Was this little girl really the package Red wanted him to pick up? All the pieces lined up, but why in the world would Red not have been able to pick her up? The girl certainly didn’t seem cursed, if anything she seemed like the brightest ball of energy he had seen in a very long time. It reminded him too much of Tyler and he hated it. No, this girl was Red’s package and he just had to deal with it until he could get rid of her. A thought occurred to him; did Red know about the girl’s amnesia? Did Red somehow cause the trauma that lead to the amnesia? That may explain why Red had him pick her up in case something in the girl’s mind broke loose when they saw Red.
“Is this one it?” The girl’s voice drew him out of his vortex of thoughts.
“No, two more down.”
The little girl was so excited to experience this new world. New world? Well, everything seemed new to her although some things were familiar. Maybe she would have to find out about her past after all, but only a little, just to get some answers as to why she could identify some things and speak this language, not enough to dirty her new life.
Roger watched in silent amusement at the little girl who was running around his car, tapping at the headlights, running her hand along the metal, and looking at her reflection in the mirror. It dawned on him that she wasn’t wearing a coat in near zero degree temperature. He quickly shrugged off his coat and draped it over her shoulders. How could he have been so stupid to let a small child who had just suffered severe hypothermia run out in this temperature without a coat?
“I think you need this more.” She said and took the coat off, handing it to him. He was clearly shivering, but she didn’t really mind the cold air. Being submerged in icy waters most definitely affected her, but the air was fine.
“Just get in the car. Keep the coat.”
He fumbled with his keys and unlocked the car doors. Running around to the passenger side, he opened up the door for the little girl before getting in himself. He immediately cranked up the heat and relaxed when he could stop seeing his breath mist in the air in front of him.
“I can’t keep calling you, well, you. I need to call you something. I just can’t believe you don’t remember anything, let alone your name.”
The girl breathed onto the glass on the passenger side window and drew a little sun, tracing the sun over the horizon.
“Can you come up with a name for me? I don’t really know what a good name here is.”
Roger wasn’t expecting that request. Racking his brain, he tried to come up with a name. Susan? Gertrude? Molly? He wasn’t good at names, which is why his wife was in charge of naming Tyler. The thought of naming her Lisa crossed his mind, but he refused to give this small child his precious wife’s name. Well, he found her crawling out of a river, so would River be a good name? Probably not. Frost? Snow? Now he was just grasping at straws.
“How about Sun?”
“I like it! Does this place only have one?” The question was so innocent, yet so odd.
“Yes, we only have one sun. I think we’ve always had one sun last I checked. Are you sure you’re okay?”
The girl nodded, her face scrunched up as if she remembered something unpleasant.
“How come you’re not giving me to foster care? I don’t really know what that is, but that way I won’t think you’re my dad? I already know you’re not, but I guess foster care will make me not think that at all?”
The Inspector groaned and ran his hand through his hair. He started the car and figured the car ride to his apartment would be long enough to answer questions on both sides.
“So you heard that huh. Well, the thought crossed my mind, but I don’t want to put you through the system. I was in foster care when I was ten until I was eighteen. Went to six homes in eight years and always came back with a fresh set of bruises. And I have to keep a promise to someone and hold on to you.”
“But what is foster care? You get to travel around home to home? By why do you get hurt?”
“It’s where they put kids whose parents aren’t alive anymore or don’t want them. They try to help the kids by putting them in other families that want them, but most of the time it doesn’t work out.”
“Oh.” She went silent. The atmosphere was palpable in the car. “Who’s the person you kept the promise to?”
“Red.” Roger turned to gauge her expression, but there was no sign of recognition. She really was telling the truth in that she didn’t know Red.
“Why did you make a promise to Red?”
“I struck a deal with them. Anyways, are you hungry or anything? I’ve already eaten, but I suspect you haven’t.”
He pulled over at a diner and they both got out. They must have looked a little ridiculous, a little girl wearing a heavy coat and a grown man without one because the waitress who took their order gave them a funny look. Not until partially through their meal Roger had the chilling realization that he had a shift that day and was already two hours late. Asking the diner to borrow their landline, he dialed the station. Mrs. Lawrence picked up.
“Detroit police station, how may I direct your call?” Her voice politely stated.
“Hey Stacey, it’s Roger. Something came up and--”
“Roger Smith! Where in the blazes are you? I called your house four times! I almost called a search party for you! This is so unlike you!” He heard her take a deep breath before speaking. “Are you alright? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, I’m alright and everything okay. I may have bitten off more than I can chew here though.” He tried to explain the situation to Stacey, leaving out the parts about Red and their deal.
“Poor thing! Take good care of her, alright Roger? If you need any help taking care of her, just call me. It’s good that you’re making this decision to adopt her, you need someone else in your life.” She hung up before he could counter. Adoption? He never said that at all! Stacey always took it one step too far. Sighing, he thanked the waitress, who seemed to have heard his entire conversation and was now looking at him with glowing eyes, and sat back down.
Sun had had a ball eating her pancakes and eggs--she was wearing most of the items on her plate now and syrup had somehow managed to get caked in her hair. A napkin clung to her forearm, glued there via syrup. Her fork was absolutely untouched. All in all, she was quite the sight to behold. Holding back his laughter, he wet a napkin and tried his best to clean her face, but he knew she was going to need a bath as soon as he got to his apartment. Although she had the maturity of an adult, she was at toddler level when it came to eating. He paid his bill and left for home, curious to what else she had to learn.
On the drive there she had her face pressed against her window staring at all the passing buildings and asking what they were for. He was glad she didn’t know how to roll down windows yet otherwise he would have had to worry about her jumping out just to get a closer look. Besides her impeding curiosity, it shouldn’t be too difficult to take care of Sun until Red needs her. From what he could tell, Sun was just an odd little girl suffering from amnesia. It wasn’t until she stripped and got in the bath that he noticed something out of the ordinary.
On Sun’s back was a large scar stretching from her right shoulder blade to her left ribcage. He’d seen large scars before, but this one was pitch black as if the wound itself were a tattoo. He leaned forward, trying to get a closer look. The skin itself was crystallized as if the scarred tissue were made of stone. Perhaps this was the curse Red was talking about. As if sensing his realization, Sun turned around. She was smiling, but her blue eyes had turned pitch black.
“What’s wrong?” She asked, her eyes suddenly turning blue again.
He merely smiled back by instinct and told her everything was fine. His insides were screaming to get out of that bathroom and leave the city as fast as he could. Those black eyes had wanted to devour him. Not just him, he realized, but everything. There was something unnatural inside that little girl, something that threatened to lash out and destroy everything.
That was most definitely a curse.
Comments (0)
See all