The car drew away, leaving the little girl on the verge. Shaking with cold in her thin cotton T-shirt and shorts, she sat down, arms locked around her knees, her light brown hair blowing messily in the wind, pale as a dandelion seed head.
The angry voice echoed in her small mind: be quiet freak, or we'll come back and get you.
But she didn't want them to come back for her. She knew that for a fact, even if she couldn't remember her name or where she lived.
A family walked by on their way to their vehicle, the mum carrying a baby and the dad holding the hand of a toddler. With dreams, the girl stared at the worn grass, counting the daisies. What's that like, she wondered, being carried? It was so long since anyone had cuddled her, she found it hard to watch. She could see the shimmer of gold that shone around the family - the colour of love. She didn't trust that colour; it only led to hurt: a feeling she'd become so familiar with.
The woman spotted her. The girl hugged her knees tightly, trying to make herself small so no-one would notice her. But it was no use. The woman had said something to her husband before handing the small child she held in her arms over. With small steps, she came closer until she could crouch down beside the girl.
'Are you lost, sweetie?' she asked, her voice quiet. It had been so long since the girl had heard a voice so kind and gentle. An unfamiliar feeling happened inside her: a feeling which felt warm.
Be quiet or we'll come back and get you.
There it went again: the same voice in her head, telling her to not breathe a word. Even if the owner of the voice wasn't around, she knew better than to go against his orders. So she kept her mouth firmly shut, shaking her head instead.
With a frown on her lips, the woman asked, 'Mummy and Daddy gone inside?' Her colours tinged an angry red.
The lonely girl didn't know if she should nod or not. Mummy and Daddy had gone away, but that was a long time ago. They'd never come for her in the hospital but stayed in the fire with each other. She decided to stay nothing - that way she wasn't letting anyone down. The woman's colours flared a deeper crimson, causing the girl to cringe: she'd upset her. So the ones who had just driven away told her the truth: she was bad, always making everyone unhappy. With a barely audible sigh, the girl put her head on her knees. Perhaps if she pretended she wasn't there, the woman would feel happy again and go away. That sometimes worked.
'Poor little thing,' the woman sighed, standing up. Her head snapped around to look at her husband. 'Mark, will you go back inside and tell the manager there's a lost child out here? I'll stay with her.'
The girl heard the man murmur reassurance to the toddler and then footsteps as they went back towards the restaurats.
The woman turned back to the little girl, crushing daisies five and six as she sat beside her. 'You mustn't worry: I'm sure your family will be looking for you.' The woman didn't understand how untrue her words were. The girl knew she was alone; she had no family, none that wants her anyway.
Suddling, the girl began to tremble violently and shaking her head as realisation of what the woman meant kicked in. She didn't want them looking - not now, not ever.
'It's okay,' the woman assured. 'Really, it is. I know you must be frightened, but you'll be back with 'em soon enough.'
A small whimper escaped the girl's lips, then a hand clapped over her mouth. I mustn't make a sound, she told herself, I mustn't make a fuss. I'm bad. Bad!
But it wasn't her making all the noise. It's not her fault.
Her face showed pure fear as she looked up at the many people surrounding her: police wearing yellow jackets like the ones that surrounded her house that day, voices were talking to her, asking for her name.
'I don't know,' she whispered, a voice no-one could hear. A tear crawled down her cheek and she realised: these people weren't going away.
They kept on asking for her name.
But it was a secret - and she'd forgotten the answer a long time ago.
YOU ARE READING
Soulmates. (Harry Styles) -completed-
Fanfiction((Similar to Twilight, just without vampires, werewolves, and team so and so.. lol)) Discovering your soulmate has never been so dangerous. Kenzie McIntyre is an innocent girl from England who moves to America with her parents for a year. When she c...
