little bird // r.keene

xxiii. walk back in.

Will could tell something was up with Wren the moment he walked in the visiting room.

He could see where her leg bounced underneath the table and where she had been scratching her forearm as the skin was pink and irritated. He could see how she twisted the chain of her necklace between her thumb and forfinger and his worries were only confirmed when he sat down across from her and she hardly looked up. Will was forced to wave a hand in front of her face in order to capture her attention, which he felt was rude and yet he could tell Wren needed to talk.

"What's wrong?" He asked and she blinked once, then twice.

"I'm sorry, I was miles away then... Nothing's wrong, I'm fine." She answered a little two quickly and Will threw her an empathetic and knowing look, her lying to him was about a frequent as a blizzard in July.

"I'll give you credit, I've seen you lie Wren and normally you're pretty good- what? Is it an off day?" He joked and he watched as she slumped in her chair, notting her hands in her lap.

""I'm sorry..." She apologized, "Just feeling a bit out of it."

"Wanna talk about it?" He asked, leaning on his elbows on the tables edge.

"Remeber that Robby Keene kid I told you about a couple weeks ago?" She asked, finally looking him straight in the eye.

"Sure thing, the one who helped you out of that bind with those assholes." Will confirmed, nodding along whilst his mind flickered back to seeing Wren's face all battered and bruised as she re-told the story. "He still not come back to the shop?"

He watched as she shook her head.

"Sounds like someone has a little crush." Will said in a sing song voice and he felt as Wren kicked her under the table, "Ow..." he whined but when he looked up, Wren held a shallow smile.

"Never, everyone knows you're the love of my live, Billy." She said mockingly, giving him wide eyes as her lips dripped with sarcasm.

"Oh har har, very funny. My foot hurts." Will complained, "And never call me Billy again, I hate it." He pretended to shiver, causing Wren to let lose a slight chuckle. "There's that smile." He laughed, pretending to poke her and she swatted his hand away.

"I'm just worried about him is all. What is something happened?" She asked thoughtfully and Will leaned back in his seat suddenly. He knew all too well about Wren's childhood and how often people had walked in and out as they pleased.

One night, when he was 14, they were having a sleepover and Will, being the genius that he was, had planned to stand outside Rue's door so the next time one of the girls walked out he would shout and scare them. He thought it to be hilarious to was prepared to wait but instead of chatting or laughter, he heard crying.

Without really thinking, he backed away slowly then ran into his room and between his and Rue's room was a grate, he didn't know what it was for, it was an old house, his parents had told him. But he pressed his ear against it and listened.

"Shhh- it's okay Wren, I promise it will get better. It's okay." Rue's voice was as clear as day to Will through the grate and yet, fueled by his curiosity, he pressed his ear harder as if that would help.

"I-I'm scared, Rue." Wren paused, her breaths were rapid and irregular, "Daddy, he- he got angry again at m-mama last night and it was all my fault." Another pause, Will could tell his sister was prepared to let her best friend finish before she offered any sort of advice because that's the kind of girl she is.

"I- I left a drink on the window sill and I forgot about it and later on I moved to c-close the blinds because Daddy likes to watch the telly in the dark when he gets home from work. B-but I knocked over the drink. I didn't tell mama... I was too scared..." Another lengths of sobs and Will could hear his sister's loving shushes.

"Daddy came home and I wasn't done cleaning and he got real mad, he grabbed me and mamma heard it. She- She told him it was her and I- I ran..." She broke off, her breathing was so ragged now Will thought they were getting caught in her throat.

"What did you do?"

"I went to Mrs and Mr James'. I fell asleep there because I couldn't go home- I just couldn't Rue, I'm sorry. I was scared. I was scared!" She cried and so did Rue.

So did Will.

She was afraid of people coming into her life because inside Wren's head, deep down, she always knew they would end up leaving. Will could tell she had taken a liking Robby and even though she had only met him once, and yet, here she was. She was waiting for him to walk back in. Even if he was a total stranger.

For some reason, maybe the fact he had helped her, Will thought, she trusted him. And in that moment, Will wanted nothing more than to find this kid and tell him how special she was, how kind and brave. But he couldn't.

Will was confined to his sentence like any other in the facility and just like any other... it was his own fault.