sounded good but he didn't really need it at the moment.There was nothing say that he had to pick either one in the end. He could just keep on like this. That said it was good to know that they were there if he ever needed them.

As to why she brought it up Andrew could only guess. Maybe the Sanctuary was where Ahorta lived. If that were the case then he might have to pay a visit sometime. Ahorta was someone he was comfortable with in some ways and Andrew was curious as to what the Sanctuary was like. It seemed like a good idea at least.

"Why do you ask?"

Some confirmation would be necessary on her relationship with said location though. Andrew didn't want to walk into another 'Let's beat down the freak!' session.

Apparently, Rew had never been to the Sanctuary. In a way, she did not expect him to respond differently. After all, he was a mutant that had no completely noticeable physical distortions that would target him as a mutant and from what she could see, he was able to deal with the day to day confrontations with humans. This made him the best candidate for a mutant who could live a life as close to 'normal' as they could get for being a mutant. Ahorta, on the other hand, needed a place that provided safety from the human world as she did not fit in nearly as well as Rew.

"Well if you've heard about it, surely you should know where it is? If you don't, I'm sure there are websites or something to show you, I'm not too familiar with the internet," she admitted, refraining from confessing that the primary reason for her withdrawl from the internet was because when one was to surf on it, it was to surf the 'web', which happened to be a creation of one of her phobias: spiders. Even though it was just a word, she could not see herself surfing any spiderwebs in the future, thus she stayed away from the internet. Another major reason was her fear of being tracked and brain washed by some program on the computer.

"Oh, well, that's where I'm staying," she said, taking care to use the word 'staying' to make it sound more temporary and less traceable than 'living' somewhere. Even if Rew had passed more of her trust tests than anyone else, she was still a little quick to her self-defense, old habits die hard. "It's really a nice place, I mean, if you ever stopped by, maybe you'd see that we as mutants aren't so alone. At the Sanctuary, we protect each other, we're family," she said, pausing a little before spitting out the family word. She had stolen the words from Ms. Faust, but they were the best she had found to describe the place she had come to call home, so at least she did the stolen words justice by believing them.

Andrew didn't know where the Sanctuary was exactly but he was sure he could find it easily enough. It was where Ahorta lived apparently. By telling him about it did she mean for him to come visit her at some point? That wouldn't be too bad. If Ahorta could live there then it had to be fairly safe. Plus it would be nice to get to know her in a place she would likely feel more comfortable in.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find."

It could be looked up. Amber had said it was a homeless shelter of sorts for mutants. That wouldn't be something that was kept secret. Ahorta appeared to be keen on the idea of him coming to the place. Maybe sometime soon he would.

"I'll have to come have a look sometime."

A place that offered solace to mutants was inherently interesting. Such a place that made someone as cautious as Ahorta feel safe enough to stay there for any length of time was remarkable. It couldn't hurt to be familiar with the place in case his roommates kicked him out. Since his power wasn't easily shown knowing Ahorta ought to give him a way in if they questioned his genetic status.

"Yes, you should stop by and see it. It's the safest place for people like us," she said in all honesty, according to her, at least. She had never been to the Mansion, but she had heard different things about it, mostly that it was filled with those mutants that wanted equality, those who thought that even though mutants were being treated unjustly due to the human race, that humans had somehow proven themselves to be worthy of not just recognition, but of equality! The mere thought of it nearly made her sick. Humans were the reason she saw the world like she did. Though she was thankful she could see what no one else could, there were times she wished she was blind to all of the horrors in the world, living life lightly like everyone else on the streets.

It was a dream she knew would never come true, and her world was filled with more nightmares than dreams. Getting to her feet, she paced over to the door, ready to open it and leave without saying anything more. To wish someone farewell was to convey emotions on how they felt about meeting. Ahorta was never really one for emotions. Still, he had earned more than a swift, curt exit. Turning back to him, her lips curled into a half smile, the muscles that made her smile were not used to forming that facial expression, so it looked slightly awkward upon her pale face.

Of course, she forgot that she was wearing the face mask, and her smile slightly protruded from the sides and seemed to light up and squish her eyes a little. Even if he could not see the smile, the rest of her face seemed to take on the facial expression. "I do hope you stop by the Sanctuary some time. It was nice meeting you, Rew, but I have to go now. Thank you for going with me to the store and getting me out of the alley," she said, picking up her bag and opening the door. She lightly kicked it open and walked through, trying to pull the door shut with her foot, but it bounced back open, only a little. She paused in the hall way to make sure he closed it. If he did not within 3 seconds, she would put down her bag and close it herself, seeing as though she was the culprit.

Ahorta plainly said that the Sanctuary was the safest place for mutants. He hadn't been there yet so he couldn't say. Amber had accounted it as more of a homeless shelter. Yet Ahorta made it sound like much more than that. Andrew wasn't sure what to believe of either of the places he'd been told about. Talk was cheap. People were liars and it didn't matter if they were human or mutant. They would lie just the same. Ahorta got up and moved to the door. She was apparently ready to leave. However she stopped short and turned toward him once more.

She was smiling at him. At least it was an attempt at a smile. Andrew got the feeling that Ahorta didn't smile much. He smiled back.

"I will stop by sometime. It was nice meeting you too, Ahorta."

The door was kicked open and Ahorta strode out into the hallway. Andrew got up and peeked out into the hallway to see Ahorta watching the doorway. He waved and shut the door. That had been a much more eventful trip to the store than he'd bargained on. Yet he'd met someone who understood him in some ways and had even helped her. That was good in his book. Still, he'd probably bake a little bit more before heading to his room. For all the good that had had happened during that trip it had still been pretty nerve wracking.