IX

She was stunning. Zero looked beautiful even when she was in her torn uniform, covered in mud and sweat. I would do anything to protect her. I held her hand as we followed Reed and Gianna into a large building called a mall.

The mall seemed bigger on the inside. It had multiple different stores in it along with a court with different food vendors. There were many tables that were with people and their trays of food. Gianna grabbed my arm and dragged me into the court.

"What would you like to eat?" Gianna asked.

I looked at Zero who looked lost. "Would you like me to choose?"

She nodded. I pointed to a Chinese food chain and she shrugged. "Why not?"

I nodded and looked at Reed. "We don't have any money."

"Where do you want to go?" He responded.

I looked at the sign above the counter of the Chinese food chain, "Grand Palace."

"That's a good place. Great food. Do you know what bubble tea is?" Gianna asked.

I nodded and Zero shook hers.

"I think you'll like it." Reed lead us to the line and pointed to the menu. "That's what they have to offer. Don't worry about the price."

I looked at Zero, "What do you want?"

"Whatever you're having." She still doesn't want to choose things.

I leaned down to her ear and whispered, "Are you sure? You know you can choose for yourself, right?"

"I don't know what to choose. It's a lot." She whispered back.

"Alright. I'll choose. Why don't you and Gianna go find a seat." I wanted her to open up a bit more to Gianna.

She looked unsure and nervous. "Do I have to?"

I sighed inwardly. "No. You can stay with me while Reed and I order. It'll be easier to find what you'll want."

Zero looked at the buffet and nods.

I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb and looked at Reed. "We're ready to order."

"Alright. Would you like to order with me or do you want me to order for you?" He asked.

"I'll go up with you. Zero wants to choose from the buffet." I answered.

He glanced at Zero before nodding and leading us to the counter. I looked at the buffet as Reed gave his order. They had noodles, chicken bites, pork bites, bourbon chicken, spring rolls, and more. I watched Zero as she looked at the buffet, the hunger in her eyes was clear as day. As I watched her, the guilt started to form. I promised to keep her safe and where was I when she needed me? South Dakota on a mission. I should have been there to help her. I wonder what else she went through while I was away.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked away from Zero, following the hand to Reed. "Go ahead and order." He said.

I nodded and he stepped towards the buffet to continue. I gently nudged Zero to go with him, but she just held my hand tighter. It was worth the try.

I looked at the man at the counter. "Combo four."

He nodded. "What would you like to drink?"

"Strawberry bubble tea and Peach bubble tea," I answered and he nodded.

"$25.50," he replied.

I looked over at Reed, but he wasn't where I last saw him. I turned back to the cashier who was handing me coins.

"Who paid?" I don't remember handing him any money.

Zero spoke up. "Reed paid. When you turned away, he handed the man three bills."

I nodded and took the receipt, turning the cashier. "Thanks."

Zero grabbed my hand and lead me down the buffet line, staring at the pans of food.

"Pick three different meats. Any of them, you choose."

"Any of them?" she asked.

"Yes, Zero. Any three of them."

She pointed to the spicy bourbon chicken and the sweet and sour pork. "You pick the last one." She said.

"The sweet and sour pork, the spicy bourbon chicken, and the kung pao shrimp."

The worker nodded and dished out the meat. "Rice or noodles?" He asked.

"Rice," I answered. He nodded and dished out the rice before closing the Styrofoam container. He placed it on the tray in front of us with cutlery, our bubble tea, and our receipt. I thanked him and carried the tray over to Reed and Gianna.

We sat across from the two adults who looked to engaged in a conversation to notice we had arrived. I looked at Zero who seemed to be entranced by the steaming tray of food. "You can eat. You don't have to wait for orders, here. Just be careful. It's hot," I cautioned.

She nodded and poked the meat with her fork. "How do we know it wasn't poisoned?" She asked.

"This is their job. They get paid money to make food for people, and if they do poison someone, they'd go to jail for it. Stuff like that isn't common though. Don't worry," I answered.

She nodded and proceeded to eat the spicy bourbon chicken. I looked over at Gianna and Reed to see them watching Zero intently, waiting for a reaction. Her face flushed light red and she looked confused.

"Is it supposed to sting?" She sniffled as she whispered.

Reed chuckled, "Yes. I got the same thing. It's spicy, so it's supposed to sting."

She nodded and we all continued eating. I watched Reed and Gianna watch us. They seemed relieved that we were eating but they wanted to see Zero's reaction to these foods because she was less exposed to the world than I.

Zero didn't complain about the food at all. She just ate like she would never get another meal. It was saddening to see. I should've protected her better. She is my flower. Her skin was soft to the touch, like the petals of a flower. And just like her skin, her personality was just as soft.

When I first met her, she was this scared, sick, little girl. She was coughing and shivering from the cold. She didn't speak an ounce of English, so I started teaching her. When the lackeys came back, they came back for her. The way she held onto my eight-year-old self will always haunt me. She didn't want to let go of me. She cried and clung to me tightly and in all honesty, I didn't want to let go of her either. They grabbed her frail body and carried her away. I don't know what they did to her but when they threw her back in the cell, she wouldn't talk. She wasn't crying, she was just emotionless. I hugged her tightly and told her the story of Little Red Riding Hood.

"Nine?" I heard her soft, sweet voice again.

"Yes, Flower?" I turned my head to face her.

Surprise was evident on her face but was to be expected since I haven't called her that in years.

"What's the pink slush with the black beads in it?" She asked.

"It's called Bubble Tea. The black beads at the bottom are tapioca bubbles. The pink one is yours. It's Strawberry Bubble Tea. I think you'll like it and if you don't, I'll finish it."

She nodded and took a sip. Reed, Gianna, and I all watched for her reaction.

The smile was small, but it was there, "Is what strawberries taste like?"

Gianna smiled sadly. She looked as though she was having a hard time fighting back tears. "Sort of," Gianna answered.

"I really like it. Is that okay?" Zero asked.

"Absolutely, kiddo," Reed assured.

She smiled. Zero actually smiled. I hadn't seen my flower genuinely smile in years. This was a start. A great start to a better life.

Reed watched Zero in awe, recognition flashing in his eyes. There was something off about the way he watched Zero and I couldn't tell if it was a good or not.

About half an hour later, we finished eating. I grabbed Zero's hand and interlaced our fingers. "I assume you two don't want to be separated?" Gianna questioned.

"Yeah. I just got her back. I'm not too eager to leave her side any time soon."

"That's understandable. Plus, you can help us judge Zero's outfits. We'll start with shoes." She announced.

After she dragged us to countless stores for Zero, she did the exact same. By the end of it all, Reed and I had more bags in our arms than we could carry. Gianna held two bags and Zero held none.

We exited the mall, tired and happy. This one excursion made Zero smile the most I've seen her smile in years. I'm happy she's happy. We all got into Reed's purple Corvette and Gianna turned on the radio.

Zero rested her head on my shoulder and I rested my head on hers. It was obvious she was tired so I spoke softly as I told her the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Soon enough, we both drifted off to sleep, the hum of the car acting as our lullaby.