“Woah! Woah, what the heck?” I exclaim, scooting back a bit more in my chair, as the flaps on the box fall back down due to gravity.
I hesitantly reached for the box, holding the flaps ajar as I got a good look at… who was inside.
My eyes locked again with a terrified boy, probably no more than eleven or twelve. His messy black hair draped over his face a bit, likely from the static buildup of being in the box.
We just… looked at each other. Silently waiting for the other to act or speak first. But the silence was deafening, so I took a chance.
Taking a deep breath, I started, “O-Oh, hello there…” I speak as soft as I can, trying not to startle this kid. And… I got no response. That was okay, I’ve dealt with creatures like this before.
But there was something different about this compared to my other interactions: this was a person, not some animal.
While trying to still maintain eye contact with him, making an effort to give him a welcoming expression, I glanced over his features again. Scattered freckles, deep brown eyes, oversized and tattered clothes… and feathers?
I tried getting a better look without seeming too suspicious. Tucked under his shirt were… wait a minute.
“You have wings..?” I question slowly, trying not to startle him too badly about it, almost immediately regretting it, expecting him to now see me as some sort of threat.
I watch as he shifts a bit, in an attempt to make the ashy white wings of his appear less visible, like he didn’t want me to see them.
I continue, as no progress is going to be made if the both of us sit in silence. “It’s okay, I’m not going to hurt you…” I pause for a moment, slowly getting off my chair to kneel in front of him.
“Here,” I speak quietly, extending my hand to show that I’m not a threat. “It’s alright. Just take your time.”
He glances between me and my hand, his eyes flicking back and forth, almost seeming to glow a bit, despite the dark color.
He didn’t seem to know exactly what to do, so he shifted again to become more comfortable, before timidly extending his hand out to touch mine. I tried to keep my heart from racing, knowing that this was good progress, and decided to give him a gentle smile.
I quickly looked over his dirty and scarred hand, before speaking up again. “What’s your name?” I ask gently. Then I add, to not seem like I just want information out of him, “You can call me Jenna.”
He cautiously nodded, a sign of confirmation, and also letting me know that he understood the English language. He opened his mouth for a moment, as if meaning to say something, but quickly shut it.
He didn’t trust me yet. And that was okay.
“You don’t need to tell me if you don’t want to,” I say softly, trying to reassure him further.
I pull my hand back, trying to come up with a new topic to talk about, but it seems that someone beat me to it.
“My name.. i-is.. Callum.” He says slowly, still visibly hesitant to be around me, but there was still something I was doing right if he was willing to talk to me.
I smile at him again, trying to show him that he doesn’t need to stay quiet. “It’s very nice to meet you, Callum.”
I pause, beginning to consider his situation. This was a potentially neglected little kid who showed up on the doorstep, dirty and probably underweight. It baffles me that he can still trust people… especially humans. Most of the entities didn’t have a very good view of humans, even if they’ve never interacted.
It was strange. If you would have told fifteen year old Jenna that she would be working with magic and monsters almost every day, she would have recoiled and called you a liar. I had some… negative opinions on things like that.
But of course, that’s all changed by now.
“Are you hungry? Do you want anything to eat or drink?” I ask him, making sure that he could have something in his system. I was going to give him something whether he wanted it or not, though the illusion of free choice tends to comfort sometimes.
He nods, and I realize I need to ask questions that can’t be answered with a yes or no.
“What’s your favorite food? I’m sure we have it here,” I add, encouraging a multi-word answer. I think he noticed I was trying to get more out of him, because he shifted again, and began to have trouble keeping eye contact.
“C-Can I have.. a PB&J sandwich?” A simple request, sure, but it was better than nothing.
“Of course,” I say, trying to sound enthusiastic about it, “You can have anything you want.”
I pull out my phone, messaging the staff in the lunchroom to have someone send a PB&J and a bottle of water down to my office.
“It’s on the way,” I say, a bit quieter, now realizing that my enthusiasm sounded heavily forced.
A small silence hung in the air. I took the few moments that Callum was glancing away to study him further, scanning over his battered and torn clothes. That’s when I got an idea.
There’s a few donation boxes scattered around town, which the PPPA sets up to collect donated clothing for the humanlike creatures in the facility. We store them all in one big closet for whenever we need them, and now would be a perfect time to use it.
“Are those clothes uncomfortable for you? I can get you some new ones,” I ask him thoughtfully. “If you want to keep your old ones, I’m sure I could fix them up for you.”
I swear I see his eyes sparkle, if only for a moment. “That w-would be.. nice.” He then adds, “Thank y-you.”
I smile warmly at him, trying to contain my excitement for how proud of him I am for coming so far so quickly.
I stand back up, heading over to the storage closet attached to my office, taking out a medium-sized cot that I usually slept in when I had to stay the night. I set it up, along with a few blankets that I’d brought from home.
“Are you okay with staying here until I’m able to get you a spot in a room?” I ask, wanting him to be comfortable instead of just sitting in a box.
He shakes his head a bit more anxiously, and I internally wonder what I could’ve done to make him nervous again. I watch as he just sits there, a growing tension in the air.
My mind flashed to different possible scenarios of why he was still there, until it stopped at one. Was he hurt, and thus unable to walk?
I softly spoke up again, not wanting the tension to go on any longer, “Do you need me to help you over?” I bend down a little again, and then add, “I don’t mind.”
“Ye-yeah…” Callum replies in almost a guilty manner, like he’s expecting for me to be mad at him for only needing help.
I hold out a hand, watching him eventually grasp onto it, as I pull him out and stand him up. He stumbles a bit, to which some kind of newfound motherly instinct takes over, subconsciously making me put a hand on his back to prevent him from falling.
It’s only after I do this that I realize he wasn’t even that close to falling over, and I got concerned over nothing. I quickly pull my hand back, instead, placing it on his shoulder as I begin to awkwardly lead him over.
My anxiety is spiking, I’m refusing to look at his expression to determine how Callum feels about all this, as I’m just focused on not tripping over my own feet or something else ridiculous.
Luckily, none of that happens, and so I gently sit him down on the cot. I let go of him, moving backwards a few steps, and look at him again.
I’m relieved to find that he doesn’t appear to have a hint of nervousness on his face. Did he really feel that comfortable around me? Was the least bit of physical contact where no harm was exchanged enough to confirm that he was able to trust someone?
If so, that would be a little concerning.
I was nearly about to ask Callum what his life was like before he arrived here, but there was a sudden knock on the door that, admittedly, startled me a little.
“Just stay here for a moment, okay?” I don’t really give him a chance to respond, because I’m already walking over to not give the person outside a chance to knock again.
I swipe my card, give Callum a friendly glance, and step outside. I’m met with none other than my coworker, Hailey. I smile, completing our secret handshake as that’s how the two of us typically greet each other. We were friends in college, and she got a job here shortly after I did.
She works in our culinary department, as baking/cooking was her major in college. I was able to persuade the overall boss in the PPPA to allow her to work here, even if she hasn’t obtained her bachelor’s degree yet. They counted it as a recommendation from a “prestigious young woman,” and probably wouldn’t have let her in otherwise.
“Sup, Hails,” I greet, the informal tone not matching my usual mature behavior.
“Heyo, Jen,” she replies. “Here’s the food you wanted delivered.” She hands me a brown paper bag, since our facility banned plastic bags a while ago.
As I take the bag, she asks, “I thought you were allergic to peanuts?” That’s when I started considering if I should or shouldn't tell her what’s really going on.
Wait, no. What am I thinking? She’s my best friend, of course I’m going to tell her.
I can trust her, right?
“Uh, actually, Hailey.. I have a little.. visitor.” I sheepishly uttered. I watched as her eyes widened slightly, a bit of surprise evident on her features.
“What? What do you mean?”
“Uh, so, there was this package.. I was going to give it to Derek, but he wasn’t in his office, so I took it to mine, and…” I trailed off, considering my next words. “There’s this boy. He.. he has wings.”
“I want to keep him out of the main labs for a little while.. he’s not used to friendly interactions.” I say, speaking further, trying to explain myself. “And he asked for the sandwich.”
“I.. see.” Hailey spoke, mystified by the revelation. “Are you going to tell Mr. Rodriguez any time soon? You know they’ll probably have to take him to a different part of the facility, you know that, right?”
“I know, I know,” I said, looking to the ground, absentmindedly picking at the rim of the paper bag. “I’ll talk to Derek about it eventually. And.. I’m sure I can convince him to let me keep him with me for just a little longer. After all, there’s no other.. winged.. people.. here, right?” I add, trying to strengthen my argument, but failing.
“Actually, Jen, they’re on the top floor. And neither of us are licensed for that.”
The words felt like a punch to the gut, for some reason that I couldn’t quite place. I barely knew this kid. Why did I care so much about what would happen to him?
“Oh, right, r-right-!! I knew that…” I definitely did not know that. “U-uh, then, are there any more bird.. wing.. people?”
“Yeah, Jen, definitely sounds like you knew about the final floor. And.. how am I supposed to know? It’s not like I have access.” She chuckles, apparently still oblivious to the fact that I am somehow severely emotionally attached to this kid.
“Right, yeah. Um. So, I’ll just let you get back to work aaand…” I trail off, which is a perfect time for her to interject.
“I can research the species during my breaks, if you’d like.”
My heart skipped a beat. “Yes! Yes of course, if.. If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind, Jen. We’ve been best friends for what, a year now? I don’t mind doing a little something extra for you.”
I gently smiled at her, before wrapping my arms around her in an embrace, the paper bag nearly slipping from my hand. “Thanks, Hails… I really owe you after this.” The response was a little muffled, as Hailey was a good few inches taller than I was—averaging around 5’6”. My face was buried in her shoulder, the usual scent of vanilla making itself prominent.
“You don’t owe me anything,” she spoke, wrapping her arms around me as I did to her. “Jen, just let me do this for you.”
“Alright, fine,” I say, pulling out of the hug. “I should.. probably go give this to him now, huh..?”
“That would be wise.” Hailey then adds, “Whenever you think he’s comfortable enough, introduce him to me, yeah?” Her voice got a little louder as she began walking off.
“I will!” I call back, watching her disappear up the steps. I turn back to the door, swiping the keycard on my lanyard and reentering my office.
“Callum, I have your.. your sandwich.” I locked eyes with him again, the color almost beckoning me to fall in; they were easy to get lost in. They were swirled with ambers and browns, and even had a few little gold-looking flecks.
I calmly walked over to him, handing him the bag, keeping at least an arm’s length between us. He set it down next to him. I then realized that I had nearly forgotten to grab his clothes from our donations closet.
I dash out of my office, running into the closet. I was able to be quick because it was only a few rooms away from my office. I grabbed a stack of clothing I thought would be okay, and rushed back.
Why was I so worried that he’d get himself into trouble while I was gone?
No matter.
He was fine when I returned, although I saw the slight jump when I shut the door a little too heavily. “Sorry, sorry…” I apologize between huffs, sitting back down in my office chair and arranging the clothing in a more appealing manner.
I set the clothes on the opposite side of him, across from the now opened paper bag. I then felt the need to ask, just for the sake of wondering, “Does everything taste okay?”
“Y-Yeah, it’s okay.” He responded, taking a few tentative bites from the sandwich as he looked up towards me. I offered him a tight smile, before turning back to my work emails.
I started up the computer again, but not entirely focusing on it, as my gaze was secretly focused on Callum’s actions. I would get less work done this way, but it’d be more effective in the long run.
I ran through the usual questions, linking some topics to our Q&A site that have already been answered, etc.
After I got through about twenty or so emails in around seven minutes, I swiveled my chair to face Callum again. He’d already finished the PB&J, and was lightly sipping at the water I’d gotten for him. I noticed that the clothes from the donation box were still only sitting by him, untouched.
“I can leave the room if you want to change into those,” I awkwardly pipe up. He shyly nods, so I exit the office and decide to take a little loop around.
Leaving Callum there probably wasn’t the best idea, but I didn’t really have any other choice at that moment in time. I looped around a few times, as that’s exactly what the basement was—one big loop, with offices spaced parallel to each other.
That’s when I ran into Derek.
“Oh! Mr. Rodriguez… good evening.” I say a bit awkwardly, as I’d rather have this conversation be shorter than longer.
“Hello, Jenna. I wasn’t going to discuss it with you yet, but that email you’ve forwarded to me is a little… concerning.” He says a bit quieter than his usual level of speech, trying to keep his voice down. “Let’s keep that just between us, hm?”
I knew that wasn’t exactly a question, but more of a command. He was just like that sometimes. One minute he was happy and friendly, and the next, he would just seem off.
“Of course, that will be no problem at all.”
He smiles, though I can tell it isn’t genuine. I watch him silently walk off.
Maybe it would be better to wait a little longer before telling him about the situation with Callum… for all of our safety.
I eventually finished my loop, and slowly opened the door back to my office, taking a long time on purpose, just in case that I would end up startling Callum accidentally. Luckily, I didn’t end up doing so. He was sitting patiently upon my return.
“Hey, bud, does everything feel okay? Need me to exchange anything for you?” I ask, keeping up that kind and soft demeanor I’d had previously with him.
“Everything’s o-okay…” He stammers out, seeming to try and be comfortable around me, but his emotions unintentionally restricting him. I’m not going to press him on why, exactly, as I don’t want to lose any sort of trust with him.
“I’m glad.” I said, and I meant it, but I wished he was more comfortable. I couldn’t blame him though, we just met. He looks like he’s been through some freak accident, his appearance is disheveled still, even after the fresh clothing. He’s just a train wreck at this point.
Note to self: see how he is about water, to clean him off a bit. I don’t want him to constantly be unclean with the dirt and mud littered around his face and hands.
I shook my head, we wouldn’t be together long, and this wasn’t in my job description. I’ll just make sure he's taken care of. And that Suzy from the bird section got nowhere near him, she hated the brownies I brought. How heartless can one person be?
I scoffed just thinking about her.
Stupid Suzy.
I needed to get back to work, and quit thinking about Callum or Stupid Suzy, before Tom came in and threatened to lower my pay.
With a heavy sigh, I dove back into the boring emails. It felt like forever passed by. Today was a long, unexpected day. And, being sincere, I was exhausted.
At least the centaurs were someone else’s job.
I look back to Callum, smiling softly, seeing that he’s out like a light on the cot. Maybe that would be a good idea for me, too.
I mean, I just have this one last email to reply to, what harm could it be if I just take a short little nap here?
“Not much,” I mutter to myself, seeming more and more into the idea.
I clear a small space on my disorganized desk, pushing away a few little trinkets and decorations, just enough where I could lay my head down. I set an alarm for thirty minutes from now on my phone, and one for five minutes after that as a backup.
There I was, out cold in two seconds flat. Sleeping on the job.
Maybe it wasn’t a good idea after all…
(3311 Words)
