The Kiss that Sparked it All

Ellinor paused before asking Baber, “You wanna leave this place?”

Baber looked a little nervy but he nodded anyway.

“And where do you want to go?” Ellinor asked again.

Baber tried his best to express himself, “The orphanage.”

Orphanage?

Damn, the kid even wanted to go back to the orphanage. Life at the Howard’s must really suck.

Ellinor gently ruffled his hair, trying to comfort him and build trust. T’d love to give you a hand, but you’ve gotta understand, I’m just a guest here, and Patricia is your legal guardian. Unless we can find some dirt on her and strip her of her custody, I can’t help you leave this place.”

Baber was all ears, but his understanding was limited, and he still looked at her with a puzzled expression.

realized she might have been talking

gotta be patient. Wait for the right moment,

looked blank for a moment, but his eyes gradually lost their guarded look,

yourself safe, you’ve gotta learn to play it cool. Don’t be too quick to show resistance when things get tough.

he

a necklace from around her neck and put it around Baber’s, adjusting it

my lucky charm. It’s got some magic in it. As long as you’re wearing it, it’ll protect you. No one can push you around. But you can’t

He treasured the necklace around his

scared you are, remember not

‘mom’ who scared him, Baber started to shake in fear.

know you’re scared, but don’t forget, you’ve got this magical necklace to protect you. So, there’s nothing

at Ellinor, his eyes filled