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After another day, we came upon a house.
It was white and small, the paint peeling. At first glance, it looked abandoned.
But an old woman stepped out of the house, a basket at her hip as she walked to the clothes line.
Cautiously, Clara walked to the house.
"Hello?" She said quietly at first, then repeated herself, louder the second time.
The old woman looked up.
"We're you two come from? There ain't another house for miles." Her eyes widened.
Clara looked at me, debating whether to tell her. She pointed back towards the surrounding trees from the direction we came.
"There's," Clara hesitated, "there's an orphanage... that way."
The old woman's brows furrowed, "There ain't no orphanage 'round here." She walked towards us and reached to grab our hands.
Clara instinctively backed away, I drew mine back.
The old woman looked at us curiously, and then her eyes softened. "Come along, girls, I'll make you some food."
Hesitantly, we followed after her. She cooked us fried eggs, giving the two of us three. "You girls look starved. So thin," she mumbled as she put the pan in the sink.
"Now, where you come from?" She sat herself down at the table. "Don't be lyin' now. There ain't no orphanage 'round this here area."
Clara looked at her and then glanced at me. "... We have no home," she glanced back, her body stiffened.
"You been livin' with no roof over ya?" She said, looking concerned now more than ever.
Clara nodded slowly, again, looking behind her.
"You poor girls," she mumbled. "I promise I ain't gonna hurt ya. I wouldn't hurt a fly, that's the truth."
She stood up and went into a back room, returning with some blankets and placing them on her couches.
"You two can sleep here. We'll talk more in the mornin."
She took our plates after we had finished and went into a room. She didn't return.
Clara gathered up a blanket and handed me one, and then picked up one for herself.
"We're leaving?"
She nodded, "we can't stay here, Violet. She could be lying to us. She could tell the orphanage we're here. We can't trust anyone."
I watched as she quietly opened the door, and I followed her out into the cold air once again.
YOU ARE READING
Don't Touch Her
Romance"What did he - Where did he touch you?" His voice had hardened, mad. I swallowed and looked down. "You son of a-" He walked off the porch, angrily running his hands through his hair. "What did he look like? I'm swear I'm gonna kill him. Tell me what...
