Little Sister

Chapter 1

It was a warm, pleasant morning in the autumn season. The leaves were scattered on the moist soil in an array of colours ranging from light green to dark brown. The sky was cloudy, constantly looming over the area as if it were about to rain cats and dogs.

Not gonna lie, I enjoyed the crushing sound that came from under my school boots as I stepped over the wilted leaves. Something about doing so was extremely satisfying. As if it were an oversimplified game of 'Smash the Office' but instead of computer screens, there were leaves. Instead of chairs, there were leaves again. Instead of desks, there were leaves again and again. Leaves leaves leaves leaves!

Where was I? Oh yes. I continued making my way to school. Despite the clean morning smell of spruce wood, I kept my morning frown constant, my back hunched, and my hands comfortably in my pockets.

I pushed on, casually walking through the sidewalk until I felt something latch on to my right leg. As if some random young child clutched tightly to my knee, only the fact that it really was a random young child!

With her chubby arms wrapped around my knee and her torso pressed against my entire leg, she looked up at me with bright positive eyes and a wide smile. Bangs of black hair graced the outer corners of her eyes. With all those features, I wouldn't have been surprised if she was a Disney character that popped out of a screen.

"Big brother!" She screamed.

"Eh?" I said, perhaps a bit too loudly as my face made the dumbest and most confused expression possible.

"Big brother! Big brother!" She repeated continuously.

I wondered whether she confused me with someone else. Unlikely though, she looked too old to mix up faces and at the same time she was young enough to joyfully cause a scene without worrying about judgement.

"Look kid," I started, already too tired to deal with this in such a dull morning. "You have me confused with someone else, I'm not your brother".

Her smile had turned blank, then into a bright smile again.
"Big brother!" She exclaimed once again.

I. Was. Buffled. Was this kid deaf or something?
"Look," I started once again. "I need to go to school. I'm not your brother."

"I'll go with you to school!" She said, as she released her grasp on my leg. Now I was certain she wasn't deaf. Although, in hindsight it was kind of stupid of me to think a deaf person could speak... Or could they? Can they?

Anyways, I decided it would be best to just walk off to school with her and see where everything goes. It wasn't like she attended the school anyway. Hence, I walked with her. She kept on rambling About the most random things.

First she talked about why her favourite colour was golden flavoured peach with a hint of velvet bronze green-- her words, not mine.
Then she talked about Fluffy, her bald dog and Whiskers, her whisker-less cat.
She then talked about her Favourite games which were all outdoor games and how monkeys are people with back problems who can't shave because of... Back problems.

Honestly, this was extremely entertaining. It was awfully, but wholesomely, different from my usual isolated walks to school.
Normally I, the introvert, would dread striking up the conversations but here this little girl was doing all the work for me.

She rambled on and on and I listened with a smile. Unfortunately, our one sided conversation was brought to a halt when I reached the school gates.
'Thank God' I thought. Despite enjoying her rambles, I dreaded listening to them throughout school.

She tried to enter the gate with me but we were stopped by the guard. His plum body and greasy. moustache faced towards me but his small, stern eyes focused on the little girl.

Me, being the genius I am and taking the subtle hint like a pro, whispered "get rid of her for me" to the guard.

As I entered the gate to my school, the guard stepped in-between her and me. He grabbed her hand and dragged her away.
This is hard to admit but as she screamed "big brother!" Over and over again while being dragged away, I chuckled.

Finally, alone time at school and free empty mind for my own thoughts... Or so I thought.

School was hell. Thoughts ran across my mind like an Olympic runner on drugs.
What's the girl going to do now?
Does she have a home?
Is she safe?
I know Security Guard Joe is a cool guy but what if he did something with her.

These thoughts kept on popping up in my head as each hour passed.
During math, during literature, during chemistry, during clase de español and even during my lunch break.

It got to the point where I couldn't wait longer. Towards the end, like an elegant but disobedient horse in a ranch, I jumped over the rear fence of my school and headed off to the woods.

Saying I searched like a mad man is an understatement for I searched like a deranged pirate worried for his life if he didn't find the treasure.

When the sun was directly above me, I searched behind all the mossy rocks and inside many shrubs.

When the sun was a little to the west and the sky was beginning to brighten to a cinematic yellow, I frantically walked up and down the sidewalks.

By the time the sun was setting at the west, I was soaked in my own sweat and exhausted but mostly worried.
The little girl was so cheerful. She made a dull morning seem a bit brighter with her blissfulness. Despite her being a stranger,
It felt like we were close. Like she was the happy go lucky youngling and I were the angsty teenager.
I felt like such an idiot. A dumb stupid idiot.

I dragged myself back to school to get my bags. The teacher shouting at me for sneaking out definitely didn't make things better. I grabbed my bags and headed to the front gate. As soon as I opened it, there she was!

She was dozing on one of the steps. Up to now I still wonder if she was waiting all along or she magically appeared.

At the sound of the gate creaking, she slowly opened one eye, then opened the other one.
"Big... Brother?" She said, quite confused by her surroundings.

I walked and sat next to her on the step, an extremely uncomfortable position considering my height. I lightly lifted her disoriented head and placed it on my closed lap.

"Big brother's here." I said with a soothing smile.

She didn't bother replying. Her eyes simply closed just as slowly as they opened when seeing me.
She looked so peaceful, the opposite of the energetic talkative girl I had met this morning.

I guess she needed the rest. I honestly didn't mind staying a few more hours in school grounds and in my sweaty uniform if it meant showing her the attention she showed me in my own unique way.