A hiss emerged from Elijah’s lips as he seated himself for his English class, hitting his purling bruises, which were located everywhere on his body. He got out his daffodil yellow notebook and his regular pencil, not a lead one. Then got to work copying the notes on the board his lackadaisical teacher didn’t want to explain.
After a few minutes, the overhead speakers came on, making a deafening noise-causing all the students of Rosewood High to cover their ears. “Elijah White, please come down to the office. Elijah White, please come down to the office.” The female’s voice repeated. “Mr. White-” Elijah cut off his teacher, “Don’t call me Mr. White, Elijah’s fine.” As he walked out of the classroom, not caring what his teacher had to say next.
As he walked down the silent hallways to the first office he started noticing things he never realized were there. Then again he was always maybe in the fast-food place down the street’s parking lot, fighting some punk kid. He never fought on school grounds. He knew better than that. His father taught him to know better than that with a broom and a couple of rocks out from the back garden.
Elijah walked up to the front office door. As he went to walk into the door pushing, instead of pulling. As a result, he whacked his pale face off the door. Elijah snapped his head to his right after hearing a small giggle.
To his surprise, he saw a little girl, who couldn’t be any older than five years old. Her hair was longer than anyone he has ever seen, maybe even longer than Rapenzuls’. Her eyes were honey-brown, her hair which was completely tangled was caramel-brown, his skin was extremely sunburnt. Blisters were all over her from sun-poisoning. Her slate-colored shirt was all stained up and ripped. Her feet, which she wasn’t wearing any shoes, were all bloody from being cut up and bruised.
Elijah kneeled in front of the little girl, a forced smile on his face. “Hello there, little one. My name is Elijah, would you mind telling me yours?” The little girl shook her head no while smiling big, but the second her mouth opened to speak, a bald-headed policeman picked her up, placing her outside to which Elijah followed. “You have to go back-”
“No.” Elijah cut him off. It was his specialty, cutting people off. “Just, let me talk to her. I’ll be inside-”
“I’m a boy!” The little boy yelled, agitated about Elijah misinterpreting him as a girl. “Oh.” Is all he said before looking back at the policeman. “Okay fine.” The policeman said not to want to deal with Elijah again today. Elijah nodded, and the policeman went back inside.
Elijah kneeled on one knee in front of the little boy, forcing a smile. “Hello, I’m Elijah. Would you mind telling me your name?” The little boy swayed his head no, and with a gentle and wary voice, “R...Rivers.” Elijah was never any good with kids, considering he was prepared to fight at any time he needed, but this kid was in front of him. He didn’t know what it was, but he was drawn towards him. “Well, Rivers, would you mind telling me what happened to you?” Instead of talking Rivers lifted his left hand and started caressing Elijah’s cheek with a smile plastered on his face. “Hey, Rivers, come with me we are going to go and clean you up. Okay?” The little boy bobbed his head, undoubtedly not a fan of talking. “Okay. Let’s go.” Elijah stood up, slowly, his body aching everywhere. “Can I pick you up so you don’t hurt your feet anymore?” Rivers jerked his head no, and Elijah could have sworn Rivers’ eyes filled with horror when he asked to pick him up. “Okay. That’s fine, but if your feet start hurting, tell me. Okay?” Once again Rivers nodded, instead of talking. “Come on,” Elijah said, to which Rivers started following.
About thirty seconds into the walk Elijah felt a cold hand grip his own.
Once Elijah got to the store, where he wanted to go, he kneeled in front of the boy again. “You stay right here okay?” Rivers nodded. “Okay,” Elijah said.
Elijah walked into the store and immediately went to the medicine aisle, to look for a first-aid-kit. He patted his back pockets only to realize he didn’t have any money. Elijah groaned, despising the fact that he has to shoplift another time. He gripped the first-aid-kit tightly and braced for the door. “Hey, you! Kid! Get back here!” He heard a man yell behind him when he made it out the door. Elijah gripped Rivers’s hand not stopping for a second, dragging Rivers with him. After a couple of blocks of running, Elijah let go of Rivers’ hand and leaned against a red building.
“Listen Rivers, when you get older don’t ever shoplift a store.” Rivers nodded, giving a faint smile. After Elijah had caught his breath, he looked at Rivers, taking his jacket off, revealing his black long-sleeve t-shirt. This caused the little homeless and parentless kid to cock his head to the side in confusion not knowing what a first-aid-kit was. “Mm?” Elijah questioned observing the boy, he put his dark navy jacket on the ground and kneeled in front of it. “Well? What’s wrong? Also, sit down, so I can clean up your wounds.” Rivers sat down but didn’t say anything, confusing Elijah a little since he talked earlier that day.
When Elijah opened up the first-aid-kit and grabbed an antiseptic wipe. “This might hurt a little okay?” Elijah carefully grabbed Rivers’s right foot, careful to not hit any of Rivers’ cuts. I wish I had some type of rag to clean off-. Elijah started thinking before he cut himself off. “Rivers, you wait right here, okay?” Rivers stared at Elijah, for a few seconds, but he eventually nodded. Elijah got up and left.
After maybe five minutes, Elijah came back with a clear water bottle.“I’m going to say this one more time, don’t ever shoplift.” The little boy nodded understandingly at Elijah. The more elderly male sat down on the sidewalk in front of Rivers.“Let me look at your foot. I genuinely don’t mind which one.” Rivers elevated his right foot in reply.“This might hurt,” Elijah echoed himself, before drizzling water over River's cuts on his foot, disposing of the fresh and dry blood.“Ow.” Rivers said, flinching his foot.“I know little one, but you need to try to stay still. Okay?” The little boy nodded, allowing Elijah to diligently clean his cuts.
After all the cuts were cleaned, on both of Rivers' feet, Elijah started observing them. Trying to figure out how deep the cuts are, or if they’re infected. “Hey, little one. I hate asking this, but do you have a place to live?”
“N...No.” Rivers stuttered out, in his high-pitched voice. “That’s what I thought.” As Elijah said before concluding Rivers cuts are not deep enough to need stitches. “You won’t need stitches. Which is a good thing because I don’t know anyone who would do it for free, and I can’t afford to take you to the hospital.” Rivers nodded, not quite understanding what Elijah was saying, but pretending he did. “I’m going to bandage your feet now, okay? It won’t hurt.” With that being said, Elijah grabbed the white bandages out of the kit and started to wrap them around Rivers’ feet.
“I’m done little one,” Elijah said. With his big, wide, honey-brown eyes Rivers smiled a tiny, little smile. Maybe I can find a shirt or jacket that could maybe fit him? Elijah started thinking to himself, maybe I could give him one of my shirts and he can just wear it like he is wearing his shirt now. Yeah. That should work. Now I need to get him a brush to brush his hair, or if he wants it cut I need to get enough money to be able to cut his hair. I need to get him shoes also, he’s going to keep injuring his feet. Ugh. I need to get a job. Elijah stood up hitting a few of his bruises as he did so.
“Are you okay?” Rivers asked seeing Elijah finch in pain when he stood up. Elijah nodded and extended his hand to help Rivers up. The seven-year-old grabbed his hand, to which Elijah pulled him up. “You got anywhere you want to go, little one?” The boy shook his head no, in response. “Okay then.” Mother and Father should be at work right now, so I might be able capable to get him one of my old shirts. He can just wear it as a dress. At the same time, however, I don’t want to be wrong and have him get severely hurt by my mistake. “E...Elijah?” Elijah’s eyes grew big, with sadness and fear, thinking back to the day Levi died. “Levi…” Elijah spoke out loud, calling his deceased friend’s name.
“My name’s R...River silly.” Rivers spoke with a whispered voice, much different from earlier this morning. “I know little one, I just started thinking about someone who was very special to me. That’s all.”
“Oh. Okay.” Rivers replied. “Now I have to go little one,” Elijah said while kneeling in front of Rivers, winching in pain from his bruises. “But I don’t want you to leave.” Rivers said, his voice showing he was about to cry. “I know, but I have to. How about this in exactly one hour I will be right here in this very spot waiting for you okay?”
“P...promise?” Rivers asked, wiping away the tears in his eyes. “I promise. Okay? I swear to never lie, if I do I own you my life.” Elijah said to Rivers, something he and Levi would say to each other whenever they made a promise. “W..what?” The little boy asked confused about what Elijah said. “It means if I lie and don’t meet you here in one hour I own you my life. By that I mean I have to protect you at all cost, even if it costs me my life.” Rivers nodded, going back to not talking. “I’ll be here in one hour, do you know what one hour is?” Rivers shook his head no in reply “Then just stay here okay?” Rivers nodded.
With that Elijah stood up and walked away, leaving a sad little boy, who he promised to return to in exactly one hour. He vowed to himself he will, no matter what happens. Elijah didn’t comprehend it himself, why he was so attached to the kid. He didn’t even know him, but there was a gravitational pull, pulling him towards Rivers. For some odd reason, this pull was making him want to protect River. Elijah thought about this, while he walked.
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