Amelia

Part I

Amelia buried her face in her scarf, the frost nibbling at her nose was no longer bearable. John just continued to walk in silence.

"John?" She looked at the icy ground with lace-like ice swirling along the sidewalk.

"What is it?"

"Why do you think the kids at school hate me?"

"Amelia," he stopped walking and took her hand, "honey, not everyone knows a fantastic little girl when they see one. Do you want to go buy some coco?" He tried to put on a smile to make her feel at least a little better.

"I'm not little!" She objected,

"That's right! Your a lady aren't you? But even ladies like coco sometimes."

"All ladies enjoy a cup of coco." John half smiled, things have been so hard on little Amelia sense her mother had been in the hospital. Being her uncle, he was all she had right now.

The two entered a coffee shop, the walls painted a light beige and the whole place smelled like coffee beans and vanilla. And it was surprisingly empty.

"One hazelnut hot chocolate for the lovely young lady, and one regular for me please." John said as he approached the counter. A woman with bright red hair stood at the register, her eyes appear to balance on top of the bags under her eyes,

"Y-yes. Right away, can I get your uh... Your names please?" she scrounged the surrounding counter top for a pen, with the sound of a click she gave a smile like she had accomplished a great task.

"John and Amelia." Amelia said as she pulled John to a table for two.

"So Amelia, your birthday is coming up. Is there anything you want?" He pulled out several sugar packets, and studied each one closely.

"Well... There is something..."

"What is it?" John abandons the sugar packets and wipes the snow out of Amelia's canary colored bangs.

"I want mama to come home. And I want to see daddy again." At this he paused, her mother wouldn't be able to come home, she was dying. And no one had seen her father in several years.

"I'll try my best, ok?" She sensed his fake smile.

"What's wrong uncle John?" Before he could answer, the woman with messy red hair had their drinks on a tray and slowly, carefully set it on the table.

"I- is that all sir?" She wiped her hands down her black apron.

"Yes. Thank you." He politely smiled and turned to the hot chocolate. Amelia had already picked up hers and vigorously blew at the cup. John picked up a few of the sugar packets from earlier and pours them into his coco.

John's phone buzzed and beeped in his pocket. He quickly pulled it out, and without even answering it, his face grew grim. He quickly answered it.

"H-hello?" John's face almost completely white. Amelia had no idea what the person on the other end was saying, but she could only imagine it was horrible because the panic on John's face only increased.

When the voice from the phone had stopped talking, John just stairs blankly at the phone.

"A-Amelia.." He had no idea how to tell her. he couldn't bare to crush her heart, "Do you know what an Angel is?"

"Yes..." She said slowly, unsure where this was headed.

"So you know that they help people?"

"Uh-huh." Her gaze left John and she stairs right behind him.

"Well- uh.." John swallows trying to think of just the right words.

"Mommy's an Angel."