My teacher (2)

Elizebeth was separated from her family and now alone at the sketchy alley. The crowd dropped her at such a place, leaving her on her butt on the floor. Around the alleyway was darkness and the unidentified relics of a hundred smells attacked her nostril at once.

She looked around, blinked to make sense of everything. 

On the floor, she stretched her arms and twisted her body to snap it. Her back stinks, probably had bruises because of the bumps by the strangers in the crowds just now. She couldn't do anything but to accept her fate.

Hence why she closed her eyes and didn't want to see their terrified faces. They tend to exaggerate everything she did or anything involving her whereas she already went through the same training as them and know as much as them. 

"Huh~! Annoying." She mumbled alone. Got up and swept away the dirt on her cloak. 

She turned around and front, studying the surroundings. She was not in the straight perfection of the modern buildings in any familiar areas but each curve and flaw renders them more sketchy still.

The alley was so dark. She started to walk between the walls that were too high for her to bother seeking the black curtain sky above, she unintentionally kicked the garbage with each stride.

The alleyway twisted and turned back on itself, dizzy her around deeper she went. She knew she walked in the wrong direction but her heart asked her to keep moving forward. 

And she did. 

Hence why she stopped her track at the sight of the wavered silhouette coming her way upfront. 

A man staggered along with a dark and now an obscure alley that didn't even get a ray of moonlight, the walls between were too damn high for no reason. People had no business building such as unnecessary building layouts. His breaths were labored as his frame melted into his dim shadow. 

"Shoot! That one's hurt." 

Elizebeth flinched. Froze at her place, analyzing the trouble she was in. If only she ignored her stupid heart… Was this place her demise? She changed the story, today might be her funeral day as well. Who knows. 

The man shuffled sluggishly. Her bright color long hair came in view as he advanced near to her. "Ah, freak. I'm beaten." He murmured alone.

Not taking into account she was there, the man talking alone or with his imaginative friend. 

The man's body was covered in blood, his white color t-shirt gave away the stain though it was fairly dark around him, making it barely noticeable. But surprisingly, the smell of metal gave it away, the condition. 

The man had long hair, a toned body, and was tall. If she took a look closely, his hair color was ginger. She closed the gap between with a small step, narrowed her eyes to study the face and she saw the freckles too. 

'He was a man, had long hair, fit the description. Maybe he was the one I was searching for since weeks ago?'

She thought alone. Heedless closed their gap, she entered the man's comfort zone. The tall man crouched down, staggered, barely held his ground. 

"Big brother!" Called her in a loud thump inside her heart. From now it was a gamble.

"Big brother? Huh? Me?" The drunk and injured man looked around before he stared at Elizebeth and pointed at himself then he slumped on her, lost his grip on the wall as his legs gave out. 

"Auch." Her small voice received the impact. The man's long body fell on top of her and now her back flat on the dirty floor.

Thankfully, the cloak covered her entire body. 

"O-oh freak. S'rry, little sister. Big brother's drunk." He slurred. 

"Hurt. Meredith is hurting." She was unable to move below him. 

"Oh, freak. Sorry, little sister." The man moved his body to the side, being considered even in an insane state.

"Thank you." She sat on the ground, and now they were on the same level. 

"What're you doing here alone, little sister?" The man blinked, wanted to rub his face but he stopped himself to do such. His palm was dirty with the dirt on the ground. 

"You can use my handkerchief." Elizebeth rummaged her gown pocket inside the cloak and gave it to the man generously. 

The man blinked again, open and shut his eyes to adjust his dizzy vision. "Than- thank you, little sister. Never knew little sister could be so much help." He barked laughter as he snatched the handkerchief off her hand. 

"No problem. Why are you injured, big brother?" She asked innocently. Well, to collect the information, she supposed.

"Me? Fought with giant bullies." 

Checked! 

He was a man who hated injustice. Exactly like the man she was after. The traveler. 

"Giant bullies? What do they do?" She held her legs and propped her chin on them. 

"Giant bullies… they… bullies people... Mostly fat like a pig." He snorted, he scooted at the nearest wall, leaned his body against the dirty wall as the relieved huffed filled in the air. 

"Fat pig? HAHAHA." She laughed. Covered her mouth when she realized that she was alone with a drunk man in the alley. 

The man's eyes bulged as he saw the cute face laughing at his joke. It was his first time to meet someone who dared laugh at his joke. The tingling warmth of his cold heart. He clenched his shirt on top of his chest. 

"Yeah. you better close your mouth. We don't want to attract any freaks, aren't we?" 

She nodded obediently, but the man saw the pink flower sparkling around her. It's like it came with the effect of her laugh. Fitting enough with the cute face.

"What are you doing here, little sister?" He had sobered up a little. Blinking tiredly looking up at the dark sky. 

"Separated from the family." 

"Because of the parade?" The man asked again. His sober voice sounded calming inside one's heart. Pleasing to her.

She nodded, putting the solemn air, giving the bitter smile. 

"Do you wish to return, little sister?" He blinked. Tried to understand the young lady. She was calmed despite the trouble she was in. The kids he found before, cried like there's no tomorrow and failed to hold a single conversation due to his scary burn scar on his left side of the forehead.

"Yes but it's impossible to do now." 

"Why?" 

"It's too dark. I can barely see anything. I don't know where I am." 

Interesting. She was so calm while analyzing the situation. "Do you have any place to stay?" 

She played her fingers. Didn't answer the question, cast down her eyes on the ground. 

"Right," he realized. "You don't know where you are." 

She beamed and nodded once. Put friction on it. 

"Point taken." He swept his hair to the back. 

"Your hair is beautiful." She exclaimed so suddenly. "Oh! Sorry. Brothers said it's rude to point the finger at people. I apologize." She pulled her finger behind her back. 

The man laughed. Amused. "It's okay, Meredith." 

She sparkled, smiled widely, and showed her white teeth. "Big brother knows my name." he paid attention, that's floored her the most. 

He raised his hand, lunged it forward towards the lovely head before he halted his hand. "Right, big brother's hand is dirty." She took it back. 

"No. Big brother can pat Meredith's head. Big brother's hand is not dirty." She grabbed his hand. Mustering all her courage boldly to be sweet and cute. 

The man lost his words this time. For real. He deadass looked at her with wide eyes, frozen body as Elizebeth patted her head using the man's hand like a pervert. The situation was bearable at first, but it became weird as time went by.

The more she moved the hand with her hand on top of her head like a maniac, the awkward the situation was. She then had to let go of the hand and put a distance between them, covering her face with the cloak. 

The beat of silence accompanied them, both tried to recollect themself. Elizebeth covered herself while the man laughed at last. Could not fathom what he experienced just now. It was his first time meeting such a kid. Eager to please him. Easy to communicate without unnecessary wailing. 

"You are an eager kid." 

Elizebeth didn't move. Embarrassed by her actions.

The man laughed for a while before Elizebeth felt the warm palm rubbed her head, gently. She looked up languidly, her eyes quivered. The handsome face came in a view. 

"My name is Max." 

She glimmered. Max was the traveler's name. She remembered now. She found him, at last. "Brother Max." She sprinted towards him and hugged his sturdy body. 

Max was startled by the warm body attacking him before she wrapped her large arms around her. "What can I do, yeah? I will be your guardian for tonight. Then, let's go to my house today, yeah?"

"Yay! Brother Max smells good." 

"Smells good?" He rose from his seat, lifted one of his eyebrows. 

"Smell nice person." 

"Ah! You can tell?" He was completely sober now. 

"Yes. Meredith only talks with a nice person." She slumped her cheek on the shoulder.

"Nice. You are a good kid. All kids previously wasted their night crying their eyes out and screamed for the next day. It's hard for brother to find their family. Meredith is the only good kid brother ever met. What a good kid." He patted her back. Unaware of the risk behind it. 

A risk for Elizebeth to fall asleep. It was the 'force sleep' position and now she was hella tired. Her eyes blinked tiredly. 

"Sleep, Meredith. I'll ask my fellow worker to help you later. Just sleep, baby." He patted her softly. Whispered a hum for a lullaby. 

"Hurm." she shut her eyes.