Chapter 7
Their Shared Language
"Hey Annie!" I call out from the other side of the door, an unusual tone coloring my voice. I'm sure Annie will pick up on it.
I hear some movement on the other side of the door, but after a brief moment of waiting Annie swings the back door open in a flutter of movement.
She turns her back from the door as instantly as she opened it muttering all the while, "Finnick you know the door is always open." And turning her attention to the stove.
"I just didn't want to startle you. Listen, I was hoping for some help," I say stepping into the house, motioning for the little girl to follow me. She does so without hesitation, seeing something that I must not. Or maybe it's just Annie, children seem at ease with her.
Annie must hear the strange tone in my voice-serious for once instead of jovial-and she turns to face me. The little girl is quietly shutting the door when Annie locks eyes with me. "What is it Finnick?" She looks oddly concerned and it occurs to me that she probably can't see the girl, who is standing somewhat behind me.
I step to the side a little, exposing the tiny girl's haggard body. "I thought you might be able to help my friend here." I keep a smile on my face, trying to reassure the girl, but I'm worried about her.
Annie's green eyes flicker down to the girl beside me. In an instant she's taken in the situation and she knows what to do. A bright smile lights up her face, directed at the little girl, who seems oddly frightened, and at ease at the moment.
"Hello there little one." Annie takes a step closer to us, kneeling down before the girl and speaking gently. She eyes the cut on the small child's shoulder obviously, before raising her hands toward it, a way of asking a question. "Do you mind if I survey the damage?" She asks lightly, putting her motions into words. Whatever language this girl speaks, it's apparent Annie is fluent in it. It's their shared language.
The girl doesn't watch her nearly as long as she watched me. There's an almost instant trust between the two of them, which only tells me one thing: this child is an accurate judge of character. Annie could get along with anyone. The child nods definitively, and Annie tenderly brushes away the cloth of her shirt to get a better view at the wound.
It's not terribly deep, from what I can tell, but it's a long cut and it's going to leave a nasty scar. Annie's careful eyes take in the severity of the wound quickly, and I see her smile return. "Oh it's not too bad. Won't be long before you're back out playing on the beach."
The girl hasn't smiled yet, but she isn't frowning either. Annie motions to the table in the kitchen. "Do you mind having a seat for me?" The girl looks uneasy. "It will be easier for me, you see, if I can set things down while I work." Her tone is comforting, but she isn't speaking to the child as though she cannot understand. It's clear to both Annie and I that she can.
The girl nods a little, and I can see that Annie is playing her just right. The girl doesn't want to impose, so Annie had to make it seem as if her sitting was going to help Annie out. If the child knew Annie a little better she'd know that Annie rarely did things to help herself. Others seemed to be higher on Annie's list of priorities.
The girl sits on a kitchen chair, positioning herself with her left side leaning on the back of her chair, exposing the long gash from her right shoulder the center of her back. It occurs to me for the first time that a girl this young should probably be crying about her injuries, but this girl seems indifferent to her pain.
Annie comes to the table, toting a bowl of warm water, and a few washrags, as well as a roll of white bandages, and some sort of salve. She sets out all the supplies on the table, as promised, and pulls a chair up right behind the girl.
"First things first, I'm going to have to cut away some of your shirt ok? Don't worry I'll give you a new one when I'm finished." The girl nods. Annie pulls out a knife and cuts away some of the fabric surrounding the wound. The girl doesn't even flinch.
"I'm going to try and be real gentle ok?" This is Annie's way of telling her it will probably hurt.
The girl just shrugs. Annie shoots me a look, eyebrows raised, and I can read the question in her eyes, 'does she talk?' I can only raise my shoulders in an 'I don't know' fashion, because I have no answer to give.
Annie dampens one of the rags, and begins to wipe away the blood surrounding the cut, so that she can see it better. Then she presses the rag into the cut itself cleaning out any debris and hopefully killing or preventing infection. She works on cleaning the wound for about five minutes before she sits back, watching to see if it's going to start bleeding again.
After about thirty seconds all she sees is a tiny bit of blood trickling down the length of the slice and she speaks to the girl again. "It's nothing too bad. I'm going to put some medicine and a bandage on it. Now that I've got the bleeding mostly stopped I don't think I'll have to worry about you bleeding through it. Is that ok?" The girl nods in response.
Annie works quickly, rubbing the ointment into the cut-the girl still not making a sound, or even flinching in the slightest, and bandaging her up. When she's finished it actually looks quite official, almost as if a doctor had done it. It's pretty bad the Annie is so good at taking care of the injured. Between her foot, me last night (even if that was more emotional than physical), and this girl now, Annie is practically operating a full-scale clinic!
"There," She says, leaning back, pleased with her work. "All done. How do you feel? Better?" I don't even know if Annie is phrasing her questions in a 'yes or no' format on purpose. She always seems to know the best way to interact with people.
The tiny girl spins around to face Annie and nods, the thank you clearly on her face. However she brings both her hands to her heart and extends them slightly away from her body towards Annie, while nodding at her. It's her way of 'saying' thank you.
Annie understands this, of course, and smiles at the little girl. "Of course. You're welcome. Now, let's see what we can do about getting you some new clothes…" Annie trails of staring at the exit to the kitchen.
The girl freezes and shakes her head no. She makes her thank you gesture again but shakes her head, 'no more'.
"Nonsense," Annie dismisses her worries in the same way someone would have to dismiss Annie's. I should be taking notes because watching the way Annie treats this little girl is the same way someone would have to treat Annie in this situation. "I couldn't live with myself if I cut up your clothes and didn't replace them. Just wait right here."
Annie dashes down the hall, and returns with a few t-shirts that are much too big, and she smiles apologetically at the girl. "I'm sorry, it looks like you'll be stuck in t-shirt dresses for now, because my little sister is fifteen, and I think that makes her clothes just a little too big for you." Annie sighs in mock dismay, "And here I though they'd fit you perfectly."
The girl smiles at Annie's attempt at humor, her almost colorless thin lips pulling over her teeth in a way that is just as sad as it is happy. Annie returns the smile flawlessly.
"You can choose whichever color you like." Annie hands the girl the small stack of t-shirts, "the bathroom is down the hall. First door." The little girl nods, unable to make her thank you hand motion because her hands are full.
Annie sees the thank you in her expression, "My pleasure." She tells her honestly.
The little girl makes her way to the bathroom and Annie comes over to me. As soon as we hear the bathroom door shut Annie whispers to me, "What's going on Finnick?"
"I don't know. I saw her on my way here. She was going to make a run for it-not sure why, but I could see it on her face-but I convinced her that I wouldn't tell anyone I saw her, and then I told her she looked like she needed a friend. I asked her if I could bring her to you, and she said yes. I'm not sure who she is, or where she came from."
"She's starving. I'm making her some food right now. Sit down, and don't ask questions, just eat the food that I put out, got it?"
I can tell the girl will be exiting the bathroom soon, and I'm in no position to be questioning Annie's logic now, so I nod and sit down.
I'm right and the little girl comes back thirty seconds later still wearing her black pants, but now wearing one of Sapphira's old t-shirts which hangs well below her knees, but not to the floor.
She takes the stack over to Annie and tries to give it to her but Annie just shakes her head, "Oh no! I gave those to you for a reason-you're keeping them."
The little girl furrows her brow in confusion and starts to shake her head, but Annie cuts her off. "I've been trying to get rid of those shirts for a while now, because Sapphira-my sister-needs new ones. They're too small for her now, but she won't go shopping because she says she 'still has the old ones'. The way I see it, if I give her old shirts to you she'll have to get new ones. You'll be helping me by taking them."
The girl nods, still looking uneasy about the gift. "Besides," Annie assures her. "You look great in them."
The girl smiles a little, and makes her motion for thank you. Annie nods and gestures for her to sit at the table. I'm surprised when the little girl doesn't object to her orders, she simply plops down.
I see Annie smiling triumphantly, because I can see what she's doing. What she's building up to.
Annie sets out a bowl of fruit moments later saying, "Both of you, help yourselves, it's going to spoil soon if I don't have someone eat it and it's just me and Sapphira here."
I take an apple from the bowl and say, "Thanks Annie." The girl makes her thank you hand motion again, and hesitantly takes an orange from the bowl of fruit.
She peels it slowly, setting the pieces of peel on the table in a neat pile. She eats the orange a little at a time, but it's clear she hasn't had food to eat in a long while.
As soon as I'm finished with my apple I take another piece of fruit, and another, and the girl follows my lead, eating an apple, and a peach. Annie comes back over to the table with a small tray of vegetables saying, "I almost forgot about this! You should eat it too, it'll spoil if no one eats it."
I take some of this as well, but the little girl doesn't seem to be watching me anymore, so I slow down. She's getting more and more comfortable here.
I don't even realize Annie's heating up some soup until she's setting it on the table in front of the girl. I don't get any, which surprises me a little, but I don't question Annie's method.
"Here, you should finish this off for me too. I made it a few days ago, and Finnick isn't a big fan of leftovers, neither is Sapphira." I'm impressed at Annie's smooth lie. The little girl shakes her head a little, but her eyes are betraying her hunger. She pushes the bowl of warm soup towards Annie, her way of saying 'you should eat it'.
"I would," Annie admits, seeming to have expected her response. "But I just had some before you got here, and I don't really feel like eating anymore. And even I don't like eating the same thing twice in one day." From the expression on her face even I would have believed Annie.
The girl nods, and 'says' thank you, before digging in, eating the soup quickly.
The little girl may not see where this is heading, but I certainly do, and I suspect deep in her heart she knows where it's headed too.
Hey! So we're uncovering things! Not only about our newest little friend, but about Annie and the way she works. I hope you like this chapter. It was fun for me to write and it was actually one of the simpler ones for me. Next chapter the little girl meets Sapphira, and we learn some more things about the child.
It should be interesting so please keep reading.
Thanks,
R&R
