Chapter 7.1

 Alina's shoulders dropped when her call to Jason didn't connect. She turned to look at her friends, Asami, Michelle, and Emily, with a helpless look.

"He's not answering," she told the others who became crestfallen. "Looks like we're on our own for now."

"So what do we do?" asked Emily in concern while stroking the little girl's hair, who was sleeping on her lap.

"Have a slumber party and look after her!" Asami decided decisively with immense energy.

"Hmm. Oui, not a bad idea. Strength in numbers," Michelle agreed.

"Guys, shhh. She's waking!" Emily whispered while shushing them with her hand.

The little girl opened her bleary eyes, which widened when she saw herself in an unknown place surrounded by strangers. Her bright blue eyes looked at Emily first, then at everyone else with hesitation and fear.

"Hey, there," Emily said softly, her heart melting when the little girl looked back at her. "Don't worry, none of us will hurt you. We just wanna help you."

The others showed gentle smiles and nods to emphasize Emily's point, but the little girl curled backward and tried to hide behind Emily's back.

"I think she likes you," Alina told Emily.

"Cause she's got bigger boobs," muttered Asami, earning a smack from Michelle.

A tiny growl, almost negligible, echoed through the room as the little girl blushed. She grabbed her tummy while looking at everyone from behind Emily's shoulder.

"For now, why don't we have some dinner?" suggested Emily with a smile while turning and patting the little girl's head.

"Uhh … does anyone know how to cook?" asked Asami meekly.

"Ne me regarde pas," Michelle replied, quickly looking away.

"There's some cold pasta and cola," said Alina hesitantly after thinking awhile.

"... Anything else?" asked Emily with hope.

"Uh … maybe? What?! I can't cook! I tried, really!" Alina replied defensively when she noticed everyone staring at her.

"It's alright, I can cook something up if you have the ingredients," Emily said, defusing the situation before hesitantly asking Alina. "You do … have something in the fridge right?"

"Yeah, I think Jason went shopping the other day," replied Alina, embarrassed. She had just realized how reliant she was on Jason.

"Alright, time to start cracking," Emily stood up and was about to go to the kitchen when a small hand held onto her short skirt. Looking back, she saw the little girl worriedly watching. "Aw, sweetie, it's okay. I'm only heading to the kitchen. Why don't you follow me and watch me cook from the dining table?"

The little girl nodded and trotted after Emily, while the others looked on enviously.

"I want to hold her. I need to hold her. I must hold her," chanted Asami in a monotone voice, her hands were raised like a zombie as she tried going to the dining table, earning her another smack from Michelle. "Stop it, you're killing my brain cells!"

"You have brain cellules?" asked Michelle looking genuinely surprised and horrified.

"Oh, very funny."

Twenty minutes later, a variety of dishes were presented in front of the little girl. There was a meat lover's omelet in each plate, some stir-fried vegetables that were still in a pan, fried rice in a large bowl, and cold pasta leftovers that had shredded chicken in it. The assortment of dishes had awed everyone of them.

"Wow, you're amazing. So, you practicing for your boyfriend or something?" asked Asami in a teasing voice.

"Of course not. I have siblings so I usually end up cooking for them." Emily replied smilingly while watching the little girl eat ravenously. "It feels great when I see them smile. Besides, the pasta and rice were already done. I just mixed it together."

"You should consider mariage," joked Michelle with her trademarked seriously stoic face, causing Emily to nearly collapse head first onto the table.

"Uh ... that's a little … uh … " Emily was about to reply until she saw the little girl staring at her.

"So, uh, what's your name sweetie?" Emily asked the little girl, evading the previous joke.

"Alice," the little girl replied in a small voice that couldn't pronounciate properly.

"Were you lost? Do you know your parents' name?" asked Emily softly.

The little girl withdrew to herself with tears in her eyes, before nodding softly.

"Jason … Singh." she whispered, dazing Alina, whose eyes started spinning as smoke flew out her head.

"Well hell," said Alina, causing everyone to look at her. "That … was Jason's old name…"

"WHAT?!" Everyone cried out together.