"I w-was going t-to the c-cafeteria," James mumbled again, never looking up from the ground. He could smell the cat and it was only making him want to hide more. The little teen took a shuffling step back and shook his head. "B-but I'm o-okay. I'm f-fine." It wasn't true, he knew that. But he was trying to be.
"I'm n-not hurt." He paused. "N-no one h-hurts me n-now." Kae had promised that, Arion and LiShan and Lendie and Viktor had said no one was allowed to hurt him. That had to make it true. "I'm h-here a-again."