Grey stood in front of Oliver's front door, waiting for someone to answer. She listened closely for sounds of life inside the house. "OLLIE!" She yelled, "COME ON I WANT TO SHOW YOU SOMETHING!"
This time Oliver was not the one that opened the door. A man with dark brown hair and a hard look to his eyes stood in front of Grey, "What do you want with my son?" he said in the tone of an over protective father.
"Hi! I live across the street," Grey pointed at her house, which was rather shabby compared to the other houses around, "I met Ollie yesterday and I wanted to play with him! No other kids around you know.
The man stared at Grey for a second, taking in every inch of her before disappearing into his house. She heard him calling Oliver downstairs, in a rather loud and cold voice he informed his son that there was a girl waiting for him outside. Oliver ran out the front door and shut it behind him.
"Hi…" he said to Grey, looking down at his shoes.
"We are going out today!" Grey informed him, grabbing his hand and trying to pull him away from the large house.
"I don't know if I can," Oliver said in a tiny voice, pulling his hand away.
"Sure you can! I want you to!" Grey insisted, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" she put on an adorable pouting face and held her hands as if in pray, "I'll love you!"
"Hang on…" Oliver slipped inside his house to ask his dad.
Grey did a tiny victory dance well waiting, positive that he could come. Within five minutes, Oliver appeared once more.
"I cannot be out long," Oliver told her, quickly walking away from the house, "What do you want to show me?"
"Just come! You will see!" Grey said happily, as she rushed ahead of Oliver and yanked him along behind her, "Trust me!"
Oliver seemed skeptical of that idea but went with it, he did not really want to be at home and the only escape seemed to be this too happy girl.
Grey dragged Oliver through the gate leading to her backyard; they went directly through the grass and stopped in front of the other end of the fence, "Jump over!" Grey told Oliver, "There is no gate leading out of this side, Daddy doesn't want me going to the forest because he says it's not safe for little girls. But I feel since I have a boy with me it will be okay." Grey grinned at her logic, knowing that Lupin would not approve of it.
Oliver struggled to get over the fence. His foot slipped against the wood and he almost fell onto Grey's head. Grey shoved him over and his body made a loud Thud when it hit the ground. "Oww," Oliver said from the other side of the fence, "I landed on a tree stump!" His voice was full of pain.
"HANG ON!" Grey called as she scrambled over the fence and fell (gracefully) next to Oliver, "You okay?" She asked, gently prodding him with a spoon she had stowed away in her coat pocket.
"Stop it!" Oliver laughed, waving his hands at the spoon, "I'll be okay," he said as he rolled of the stump and stumbled to his feet. Grey leaped of the ground, grabbed Oliver by the hand and started running down a nearby path.
"Let's hurry!" She yelled as she jumped over a rock lying in the pathway. Oliver, not knowing it was there, tripped over it but kept running as fast as he could behind Grey. Oliver shut his eyes and let himself enjoy being away from home, not worrying about staying quite and not touching anything he was not supposed to, he was just acting like a kid. Though having his eyes closed he did not know that Grey was about to stop moving so when she did he smacked into and they both when tumbling to the ground.
The two kids rolled on the grass giggling at how much they seem to fall on each other. "This is my hiding spot!" Grey told Oliver once they calmed down and stopped laughing, "I sit there!" Grey pointed to a rather large rock sitting have in the water, "It's so pretty! Come on let's sit!" Grey stood up and pulled Oliver off the ground. They climbed up on to the rock, it barely held them both and they stared into the clear water, neither speaking for a long time.
Grey leaned over and dipped her hand in the cool water. She ran her fingers through the water and leaned over further, dipping her whole hand in it. But she leaned over a bit two far and she felt her self begin to slip. Her foot slid over the side of the slightly slippery rock and she went tumbling into the water.
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" She squealed as her body slipped away from the rock. Into the cold water she went, splashing Oliver and getting his shirt soaked. Her head popped out of the water and she sputtered her disliking, "SO COLD!" She yelped, trying to climb back on to rock.
Oliver reached out his hand and grabbed onto Grey. With all his 5-year-old might, he helped her out of the cold water. "Are you alright?" He asked, getting off the rock so she would have room.
"Wet! I am wet!" She yelped, getting the hair out of her face and hopping of rock, "Water! I fell into the water!" Grey flailed her arms about in the air and shook her head, trying to dry off.
Oliver tried to hold back a laugh as he watched the irate Grey shake like a wet dog, "its okay!" He said, giving her a hug once he thought he would not be hit by a waving hand, "It's just water, you will dry off."
Grey stuck out her lower lip in a pout, "But I'm cold," She told him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well then we just have to take you home and get you unwet!" Oliver said, taking Grey's hand and leading her down the path, "Then you will be happy again!" Oliver did not like seeing Grey so sad, he just wanted to see her smile again.
"I don't think unwet is a word…" Grey told Oliver as they walked down the path, her T-shirt clinging to her skin under her coat. Oliver looked back at Grey and smiled. He was happy to see her start to grin a bit, but she pushed it away, she still wanted to be sad and wet.
The two children walked back to Grey's house without another word to each other. This time Grey was the one lagging behind and Oliver had to give her hand and extra tug to make her move faster. Soon they arrived back at the fence and Oliver Helped Grey up and over. He used the tree stump to hoist himself up.
"Come on, your dad can help you get dry!" Oliver said, and Grey started to move a little faster, happy to get back to her home.
They went into Grey's living room, looking for Lupin. They found Lupin and Oliver dad sitting together in the living room on opposite couching staring at each other uncomfortably.
"Daddy!" Grey ran over Lupin and threw her arms around him when he stood up. "I fell into the water and then Ollie helped me out and I'm wet!" Grey explained in one breath, clinging to Lupin, "Then Ollie said you could help me get unwet and now we are here!"
"Grey, did you go into the woods?" Lupin asked, scooping Grey up in her arms. Grey nodded and said nothing. "Hon you aren't supposed to do that," Grey nodded her understanding and Lupin set her back down. "Now Oliver's dad says he was out to long, also he mentioned something about me needing to discipline my child," Lupin cast an unfriendly glance at Oliver's father, Grey glared at him, "Now I'll go get a towel to dry you off with, stay here and play hostess."
"Alright daddy," Grey agreed, turning to Oliver's dad once Lupin left the room. She said nothing, just stared angrily at him. Oliver stepped closer to his dad and bowed his head.
"Sorry I was out to long," He apologized, "But Grey fell into the water…and," Oliver trialed off, not knowing what to say to make his father happy.
"Your clothes are filthy," His father said disapprovingly.
"I fell," Oliver explained.
"That's no excuse you should be more careful! We cannot afford to keep getting you new clothes, you cannot go running off into the woods you little brat," He scolded, raising his hand, Oliver flinched.
"I'm sorry I couldn't help it!" Oliver cried, trying to duck his head. But he did not move fast enough, his fathers hand struck him across the face.
"NO!" Grey screamed. She leapt forward and grabbed Oliver's shoulders; she yanked him away from his father and dragged him to the other side of the room, "DON'T TOUCH HIM LIKE THAT YOU BASTARD!" Grey screamed, using a word she had heard her dad speak before, not sure of its meaning but knowing it could be applied in this case.
Lupin came dashing into the room when he heard Grey's voice screaming, "What's wrong?" Lupin asked franticly, entering the room holding a pink fluffy towel. He saw Grey standing in a corner hugging a frighten Oliver and the boy's angry father glaring at the two children.
"HE HIT OLLIE!" Grey cried, casting her own glare at Oliver's father, "HE CAN'T DO THAT!"
"Guess what girl? Can to I'm his father."
"YOU CAN'T HIT HIM LIKE THAT!" Grey yelled, "HE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING WRONG!" Grey hugged Oliver tightly and slowly moved toward Lupin. Though she was outgoing and most of the time fearless, Grey felt safer next to her dad. "Help!" She whispered to Lupin when she reached him.
"She's right you know. You don't have the right to hurt him," Lupin said calmly, "And I would appreciate you not doing that in my house in front of my girl," Lupin's eyes had a dangerous glint to them as he talked, his words even, "You are damaging your son."
Oliver's dad took a step forward, "How the hell do you know what will happen to my son you pansy piece of shit. I can rise him whatever the hell way I want to. Now hand him over and we'll get out of your house."
Grey looked up at Lupin with her big blue eyes filled with worry. Lupin looked down at her and nodded sadly, "Let him go, we can't keep him here," Grey shook her head and held on to Oliver like her was her favorite teddy. "Come one honey. Everything will be okay I promise."
Trusting her dad Grey let go of Oliver. Before he walked over to his father she leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, "I'll make sure you get safe!" she vowed before stepping back toward Lupin. Oliver smile weakly and walked over to his father.