Ella hadn't meant to get separated from the group. She was finally old enough to celebrate her birthday with the older kids outside of the orphanage instead of some silly party with the little kids. All she really wanted to do was get some ice cream, but no one would listen to her. So Ella slipped away when the case worker had her back turned and headed to the store they passed earlier.
It would have been fine, except she didn't have any credits. By the time she remembered that and went back to find the group, they were gone. They had taken a transport into the city's center, so she couldn't even walk back to the home. "No crying. Almost twelve year olds don't cry," she told herself repeatedly. Ella hopped onto a stool, close enough to the door she could dart out at moments notice and away from the sight of the employees. Early on she learned people don't like street kids and tried to make herself look as unassuming as possible.
Time passed in a blur as Ella watched people of all shapes and sizes come in and out of the small ice cream shop. The ones in uniforms scared her a bit and chose not to look at them too long. Eventually another kid came and sat at her table. He looked a lot like boys that waited outside of the orphanage for the kids who got too old to stay.
"Hey kid." His voice was rough, like the director's voice after he yelled. "Whatcha doin' sitting around this place?"
Ella contemplated him for a minute. If she didn't answer, he'd probably just get mad and start yelling. So she went with a half-truth. "I'm waiting," she replied.
His eyes seemed to sharpen as he stared at the little girl. "Waiting for what?"
"A friend," she lied smoothly, flashing innocent looking blue eyes at him. "We're gonna get ice cream together." Ella recoiled slightly when his smile sharpened and turned predatory. She was young, but not stupid. Living in the orphanage had exposed her to a lot at a very young age.
"Well then," he began. "Guess I'll wait with ya huh?"
A large hand settled against the boy's shoulder and pulled him around roughly. "Bugger off kid," the man nearly growled. Ella watched the teen scurry for the door, obviously wanting as much space between him and the other, taller man. He didn't look much older than the scary boy, but something about him made her shiver. He wasn't wearing a uniform she recognized, but it was one all the same.
She started to hop off the chair and escape before he noticed, until green eyes seemed to pin her to the chair. "Where ya going sweetheart?" The angry voice had mellowed to a questioning rumble. "And don't goddamn lie."
He was surprised at the depth of the sigh the little girl let out. "Gotta figure out how to get back to the orphanage. My group left me behind." He watched her kick at the table leg. "All I wanted was ice cream for my birthday."
He stared at the red-headed slip of a girl before cursing under his breath. "Don't move," he ordered before stepping away to vidcall someone. Ella watched him argue with someone for a moment before his gaze settled on her once again. He motioned for her to join him and dropped a credit chit into her hand, nodding towards the counter.
Her young eyes narrow in suspicion. Even at twelve she knew nothing came without a price. His free hand nudged her towards the line before his attention was drawn back to the screen. Ella scampered off, waiting impatiently in line. The man joined her right before she placed her order.
He carried her lemon gelato back to the table by the door and sat across from her. Before taking a bite, Ella looked at him, slightly bashfully. "Thank you," she nearly whispered.
His arms crossed against his chest. "What's your name kid?"
"Ella," she responded between bites. "Ella Shepard. Who're you?"
"Name's Zaeed." He scowled a bit when she giggled. "Problem with my name kid?"
She shrugged. "Never heard a name like that before. I like it."
"Well Ella Shepard, I can't take you back to the orphanage. My type isn't bloody welcome there. I got a friend coming to get you. He'll get you home." He watched the apprehension cross her face.
"No police," she muttered, angry eyes meeting his.
He laughed. "Cops don't much like me either kid. He's alliance."
Her little shoulders straightened a bit. "That's not much better. Do I have to go back? They're gonna be so mad I snuck away. I'm never gonna get to leave again."
"Quit whining and eat your goddamn ice cream."
She scowled at him, but continued to eat. Ella had just finished the bowl when a second man in alliance fatigues approached the table. Zaeed scowled. "Took your bloody time Steven."
"Shut it Massani. I got here when I could." He turned towards Ella and crouched beside her. She shrunk back in her chair, but met his gaze. He smiled at her and held his hand out. "My name's Steven. And who would you be?" She glanced at Zaeed for approval before accepting the handshake and answered him in a whisper. "Well then Ella Shepard, let's get you home."
She nodded once and sighed as she slid off the chair. Steven stood and motioned towards the door. Ella hesitated beside Zaeed. Her arms wrapped as far as they could around him in a brief, impulsive hug before scampering towards the door. "Hey kid," he called from his spot at the table. Ella turned at the door to face him. "Happy Birthday."
3 years later
Time passed weird when you lived on the streets. Sometimes weeks passed in an instant and sometimes they took months. If she hadn't stumbled into that exact part of town, Ella would have forgotten she turned fifteen a few days before. She stepped into the small ice cream shop she remembered from a few years before. The décor hadn't changed much; maybe a little older, a little more worn. The crowds she remembered weren't there anymore. The neighborhood had slowly been sucked into The Red's territory and people were going out less at night.
She ordered a dish of lemon gelato for old times sake and sat down near the table she had when she was twelve. Nothing and everything had changed for her since that afternoon. Ella was still a street kid, still an orphan. Except now she didn't live in an orphanage, but a crumbling abandoned building with the other younger kids The Reds kept around. Still rules she needed to follow, still harsh consequences if she didn't. Now the gang leaders dealt them instead of a center director. Her mind flashed to the night she ran away for the final time.
She hadn't meant to throw Jordan against the wall. One moment his hands were coming down to hit her, the next her own were bathed in blue and the boy was against the far wall, dazed with blood dripping from a gash along his forehead.
The center director had locked her in his office. Stupid fucker hadn't realized she could hear him from behind the door. He called her dangerous, a liability. The police needed to be called, the alliance. The director heard they paid a stipend for biotic kids that were referred.
The window locks were ridiculously easy for Ella to pick. A matter of moments passed and she was out the window and across the street. She watched from the window of an apartment that had been evicted the week before. The alliance and police showed at the same time. If she didn't know better, the one man looked eerily like the officer who took her home all those years ago. Not that someone in the alliance would care about a random street kid.
Ella slept in the apartment that night. Before daylight broke, she was out the door. The landlord hadn't cleaned the place yet and a quick rifle through the place found a bag and clothes that would sort of fit. A pang of guilt shot through her when she pocketed a few stray credit chits she found lying around, but she would need to eat eventually.
It wasn't long after that night when The Reds took her in. They made sure she was fed and had a place to sleep. There were no strings at first, but Ella was smart enough to know they would come and they had. One of the older girls eventually pulled her aside and taught her how to dress. Jeans and pants a bit too snug, and tops that dipped a little too low. Low heeled boots that were cute, but she could run in. Makeup and hair that was a hint too adult for a fourteen year old. It was the first time she had been given clothes that were brand new and just for her.
The leaders said she was a beauty. Her hair had deepened from a brassy red to a burnished copper. Paired with innocent looking blue eyes and Ella proved a welcome distraction. They sent her into businesses or up to marks as a distraction. She looked, and could act, like a lost teen better than most. They even let her keep the chits the marks sometimes gave her. Tips, they called it.
Ella pushed the empty dish away from her. This wasn't the life she had pictured for herself, but she didn't have much of a choice. A chime from her secondhand omni-tool reminded her she was supposed to be meeting Alec about another mark. Reluctantly she left the store when her attention was drawn to the alley a few steps down. Six men and two batarians were arguing. All but one wore armor. Ella planned to give the arguing men wide berth until a name caught her attention. "Zaeed."
She ducked into a nearby doorway, hidden from the group. Even after three years it was easy for her to distinguish which one was the man from her memories. It made her uneasy when she realized he was the one without armor. A scuffle broke out and the men converged on each other. Ella couldn't tell them apart until a shot rang out. Zaeed was on the ground, the others around him. Without thinking, her biotics flared and four of the men went flying.
A chorus of "holy shit!" and "we gotta get out of here" rang through the alley as they dispersed. Ella edged her way forward, concerned one of them stayed behind. Finding him alone, she dropped to her knees beside him.
"Please be alive," she muttered quietly, hands brushing against his neck. A faint pulse beat in his neck. Ella rummaged around her bag and pulled out a pack of medi-gel. She doctored the wound the best she could. "stay alive," she pleaded to the unconscious man before running back into the ice cream store.
The boy behind the counter stared wide-eyed at her and she realized her green shirt was smattered with blood. "Please," she begged, not sure if she was acting or truly upset. "Please, they shot him. In the alley. Call someone. Please." Her eyes welled up with tears as the boy vid-called the police.
Ella startled as a customer slid an arm around her. "Where is he dear? I'll go wait for the police with you." The other woman seemed calm and she led Ella towards the alley. She waited until the cops showed before slipping away from the scene. Ella watched from across the street, hidden in shadows, as Zaeed was loaded into a shuttle and flown off into the night.