The ride back was one of just pure awkwardness. No one spoke. No one held a discussion. Well more like Sam did try to have a conversation with the boy who was sitting in the cup holder, but he wouldn't say anything back. Sam would make comments towards the human like "How was school?" And Chesher would just reply with simply replies like "Good."

"Did you make any friends?"

"Not really."

"Have a favorite class?"

"Nope."

And this went on for the entire ride. The awkwardness between them could be cut with a knife because it was so thick. It wasn't the fact that Chesher didn't want to talk, he did, just not with him. There was nothing wrong with Sam...he just...he just didn't know anything about the guy and he wasn't in the mood to open up at this moment. Not on a car ride.

A breath of fresh air came in when the human could feel the vehicle's tires stumble off the pavement directly onto a gravel road. The vibrations of rocks hitting tires and the sound of them flying everywhere after ricocheting off the metal parts toward the grass. Being smaller in stature he would notice smaller noises and textures more often then he used to. They were almost home.

Two minutes pass and the truck's hums die down to a silent stutter finally dying in the process.

"Alright. I'm going to drop off a few items in the barn then we can go to the house." Sam reached down to grab the human causing his eyes to do wide.

"Um wait!" he didn't mean to raise his voice, but he had to grab Sam's attention. "Travis is in the barn. Right?"

"Yeah, I mean, he's working on-"

"You can just drop me off there then." Sam gave him this confused look.

"You sure? The house isn't-"

"No...I think I need to figure something out first. Travis may be able to help with it."

"Schoolwork?"

"Yeah I guess," he said looking away and rubbing his hair. He felt guilty lying about something so simple, but doesn't want to sound desperate to talk to Travis.
-------------------------------------------------------

"Hey! You have a guest!" Sam walked into the barn looking around. He knew Travis was in here. The music only blared in the barn when he was inside working on his vehicles. Sam gently leaned down allowing Chesher off his hand as he slowly walked over to a wooden workbench to drop off a package that probably contained a car part Travis needed to complete his work.

"Yeah! Back here!" a crashing sound and the shout of "Shit!" confirmed Travis was closer to the back. He most likely dropped something on the ground or dropped a tool on a part of his body again. For a skilled worker and mechanic, that kid was one of the clumsiest he has ever met. Sam honestly didn't know where he got it from since He and Berneice we're not like that period. He crouched down on the ground to talk to Chesher for a moment.

"Back there. Just be careful. You might want to come back later."

"No, I'm fine." he was honestly curious about what was even happening back there to comply and go back to the house. Sam stood back up and walked over the human, causing him to run to the side. He knew Sam didn't mean to, but these people had to think more about their actions.

Wandering further back Chesher noticed more and more of the barn that interested him, especially if it was items that replicated human creation. He wandered past the main part of the barn that was filled with typical farm equipment. Walking through the slits in a pitchfork he looked above him. There were rafters so high above his head he could never imagine reaching up there. He stepped over many strands of stray hay from the bale off to the side of him that was used for growing items such as the field, grass, and to sell to others. Just one strand was like a branch to him. The piece was round and frayed at the end, obviously stepped on or move a hundred times. The air around him just proved he was in a farm area. That fresh smell of mud, grass, and wet earth filled his nostrils.

The further back he walked he noticed more and more of the area become 'Travis territory.' The music was blaring so loud one could not hear exactly what was being said. It was that type of music you had to lean closer to the person and read their lips to know exactly what was said. Looking up he noticed speakers hanging in corners of the barn with one small black square one sitting on the workbench. The human had to take a few steps back to see the top of the desk. There wasn't much to see since he was on the ground looking up, but the core of the music was coming from a radio contraption that was modified by the Zuvains. It was more of a circular object with no speakers attached to it. It was pure white with one knob. He knew the radios were built to pick up human frequencies and frequencies from their home, wherever that was, then a simple on-off button. The antenna was not straight up and down like theirs. It was bendable. It could go straight up and down to pick up the humans FM frequencies but could be rapped into a spiral-like design to pick up their home frequencies.

Travis was listening to human-sounding music. When he walked in he was listening to country. By the look of the Zuvain, he figured he would listen to country, but the next song that emitted through the speakers was rock. Classic rock to be exact. Perfect mechanic music he guessed.

"Come on! Why don't you fit? I swear if you don't fucking fit into this slot I am done with human vehicle designs. Just do it!" Chesher could hear Travis yelling from somewhere, but was not sure where exactly. It didn't help that he never heard the young adult ever use such language before. Was he cursing at the vehicle?

He walked closer to a classic looking vehicle. He knew Travis worked on cars, but this was ridiculous. He thought Sam meant old farm trucks, maybe even like jeep, something that would be useful for around the farm. No, this vehicle had a slick body that was shined up to perfection. The closer he got the kid could see his reflection in all the metallic outside. "Is this an old Camero?"

"No, but if you don't know much about vehicles you would think that." the human ran back as Travis slid out from underneath the propped-up vehicle on a large creeper ( the piece of wood people lay on to roll under vehicles with wheels). Chesher was out of breath because he didn't want to take the risk of being in the way of the giant when he rolled out not being able to control the board unless you count stopping with your feet. Travis turned his body to see the human a bit better and mouthed sorry. Waiting till the tiny was out of the way completely, he rolled out from the vehicle sitting up on the roller. "Radio! Volume low!" the volume of the music suddenly went from blaring to a comfortable level even to the human's ears. Picking up a rag he threw to the floor earlier he started to get all the grease off his hands. "To be exact the vehicle is a Plymouth Roadrunner or it's supposed to be. Can't always make exact replicas of your vehicles." He planted both feet on the ground in front of him so the roller underneath him wouldn't go anywhere as he spoke, even in this position the giant had to scrunch up his legs since they were so long. "Wait. What are you doing here exactly? Don't you have schoolwork or something?"

Chesher remained silent as he looked down. He went back to not knowing what to talk about or how to say anything. Internaly, he told himself he needed to stay silent, but he needed to talk at some point. It was human nature to be social, he couldn't keep talking to himself or having short conversations with the others.

Travis must have noticed how apprehensive he was, so he acted like Travis. He got on his hands and knees and collected all his tools from underneath the vehicle, some Chesher recognized others not so much. Placing each individual wrench, screwdriver, three-prong screwy thing, into a red metal toolbox, he then leisurely reached over and grabbed Chesher. The kid didn't even notice his actions, he was so deep in thought until Travis's fingers wrapped around his torso without permission. He moved around, using his hands to try and pry his fingers off and it worked to a point. Travis placed him in the toolbox with the other objects, just last. He waited silently for the boy to sit down in place till he moved the whole box. The human got the idea and sat down on a wrench he placed at the top. He wrapped his fingers around the edge to make sure he didn't budge from this spot as the Zuvain moved the objects.

Picking up the toolbox from the bottom with both hands he slowly stood up and wandered to the already open hood of the vehicle. Gently he placed the box down then leaned across the open hood to begin working. He used his hand to gently brush Chesher to signal he needed to move over. Reaching in the giant grabbed a three-quarter wretch, immediately set to work on a piece the kid didn't even know was called. It just looked like Travis was tightening a few large screws and a pipe inside. "What was the first day of school like?" Travis asked without even looking at the human. He figured if he didn't look straight at him maybe a conversation could be struck up. The kid came in here for a reason, and he was going to drag information out of him even if he didn't want it to be said.

"Um, fine I guess." Travis stopped leaning over the open hood and stood up. He gave his little brother a look of 'That's all?' then gestured with his hand to say more.

"Well...it was different."

"How?" he went back to work.

"It's just an adjustment." Even Chesher could feel his body relax as he continued to talk to Travis. "I mean school is pretty similar to my old school. No bullies...yet. It's just what is expected out of us is a lot more than human school."

"Yup. There has to be a hierarchy and that is determined-"

"Yeah, I know the strong...but I don't understand why I have to be held to the same standards. I'm not Zuvain."

"I mean, that's a good point." he pulled out a stick covered in oil. He pulled out a rag from his back pocket to clean off the oil and inspect something on the stick. Maybe checking the oil? "But you'll be living in a Zuvain world, so shouldn't you get used to it?"

"No...I mean I guess. I just...I don't get why I have to be watched all the time!" Chesher threw his hands up in frustration.

"Well, we want to make sure you're ok. That nothing happens to ya."

"Well that's a first," he mumbled out.

Travis must have caught that little side comment and turned around. He leaned against the hood looking directly at Chesher while cleaning off his hands. "Well, what about that kid who's showing you around school? Isn't he alright?"

Chesher stood up and walked to the edge of the toolbox. He sat on the very edge. He was small enough to balance himself on the edge of the box with his legs dangling off the edge. "Kris? Yeah. He's alright. Keeps to himself a lot. Can be a real jerk. I don't know. I don't know if I want to get to know him. He's just such an emo loner who doesn't talk much. I can't tell if he wants to push me off the desk or talk about art."

"Chesher!"

"What? Its the truth!" he started to laugh at Travis's reaction, but right before it came out he covered his mouth.

"I saw that." The Zuvain said pointing at him. "Just do me a favor and give him a chance. He seemed concerned about you at school."

"Fine. If your making me."

"Chesher! Seriously? I'm not making you. Just try it. Your too much of a loner."

Chesher looked down. He didn't know why he wanted to say something...but he had to tell someone and maybe Travis would be the one to listen. "You know." he looked back up directly at his older brother. "My name isn't even Chesher."

The giant had to readjust himself so he didn't fall to the side or allow his feet to fall asleep. He looked directly at the kid full of confusion. He had to be lying. "Oh come on kid. Your lying. I'm trying to be serious here."

"I am too," he said messing with his hands. He keeps cupping them together and looking down so he wasn't so embarrassed or have to see the giant full of anger, he assumed. "Chesher was the name given to me when I was brought into the system. Some stupid giant changed my name saying mine was too human, but as a joke, they changed it to some Disney character name that they loved. Chesher isn't my birth name."

Since day one Travis always thought Chesher was a very odd name for a human, but that was the only name they were given. The kid never even mentioned it was any different, so he didn't think anything about it. Just the thought though of his kind taking him in and degrading him from day one by changing his name to something a child would pick out. That just...that just made him beyond angry. "What is it?" he asked stepping a bit closer. He was trying to test the waters and see how far he could push the kid before he said something. This is the most he's talked to him since the day he was picked up at the adoption center.

"If I remember it correctly its Elliott."

"Well personally I like that name a whole lot better then Chesher." he crouched down setting the wrench back in the toolbox, making sure not to shake the container in fear of it disturbing the human.

"Again. You're the first to like my old name." the kid started to tear up a bit. He was trying so hard not to show his emotion to his older brother, but this was the first time in years someone has even used his old name. His name. The one his parents gave him and not some abusive giant who was trying to degrade him. For so many years he went from house to house and he just got the same thing over and over. He wasn't human. He wasn't worth it. He was an animal who deserved a degrading name like most pets.

Travis gently placed his hand down for the teen. He nudged him into his palm right off the toolbox. He closed the lid to make sure he didn't make any noise, moving it to the side. Slidding down to the ground, he made sure to cup the human close to him, but didn't smother him knowing how particular he was with his space and being close to Zuvains. He could feel Chesher lean up against him while removing the very few fears he had. The human didn't want to embarrass himself any further.

"You know you're the first Zuvain I've told that to? The others didn't care to even figure out how I was feeling."

His older brother positioned himself in front of the vehicle and leaned his back up against the headlights. He really didn't care about that project right now. He just held the human close to him with his knees proped up for support. "We don't have to talk about that right now. You're not with those people so that doesn't matter anymore. If you want to tell me another day you can...but for now let's calm down Elliott."

Omg, a lot happened in this chapter. We see Travis's hobby, an interaction between the two, WE FOUND OUT HIS REAL NAME!, and Travis and Chesher finally open up and get closer. What about that. Someone he can finally trust in all this mayhem. Maybe even start to see the Zuvain as family? How do you think it went? Do you think this will open io so much more for them? Comment below! Don't forget to vote and follow for more.