The Magpie's Death

Making Friends (1)

Wearing an oversized raincoat, the hood flopping over her face, Ellie waddled down the sidewalk next to her fake stepfather as they headed toward Jade's preschool. It wasn't raining, but Sam found it covered her better than the hat. Some momentary panic in the house or at work was one thing. Walking in public was a disaster waiting to happen. A man's voice still made her anxious, but at least it didn't turn into a tantrum.

"Sam!"

Jade gave him an energetic wave from the door. Unlike her, he wasn't the least bit excited to be there. In fact, he had been dreading this moment since the night before, running it over and over in his mind. As if that would help anything.

This morning would be their fourth attempt at preschool. So far, it hadn't been promising and each try made the thought of another that much worse. The first day, as suggested, Sam stayed the whole time. With him there, Ellie was calm as she sat on his lap or followed him around, not showing even a hint of interest in the teachers or other children. She had even tailed him to the bathroom, whining in confusion when she wasn't allowed to go in.

The second day, Jade encouraged him to be more involved in the class. If he played with the kids, Ellie would see and copy him. The idea of interacting with strange children put his stomach into knots, but he shifted over and spoke as gently as possible, trying his best to not scare anyone.

It was a bizarre sight. He was a monstrous, cold-faced man, capable of squashing these tiny humans under his feet. Instead, he crouched down to their miniature tables, sitting between their miniature chairs, and colored pictures of dinosaurs and unicorns and robots and flowers. He joined the toddlers to learn their letters and numbers, correcting them and attempting to answer questions. He helped hand out tiny portions of food at snack time, passed out blankets for nap time, and spent much too long as a one-man playground, swinging children by the arms or letting them crawl and climb and hang.

Ellie never left his side, but she wouldn't take part. Instead, she wore her usual blank stare, her eyes only occasionally curious. A few times, she would let out a frustrated grunt when the other children took away his attention or blocked her from reaching him. Those times were the most emotional but still hardly qualified as expressive.

The third day, Sam attempted to leave. He plopped Ellie down in a group of children, told her he had something to do and would be back, and he left. Ellie simply stood and followed him out. The second time, Jade tried to keep her distracted, but she had no interest in the woman. As annoying as the situation was, it was at least enjoyable to watch her struggle. The third time, Jade physically held her back, which resulted in a wild, screaming tantrum. The shock in her usual sweet-but-stern teacher face showed she had never experienced anything outside the typical toddler meltdown. But this wasn't a spoiled child who wanted something they couldn't have. Ellie's tantrum came from pure fear, filled with raw panic, and even Jade couldn't keep holding her when she saw it.

Now they were on day four and he wasn't sure what brilliant plan the woman would come up with. It was definitely best for Ellie to spend time with children her age. Since she didn't speak or join in, he had no idea what she knew or what she could do. He hadn't thought about it before, but they had been together over a month now and he'd never read to her, played with her, or really even talked to her. She always seemed content with toddling behind him or resting on his lap, so he left it that way.

"Let's try this again," he said to Ellie.

Taking her hand, they stepped into the small, three-room building. There were already some children running about and friends playing together, but she stood still by his side. He couldn't tell what the place used to be - an abandoned restaurant or store perhaps - but it didn't start as a school. He wasn't surprised. He'd been here long enough to realize this was common in a small town.

Jade ushered the others into a classroom with bins of toys lining the walls. Low tables were scattered with paper, markers, and crayons, and the floor was covered in thick, colorful mats.

"And the plan today?" He tried not to sound annoyed as he looked at her, Ellie's fingers gripped tight around his.

"Let's play it by ear," she suggested, probably feeling more frustrated than him.

She was sure getting the girl around other children and showing her the fun they were having would catch her attention, but Ellie was completely indifferent to anything Jade wanted.

As they stood, watching the other children play, there was a shout from behind and the fast clicking of heels on the polished floor.

"I'm so sorry!" cried a young woman no older than Jade from the entry. She dragged a little girl behind her. "We're running late today."

Jade waved a hand at her and smiled. "It's no problem, Michelle. We haven't started yet."

"Oh, good! It's been such a struggle, you know?"

The toddler standing by her side was almost identical to her mother, with long, dark brown hair, light brown eyes, and naturally tanned skin. Her features were sharp for her age, making her look older compared to Ellie's soft, round, mousey look. She smiled and waved at Jade, receiving a wave in return, then turned toward Sam and Ellie.

"Are you new?" she asked, sounding excited to see a fresh face.

Ellie only stared at the girl, so Sam responded for her. "This is Ellie. We just moved here."

"Oh?" The girl let go of her mother and walked over with confidence, thrusting out her hand. "I'm Becca! Less be fwends!"

When the stranger didn't respond or shake her hand, Becca took it by force, giving it a firm tug. Ellie's big eyes glanced at the fingers wrapped around hers, then stared at the new girl again.

Dropping the hand, Becca frowned. "How come you not talkin'?"

"Ellie doesn't speak." Sam crouched down and the brown-haired girl looked at him in confusion. "She doesn't say anything and she's never played with other children before."

"Weally?" Astonished, she turned back with a beaming grin. Then, without any hesitation, she reached out and grabbed Ellie's hand again. "C'mon! You play wiff me. I teach you!"

In a flash, Ellie was dragged away and forced to sit near a bin of blocks. Becca chattered, explaining what the blocks were and what to do with them, then showed her how to use them. Ellie didn't make any effort to play, but her new friend didn't care, happy to build for her and tell her what she was doing.

What the hell?

Without a tantrum, without even a glance back, Ellie was gone and the space at Sam's side was empty. He watched the two girls, baffled by the situation. If he was someone who felt sad, he probably would have felt it now, being left behind so suddenly for a stranger. Instead, he felt relief. Ellie didn't look back, too focused on this new person babbling away in front of her.

"I'm sorry about her." Michelle stepped up next to him with an embarrassed half-smile on her face, watching her daughter play. "She's a little too outgoing."

He shook his head, eyes still fixed on those large pools of grey-blue as they followed Becca's every movement. "No, it's a good thing. She doesn't normally leave my side."

"Well, good or bad, Becca is now her best friend and will drag her around everywhere."

Michelle looked pleased, but her words came out tired. The impression it left was conflicting and he confirmed yet again that he hated dealing with people.

"It's wonderful!" Smiling ear to ear, Jade watched proudly, as if she had something to do with this outcome. At least she was easy to read. "Look at that. She'll be playing in no time."

Sam let out a heavy sigh, feeling uncomfortable standing between the two women. "I should leave while she's distracted. Call me if anything happens."

He began to turn, but Michelle grabbed him by the arm. Like Jade, she was also smiling wide, but in an entirely different way.