Between the lines

Chapter 10: Stella

Quincy's presence is immediately felt by some soldiers in the room. They stand up and bow respectfully, while the others are too busy planning their strategies to see us walk in, which in my opinion was better. Other than that, I can feel their eyes digging into my back.

Hearing whispers that I can barely make out, I silently follow Quincy, keeping my eyes on the floor and feeling a hint of annoyance as I walk behind him. 

"Go wait for me in the room to
the right."

His tone is curt and his expression is serious. I feel a hint of frustration as I walk away, obeying his request.

Though, hearing the conversation would benefit for Aurum's sake. It wouldn't be worth it to be caught eavesdropping. I walk a little faster and try to tune out their conversation, but it’s not easy to ignore them.

I take a seat on a sofa in the dimly lit room. Not long after, I hear sudden footsteps approaching.

I look up from my position on the sofa. My eyes focus on a small child who is walking towards me.
He looks around for a moment as if he were looking for someone.
He stops in front of me and says, "Hello," with a big smile on his face.

"Oh, hi" I smile softly at him. Not knowing what to say, I pat his head softly.

"What's your name, little man?"
I ask him as he comes to sit beside me. "I'm Sam!" He says with even a brighter smile.

"Cute name for a cute little boy."
Sam grins while looking up at me.

"Where are your parents, do you have anyone to take care of you?"

"My daddy is in that room talking to some weird people" Sam points towards the room I was just in.

"Oh, is he a soldier?" I ask him, but immediately regret it after.

"Yes, yes. My daddy is very brave. Last year he got shot in the leg in this very room by an Aurum guard. She was in disguise for their military."

I frown, feeling terrible that someone as young as Sam had to experience this type of pain.

"She was nice at first but she turned evil the moment she shot my daddy and killed a bunch of other guards."
He pouts, and continues speaking.

"After that, the adults took up more security measures. Now they have guards patrolling the area and extra patrols around the city to prevent another attack."

"But you won't do that right? I just know we're gonna be really close friends!"

Looking at Sam, I feel a little wave of guilt wash over my body. The attack was carried out by someone from my kingdom.

Of course, I have no intention of hurting Sam in any way, but he's just a tiny little boy who doesn't really understand the whole situation.

I want to ease his mind and give him some reassurance, so I decide to smile back at him and say

"Of course not. I would never hurt you."

I continue to smile at him, but I can tell that he's still worried. I know he's just a little boy, and the truth of what happened might just be too much for him to handle.

So, I decide to keep this small lie for his own good. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him happy.

Unexpectedly, I feel Sam wrap his little arms around me and give me a big hug. He's just a small child, yet his hug feels so comforting and real. Caught off-guard but pleased by this gesture, I return the hug and feel a wave of warmth surge through me.

We stay in this embrace for a few more seconds, but then a voice breaks us apart. Quincy walks into the room and calls out to me. The tension in the air is palpable as I turn to face Quincy.

"Stacey-" But before Quincy can say anything else, Sam bolts towards him and wraps his small arms tightly around Quincy. Quincy is taken aback by this sudden show of affection, but he quickly suppresses his surprise and hugs Sam back.

Sam's innocent little gesture catches him off guard. I see Quincy turn his head away from Sam, taking in a deep breath. I know he doesn't like physical contact or affection, but I was hoping this might be a rare moment when he would make an exception.

I can tell he is uncomfortable but I also see him fighting to hide his irritation and to maintain his composure. It was clear that he had a soft spot for Sam.

Quincy lets go of Sam to catch his breath after getting squeezed by him for a little over five seconds.

"Mr. Dawson! Mr. Dawson! Look, I made a new friend! Her name is-"
Sam frowns, remembering he never asked for my name.

Dawson. Quincy Dawson. That was the first time I heard someone say his last name. Well, it was the first time I knew what it was.

"Stella." There was a short pause to Quincy's words, he turns his head towards me.
"Stacey for my preference though."

Sam looks at him with a confused face. "So like, do I call her Stella or Stacey?"

"Stacey is reserved for me, and only me, Samuel." I can see him fighting the urge to sigh, but all he does is place a hand on Sam's shoulder.

"But I was going to call her
Stacey" Sam responds in a much higher tone than Quincy.

He was definitely not one to engage in pointless arguments, especially with a child.

Only a few days since we've met and it's safe to say that he typically resorts to physical aggression and physical displays of strength as a way to resolve conflicts. He would probably rather punch his way through than discuss things calmly.

I take this as a signal that our interaction has gone on long enough and that Quincy is ready to leave. I turn my attention back to Sam, trying to give him an encouraging smile.