Ian decided that he needed to get her settled into a bedroom. He picked up
her two bags that were lying on the ground.
"Hey!" Eli shouted. "What are you doing to my bags?" She asked.
"Calm down, I am only taking them to your room." Eli shut her mouth and nodded.
"Oh, sorry." She mumbled out.
"It is all right. Follow me." He began walking toward one of the vacant rooms.
The walk to the room took ten more minutes than it should have. Not only did Ian have to slow down so that Eli could keep up, but he also learned she had a short attention span. He had to stop every few minutes to keep her from going into other rooms, climbing on the furniture, and from taking things, especially weapons, off the wall.
She followed him into a small room that looked ancient. The main color was red and it had tapestries on the walls. He put her bags on the floor, making dust rise. She sneezed from the dust. "This place is old."
"No one has occupied this room for a long time, but this is one of the safer rooms and it is only across the hall from my room, so I can hear if something happens to you." Eli stopped exploring the room and looked at him.
"What do you mean if something happens to me?" She asked worriedly. "Is something going to happen to me?" Her lower lip trembled and she was on the verge of tears.
Ian sighed and sat down on the bed. He motioned for her to sit next to him. She jumped onto the big bed. She landed with a huge bounce. She smiled for a second and then began to bounce up and down on the bed. Ian stopped her with a hand to her shoulder.
"Sit down." He told her. She stopped bouncing and sat down. "Did your father tell you why he brought you here?"
Eli nodded. "He said that the man here could get mommy back."
"And what happened to your mother?" Ian asked. Eli put her head down and mumbled
"The bad men got her when they attacked this morning." She was on the verge of tears again.
"The truth is, Eli, the same men might try to come for you, too. You were brought here so that I can protect you from these men. So while you are here, you must be very careful. Do you understand?" She nodded her head.
"The bad men are gonna come and try to kill me." She said sullenly, trying not to cry.
Ian grimaced at thought of a small child screaming her lungs out. He had to keep her from doing so. And the way this all made her so upset activated a parental soft spot in him. He found he really didn't want her upset or worried her whole time here. If possible, he wanted her to enjoy herself.
"Do not worry." He told her. She turned her head to look at him. "As long as you are here, no harm will come to you. I will protect you."
She looked at him suspiciously. "Promise?" She asked.
"Promise." He assured her.
She still looked at him suspiciously. "Pinky promise?"
He looked at her with confusion. That made her laugh and blink away any tears that were threatening to fall. "Here, like this."
She held up his left hand and connected his pinky with hers. "Now shake." They shook on it. Eli nodded to the agreement.
They were quiet for two minutes when Eli turned to him again. "Is there food here?" She asked as she rubbed her stomach. "Cause I have a rumbly in my tummy."
He nodded and started leading her to the kitchen. This time he took her by the hand so that she would not stall the trip any longer than necessary.
When they got to the kitchen, he pulled up a stool from the corner so that she could at the counter. When she climbed onto the stool, they discovered that she barely reached the edge of the counter. Ian had her get off so that he could place a few books on top of the seat. She sat back down, but she began to sway on the seats. She jumped off and books tumbled over after her. Eli then just used the stool to climb onto the counter and sat down cross-legged on the top of the counter.
"What would you like to eat?" He asked her. Eli put her elbows on her knees and held her head up with her fists as she thought. He waited patiently for her to answer. Ten minutes later, she answered.
"Celery, and peanut butter, and grilled cheese sandwich, and a glass of milk." She said. A minute later, she sat up. "Oh, celery, and peanut butter, and grilled cheese sandwich, and a glass of milk, please."
"All right, give me a few minutes." He told her as he started searching the kitchen. He hadn't cooked for a long time now. Thankfully, he at least did know how to make a few things, and what she had asked for were part of that list. He prepared her meal quickly and put it down in front of her.
Eli looked down at the plate and then up at him. "Thank-you, Ian, but you did it wrong." He looked at her confused. The celery had it's peanut butter in it and was lying next to the grilled cheese sandwich, and the milk was lying a few inches away from the plate.
"I am sorry, Eli, but I do not know what you mean." She shrugged her shoulders.
"That's okay. Here, I'll show you." Eli picked up her grilled cheese sandwich and opened it up, the cheese making it hard to separate the two slices. She placed them on either side of the plate. Then she picked up the celery sticks with the peanut butter and placed them on one side of the sandwich. then she closed the sandwich back up.
Ian watched her wide eyed as she did this, his stomach turning at her bizarre taste in food. He couldn't believe it as she picked the sandwich back up and took a bite. She seemed very content with it. She looked over at him and raised her sandwich up towards him.
"Oo want um?" She asked, her mouth full. He tried not to lose his breakfast and declined.
"No thank-you, Eli."
"Hey!" Eli shouted. "What are you doing to my bags?" She asked.
"Calm down, I am only taking them to your room." Eli shut her mouth and nodded.
"Oh, sorry." She mumbled out.
"It is all right. Follow me." He began walking toward one of the vacant rooms.
The walk to the room took ten more minutes than it should have. Not only did Ian have to slow down so that Eli could keep up, but he also learned she had a short attention span. He had to stop every few minutes to keep her from going into other rooms, climbing on the furniture, and from taking things, especially weapons, off the wall.
She followed him into a small room that looked ancient. The main color was red and it had tapestries on the walls. He put her bags on the floor, making dust rise. She sneezed from the dust. "This place is old."
"No one has occupied this room for a long time, but this is one of the safer rooms and it is only across the hall from my room, so I can hear if something happens to you." Eli stopped exploring the room and looked at him.
"What do you mean if something happens to me?" She asked worriedly. "Is something going to happen to me?" Her lower lip trembled and she was on the verge of tears.
Ian sighed and sat down on the bed. He motioned for her to sit next to him. She jumped onto the big bed. She landed with a huge bounce. She smiled for a second and then began to bounce up and down on the bed. Ian stopped her with a hand to her shoulder.
"Sit down." He told her. She stopped bouncing and sat down. "Did your father tell you why he brought you here?"
Eli nodded. "He said that the man here could get mommy back."
"And what happened to your mother?" Ian asked. Eli put her head down and mumbled
"The bad men got her when they attacked this morning." She was on the verge of tears again.
"The truth is, Eli, the same men might try to come for you, too. You were brought here so that I can protect you from these men. So while you are here, you must be very careful. Do you understand?" She nodded her head.
"The bad men are gonna come and try to kill me." She said sullenly, trying not to cry.
Ian grimaced at thought of a small child screaming her lungs out. He had to keep her from doing so. And the way this all made her so upset activated a parental soft spot in him. He found he really didn't want her upset or worried her whole time here. If possible, he wanted her to enjoy herself.
"Do not worry." He told her. She turned her head to look at him. "As long as you are here, no harm will come to you. I will protect you."
She looked at him suspiciously. "Promise?" She asked.
"Promise." He assured her.
She still looked at him suspiciously. "Pinky promise?"
He looked at her with confusion. That made her laugh and blink away any tears that were threatening to fall. "Here, like this."
She held up his left hand and connected his pinky with hers. "Now shake." They shook on it. Eli nodded to the agreement.
They were quiet for two minutes when Eli turned to him again. "Is there food here?" She asked as she rubbed her stomach. "Cause I have a rumbly in my tummy."
He nodded and started leading her to the kitchen. This time he took her by the hand so that she would not stall the trip any longer than necessary.
When they got to the kitchen, he pulled up a stool from the corner so that she could at the counter. When she climbed onto the stool, they discovered that she barely reached the edge of the counter. Ian had her get off so that he could place a few books on top of the seat. She sat back down, but she began to sway on the seats. She jumped off and books tumbled over after her. Eli then just used the stool to climb onto the counter and sat down cross-legged on the top of the counter.
"What would you like to eat?" He asked her. Eli put her elbows on her knees and held her head up with her fists as she thought. He waited patiently for her to answer. Ten minutes later, she answered.
"Celery, and peanut butter, and grilled cheese sandwich, and a glass of milk." She said. A minute later, she sat up. "Oh, celery, and peanut butter, and grilled cheese sandwich, and a glass of milk, please."
"All right, give me a few minutes." He told her as he started searching the kitchen. He hadn't cooked for a long time now. Thankfully, he at least did know how to make a few things, and what she had asked for were part of that list. He prepared her meal quickly and put it down in front of her.
Eli looked down at the plate and then up at him. "Thank-you, Ian, but you did it wrong." He looked at her confused. The celery had it's peanut butter in it and was lying next to the grilled cheese sandwich, and the milk was lying a few inches away from the plate.
"I am sorry, Eli, but I do not know what you mean." She shrugged her shoulders.
"That's okay. Here, I'll show you." Eli picked up her grilled cheese sandwich and opened it up, the cheese making it hard to separate the two slices. She placed them on either side of the plate. Then she picked up the celery sticks with the peanut butter and placed them on one side of the sandwich. then she closed the sandwich back up.
Ian watched her wide eyed as she did this, his stomach turning at her bizarre taste in food. He couldn't believe it as she picked the sandwich back up and took a bite. She seemed very content with it. She looked over at him and raised her sandwich up towards him.
"Oo want um?" She asked, her mouth full. He tried not to lose his breakfast and declined.
"No thank-you, Eli."