Stay by me

It was a cold gray day. The night before it had rained, leaving the streets of the favelas muddy and with pools of water. Cars came and went from time to time, passing over puddles to finish painting the walls or passersby with mud.

The great Marduk circus had arrived in the royal capital and set up its tent on the outskirts of the favelas. The curious came in droves to see the assembly and placement of stands, cages among other gadgets of foreign and unknown origin. One of the employees put up posters warning about the need for labor due to the death of many of his people in the massacre more than a month ago.

Help was needed and they would pay by the hour. Many applied, mostly poor children from the favelas who had been orphaned, but these were discarded due to age and lack of strength to maneuver the work items. Among all those children, there was one who was applying for the job at all costs. He kicked and strongly insulted those who made fun of him because of his size. Unfortunately, he was beaten by one of the strong dwarves who served as security and was thrown into the mud, while he was threatened not to step on the site again, otherwise, he would end up receiving a terrible beating that could kill him.

The door was closed; the ragged and dirty child only contemplated helplessly what had happened. He got up and ran to an old abandoned warehouse. Upon arrival, he cleaned himself with rainwater that he collected in a bucket and went to a wooden crate. He pushed aside the rags that covered it to extract the contents inside the drawer. He began to smile through tears and took in his arms a baby that he laughed when he saw it.

-I failed you again sister. I'm sorry, tomorrow I'll look for something in the port- the boy hugged the baby tightly and rocked her to make her sleep - Now sleep a little, I need to go to the market to look for food. Shh-

He had learned to be a pickpocket from his mother, so he took advantage of the job interview to steal money from those who kicked him out. His mother had died in childbirth, leaving him in the care of his three-month-old sister, with whom he fled at the request of her mother, who saw the end of her very close. He was looking for a job and couldn't find it due to his age and size. Being 6 years old did not favor him at all and he cursed that he had been left at the mercy of the world around him. The only living relative he had was his sister and he went out of his way for her not to be left alone.

The baby fell asleep and snuggled her in the drawer. When he was getting ready to go to the market he noticed that the roof rafters had been filled with crows staring at him. Red eyes seemed to penetrate him causing an ominous feeling to erupt. He instinctively grabbed the baby and ran to hide in a makeshift basement. Suddenly, some men dressed in uniform entered with flashlights looking for something. The boy watched them from under the planks.

-They said there was a boy here but apparently he left a long time ago, he may come back later. Lou stay at the entrance in case he comes back to take him to the census- the soldier kept looking for any indication of recent movement of one or more people.

The boy trembled and held his sister in fear. He did not trust the soldiers, as he witnessed how other children had been smuggled off the street, who were never seen again. Many said that these children had died in the attack as justification for their disappearance, but the truth was different. They were taken to hospices or correctional facilities from which they will not leave until they come of age as they are not compatible as the saint.

This was not public knowledge, in addition to being risky to take the orphans they could face public derision for acting maliciously against the inhabitants. The boy begged them to leave quickly but when he heard that they would wait for him, he upset him more because he feared that they would do something to his sister. He started hyperventilating when he heard the squawks and as if it were a warning he got ready to run.

Suddenly, a black cloud made of crows swooped down on the three soldiers. The child seeing this opportunity came out of hiding running. The birds camouflaged him in his flight while furiously pecking at the soldiers who shouted for help.

The boy ran into the forest to lose sight of them. He stumbled and took his sister with force so that she did not hurt herself, in that he felt that they were holding him to prevent him from falling. She was a dark-haired woman dressed in a black bird embroidered blazer who was smiling tenderly at him. Shots were heard in the distance and between the fright at having fled, he hugged the woman while he carried her sister.

-Please don't do anything to Olivia ... wuahh! .- The boy screamed loudly to end up crying in Ellen's arms

-You are already safe, rest- Ellen touched the boy's face and made him sleep. She carried them to a portal and they vanished, leaving behind black feathers.

**

When he woke up he saw a strange ceiling and realized that his sister was not next to him, in addition, he was wearing strange and clean clothes. The shock he felt was terrible and he started looking for Olivia in all the rooms. He heard a piano and his sister's laugh. He headed downstairs and what he found blew him away. One girl played the piano while another sang a song to cheer up the baby who was laughing excitedly on Ellen's lap.

They all stop and look at the child who has just entered the living room. One of the girls approaches and takes his hands to lead him to Olivia.

-Welcome Albert! We were waiting for you- Scuti was happy to see him

-What? I don't ... Where are we? -

-We are at home, and no one will bother you. Sit down, do you want chocolate with muffins? Take whatever you want- Siri started serving the chocolate

Albert did not come out of astonishment. So much kindness moved him since the only person who always treated him well was his mother, seeing this made him nervous.

-Leave your cousin alone, girls. He just arrived and you are already driving him crazy. Quiet treasure, I promised the saint that I would take care of her children. You and Olivia will remain in my custody as she grows to be able to hatch Aerial, just enjoy this moment and those to come- Ellen caresses the head of Albert who had tears forming in her eyes. -As an escort of the saint you must prepare, until then has fun with your cousins ​​treasure, I will tell you what happened step by step-

The girls take him by the hands and what looked like quirky scarves began to move to run up to him and wrap themselves in his thin arms. The dragons were welcoming him in his own way. Olivia, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing at the scene, making Albert smile too.

**

The weeks passed and Quentin was in the family villa resting but he received an unpleasant visit from the census takers to confirm that all the inhabitants of the mansion were free of suspicion of being the saint. He was hiding his inner mockery since he knew that the saint had already been found by Ellen. A letter he recently received brought him up to speed. Since then he has dedicated himself to gathering information about Andrea and about her sister Judith hers, since Ellen gave him more homework to keep him entertained. His office was crammed with information and photos that Seth organized efficiently.

The headache increased when he learned that the woman named Judith had had a child and her second died in childbirth, but that was the only thing he could find about her. The boy had fled without even burying his mother to avoid ending up in an orphanage. Now it turned out that he had a nephew lost in the favelas, whom he wanted to find to get rid of his doubts.

In the face of all that, a raven watched Quentin in the shadows to Ellen's personal amusement, who enjoyed seeing the man who abused her granddaughters 200 times suffer.