Edwin Davis
It wasn’t a habit of mine to go smuggling kids I found on the battlefield across the border. If that were the case, I’d most likely be branded a war criminal by now. But when I saw that kid lying there, I really couldn’t help it.
‘Why did you bring me here?’
And what a ridiculous question that was. What was I supposed to say? That I felt sorry for a kid that clearly no one else cared for if they left her behind?
I sighed as I glanced over to that girl seated in the passenger seat beside me as I drove us both back to the capital. Her legs were pressed up to the side of the car, seemingly wanting to create as much distance between us as possible.
She’d changed out of the old hospital gown she'd always worn when I visited. She was now wearing some old clothes meant for the soldiers. Those were all Liz could find. But, she was practically drowning in those. Her trousers only stayed up because of a belt we’d found, and her dark, long hair was rather unruly back at the hospital. But Liz managed to tidy it up a bit, taming it into a manageable ponytail. I was going to thank her later for all of this.
Her smallness was actually what struck me when I first saw her. maybe not in the physical sense. No, she wasn’t short by any means, probably taller than most girls her age, but way too skinny. I’d have to get her something nice to eat when we arrived so she could get some more flesh on her bones.
But that wasn’t the first thing I noticed. No, It was her eyes.
Just barely through her eyelids, I saw something I’d never thought I’d see in war. Eyes that seemed to bore into your very soul each time she looked at you, piercing into the deepest parts of you. A glowing golden luminesce radiated from her iris. It was like embers were burning in them, a star that refused to die out.
I’d seen green, blue, brown, hell, even purple eyes on occasion, but never gold. I didn’t even think that was an option. Was it even normal? Probably not. To say the least, it was another thing to add to the list of abnormalities about her.
“Is there anything you’d want to eat once we get there?”
“No, Mister Davis”
It had only been a few hours since we left the military hospital. We’d made it to the city at that point, and yet this girl already proved to be the dullest conversationalist I’d ever met.
I was starting to think she was allergic to responses that exceeded more than a few syllables. And it’s not like I could get anything from her expressions either. If she wasn’t actively glaring at you, it was just a stoic look stuck to her face. It sort of felt like trying to read a blank piece of paper, that is, if paper could glare at you.
I shifted my attention back to the road. It was honestly a surprise to see so many of these vehicles were now driving alongside carriages through the streets. Before the war, automobiles were hardly affordable for most people. It sometimes felt like I had returned to an entirely different city.
So I couldn’t imagine how that girl must’ve been feeling if war was all she knew. Her eyes were fixated out of the window, taking in every building, vehicle and person we drove past. I wondered if she’d ever visited a city like this before.
“I should probably let you know where we’re headed,” I said, not waiting for a response from her before continuing. “Well, to start off with, my brother was a mortician and owned a funeral home here in the city. He passed away during the war and I inherited the property. Instead of selling it, I decided to keep it running as the funeral director.”
In my peripheral, I could see her glancing over to me with perhaps the closest to a look of curiosity I got from her yet. “Most of the business is done on the ground floor, but there’s a small apartment above it with a spare room.”
“And you’d like me to live there?” she asked, staring at me hollowly, though also finally saying something longer than a few syllables. Thank God.
“That’s right. It’s a bit morbid, I know, to live right above a morgue,” I said playfully, trying to lighten the mood. “But while I’m still figuring out that paperwork for you, it’s best for you to stay with me for the time being.”
She leaned her head back against the seat, turning to gaze back out of the window. “And how long will that be?”
“Don’t tell me you’re already eager to leave,” I teased lightly. But the lack of response that followed told me that she probably was a little more serious than I was about it.
I cleared my throat, trying to ease the awkward silence. “I’m not sure, it might take some time. But while you stayed there, I thought you might like to help around a bit.”
She tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at me. “You want me to work for you?”
“Well, you don’t have to. I’m not going to force you into labour. But, Liz did say it would be good for you to move around a bit since you were unconscious for so long.”
The girl seemed to ponder on my words for a moment. “Alright, if you think that will be best.”
I smiled to myself, relieved she actually agreed. “Oh, and it looks like we’re here now.”
I pulled up to the side of the road, turning off the engine as we stopped in front of a building. It was nothing special, hardly the grandest building around as it only reached a few stories high. But it was my brother’s pride and joy.
Of course, it deteriorated a bit after he went off to war, leaving it abandoned for a while. But after I left the army, I’d been able to fix it up here and there. I’d even hired some new staff so it felt more like a functioning business now.
“Come on, I’ll show you around.”
I opened the car door to let myself out before walking up towards the building. Thankfully, that girl was following after me. I half expected her to take off the moment I stopped the car. Albeit, she was a good few paces behind me.
“Hey boss, don’t you know it’s my day off? Why did you call me out here?” a voice suddenly called out to me.
I glanced towards it and saw a familiar mop of olive-grey hair. A certain young man stood by the front door, arms crossed and shoulders slouched as he leaned against the door frame. His grey eyes looked at me uninterestedly as we approached.
“Hey, what did I say about calling me ‘boss’?” I shot him a disapproving look as sighed heavily. “You’re supposed to call me ‘director’ now.”
“Yeah, I remember,” he said, responding far too nonchalantly for my liking. But his attention quickly shifted to the girl behind me, narrowing his eyes at her. “Boss, who’s the kid?”
“It’s director,” I reminded him again, already feeling my will to argue dissipating, “And you’re not that much than she is so don’t be rude.”
I turned back to look at her, meeting her eyes with a smile. Her eyes, however, were glaring again. At least this time, it wasn’t at me, as she seemed fixed on the man in front of us. She was eyeing him carefully as she studied him.
“Let me introduce you. This over here is Alfred. He’s the general hand here at the funeral home.”
Alfred took a few steps from the door, sliding his hands into his pockets. “In other words, I do all the dirty work they need to get done around here.”
“Well I suppose that’s one way of putting it,” I mumbled quietly, “And Alfred, this is… the girl I’m looking after for the time being.”
There was a look of curiosity in his eyes as he peered over at her. She was also staring back with that usual blank expression. It made it difficult to tell what she might’ve been thinking. But they just kept staring at each other, engaging in a sort of silent staring contest.
“Since when did you pluck kids off the street?”
“Why did you just assume I took her off the street?!” I could already feel my exasperation rising. I mean he wasn’t that wrong. A deserted battlefield wasn’t too far from a street.
“Well it’s not like you bring kids over here on the daily,” he argued back, sighing loudly before turning back to look at her. “Well It’s nice to meet you, I guess.”
I think that was his attempt at being polite.
“Likewise.”
It was like trying to get two children to get along; awkward for every party involved. I cleared my throat before the two could burn holes into each other with their eyes. “Follow me inside. I’ll show you around.”
I moved to open the door to let her in. Alfred followed behind, still assessing her closely as she walked past. Inside, Francesca stood behind the reception desk. Her dark, crimson hair was tied up loosely, but neatly and professionally. She had glasses on as she read through one of the record books. She raised her head after hearing us enter, her eyes flickering across us. A welcoming smile appeared on her face, one she’d practised many times with the customers.
“Director, you’re back. And you bought a pretty girl with you.”
I sighed again. Of course she had to put it like that.
“She’s going to be staying with us for some time,” I said before turning back towards said ‘pretty girl’. “This here is Ms. Francesca Rossi. She’s the funeral arranger here, and I wouldn’t be able to keep the business running without her.”
“Hey! Why did she get such a nice introduction?”
“You shouldn’t be so brash in front of our guest, Alfred,” Francesca said, reprimanding him lightly as a momentary sternness flickered on her face. But that was quickly replaced with a friendlier smile as she turned to the girl. “It’s nice to meet you-”
Her sentence was cut off by a sudden voice that pervaded the room.
“Who’s this?”
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