OUR SPOT // SkepHalo

Chapter 28

Warning: Strong language, mention of death, orphans

     Though Zak had only been gone for a few days, the children at the orphanage were beyond ecstatic to see him. As was their caretaker, Ms. Abby, who'd been left to care for them for without help. She greeted him with an exasperated sigh, " Took ya long enough! Come in here and help me with lunch, I need you to pick up some stuff for me from the market!"

     As he stepped into the kitchen, a familiar little face lit up. Zak grinned and held out his arms as his personal favorite child ran to him. He spun her around a few times before setting her down again. " Lanie! How's it hanging?"

     The girl made a few messy signs with her hands, which Zak could make out to be her usual signs for when she was hungry. The older man took her by the hand and led her over to where Ms. Abby had prepared a few crackers for their meal later. He held one finger to his lips and slipped one into the hands of the young girl. She smiled, one of her front teeth missing, before running to the couch to sit with another girl. This girl, Alice, was much older.

     Ms. Abby noticed the missing cracker and huffed, but saw Zak's sad eyes as he stared at Alice. A teenager had a lower chance of being adopted, they all knew it, but it was unfortunate news nevertheless. The old nanny let out a small noise of amusement. " She'll be growin' out of the system come her next birthday. It's a good thing we've found a family for her."

     " Wait really?!" Zak whirled around to face her, and Ms. Abby laughed. " Who?!"

     " I've taken care of her since she arrived at our doorstep as a child," Ms. Abby recalled. " I think it'd be a sin for me to let her go so soon!"

     " No way, you're adopting her?!" Zak threw his arms up, smiling wildly. The woman laughed at him and he sheepishly continued, " So, she's living with you now?"

     " Aye," the nanny said. " She'll be livin' with me startin' next week."

     Zak took a deep breath, savoring the sweet smells in the air. He smiled at the children mulling around the room. They each had a sad story behind them, but the older man knew they'd grow up to be fine people in Ms. Abby's care. His eyes drifted to Lanie, who was sitting on Alice's lap as she read, silent as ever.

     She looked up to see that Zak had picked up the shopping list. She sprung to her feet, surprising Alice, and practically tackled the raven-haired male. He giggled and grabbed her hand, and together, they were on their way.

     The market was busy, but Zak had seen worse. To avoid losing her, the man scooped Lanie into his arms. The little girl held the list for him, and would frantically point to a stall whenever she spotted something. The shopping process itself went smoothly, as most vendors were less likely to rip off someone in the presence of a cute kid.

     " Okay," Zak said, gazing at the bags they'd collected. " I think this is about everything, is there anything left on the list?"

     Lanie shook her head, and used her one free hand to spell 'N-O'. Zak felt his heart swell with pride. He'd gotten better at sign language as she did, both of them taking turns to teach each other how to say things. Zak could now understand basic spelling and certain sentences.

     With a sudden movement, Lanie pointed at two figures at the edge of the crowd. A few people cleared out of the way and the peasant was finally able to make them out as Darryl's friends, Zelk and Mega. The girl wiggled until Zak was forced to put her down. The man cursed and followed after her, thinking she probably remembered Zelk from when he'd met him in the marketplace last time.

     When Zelk saw the approaching Lanie, Zak expected him to be confused. Instead, the Head Servant's face brightened and he picked the girl up with a huge smile on his face. The raven-haired man stumbled to a stop in front of them, highly confused.