The Girl Who Knew

The End...sort of

"Ruby watched in disgust. "Why are you talking to it?" All of the doubts she had earlier, the tears she had shed on the train, they disappeared as she watched him speak softly to the child.

Gray returned his attention to her. "She's only a child. She deserves to have someone talk to her."

Ruby stepped forward, quickly. "I told you. Don't call it that. That - thing - is not a child."

Gray watched her with a new caution, thinking maybe she wasn't really the mother. What mother could possibly regard their child with so much hatred?

"What would you prefer, instead of calling her a child? Because she is a child, isn't she? A child you gave birth to?" he asked her, keeping his voice calm.

Ruby was glaring at him, now. She had gone through so much trouble, so much effort, to fix her mistake, and now this stranger was going to screw it up? No, she decided. She wouldn't let him destroy her life. 

"That abomination in your arms was my mistake." she answered him. "And it is exactly that - a mistake that I created, and now I am going to fix it." With that, she walked quickly towards him with every intention of taking the child back.

Gray moved, so quickly that she didn't see him do it. And then, about seven feet behind her, spoke. "No, I don't believe that will be happening."

Ruby spun around towards his voice, coming to a stop when she saw him. "How-" she looked confused, but it was quickly replaced with anger. "You're a freak, too. The fact that you're here, among our society is a disgrace in itself."

Gray shook his head at her, taking one more step back and watching her tense as he did. "That is what you believe, and I'm sure many others along with you." he told her. "But, Ruby, do you know what I believe?" he paused for a second, though he wasn't expecting an answer. He stopped keeping his voice calm, letting some of the anger show through. "I believe that I should take this child far, far away from you. I believe that this little girl deserves to live and to grow up as every child does. And I believe that you deserve to have everyone know what you were doing, and exactly why you were doing it, because no society would accept a person like you any more than they would someone like me." He paused, watching her reaction. She looked terrified. 

"But I can't do all of that and still keep her - her, not it - safe. So say goodbye, Ruby, as you were already planning to do. Say goodbye to your daughter. Because if I can help it, you'll never see her again." With that, he turned and ran, ran with the child until he couldn't see her. Until he couldn't hear her. Until he was sure she couldn't follow.

And as he was running, when no one could hear her, she replied. "That thing is not my daughter."

And she hasn't seen that little girl since that day. She will probably never see her again."

"The end."

"That was so sad." the little girl said. The words were slurred - she was falling asleep.

Scarlett smiled at her, a little sadly herself. "It was." she agreed.

"Where did he go?"

"Home."

"Did he keep the little girl?"

Scarlett smiled. "Yes, sweetheart, he did. He kept her safe and sound as best he could."

Scarlett waited until the little girl's breathing grew deeper. She stood up to leave, lighting the candle on the other side of the room. At her actions the little girl stirred to ask another question.

"Scarlett, who was the little girl?"

Scarlett froze, incredibly grateful that she wasn't facing the bed at that moment. She shook her head and turned with a smile. "Haven't you asked enough questions for tonight?"

She walked back over to the bed and switched off the light.

"Who was she?"

Scarlett leaned down to tuck her in. "She was the girl who lived."

"Yes, but who was she? What was her name?" the little girl pressed.

Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. "Her name was a secret. She was the secret child."

"But some people knew about her, right? So she couldn't be that secret. And she knew who she was, so that wasn't really a secret."

Scarlett was running out of answers. "Then I guess she was the girl who knew."

And though not completely satisfied with this answer, the little girl fell asleep, leaving Scarlett a little relieved, and a little sad.

She closed the door to her room as she whispered goodnight, to a child dreaming of someone else's story.

The End