"So it's settled, right?"
"Si! I mean, yes! I will not tell anyone," the Hispanic woman said. She smiled as she held onto her son a bit tighter. He looked around the age of 10. He held onto his mother's forearm as he stared at the man in front of him suspiciously. This white man looked young, handsome even. He had blond hair and blue eyes and looked wealthy. The young boy wasn't sure whether or not he trusted this man, especially after the situation with his father.
His mother could feel him tense up. She tried to soothe him by rubbing her hand through his hair. "Nick, chiquito, its ok. We are in a good place now," she whispered to him. She smiled back at the man in front of her and he seemed to understand the picture.
"Oh! I have daughters myself. Let me introduce them to your boy. He can play with them sometimes," the blond headed man said. He smiled at the younger boy but this caused the younger boy to remove himself from his mother's arms and stand in front of her, as if he was defending her.
The mother pulled him back and laughed lightly. "I'm sorry. He speaks English but he's just not use to change," she said. "But I'm sure he'll look forward to seeing your beautiful daughters, Mr. Rollins!"
Mr. Rollins smiled. "Of course. Change is a hard thing to accept. It takes time. I'm sure the little fella will get accustomed soon. Amanda! Kim!"
The sounds of two small feet was heard padding down the corridor above them and two little girls came running down the stairs. They didn't look very different but one was taller, meaning she was older. The youngest tripped once they were off the stairs and the eldest helped her up.
"Yes, daddy?" the eldest said when they got closer. She looked to be about 8 and her younger sister looked around 4. She held onto her younger sister's hand when she caught up with her. She noticed the boy across from her father, being held by his mother.
"This is Mrs. Amaro and her son Nicholas Amaro. They'll be staying with us," Mr. Rollins said. He moved out the way so the kids could get to know each other.
Nick was pushed forward a little by his mother. He protested and looked at her with a disappointed look in his face.
"Chiquito, por favor," she said, being a little stern but still offering a smile.
Nick rolled his eyes and took a few steps forward to stand in front of the eldest of the daughters.
He put his hand out to the eldest daughter. "Hi. It's nice to meet you," he said. He didn't feel right in this house but his mother really wanted him to get accustomed and to be comfortable. After what he had to witness, he was willing to do anything for his mother. The purple bruise she covered up on her arm wasn't there for decoration.
The eldest daughter took his hand and smiled. "My name is Amanda. This is my little sister, Kim." She shook his hand. He blushed slightly because he never held a girl's hand before.
Nick smiled a little and then turned to look at his mom. She nodded her head to assure him that he did well.
Mr. Rollins smiled. "Well, now that's settled. My wife will be home soon with the groceries and if you wouldn't mind assisting her from now on –"
"Of course not! I am at your service, Mr. Rollins," Nick's mother said. She got up, pulling down her sleeve by habit. Mr. Rollins also got up and exhaled as he did so.
"Alright. Nicky boy, you and your mother will be sleeping in the room underneath the stairs over there. You see it?" Mr. Rollins said, grabbing his small hand and pointing to the mahogany colored door he was referring to. Nick nodded and tried to escape the man's grip. It wasn't hard since it was a light hold on his hand.
"But you are welcomed to use the living room, the bathroom on the first floor, the dining room and the kitchen whenever you want. If you need help, Mandy here will help you." Mr. Rollins said.
"I can help too!" Kim said.
Mr. Rollins chuckled. "Yes sweety but let your older sister be in charge, ok?"
"Ok…" Kim mumbled. He placed his hand on her head and softly ruffled the blonde locks, giving her a small chaste kiss on her cheek. He then spoke to Nick's mother and they moved to the kitchen area, leaving the kids behind.
Nick wanted to follow his mother but knew better. He watched his mother go into the other part of the huge house before turning his attention onto the two girls in front of him.
'They look like princesses…' He thought to himself. The eldest one had longer hair, obviously because she was older. It looked so soft and shimmered like gold. Her blue eyes were similar to her father's and the white dress she wore complimented her very well.
When Nick's mother told him the other day that they were leaving and going somewhere better, he didn't realize she meant here but this place resembled a castle. It was much different from the small apartment he used to live in with his mother and father. There were a lot of windows and they were all big. There were stairs and multiple rooms. He got a glimpse of the kitchen. He didn't know kitchens could be that big. For the year of 1912, this was probably the only time he would ever be in a house this big.
But he knew that moving here came with a price. He was old enough to understand that this man didn't just give them a home out of the kindness of his heart. No one would do that for them.
"So your name is Nicholas?" Amanda asked him, breaking him out of his trance.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. But call me Nick. Nicholas is too long," he answered.
"Ok!" She said brightly, grabbing his hand again. It took him by surprise.
"Wanna play with us?" Amanda asked him. Kim jumped up and down, also looking forward to having a new playmate.
"Sure. My ma' is probably busy," he said as he allowed the blonde girls to pull him up the stairs to a room. It was large, toys scattered everywhere. There was one bed in the center with four bed posts. There was furniture here and there. The windows were draped with lightly colored window curtains. It allowed for some sunlight to seep through but not too much that it would be unbearable. Pictures hung around the room and the eldest daughter was the main subject of each, making Nick come to the conclusion that it was her room and not the youngest daughter's.
The room had a subtle tone. While it was spacious, it wasn't overcrowded or overdone. Simple but you could tell that the person who owned this room, owned the house, was rich.
Nick walked in slowly after the girls, still hesitant about this new change that came up in his life.
"Don't be shy! We don't bite!" the one named Amanda said. She smiled and was missing a tooth. It made her look adorable.
She twirled around and landed on her bed backwards. "What do you think? Do you like my room?"
Nick gave a small smile before nodding. "It's…different," he said quietly. "Everything is."
Amanda sat up. She heard the tinge of sadness in his tone. Kim already started playing with the toys on the floor and didn't pay much attention to Nick or Amanda because the toys distracted her.
She slid off her bed and walked up to Nick who took a step back. She placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him another smile.
"It may be different but you'll love it!"
Nick was taken aback but soon regain his original composure and grinned back. She was nice. The place looked nice. His mother didn't seem to have much of a problem with it and they were away from the person who caused them to flee in the first place. Maybe he wouldn't experience any pain in this place.
"All there is here is happiness! And toys!" Amanda giggled. She went to play with her younger sister who beamed at the company.
Nick watched them play for a while before he began playing with them as well.
'Maybe it'll be different…,'
Next chapter will be out soon. I've already written part of it. I'm just not sure if anyone will like this twist soo…tell me if you do! I know it's not much but this is just to set stuff up for the big bang!