10
Jean
The door closed and I started to breath again. Crow was in trouble. I remembered Alex's face when he had told me that he was worried about her. I had never seen him show this much worry for a girl. For anyone really. I threw my purse on the couch and blew some strands of red hair out of my face. I heard small patters above me and a little girl with big brown eyes who looked no older then maybe seven charged down the stairs and skittered to a stop in front of me. She looked me up and down. "Are you Miss. Jeans?" She asked in a sweet voice. I smiled and bent down, placing my hands on my knees.
"Yeah, Are you Minnie?" She nodded and smiled displaying two missing front teeth. Then she looked around.
"Are Mommy and Daddy gone?" She asked. I nodded and forced a smile on my face.
"Yes. And Minnie, you can just call me Jean." She nodded. Then her eyes widened and she jumped up and down squealing.
"YAY! That means Crow can come out now!" She grabbed my hand and tugged me toward the stairs. I was surprised at how strong she was. She tugged me up the stairs and down a long hallway. She stopped in front of a dark purple door. She knocked four times then stood bouncing on the balls of her feet as she waited for the door to open. I pulled up a mental picture of Crow I had seen in Alex's mind. She had an athletic build, pale skin. She had lavender hair but Alex's favorite part about her was her eyes. Dark blue eyes that sparkled when she laughed or smiled. The doorknob rattled and the door swung open. I gasped. Crow looked exactly like Alex had seen her. Except for the black eye. Crow's left eye was black and kind of swollen. She glanced at me then focused her gaze on Minnie.
"What do you need, Minnie?" Minnie jumped up and down again.
"Jean's here! That means you can play!" She giggled. Crow smiled and ruffled Minnie's blonde hair.
"I would love to but I'll have to finish my homework and talk to Miss. Jean here." Minnie stuck out her bottom lip and pouted.
"But you promised." Crow couched down in front of Minnie.
"And I will but I'll get in trouble if I don't finish my homework then I won't be allowed to play with you for a month." I patted Minnie's head.
"Minnie, I'll help Crow with her homework then She and I will with come play with you." I winked at her. "Plus I brought you a present." Minnie's eyes widened.
"What is it?" I smiled brightly.
"I can't tell you till Crow's done with her homework." Minnie started to try and push Crow into her room.
"HURRY UP, LAZEYBUTT! I WANT MY PRESENT!" Crow and I laughed as Minnie continued to attempt to push Crow. I giggled and gently pushed Minnie toward the playroom.
"Alright, go on. I'll help Crow with her homework then we'll play." Minnie skipped off and I went inside Crow's room and closed the door. I became very serious.
"What happened to your eye?" I demanded. Crow raised an eyebrow at my sudden change of attitude. "What happened?" I asked again.
"M-my step-dad." She stammered, backing up and sitting on her bed. I closed my eyes scanned her mind. "W-what?" I opened my eyes and glanced at her computer. I flicked two fingers towards it and it opened to a google search page. "How did yo-"
"You don't really have homework do you?" I asked. Her eyes widened and she shook her head.
"N-no! I just- I didn't want him to find out about-" I came over to the bed and placed my hands on either side of her head. She jerked back a little. "What are you trying to do?" I smiled at her.
"Don't worry. I think I can help you. I just need you to close your eyes and clear your mind."