Her Dark Shield

Prologue

"Mommy, can I go play outside with the other kids?" I tried to gather as many of my dolls as I could.

"Of course sweet pea. Just make sure when daddy gets here you come back so we can all have dinner. Remember your brothers should also be back by then." Mommy let me know as she started setting up the table for our family of six. I miss my brothers. Oh well, I'll make new friends. 

I take out my little cart with my toys out to the front of my house into the street where I see other kids like me playing. I see a group of boys near the tree house that I've come to love in the middle of the kids park. 

I struggle to get my cart of toys across the gravel til I reach the grass when I see two of the boys approach me and help me out. 

"There you go little girl." The two boys say. 

"I'm not a little girl." I say with my voice trembling already. Ugh! I hate that people think I'm a little girl because I'm smaller than most kids my age. 

"I'm already seven" I play with my hands as they stare at me looking like they want to laugh. 

"Okay Mrs.!" They say in unison. 

"I'm Luciano and this is my brother Valentino. Are you new here?" The boy with brown hair and brown eyes says as he extends his hand to shake mine while Valentino, his brother, finishes in bringing my little cart to the grass. I shake my head to answer his question. 

"My name is Romina. Do you want to play with me?" I smile while trying to take out some toys out. I hand him Lele, my new barbie doll that my older brother, Russo, got for me. 

"Umm..." 

"I also have Lexi if you don't like her." I stare and I see Luciano and Valentino standing there dumbfounded. 

"We're boys." They say.

"So? You don't know what these are? Oh! I'm so sor-"

I see Luciano chuckle as Valentino speaks, "No. We know what they are, but we don't play with dolls." They hand it back to me. 

"We'll see you around little girl, I mean Mina." They tap my head as if I was a dog. They smile and walk back to their friends. 

I sulk as I see their retreating frames. As I look out into their group, I see three other boys. Two boys are climbing down the tree house to meet Valentino and Luciano, while the last boy is staring straight at me. He doesn't seem at all bothered that I caught him staring. Creepy. 

He continues to make eye-contact until I start fidgeting with my hands as I try to look at the other kids around that are playing. I see another group of boys and girls this time. I take my cart to them since the boys didn't want to play with me. 

"Hi, I'm Viviana!" I see a girl with very pretty black eyes and black hair approach me. She's followed by her group of friends. 

"You want to play tag with us?" She asks nicely. 

"Yes! I'm Romina." I give them a big smile as we start to play. 

After a while, I stop for a little while to catch my breath as my legs hurt from running. I hadn't noticed I stopped right in front of the tree house. As I look up, I notice the same boy from earlier still there. He was still just watching from the tree house window. I smile and wave letting him know I'm friendly. I want to make one-hundred friends in my new home. He just kept staring at me like I was something alien. Meanie. 

I wanted to continue playing, but I felt someone hit me in the back and I fell forward on the gravel. Oh no! My new dress that daddy bought for me! 

"What did you do!" I hear someone yelling at someone else. Ow. My knees and hands are starting to hurt. I try to get up, but I yelp at the pain I'm feeling. I feel my tears falling fast.

"Leave!" I hear the same voice yelling. 

"Lu, come here." I feel two pairs of hands hold my arms and pull me up. Once I'm standing up, one pair of hands is slapped away while the boy in the tree house turns me around helps me. Through the tears I see he is taller than me with black hair. 

"It's okay little tulip. No one's going to hurt you from now on." He says as I see my daddy and my brothers coming to get me.