Chapter 16 - Calliope

The little girl and I are crossing street after street together, getting further away from the Lounge. We receive a few looks from those around us, but no one seems suspicious yet. An older lady asks if she is my daughter, I correct her and say that she is simply my little sister. She then gives the little girl candy and bids us farewell. To others, we mostly give the image of an older brother with his younger sister on a night stroll through the Golden Gate District 

At this point I should go to the local authorities to hand her over. They would surely know what to do with her better than I do. The idea crosses my mind more than once, but I decide against it, for some reason, I do not trust that she will be safe there. 

Eventually we reach the motel I reside in. After greeting the front desk lady, The girl and I rush up to my room. I close the door and instruct her to sit on the bed. She does not retort and does as I say. I then grab a set of clothes, head to the bathroom and change my attire. When I come out, she is still sitting. For now, we will be safe from the people of the Lounge. For the first time, I finally speak to the girl. 

"Are you hungry?" 

She nods. Fortunately, this place has a cafeteria open at all hours of the day and night, I plan to head downstairs to fetch some food for the girl. I will most likely choose something light and easy to digest, I do not know how long it has been since she has had a proper meal. Chicken noodle soup maybe? Before I go, I ask her something else. 

"Uh, what's your name?" 

With a soft, high-pitched voice, she answers me. 

"...My name's Calliope.... but everyone calls me Calli" 

'Calliope... Now I won't have to keep referring to her as the little girl' 

Now that I finally know what to call her, I take the stairs and descend towards the cafeteria area. Midway through, I hear voices coming from the reception room. Two men wearing black trench coats are speaking to the front desk lady. They attempt to act normal, but their agitation is clear. The first man speaks in a firm and authoritative voice.

"Have you seen a young man and a little girl come through this place in the last few hours?"

The second man interjects and adds onto their story.

"We're looking for our friend you see, we were supposed to meet him and his sister around here but we're a bit late, so we were thinking maybe he decided to come rest at this motel or something haha." 

I am confident that these men are from the Lounge. It looks like they are scouring the possible locations where I could have found refuge. They know I could not have gone far. Currently, I am wearing a skin mask, if we include the fact that I have changed my clothes and that I am no longer wearing the Lounge mask, they have no way to recognize me. Regretfully, the real problem is Calliope. With a description of 'a young man and little girl who has gone through here in the few last hours', the front desk lady will immediately think of me and will mention it to them. Once this happens, they will ravage this motel in search of us. I have no choice but to return to the room immediately and escape with Calliope. Right as I am about to turn tail and leave the motel, the front desk lady answers them. 

"Hmm, I can't seem to remember anyone like that coming through here recently. We don't get a lot of business here these days, you know? maybe try the large hotel down the street?" 

'Did she just cover for us!?' 

The two men are clearly irritated but they do now want to cause a scene. They thank the old lady and leave the motel. Mine and the lady's eyes cross paths and she winks at me. It seems I will be safe if I remain here. I resume my journey towards the cafeteria. On my there, the lady speaks to me. 

"Your little sister looked like she could use a bath and some help with that hair. My kids left the nest a long time ago, but I should be able to do at least that much." 

I pause for a moment, look at her and clasp my hands together while speaking to her. 

"I... I don't know how I can repay what you've done for us today." 

With a warm smile she answers. 

"It's okay, it's okay, if you really feel that strongly you can always leave a tip." 

I head down to the cafeteria, grab a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup and head back to my room upstairs, accompanied by the front desk lady. When we arrive, Calliope is playing with the remote control, she looks like she is attempting to turn on the TV. As soon as she catches a glimpse of us, she lets go of it and pretends that she has been sitting on the bed doing nothing this whole time. I can feel the nervousness coursing through her. I speak to her. 

"This lady here will help you clean up, alright Calliope?" 

She answers. 

"...Okay." 

I take my computer as well as a coat and a few other miscellaneous items and prepare to exit the room. Calliope speaks to me again. 

"...Are you leaving mister? Did I do something wrong?" 

"No, you did nothing wrong. I'll be back soon don't worry" 

"Alright..." 

She looks at me with sadness in her eyes, she does not believe me. I can't blame her though, who knows what this child might have gone through.

Leaving her in this state does not sit well with me. After pondering on ways to lift her mood, a memory resurfaces. In the past, I would often need to leave for one my night jobs, my siblings were sometimes afraid that I would not come back, just like mom. To reassure them, I would give them something very important of mine and tell them that I would have to return to retrieve it. Though I can't pretend to understand everything Calliope has gone through, I can empathize with her sense of loss. I decide to give her a small musical trinket with the recording of a tune my mother used to hum all the time, hoping to bring her comfort through it. 

Retrieving the trinket from my bag, I place it in her hands and speak to her. 

"Hold tightly onto this Calli. It is the only thing I have left of my mom, and it is as important to me as my life. When I come back, you can return it to me" 

Her eyes brighten up slightly, showcasing more trust in my words. Once that is done, I bid farewell to both the lady and Calliope. 

I then find a quiet place in the cafeteria and open my computer. Opening a special software and using the tracking chip I previously slipped in Calvin's pocket, I begin tracking his movements. Now, it is time to do what I was sent to the Golden Gate District for.