Walking With The Outcast

Chapter 18 - Lucilia

Lowering the paper, I kneel down, reveling in the cold that seeps through to my knees from the tiles, and smile warmly at the young girl who clings to Ace's leg, watching me with a wary, wide-eyed gaze.

The girl is adorable with her blonde hair held back in a ponytail and hazy green eyes that resemble her brothers near perfectly. Whereas his are hardened and unflinching, hers are innocent and youthful. They remind me of a time when I thought the world was good.

It's not, but I hope she doesn't learn that for a long time.

"Hi," I introduce in a soothing voice. "I'm Lucilia."

Her eyes, once looking innocent, now narrow in suspicion. "Are you Bubba's fwiend?" she demands.

Wistful, I hesitate for half a second and a lifetime, but nod.

She mirrors the actions and leans very close to my face. Her eyes hold mine to the point that I dare not look away. "But aren't you worried about cuties? Boys have cuties, you know," she says with the infinite knowledge and unwavering certainty of a child.

I look surprised and gasp. "They do? Ace never told me."

We both turn to Ace with glares on our face. When I see his expression though, my heart stops and starts again. It is an almost tender look he carries as he watches us both. No tension in his shoulders, as if he finally dropped whatever burdens weigh him down.

Maybe we both left our problems at the door.

Snapping back from his daze, he holds up his hands in surrender, tossing us both the most alluring and charming smile I have seen. It's entrancing, and now I'm the one in a daze.

I chuckle at his feigned innocent and stand up. "Well, I say we get going. Don't you agree, Miss Queenie?"

She nods enthusiastically and bounces to my side, reaching for my hand. I place it gently in hers, and she immediately tugs me down the hallway. "C'mon, Bubba!" She bounces the words out. "I like you, Lucy."

"I like you, too, Queenie." I then whisper, "Better than your brother, but don't tell him."

She smiles brightly and nods. Meanwhile, Ace trails behind us, ever the silent one.

We exit the building doors, and the cold enters in our wake, tickling my throat with its bitter wind. Ace grabs my arm when we hit the bottom of the steps, the bricks crunching underneath our weight. He slips a note into my hand. "Let's go to the park," it reads.

"The park?"

Ace tugs me along by my hand, swinging Queenie into his arms without stopping pace. We travel back the way we came, but this time we take a turn that leads us down a quiet back street. We are the only ones around, and our footsteps echo loudly. Queenie wiggles in his arms, so he places her down on the street. On the ground, she eases between us, taking my hand.

"Swing, Bubba," she squeals.

I look to Ace in question, and he mimics a swinging motion with his hand. I follow his arm pattern with mine and together we lift Queenie's tiny body into the air. She laughs happily, and I follow suit. Seeing our joyous laughter, Ace smiles charmingly at the both of us. His smile reaches a part deep within me, a chasm that started and grew a more than a year ago. It makes the resident of that chasm, the loneliness, recede just a little.

Soon enough we reach our destination on the outskirts of town, the small park with a metal slide and a couple of swings. The slide is old, but sturdy, held up by aged, wooden beams. Beside the slide, the swings rock with the wind, battered by the leaves from the tall pine trees bordering the park. It's a simple park, but the largest we will ever get with our town's funding.