under the shadow of a tree

PART I: CHAPTER 2

The next morning, Rey woke up to the smell of pancakes. She hadn't been living with Maz for long, but she could tell it wasn't something ordinary. She usually had a glass of cold milk and toast. Still, it was way better than most foster-care houses she had been in.

Rey stretched like a cat, yawning. She drew her bedroom curtains and looked through the window to see the sky. It was filled with fluffy white clouds. She took a deep breath and stared at the ceiling of the tiny room. Maz had eyed her suspiciously yesterday when she came back to the house panting red-faced, but didn't ask any questions. Not even when Rey had locked herself in her room until she had stopped shaking and felt in control again. Once she had managed it, Rey helped Maz place the table for dinner.

She was frustrated. How easily she could've lost control. He had taken her by surprise, but it wouldn't happen again, she promised herself. Next time, she'd be ready and would demand him to show her how to do it. She'd ask Ben.

He'd probably laugh when he saw her running as fast as her legs allowed. Probably congratulated himself for mocking her, telling her he didn't know what she was talking about. But Rey didn't care. Somehow he had managed to control it and Rey would make him talk, whatever means necessary. Rey wondered if he went to the park frequently and, if he did, if he always sat on her tree. That would be a problem. He would just have to find his own damn tree.

Her stomach growled.

Rey pulled the blankets away and jumped to the floor, deciding to make her bed later. Pancakes were more important. Rose had already arranged the lower bunk, neatly hiding the covers under the mattress, not a wrinkle on sight. Rey frowned. Who wakes up early and makes their bed on a Sunday morning?

Barefoot, she walked towards the kitchen, passing through the hallway. She noticed there were framed pictures of the kids that lived there with her hanging on the walls. She heard laughs coming from the living room, where some fully-dressed kids were playing Monopoly on the floor. They looked at her sunflower pajamas but didn't say a word. Rey was too hungry to care, either way, and she ignored them to follow the buttery smell.

Maz was in the kitchen with her back turned to her, humming a song while she flipped a pancake in the air, grabbing the pan with one hand. In the counter next to her was a pile of golden, fluffy, fat pancakes, filled with chocolate chips. Rey felt her mouth water. Unconsciously, she walked towards them and grabbed the plate, startling Maz.

"Jesus Christ, kid! I didn't hear you come in", said Maz, as she left the sizzling pan on the stove. She examined the skinny girl wearing a yellow pajama, holding a plate too big for her tiny hands, barefoot. Maz hid a sad smile. Rey seemed ready to run away with the whole pile.

"I'll tell you what. You can have as many pancakes as you want, but you have to put slippers on first. I left a pair for you in the closet. And I don't appreciate you scaring me every time I turn around", Maz said, slowly extending a hand to grab the plate from Rey's hands.

Rey frowned. "I don't like them. I like to have my feet free", she said, still grabbing the plate with crisped fingers and wiggling her toes.

Maz narrowed her eyes playfully. "How about socks, then? You're going to catch a cold if you always go barefoot".

With a loud growl, her stomach made the decision for her. Rey let go of the plate and sprinted to her room to grab the first pair of socks she could find, put them on and ran back to the kitchen. Maz had placed a plate with a huge pile of pancakes on it and a fork next to it in the small kitchen island.

Rey sat on a chair, her feet a solid foot from the floor. She grabbed the fork and filled her mouth with warm pancakes, closing her eyelids and munching happily.