Let Me Tell You a Secret

Chapter Thirteen

"Here son, this is how we get into the city."
 
Arlene approached the wall, lifting the heavy flag and urging her son to rush through. She surveyed the area, confident that no one had spotted them. They slipped through the hidden entrance.
 
Emerging from the hole in the wall, the pair were hidden behind a large crate. Arlene peeked around the crate, confirming the coast was clear before walking out and pulling her son with her.
 
"Ah!"
 
The mother and son froze at the sudden, surprised exclamation.
 
Slowly turning their attention to the direction of the noise, Arlene gradually felt at ease as she noticed a young, filthy beggar girl huddled at the edge of the dark alleyway.
 
Her knees were pulled to her chest, light yellow eyes wide open, dirty blonde hair scraped back in a tangled ponytail.
 
Obviously she hadn't expected anyone to magically appear from thin air behind the crate.
 
Arlene cleared her throat, thankful that it was only a young child that spotted them. She smiled at the girl and approached her, crouching on the floor to be at her level.
 
The blonde girl recoiled slightly, bracing herself and scrunching her eyes.
 
Seeing the girl's unfortunate reaction, Arlene felt pity for the blonde, immediately assuming the girl's situation. She spoke in a light voice, trying to put her at ease.
 
"Hi little girl, we're very sorry for scaring you just now. We don't mean any harm. Is this where you live?"
 
The blonde heard the soft tones whispered to her and slowly opened her eyes, appraising the crouching woman and the young boy behind her. She nodded in response to Arlene's question.
 
"We're very sorry for barging into your home…"
 
Arlene reached into her cloak and rummaged around, looking for something. The blonde tensed again at this motion.
 
"Here."
 
Pulling something from her cloak, Arlene extended a hand to the girl, offering her the item in her hand. The blonde stared at the item. The gold coin being offered to her.
 
"Please, take this as an apology. And please don't mention that you've seen us or where we came from."
 
Winking at the child, Arlene gestured for the blonde to take the coin. Fortunately, the blonde was smart enough to understand this was hush money. 
 
Her yellow eyes gleamed and opened wide, she scrambled to grab the coin and just stared at it.
 
"Good. Thank you."
 
Arlene stood up straight, dusting off her cloak and reaching for her son's hand. She turned to face him.
 
"Shall we go, then?"
 
The brunette nodded and the two slipped out of the dark alley. 
 
Staring after them, the blonde looked at the shiny golden coin again and jumped to her feet, running after the disappearing pair.

Arlene and her son emerged from the dark alleyway, seamlessly blending in with the crowds of people going about their day.
 
The first place the pair headed to was a small bakery. Arlene pulled her son inside, purchased a couple of items. Exiting the shop, they walked a few steps before stopping. 
 
Rummaging through the paper bag, Arlene handed a flavoured bun to her son and encouraged him to eat. Had they even eaten the past few days? Shaking her head in frustration at herself, Arlene then tore into a bun herself.
 
She needed to make sure she kept her strength up for the sake of her child.
 
As they were polishing off the freshly baked breads, a commotion could be heard behind them.
 
"Get outta here, ya filthy beggar!"
 
They turned to face the uproar.
 
It was the bakery they had just purchased their snacks from.
 
A small crowd had started to gather, the Baker waving his fist in the air having shoved someone from his store.
 
"We don't need the likes a' you around here! Now scram! You'll scare off ma customers!"
 
A harsh kick and mean words, the Baker turned on his heel and walked back into his store.
 
The crowd quickly dispersed once the show was over, revealing the huddled figure of a dirty blonde curled up on the floor.
 
Recognising the blonde from earlier, Arlene hesitated to approach. 
 
It was none of her business.
 
She had important things she needed to do.
 
She glanced at the brunette by her side, his hidden face seemingly staring at the young girl.
 
Sighing, Arlene pulled her son with her.
 
"Are you okay, little one?"
 
Crouching down, Arlene once more extended a hand to the dirty beggar child, offering to help her up.
 
The blonde ignored the hand and pulled herself to her feet, staring at the floor, clutching something in her hands.
 
The gold coin.
 
Arlene immediately realised that the young blonde was trying to buy food from the bakery before she was so rudely and violently kicked out.
 
"You want to buy something? What would you like and I can go in and get it for you?"
 
The blonde's gaze shifted between Arlene, the boy and the floor until she finally pointed at the empty paper bag Arlene held in her hands.
 
"You want the same as us?"
 
A curt nod from the blonde.
 
"Okay, give me the coin and I'll go get it for you."
 
Arlene held out her hand for the money but the blonde clutched the coin tightly, staring at it, reluctant to let go. After a short while, she conceded defeat, her stomach loudly growling. Arlene disappeared into the bakery with her son, returning shortly after with a paper bag of bread.
 
She knew this was probably a mistake, helping the poor child who would have to grow up on the streets alone. Arlene had other important matters to attend to, but she never could turn a blind eye to a person in need.
 
After she handed the bread to the blonde who was drooling into the bag, she also handed back the gold coin.
 
"Now you have to be careful. You have to make this last."
 
Speaking softly to the blonde, Arlene bit her lip and turned away from the girl, pulling her son with her as they continued on their way. She felt horrible for abandoning the poor beggar child.
 
Arlene didn't need to worry though, as the blonde blushed at the woman's kindness, her eyes sparkled and she furiously chased after them, always never more than a few feet behind them.
 
Her presence was obvious, even though she tried to be discreet. Arlene kept sighing and her son squeezed her hand. They continued walking through the city, searching for their loved ones though they didn't speak to anyone.
 
Arlene eventually gave up ignoring the child.
 
Halting to a sudden stop, she quickly turned and grabbed onto the blonde before she could run away and hide.
 
"Why are you following us?"
 
A stern tone to her voice, Arlene demanded of the child. She knew there were no bad  intentions but still… her stress and paranoia were high.
 
Another sigh as the blonde trembled under her touch. She smiled softly at the girl.
 
"What's your name sweetie?"
 
Encouraging the girl, Arlene tried asking other questions that would be easier to answer.
 
The blonde stared at the woman, her lips parting and floundering like a fish.
 
"R-rachel…"
 
A quiet, timid voice finally responded.
 
"What a pretty name. Do you have a home to go to?"
 
Soft, gentle tones from Arlene to reassure the girl who shook her head violently. Arlene could have guessed this answer, but she wanted to be sure before making her offer.
 
"Then, Rachel, would you like to come with us?"
 
The girl's yellow eyes gleamed and she immediately nodded her head.
 
"Okay, well we're looking for two members of our family. You can come with us."
 
Obediently listening to the woman, the girl continued nodding her head.
 
Arlene spoke a few more words to the girl and the three of them started walking through the city once more.
 
An unpleasant feeling settled in Arlene's stomach. It wasn't the right time. Taking on the girl is a bad choice. But what else was she to do?
 
Stuffing these emotions deep inside, Arlene led the two children all over the city, making occasional purchases as she went.
 
The day dragged and the sun began to set, the sky gradually changing colours and Arlene becoming more frantic in the search that threw up nothing.
 
They returned to the dark and dingy alleyway from where they first entered the city.
 
Furrowing her brow, Arlene sat the two children on a step and paced back and forth, coming up with a new plan.
 
It seemed just walking around the city and listening to strangers conversations wasn't turning up anything. They needed to do more. They needed to speak to people.
 
Dangerous.
 
Her instincts screamed at her.
 
She fell to the floor, holding her head in her hands. The two children watched on, nothing they could say or do to help the distressed Arlene.
 
"Okay. We're staying here tonight."
 
Arlene suddenly looked up, having made a decision. The more they came and went from the city using the secret entrance, the more likely they were to be discovered. She also counted the coins she had brought with her, they were limited and they needed to be scrupulous with them. Her gaze turned to her son.
 
"I'm sorry, sweetheart. We're going to be sleeping out here tonight. It will be just like camping!"
 
Her exaggerated, flamboyant tone was not lost on her son but he could tell that his mother was trying her hardest, so he made do.
 
The young blonde was far more accustomed to sleeping on the streets and this alleyway was her home. She quickly scurried away, dragging out some hidden filthy, torn blankets and offered them to her two new companions.
 
"Oh… thankyou, but you should keep one. I can use my cloak."
 
Arlene pushed the blanket away and the girl hugged it close, handing the second one to the brunette who accepted after his mother told him he could.
 
"Now get some rest, we have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow."

It was a long night.
 
Arlene vigilantly stayed awake, keeping guard of the two young children.
 
The brunette had an uncomfortable disruptive sleep on the cold hard ground.
 
The blonde, used to these circumstances, slept with one eye open.
 
When dawn started to rise, Arlene woke the children and the three set off to hunt down the missing family members.
 
This time, Arlene hesitantly tried to speak to a few merchants, however none of them were open to speaking unless coins were coughed up.
 
Annoyed, Arlene reluctantly purchased unnecessary items from each stall, only to discover the merchants had no information anyway!
 
It was another fruitless day of searching. Only, this time, Arlene's coin pouch ended up with nothing inside.
 
They retired to the dark alleyway as dusk settled on the city.
 
A repetition of the previous evening. The two children sat on a step, watching Arlene pacing back and forth. Her distress was easily seen by the pair as the woman started to lose her grip on her sanity.
 
The missing family members couldn't be found but Arlene refused to give up her search, prepared to do anything and everything within her power to find them. However, the coin pouch was empty and information couldn't be gained for free in this city.
 
Looking up at the orange glow of the setting sun, Arlene came to another decision. They needed more coins. There were more coins back at the house, plus other essentials they could use. Determination lighting her features, Arlene took a deep breath, crouching before the two children, she announced the plan.
 
"Okay, you two, let's go home."