Page 13 of Families and Other Enemies

CHAPTER SIX

IMMEDIATELY, KELLENPICKED out who she was expected to help.

SOPHIA:

FEMALE, 16? YO, CAUCASIAN-HISPANIC.

Sophia sat on the curb off to one side of the larger group—mostly men—carefully sipping her soup. She was beautiful, with long brown hair pulled into a hasty bun and wide green eyes, one of which was marred by a black bruise. She was also sporting a split lip and bruises on her arms, some older than others. Kellen would bet those were defensive marks.

As Ralph and Kellen approached Sophia, the girl began to crumple in on herself, clutching her soup with white knuckles, clearly in the middle of a fight or flight situation.

Ralph said softly, “Sophia, this is Kellen. Is it okay if she talks to you for a bit?”

Sophia nodded.

Kellen sat down next to Sophia, taking care not to make sudden moves.

Ralph left them alone, wandering over to the other group and asking if anyone needed any toiletries or warm socks for the night ahead.

Kellen decided to start with a neutral topic. “What’s the soup today?”

Sophia glanced over at Kellen, and whispered, “Chicken chili.”

“Is it any good?”

“Yeah.”

Kellen kept her voice very calm, almost nonchalant. “When I lived on the street in Philadelphia, the food bank tried to make good soups, but they kept getting donations of canned chicken. It didn’t make the best tasting chicken chowder.”

“There’s canned chicken?” Sophia screwed up her nose like she smelled something terrible.

“Apparently the occasional chicken wanders into a cannery.”

Sophia laughed off-key, as though she had forgotten how.

Kellen asked, “What’s your plan for tonight?”

Sophia sobered quickly and shrugged. “Dunno. I’ll figure something out.”

“I can help you with a slightly better plan. Will you let me?”

Sophia shrugged again. “I guess.” She looked over at Ralph. “Will he be there?”

“He knows this area better than I do. But you can trust him. I promise.” Kellen stood and put her hand down to help Sophia up.

Sophia took it, yet hesitated. “You’ll come along, right?”

Kellen squeezed her hand. “Yes. I’ll come, too.”

RALPHLEDTHEtwo women into an alley on the other side of the church. Kellen noted the alarming number of cardboard boxes laid out like beds, some with threadbare blankets and old sleeping bags draped over them. “This is where I sleep.” Ralph indicated the second to last cardboard shack. “I can keep you safe, Sophia.” He moved one shack past his own and pointed at a long, flattened mattress box with a clean, fleecy blanket folded at the end.

No wonder Ralph was so adept at understanding the homeless and downtrodden folks who came by the food bank every day.

Sophia looked dubious. “What’s the matter?” Kellen asked.

“Nothing. Really. The bed looks amazing! I slept next to a fountain in the park last night. It was the only place I could find that was well lit, but then I, um, I got attacked.” Sophia indicated the black eye and the bruises on her arms, turned to Ralph and spoke to him directly for the first time. “I don’t know if I can trust you to protect me.”

“I won’t hurt you.” Ralph’s voice was so soft and gentle; yep, he was a people whisperer.

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