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Chapter 2

"I'm scared, sister," the little girl whispered. Her right arm hooked onto my neck for support while she played with my brown hair- which curled at the ends -with her other hand. We reached the end of the alley as my bicycle came to view. Then, I put her down and clamped both my hands on her shoulders, my eyes levelling hers.

"You don't have to be scared, sweetie. I'm here. I'll protect you," I reassured her, my voice sounding firm. Her watery eyes looked at my brown ones. The white sleeveless shirt she wore turned somewhat dirty and her pink skirt that landed just above her knees was swept to one side as the wind blew.

What came next was unexpected. She hugged me tightly and said, "I trust you." And she released me before I could hug her back.

"What's your name?"

"Leila." She stood beside my mode of transport and held her hands shyly as she answered my question.

"Well Leila, I'm Eleanor. Do you want to eat something?" I held her hand. When I saw my backpack still at the same spot where I had left it, I breathed out, relieved.

Leila then let out a laugh. "I'm thirsty."

I got my water bottle out of my backpack and handed it to her. Leila reached out her hand but stopped her hand just a few centimetres away from the bottle. "What's wrong?"

"Is it okay? To drink this?" She balled her hand into a fist and stuck her index finger out to indicate what she was talking about.

"Of course. It's totally safe."

Leila grabbed my bottle and chugged down a few mouthful of water. Hasn't she drank water for a long time?

When she was done hydrating herself, she handed me my bottle back. It was lighter than before. I shook the black water bottle. Seemed like I'd have to refill it. I stared at Leila in shock which slowly converted to worry and concern as questions formulated in my mind. My eyebrows furrowed and my lips were thinned into a line.

"Leila, why are you that thirsty? Are you starved at home? Are you mistreated? No water, no food?" Questions tumbled out of my mouth one by one. I couldn't stop them in time.

Leila's eyes widened. She was nervous. Scared of me finding out, perhaps. I could feel it.

"Please... Leila. Tell me so that I can help you. You said you'd trust me, didn't you?" I pushed on further. She lowered her gaze.

"I... I don't have a family, Eleanor. It's just that... I haven't eaten for about a day now. I'm hungry," Leila trailed off when she spoke the last two words. I slipped my phone out of the back pocket of my dark washed skinny jeans and checked the time. Eight. School started about half an hour ago. No point attending classes when I had to render aid to a girl who was probrably abandoned or homeless and hungry.

Picking up my backpack which was lying on the ground, I transferred the weight onto my back. Then I got Leila onto my bicycle which, much to my appeasement, had an extra seat.

After I settled onto my own seat, I rode us to a the dining place where I worked- plus where my source of income came from. It wasn't like my parents cared to give me allowance. They just stopped the habit of giving me monthly allowance when my elder siblings went missing. Just thinking of it made me sick. Almost instantaneously, I wanted to be right in my eldest sister's arms. They never failed to comfort me and hold me tight. It was longing that I felt right now. I wanted to meet them again. Tell them I loved them and ask them how they were. Tears pricked at my eyes but I blinked them away.

We passed by fancy shops and the cars that parked alongside the road. The streets were bustling with people and activites. Leila had her tiny arms wrapped around my waist and she leaned her head onto my backpack. With her short arms, she couldn't really wrap her arms around me completely. Instead, she ended up gripping my plain black shirt at the sides.

Through the roadsides I had ridden, we finally reached Earl's Dining. The owner of the restaurant was an old lady named Bailey. A wonderful woman she was. Bailey always told me that I was a daughter she never had. She never married. Truthfully, she would make a better parent than my parents. But most importantly, Bailey was a good cook.

I parked my bicycle at the usual spot- behind the restaurant which leads to a forest. The lock clicked and I took Leila's hand, walking towards the front door of the dining area.

"Elean! It's morning. Your shift is in the evening. Why-- Oh! Who's this pretty girl?" Bailey stopped her questioning when she saw Leila. Leila blushed when Bailey complemented her. She turned her face away and hugged my left leg.

"Bailey, you're scaring Leila like that." I alerted her.

"Leila. Nice name. Now Elean, make yourself comfortable and let me talk to Leila." Bailey eyed me. I made a move to follow them as Bailey guided Leila to the back of the restaurent with her arm on her shoulder. "In private." She added.

Why? I thought as I took a seat in a private booth.

What did they need to talk about?

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