Chapter 2
The grey haired receptionist paused for a moment to look over the rims of her glasses at the tiny girl sat on the wooden bench not far from her desk.
Feelings of pity and sadness swelled in the older woman's chest as she thought about the poor girl misfortune. Through no fault of her own, she'd lost her parents and was now left with no one and was now looking at an uncertain future. If no relatives could be traced, which sadly the old woman thought looking back at the papers on her desk, looked the case; the girl would have to be sent to a shelter of some sort.
The little girl's expression was unreadable from where the woman sat. Straight faced, with shoulder length dark brown hair falling loose around her face, framing her pale skin.
She'd make a pretty girl one day.
The old receptionist shook her head as she looked back at her papers. Pretty, parentless girls fell into drugs and prostitution in the shelters. The little girl's future looked dark indeed.
She was dressed in the clothes from her father's funeral, having been brought to the court house straight after by her fathers solicitor. He was still in his office across from where little Layla sat, behind the receptionist who kept looking at her funny.
Her daddy had always been there to make sure she was ok. To sit with her in strange places like this, with strange people. Layla guessed she'd have to get used to not having that protection now. She was almost 6 now; she could look after herself by now, couldn't she? Daddy had always said she could.
Layla watched her feet dangle over the edge of the bench. She was the smallest in her class at school. She hated being the smallest. But her daddy had told her it gave her attitude. She didn't get what he meant, but he was proud of it, she knew that.
It was almost 12:25am when the door swung open, sending a freezing breeze over Layla, who shuddered.
"Fer Fuck sake frail. Stop with the whinin'. If ya head hurts, it's ya own fault fer being stupid." Someone's deep voice growled from down the hallway.
Layla sat up, gazing down the hall to the huge man in a suit who was fast approaching her. She couldn't even see who he was talking to behind him for the mass of muscle the man seemed to have over his chest and shoulders.
If she wasn't pale enough as it was, Layla would have gone white.
The monster of a man stopped just in front of her, staring down with intense blue eyes, brighter than her own pale blue ones.
Layla stared back with wide eyes, more than a little scared by this person.
"Birdy." He suddenly barked, causing Layla to jump and catching the attention of the smaller woman not far behind him. He pointed down at the little girl, the woman he'd called Birdy coming over and taking a seat next to her.
"I'm gonna see 'bout the paper work. You keep 'er quite." And with that turned to the desk.
Layla stared at his back, hundreds of things running through her mind. Her thoughts were soon broken into, however, by the woman sat next her.
"Hi honey." The woman greeted her softly.
Layla looked up at her, not really willing to speak.
The woman reached out, stroking her hair down. "I'm sorry about your daddy, sweetheart." Birdy smiled sadly. "But you'll be ok now."
Layla looked between the man at the desk and Birdy. There was a dark bruise forming on the side of the woman's face that worried Layla a little too much. She inched away from Birdy's touch, making the sad smile in Birdy's expression drop into a disappointed frown.
From behind the desk, Layla's father's solicitor appeared. He smile and held his hand out to Creed, who looked down at it with disgust and growled. The solicitor awkwardly recoiled his hand and showed Creed into his office.
Inside, both men seated themselves, and the solicitor took out some paper work from a draw.
"It's a shame it's had to come to this, really." The solicitor said taking a pen from his top pocket and placing it next to the papers in front of sabretooth.
"Not really..." Creed replied, scanning over the papers. "Part o'the job." He added flippantly. "Least he were stupid enough not ta make plans though, huh?" he laughed.
The solicitor looked away awkwardly, knowing full well Victor Creed was the kind of man to have no sympathy for death. To be honest, He didn't feel comfortable leaving the girl with him. But obviously it was his choice. The father had put it in his will.
"What, exactly, did it say in his will then?" Creed asked as he began to sign.
"Erm..." the solicitor scrambled for the will in a pile. He pulled it free and scanned through. He mumbled through until he found the parts Creed was really interested in.
"Oh, erm. I Trevor McCartney leave the care of my daughter, Layla, to Victor Creed, as requested."
Creed silenced him with a hand, before pushing the paper work back over the desk.
"Alright, alright. I got it. So the kids mine then?"
"Yes. Your her legal guardian now."
"Good."
"Oh, but she must be checked on for the first 6 months..."
Creed glared at the other man. "What ya mean?" he growled.
The solicitor shuddered and tried his best to stop himself screaming and running out of the room and as far away from this man as was possible.
"A Social worker must come to the place you've listed that the child will be living and check on her. I-it's just to make sure she's happy and cared for."
Victor stood abruptly, nearly knocking the chair over.
"She that important then?"
"N-n-no, Mr. Creed...it's just standard practice..." The solicitor was sweating now, and the smell of it was beginning to make Creed feel unclean.
"Whatever." He waved the man off and opened the door to leave.
Layla had found Birdy wasn't as bad as first thought and had warmed to her quickly. She was slowly drifting off to sleep with her head in Birdy's lap when Creed reappeared from the office.
"Wake 'er up and get 'er in the car Birdy." He snapped as he passed the two females. Layla looked up at Birdy, tears threatening to fall. She didn't want to go with the scary man, even if Birdy was there to protect her. She just wanted to go home with her daddy.
Birdy pulled the small girl up, cradling her head on her shoulder as she carried her out to the car.
"It'll be ok baby. I promise." Birdy whispered.
