Rosanna is Happy

Waking up in Boston seemed to be a shocking experience for Rosanna. She fell asleep while they were still traversing Appalachia and the nearby Berkshire County.

The moment she opened her eyes because of the stark morning daylight, the mountains she once saw were now tall concrete buildings. The road was not made of soil and rocks, and people were everywhere.

Rosanna didn't know when the shadow support in the motorbike changed, but she was now behind Noah—with her feet on the footrests that were tweaked for her short legs. She then just clutched the shirt on the sides of Noah's waist.

"Don't be too scared. Mephy asked me to take care of you, remember?" Noah spoke loudly so Rosanna could hear him through their helmets. They were on a red light stop so he was only keeping the bike from going off-balance.

"Okay." Rosanna didn't know if Noah heard her murmur, but she didn't want to speak too loud.

When she looked around, she noticed that Laquisha was not with them anymore. She only chewed on her lip quietly underneath her helmet and hoped to arrive at their new house quickly.

After a few more minutes, they arrived at the parking area of a strange apartment complex. It was only strange as Rosanna was curious about its color that resembled the red earth. Noah got off of his seat and helped Rosanna off of the bike. As it was early in the morning, most civilians had gone to work.

There were onlookers, but Noah's demeanor wasn't alarming to them. However, as the girl had white hair, the mothers were judging this young father's decision to let his child's hair be bleached. Then again, Noah didn't care.

He went to walk with her hand-in-hand until he got to a glass door. He rang the doorbell and spoke with the person looking after the unit arranged by the organization. Of course, fake details were given; Noah still had to manipulate her to believe his reason as for bringing a child along.

Noah earned the key and walked upstairs where the unit should be. When he slipped the key inside and twisted the lock, Rosanna couldn't contain the excitement and anticipation in her eyes.

The door opened, and she was awed by the minimalist yet classy design. Her eyes were too scarred from all the diamonds in Laquisha's house that a plain set-up—resembling her mother's house—made her happy.

She ran around the house as much as the hellhounds did, and Noah only closed the door behind him. The unit had a corner view of the intersection and was easy to escape from if need be. The unit was also fully furnished that all he needed to do was unpack his things and make himself comfortable.

"Noah, Noah, a big fridge!" Rosanna had chirped so loud before she realized what she just did. After making the scream, she covered her mouth and hid behind the island in the kitchen.

"Is it full?" Noah didn't mind as he went to the kitchen. He didn't have to look for her as she was really easy to find. He opened the fridge… and saw nothing. His eyes blinked before closing it again. He then looked at the child. "We're meeting people tomorrow. Do you want to shop for food and clothes before that?"

"Okay…" Rosanna only readily agreed as she found it unreasonable not to. It was only a second later when she looked down at her plain white dress and realized she needed new clothes. She then looked up at the man. "Will Noah buy me clothes?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Not much conversation happened between them afterward. Rosanna only sat on the couch and enjoyed its comfort and softness as Noah surveyed the entire unit for bugs. Running his device three times, he was assured the organization wouldn't be spying on them. He then walked into his room and collected a wallet and a phone.

He stared at these two things and realized that he had never used them for a while. All their food was delivered to Laquisha, and nothing was there to spend money on. Even if Noah went to neighboring cities, he didn't buy anything. Now, he was going to live with himself as the main person again.

Slipping the phone and wallet into his pockets, he invited Rosanna to come. Three hellhounds were asked to guard the house while the others would come with them. Noah got to the parking spaces again and helped Rosanna with the ride.

However, he saw a middle-aged woman walk towards them. She was wearing a purple cardigan and seemed to be a mother from the way she carried herself. A smile was on her face, but her eyes were filled with discontentment.

"Hello, I'm Allison. I live next door." She gestured to the building next to Noah's. "If you don't mind me asking… where's the child's mother?"

"My sister isn't feeling well and has been in the hospital for a long time. My niece needed someone else to take care of her aside from that unreliable housekeeper they had." Noah fired off a lie straight out and didn't even blink as he did. Whether the woman believed him or not, it didn't matter.

"Ah, so it's her mother who decided she could bleach her hair?"

"No, it's the housekeeper that poured bleach on her." Noah could tell a witch from one glance, and this woman was nothing but a nosy neighbor. Besides, he knew he couldn't force everyone to keep their words to themselves when the seven-year-old Rosanna looked maltreated.

Allison gasped and didn't know what to do. Then again, she eyed at the man. "You look so nonchalant about it."

The man shook his head. "She's very sensitive to other people's feelings. If I pity her, she would keep to herself more. I'm on my way to find a place to fix her hair. I should be going."

A gasp came from the woman before looking at the girl who was staring at her. She could only retreat for today. After a few reminders about a child's safety, she left while keeping her eyes on the two.

"Do you like her, Rosanna?"

"…no."

"Then don't talk to her when you see her again." Noah only sighed and continued before rolling out of the parking space with his motorbike.

…

A bubbly little lady replaced the reserved child while they were walking along the shopping mall. She just got her hair dyed blonde to conceal the white strands, and the ophthalmologist they went to tested her eyesight and also gave recommended lenses to make her eyes appear blue instead. When she looked in the mirror after, she felt like crying as she appeared normal for once.

Moreover, she looked closer to her mother.

It was then followed by them shopping for clothes and buying her all the things she laid her eyes on. Even if she wasn't as much as a wastrel could be, she still had a few bags for herself. It was a good thing that Mephisto provided Noah with cash and a debit card to withdraw from.

"Noah, Noah, Rosanna is happy. I look like Mama." Rosanna settled with her ice cream sundae after eating lunch. The man in front of him didn't seem so scary anymore now that the scary dogs were not around him.

"Mn, thank you for behaving properly. I'm happy, too." Noah was still finishing his fries when they were taking their time in a fast-food chain.

The child then looked at him. "Noah, where is she? The pretty woman?"

Noah paused as he thought about Laquisha and had realized he forgot to let her know that they had reached their apartment. He took out his phone and fiddled with it. "She lives somewhere else. You'd see her sometime."

Rosanna only nodded as she eyed at the fries and reached out carefully to take a piece. Noah moved his hand to push the pack closer so she didn't need to reach out too far. She smiled as she took a handful and ate it one-by-one, letting the bunch rest on her small palm.

Satisfaction radiated from Rosanna. This man was someone Mephy had asked to take care of her. It only meant that she could trust him even if his dogs were scary. She then looked up at the man frowning at his phone. "Why are you sad?"

"I'm getting scolded by the pretty woman." Noah only hummed as he waited for Laquisha to bombard him with messages. It was not because she was worried; it was the organization getting on her side while asking for details.

Their current missions were so sensitive that the curator and the rest lost all faith in their talents' own abilities. Though it was unreasonable, Noah seemed to know why they were acting strangely. It was nothing else but having SCC involved.

SCC had the power to successfully expose them and all their businesses. The tycoon behind it had connections to Hell, and no one knew how much power he could muster from it. In the end, the organization had no choice but to make sure every step was micromanaged.

However, were the Shadow Hands a bunch of children to be supervised to the letter? No, they were teenagers who hated being leashed by the adults. By now, Noah wouldn't be surprised if Laquisha was the only one reporting.

While he was going over his thoughts, a scream suddenly echoed in the store. When he turned, it was because a man—drenched in soda—just roughly pushed a table, seemingly making trouble.