Page 14 of Little Fury

I open my bags and start to unpack. I put my clothes in the drawers and hang the one dress I brought with me in the closet. I put my shoes in the bottom closet and place the photo of me and my parents on the table beside the bed. Just like I had it at home. I grab Miss Mushroom and Mr. Waffle and set them on the bed. I take my toothbrush and hairbrush to the bathroom and wash my face and hands.

This is home now. So be at home.

Heading downstairs to look around, I hear voices coming from the kitchen. I walk in just as I hear Beth say,“She’s only 7? Why isn’t she a mess? How is she so calm and composed?”I see her hands in the air as I enter.

“Sorry, Ava. We aren't trying to be mean and talk about you when you aren’t in the room, but I’m concerned with how well you're taking everything,”she says to me.

I shrug“not really sure how to take it differently. I miss my parents, and I think this place is weird, but I’m still me.”Harry raises an eyebrow and looks at me.

“Well said, Ava. You sure don't talk like any other seven-year-old I’ve ever met before,”He tells me.

“I turn 8 next week, so maybe I sound more like an 8-year-old, and that’s why I don't sound like the other 7-year-olds you know.”He isn't the first adult who's told me that. My school told my parents that I was gifted and that I would need special things. Maybe that's what Harry means?

Beth asks if I'm hungry, and I tell her I am. She opens thefridge and pulls out cheese, butter and bread. Grabbing a frying pan from inside the oven, she gets to work making me a grilled cheese. When it’s cooked, she places it on a plate before me and pours me a glass of milk. I inhale the sandwich and milk, barely pausing to breathe. When I'm done, I say goodnight. Harry says goodnight and will see me tomorrow.

Beth comes upstairs with me asking if I need any help. I tell her I don't."Leave your dirty clothes in the hamper in the bathroom, and I’ll collect them tomorrow when I do the laundry,”Beth tells me as I head into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth again.

Back in my room, Beth has the blinds closed on the glass doors and the blankets on the bed pulled down, waiting for me to get in. Once I settle in, Beth pulls the blankets up around my chin and hands me Mr. Waffle and Miss Mushroom, putting one on each side of me.

“Thank you,”I say to her.

“You are very welcome, Ava. I hope you like it here. It’s a beautiful place to live, and Harry has a lot to offer you.”Again, I don't understand what her words mean. But I smile at her anyway. She leaves, turning off the light and closing my door behind her.

I wake up the next morning, forgetting where I am for a moment, but it quickly returns to me. I do my morning stuff and then head downstairs. Finding Beth sitting in the kitchen reading a newspaper.“Morning, Ava,”she saidcheerily. Did you sleep well?”

“I did,”I tell her, and it’s the truth, I did sleep well.

“Are you hungry?”she asks. I nod my head. Opening the oven and bringing out a plate of pancakes with sausages, she grabs two plates, some knives, and forks and sets about making us each a plate. We sit together at the island and eat.

“So, what happens now?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”Beth asks me back.

“Well, why am I here? And what about my school? I like my school. Will I go there? Who will I live with?”I ask her rapidly. A little bit of panic setting in.

“Harry will explain it all. But yes, I will be staying with you if that's ok with you? I want to help you in any way I can. But if you don't want me, that is also ok, and we can find another person.”

“I don't want anyone else,”I say, and she smiles at me, going back to her pancakes.

“Eat up, Harry wants to see you as soon as you're fed and ready for the day.”

We finish eating; and I head upstairs to get dressed. I pull on a pair of jeans and a shirt, socks and my sneakers. I grab my favourite sweater. It's a panda bear design with ears on the hood. Once I’m dressed Beth leads me to the big house we saw last night.“Harry lives here,”she tells me, pointing to the large house. It's all wood and stone with huge windows and a porch that wraps all the way around. It has flower beds all along it. Beth walks right into his house through the big glass doors that are standing open letting a lovely morning breeze flow through the house.

Harry is sitting at the kitchen table with a couple other men, they stop talking when we enter.

“That’s all for now, guys,”he says, and they all get up together and leave.“Hello ladies,”Harry calls to us.

“Morning,”I call back to him, and Beth just stares at him, apparently annoyed already with the red-haired man.

“Look at you all sweet on me this morning, Bethy.”

“Jesus Fuck Harry, don’t call me that, I’m not 6!”she tells him with even more annoyance.

“I know you ain’t Lass, but you still look like a Bethy to me, and I love it when you drop an F-bomb on us,”Harry says, sending a wink in my direction.

I smile at his wink despite myself. I like how much he pokes fun at her. He makes her swear, and I think it's funny to hear her. She seems so gentle all the time until he's around.

“All right, Ava, this is where I leave you; you two have a lot to talk about, and I’m going to town to grab a few things. Give me your truck keys.”

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