[24.4] A Piece that Doesn't Quite Fit

We stood in front of a cramped two-story house. The yard was more of a path than a yard and the thin house was squished between two other houses. Some bricks were falling off the side of the building and the paint on the wooden frame was peeling.

Della spoke slowly, "It's uh… It's the best we could afford in the capital without living in the slums."

I glanced at her and noticed an embarrassed expression on her face.

I took her hand and smiled at her for reassurance, "It's perfect."

She looked down at me and smiled. Her eyes still betrayed a sense of sadness. She squeezed my hand, "Shall we look around inside?"

I nodded quickly.

She unlocked the door and we walked inside. Quickly, we were hit with the suffocating smell of dust.

Della coughed and walked to a window to open it up, "The person who sold it said no one had lived here in a while, but I didn't think it would be this bad."

I looked around the room, squinting through the dust, "It just needs a bit of a clean-up."

She looked over at me with a smirk, "Think you can do it?"

I raised my wand, "Definitely."

I waved my wand and a beautiful blue light rushed out, cleaning up all the dust and turning the room clean.

We both took in a deep breath of the refreshing air.

She grinned, "Shall I show you the tour?"

I curtsied, "It would be an honor."

She motioned to the room we were standing in, "This is the living room and dining room. In the back is the kitchen."

I looked over at the kitchen which was visible since the house was small and in the shape of a rectangle. She then led me to the stairs without a railing, "Up here is the only room."

After we climbed the stairs I stared at the room curiously. There wasn't much space because the walls were slanted, creating a triangle shape.

It is incredibly cramped, but-

I grinned, "It feels like home."

She picked me up and hugged me tight, "I feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world to have you."

….Over the next few weeks, our cramped house slowly started to feel like more of a home. Della got a job at the local bakery while I occasionally delivered newspapers as long as my legs would allow it.

I walked to the newspaper office and handed over the earnings I received from today's deliveries. The man smiled and handed me back some coins, "You delivered more than usual today. How are your legs feeling? Are you able to get home alright?"

I nodded with a grin, "I feel fine. I'm getting stronger, so you don't have to be so concerned."

He laughed, "I guess so. Well, what do you plan on doing with your money now? Are you going to use it all on tarts again?"

I stuck out my tongue, "No! I'm using this to buy a gift. It's our one-year anniversary of moving to the capital, so I want to get my mother something nice."

"Ah! What a sweet child. I wish my kids were more like you. They don't even welcome me home anymore."

"Maybe it's because you are too clingy." I stuck out my tongue, "You gotta play hard to get, Mister."

He laughed joyfully and shook his head, "Alright, alright. Leave before you hurt my feelings."

I waved goodbye and skipped out of the building. As I walked down the streets, I ignored the people passing me by. We didn't live in the slums, but we didn't live in a very rich area either. Everyone wore rags for clothes, but they had food in their stomachs. Every so often, people from the slums would come to the area and search the alleys for scraps of food. They were usually chased out by the store owners.

My footsteps halted when I saw a small boy digging through the trash. He felt someone staring and looked over at me with wide, frightened eyes.

He was a boy from the slums.

In his hand, was a single rotten vegetable.

My hands clutched around the coins in my hand as I stared at his miserable body. I stepped over to him, "Boy."

He flinched and fell to his knees, expecting to be hit.

I rolled my eyes and forcefully grabbed his hand. I pushed the coins onto him and took a step back.

He looked up at me with wide eyes.

I grimaced at the sight of that innocent look and turned around.

I left him behind in the alley without another word.

I don't need to buy Della anything. Maybe I can just go and make a wreath from wildflowers.

The fields were a bit far, but I should have enough time to pick some flowers before Della gets home....

After I picked the flowers, I returned back to the house. My legs were on the verge of giving out from the effort, but I pushed on regardless.

Once I came close to our home, I noticed a group of children outside on the street playing.

My footsteps halted.

They looked over at me and ran over, "Oi! You're the girl who lives at that house, right?!"

I stared at the child without batting an eye.

Another spoke, "Want to play?! We are playing hopscotch!"

I didn't move.

She tilted her head, "Hey. Can't you talk?"

I pressed my lips together and squeezed the flowers in my hands.

I hate children.

The children swarmed around me, "Are you dull? Why can't you talk?"

Another added, "I don't think I've ever seen her at school. Maybe she's just dumb."

My heart raced.

Smoke started to rise from my fingers, burning the flower stems.

Della had just arrived home when she noticed the dark expression on my face. She knew something was wrong and abruptly ran over, "Reika! Why are you standing there?"

The children turned to her and smiled, "Her name is Reika?"

Della nodded, "That's right."

"Why won't she talk to us?"

Della glanced at me then back to the children. She smiled gently, "Reika is just a little shy. Where we come from, there aren't any children her age."

The children ah'd in understanding.

One spoke, "Why doesn't she go to school? Are you too poor to send her?"

I glared at the child with clear malintent.

Della didn't feel abashed by this comment and shook her head, "We aren't too poor. I've just been teaching her on my own."

She endured the children's questions a little longer, but I couldn't anymore.

I pushed past them and went into our home without looking back. Della waved to the children, then followed me inside. I was staring at the burnt flowers in my hands with dull eyes when I heard her shut the door behind us.

She spoke slowly, "Should I send you to school? Perhaps it would be good for you-"

I interrupted abruptly, "No."

She flinched and closed her mouth at my sudden harsh tone.

I turned to her without expression, "Why do you keep forgetting that I'm an adult? What do you think would happen if I went to school with those kids? I would be driven crazy and I certainly wouldn't fit in with them. I would be bullied and I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it."

She fiddled with her fingers, "Ah, well… Maybe you could meet children that are very mature for their age and you would fit in with them. Not all children-"

"I'm not going."

"B-But… I'm very happy to have you with me all the time, but I don't know if it's healthy for you to just have me… Maybe you could at least try to make a friend?"

I scoffed, "Friends with a child? I would never sink so low as to befriend a child."

She let out a sigh, "Very well. I won't force you then."

I paused and looked at her suspiciously, "You aren't going to force me?"

She tilted her head, "Why would I force you? I wouldn't want to force you into something that would be painful for you."

I pinched my eyebrows together and looked away.

Why isn't she forcing me?

Parents usually force their children to go to school even if they are being bullied… So why isn't she?

Is she a pushover?

…No. She's always standing her ground whenever I want to stay up or do something I shouldn't.

So then…

Why?

She tapped her chin, "But maybe you should go to the library to read some educational books. If you don't know the history of our world, it could be dangerous. Someone could take advantage of you."

A small smile slowly crossed my face, "I love you, Mummy."

She froze and slowly looked at me with large eyes. Tears started leaking out, "I-I love you too…"

She quickly pounced on me, kissing my cheeks quickly, "I love you so much!"

I laughed and allowed her to kiss me.

Whatever makes her happy.