CHAPTER 2: A CHILD PROTECTING A CHILD
CHAPTER 2: A CHILD PROTECTING A CHILD
The girl kept moving, slowly picking through scraps as if this was just another normal day.
Each step was careful. Practiced.
Like she had learned how to survive without ever being taught how to live.
A gust of wind blew through the alley.
She immediately turned her body, shielding the baby completely with her thin arms.
That was the moment Daniel’s training stopped mattering.
He took a step forward.
Then another.
“Hey,” he said softly.
The girl froze.
Not like a child caught doing something wrong.
Like someone who had learned that adults usually meant danger.
Her grip on the baby tightened instantly.
Daniel stopped immediately, lowering himself slightly so he wasn’t towering over her.
“I’m not here to hurt you,” he said gently. “I just want to talk.”
Silence.
Long enough that it felt like the world itself was waiting.
“What’s your name?”
A whisper finally came.
“Lucy.”
May you like
Her voice was small. Careful.
Like even her words had to be saved.
