170 Lily 6 (1/2)
Gale led the group to his car, and Iris a saw small shape resting on the front seat. The girl was thin and pale, her arms like twigs. On her head, there was a mane of golden hair identical to that of her brother, just longer, up to her shoulders.
When Gale opened the side door, the girl opened her eyes, which were bright green, and looked at all of them in confusion. ”Brother…” she whispered in a shaky voice.
”I'm here.” Gale bent down to pick her up, and the girl latched onto him like he was her lifeline. ”There, there, no need to be scared. I'm not going to leave you, all right? I promised.”
”But what about mommy and daddy? They're gonna be angry with Lily,” the little girl whispered, tears collecting in her eyes. ”Mommy said I'm not allowed to leave until I learn everything.”
Gale stiffened, and his eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, but he soon calmed himself. When Lily raised her head, he was smiling at her. ”Don't worry about it. I talked to them. Trust your big brother a bit, will you?” He laughed then, the sound haggard, but the kid didn't notice it.
The girl's eyes brightened, and she started looking around with newfound interest. Her expression was still guarded, but while holding onto Gale's neck, she looked straight at Iris. ”Who are they?”
”Friends,” Gale said, patting her head. ”Now let's go to my place, okay?”
”Okay!”
In the car, Kyro sat at the wheel with Iris at the passenger seat, since Lily wouldn't leave her brother's side. The moment he tried to put her down, she started shivering and crying, extending her hands at him to pick her up again.
Iris watched all of it with uncertainty in her heart. The child seemed to be wary of strangers, so how was she supposed to earn her trust? Although Iris had agreed to help, she had no real knowledge about how to work with mistreated children. Her degree was in economics, not child care…
'I'll just have to come up with something on the spot,' she decided, moving her gaze from the rear mirror and to the road ahead of them. On their way, her eyes flitted past Kyro, and she realized that she might not see him for a time now.
It was a dispiriting thought. They were just moments away from something, and now it seemed miles away once more. After this was over, would they return to how they were? Or would his emotions have cooled down, distance having allowed him to regain his old routine that didn't include her?
”Why are you looking at me like that?” Kyro asked, sparing her a quick glance.
Embarrassment threatened to wash her face pink again, so Iris threw out the first excuse that came to her mind. ”I'm just a bit worried. Although I agreed, I don't have that much experience with children.”
Any, to be exact, but she didn't think it was the right time to mention that. From the looks of it, Lily seemed like a lovely girl, just that earning her trust might be something of a challenge.
”It's gonna be fine, just do what you can. Gale will find someone trustworthy once we deal with the immediate crisis.”
”What's going to happen now?” she asked in a soft voice, so the two in the back wouldn't hear.
It wasn't the first time Iris heard the mention of problems, but neither Kyro nor Gale bothered to expand on it. They talked as if everyone should be perfectly aware about what the future held.