"God, it's brutal out here." ~Brutal//Olivia Rodrigo~
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"MALLORY IRVING! COME BACK HERE IMMEDIATELY!"-a middle-aged woman shouted desperately, without stopping running through the crowded corridors of the Met in New York.
Mal, for her part, simply smiled slyly, continuing to dart among the statues in the museum's Greek art department. She had arrived in her first family in New York just three days ago, days that the little girl had spent cleaning the house of the woman who had decided to "host" her. She had already been taken into foster care several times by people who simply wanted to have someone to entrust with household chores, but obviously Mal didn't like being used or exploited, so when she found herself in families like that, she usually worked even harder than usual to drive them crazy. So when she and Mrs. Landon went out shopping that day, she didn't wait a second before running away and without thinking too much, she had slipped into the Met. Once inside, she had simply followed her instincts and so she had found herself in the Greek ward. Too bad Mrs. Landon had managed to follow her.
Guided by the adrenaline that that escape was giving her, Mal violently moved away all those who were in her way, even forcefully inserting herself into the middle of a couple who was walking peacefully hand in hand.
"MALLORY!"-Mrs. Landon shouted once again and Mal rolled her eyes: she hated being called by her full name.
Arriving in a more open area of the exposition, Mal realized she absolutely had to find a place to hide. She then ran to a corner, where there was an ancient statue of a woman, probably a goddess, but the little girl didn't pay much attention to it. She crouched behind the statue and thanks to her small stature, she managed to hide from the eyes of most of the people present, while still managing to keep an eye on the situation. She remained still for a couple of seconds, until a strange sensation made her turn to her left, discovering that someone had noticed her. It was a boy with blond hair and big blue eyes. He must have been about eleven years old like her and he was staring at her with a curious look, standing next to the statue of a Greek warrior together with a woman, who Mal guessed was his mother.
Mal stared back and when Mrs. Landon shouted her name for the umpteenth time like a hysteric, the little girl brought a finger to her lips, thus signaling the mysterious boy not to say anything. The blond opened his eyes slightly, but luckily he didn't say a word, deciding to protect her hiding place. When Mrs. Landon finally ran to another part of the exhibit, Mal was able to relax and after one last checking look, she emerged from her hiding place. She smoothed out her brown braids, but when she looked up, she found that the boy with big blue eyes was still staring at her. Mal tilted her head slightly, returning his gaze with curiosity, then deciding to smile slightly at him as a sign of thanks. The boy seemed taken aback by her gesture, but eventually smiled back.
Mal quickly broke eye contact. She couldn't hold back too much if she wanted to taste at least a little bit of freedom. Curious more than ever, she then began to wander around the exhibit. She had always felt a certain interest in Greek mythology, although unfortunately her dyslexia had always prevented her from really delving into it.
