Finding Her

C H A P T E R - T H R E E

Fatherly Figure

V A L E R I U S '   P O V :

A warm breeze sweeps through the air, the trees shutter with the wind.

My eyes trail off from my boring work to take a look at the small girl who has recently found her way out of her protective shell. I'm.. happy for the girl.

It's good she's getting better. The sooner she gets better, the sooner she's gone.

It's been a week and a half since I came back to Italy. I've taken Eleonora to see Carlo once more since we've been here. We learned a some more about her but I'd like to know everything. More specifically, I'd like to know who the fuck put their hands on her.

Without guards here it's been odd. I've been surrounded by them my whole life. But for now, for Ell- Eleonora's safety, I figure it best to not have as many people know of her.

Also, I find that the less people around, the more I see who Eleonora really is.

A gush of warm air flushes around and Eleonora's hair whips, her fingers try to brush it away from her face. I see the small smile that ignites her features when she finds me. She runs to me at full force.

Eleonora has been getting more used to walking, she doesn't need much to any help anymore.

"You!" She laughs, holding something out for me, placing it in my palm that I held out.

A small white flower, practically a weed. It's crumbled slightly from her tight grip.

"For me?" I tease and she nods happily, her smile never leaving. A deep feeling clouds my gut. "Thank you." I let a smile come to my face, knowing no one else is around.

I've tried to hold it back for weeks, the slight turn of my lips. A 'smile' some people call it. Though, soon I realized I was doing it unknowingly so I let it take its course when we were alone.

"Again!" Eleonora cheers and runs back out, tossing herself to the grass, digging for more weeds to bring me.

I took the deformed flowed and slide it into the inside of my pocket where the other eleven crumbled flowers lay.

She's been at this game for awhile.

"Don."

My head turns around to find John next to me. A twitch of annoyance ran through me, I should have heard him coming. I let out a bothered, "What?" My eyes find their way back to Eleonora who digs around in the ground, getting her baggy grey leggings dirty.

I need to go shopping for her. The clothes John gave us were still too big for her scrawny body.

"May I suggest something?"

"Go on." My finger taps the black lawn-chair I sit on. These things are so uncomfortable. I need to buy new ones.

"Since we've moved back, I've had my wife and kids come back too, so I'm closer to them." In my
head I picture his happy family, an unwilling ping of jealousy consumes me. "I don't want to push but I think it might benefit Eleonora if she's around kids somewhat close to her age. I suggest maybe letting the children meet each other."