Chapter 8

One Of Her Few Friends

Annie focuses solely on making it seem as though the little girl is helping Annie by doing things that will in the end, help the child grow stronger. Already it's become evident that she hadn't eaten in days, and there's a hint of color in her cheeks now.

She looks so small wearing Sapphira's old t-shirt, which literally threatens to swallow her small, sad looking body. She's still eating the very last little bit of the soup when Sapphira returns from wherever she was…

She just barely glances up into the kitchen before turning down the hall. "Odair's here! Go figure."

I smile lightly and shake my head, "I practically live here Sapph! Is it really still a surprise when you come home to find me in your kitchen?"

She disappears into her room for thirty seconds but I can still hear her muffled calls. "Unfortunately no…" She seems utterly distracted, and her voice is muffled, so I'd think she's changing clothes. When she reappears five seconds later, tugging an old sweatshirt over her head I see that I'm right.

"As much as I wish it was, it's no longer surprising when I see you in my house." Sapphira throws me a smirk. She has yet to see the little girl, who is watching her intently, with probing eyes that seem to see straight into a person.

"Oh…" She breathes a small exclamation of surprise when she sees the child, who opposite of my expectations, doesn't shrink under Sapphira's gaze. The little girl gives a small wave, her way of saying hi.

"Hello there." Sapphira says quietly, sitting in a chair right in front of her.

The girl just waves again.

"Who's this?" Sapphira directs the question at Annie and I, her intelligent eyes instantly understanding that the small child isn't one for speaking.

"One of Finnick's new friends." Annie answers easily, as if I bring home children like this all the time. A smile tugs at the little girls lips when she's referred to as a friend. I can't help but feel like she doesn't have many friends.

"Oh?" Sapphira turns to me, evaluating me lightly, before turning confidentially to the child. "Well, Finnick has lots of friends…" She looks over the little girls outfit appraisingly. "But I think you're my favorite." This makes the little girl smile widely. "And, you have my sense of style. I love it." This earns her a tiny laugh, the first sound the girl has made since I found her.

Annie chimes in, "I hate to say Fin, but I'm with Sapphira on this one. She's my favorite friend of yours." The little girl smiles again, but she's watching my face carefully, to see if I'm offended I realize suddenly, and with a burst of conviction. I smile to show her I'm not-that they're mostly just teasing.

"So," Sapphira looks at the girl closely. "What should we call you?"

The little girl seems to think about this for a minute, and then she raises her hand in a drawing motion. I realize quickly that she wants to write out her name for us. Annie understood this before even I did and instantly fishes out a paper and pencil for her.

She takes it and makes her motion for thank you before writing down, what I assume is her name, RILLIA. I smile, because it suits her. She looks like a Rillia.

Sapphira smiles, "Ril-li-ah." She tries out the name, and the little girl nods at her pronunciation. "It's a very pretty name." She makes her thank you hand motion. "Rillia, what brings you here?"

Rillia-who I'm beginning to see has a very literal sense of humor-points at me. The whole kitchen erupts in laughter, including Rillia's sweet sounding laughter.

"Well I knew you came with Finnick. What I meant was, where are your parents?"

Rillia's face crumples in sorrow, but she doesn't cry as she drags her right index finger across her throat. 'They're dead'. No one but Sapphira knows how to respond.

"I'm sorry, that must have been hard for you." Rillia shrugs, though it's clear it was hard for her. Sapphira continues, "Where are you staying?" Rillia shakes her head no.

"No, you won't tell us? Or no, you have no where to stay?" Rillia holds up two fingers, indicating the second answer.

"Oh. Then what were you going to do?"

Rillia just shrugs, and I think that's her answer, but she continues, dragging her right index finger across her throat. Her answer is something along the lines of, 'I don't know, die.' I glance at Annie, who's standing in the kitchen and see a single tear trail down her cheek, before she hurriedly brushes it away.

Sapphira leans close to Rillia. "Then I'm glad you found a friend as good as Finnick today. We're not going to let that happen." Rillia starts to shake her head in protest but Sapphira isn't having it.

"We're a family here, and you can be a part of it." Sapphira's voice is calm, reassuring. "I want you to stay." Sapphira pauses and looks at Annie and I, "They want you to stay too. And you know what else?" Rillia shakes her head no, but it's clear she isn't planning on staying; she's only listening to Sapphira out of kindness-and uncharacteristic patience in a five year old. "I was a lot like you when I found Annie."

I raise my eyebrows, but don't comment on the story Sapphira is beginning to tell. Sapphira and Annie call themselves sisters, but I know they're not-biologically at least. Though I know they're not real sisters I was never told the story of how Sapphira came to live here with Annie.

I know it was around the time Annie lost her parents to a ship wreck, but I don't know the circumstances, other than the fact that Sapphira was orphaned and Annie's parents had left their sixteen year old the house, in the event of their death.

I came home from my Capitol business one day, and Annie's parents were gone, though she'd finished grieving long ago and Sapphira was already a part of the family. No questions asked.

Needless to say, this story is new information to me.

"My parents both died in a ship wreck when I was fourteen. It was the same ship wreck that killed Annie's parents as well, and I had no where to go. You're so much younger than me and it isn't fair that your parents were taken from you so early, after you'd had so little time with them, but I do know this: if there's one person you should trust it's her." Sapphira points at Annie who is wearing a sad smile.

"She brought me into this house, and she's called me her sister since that first day. She stuck up for me in school, and she kept me safe. Her parents left her this house so we had a place to live, and while she still had school she mooched money off her rich friend over there," Now she jerks her thumb toward me. "Now she's done with her school, but I'm not, and she has a job down the street. She ties fishing nets for a nice elderly woman who pays her well, but I'd be lying if I said most of our cash didn't come from moneybags over there.

"Do you know who he is?" Rillia shakes her head no, and looks at me. "He's a victor so he's very rich and he can support two whole families." Rillia's eyes widen and her small mouth opens in a tiny 'O' of shock. "I know, he seems to nice to be a victor, right? Just get to know him a little better." I can't help but smile at Sapphira. I'm not sure how much Rillia can understand but it seems like she's comprehending it all.

"My point is, she loves you already, I can see it on her face, and she'd be completely heartbroken if you left now. You're too young to be out on your own, even if you are smart-which I can see that you are. I'm not exaggerating when I tell you if you leave now Annie will probably never get another full night's sleep. That's how much she'll worry about you. Just ask Finnick."

Rillia turn's to me, her eyebrows raised, asking her question through gestures. "Oh Annie's a worrier all right. Last night she only got four hours of sleep because she was worrying about me-and I'm practically an adult."

"Sorry Fin," Annie chimes in from the kitchen. "Hate to burst your bubble but you're not even close to being an adult." She turns to Rillia addressing her semi-privately. "He's probably more of a child than you!" She throws her hands up in mock exasperation, and Rillia laughs-which I'm sure is the reaction Annie was hoping for.

Sapphira, however, is relentlessly pressing the girl for an answer. "Please? Please stay with us? I need Annie to sleep at night. If she doesn't she's a total crab."

"Am not!" Annie throws over her shoulder though she's already cleaning dishes at the sink. Apparently she sees something in Rillia's expression that the rest of us don't. I chalk it up to another one of their shared language things. Apparently Sapphira and I have a major language barrier to overcome. Now there'll be two Annie's, not just one.

"Are too." She leans even closer to Rillia and whispers, "Don't make me live with that." Her eyes are pleading, but I don't think it's going to make an ounce of difference to Rillia's decision.

She has already made up her mind.


Oooh! Cliffhanger. Sorry, but I just had to do it. It was too tempting. Thanks for reading and I hope you liked it. We know more about Sapphira, and Annie now and we also know much more about our new friend Rillia. Let me know what you think of her, and what you think she's going to chose-I'm sure she'll surprise you. She even surprised me, and I'm the one writing what she does down. I guess that's the problem with characters who do things without your permission in your head.

Anyways, now that you all think I'm crazy, I just want to say thanks for reading and please review.

Thanks,

R&R