Disclaimer: I own nothing of What A Girl Wants' characters. Everything recognizable belongs to the movie and its producers, anything else belongs to me. I have no permission to use these characters and am receiving no money for this story. This story was written for enjoyment only.

Chapter 3

He let his so-called mother drag him through the school and out onto the streets. His behind hurt crazily, but he knew it was not time for him to complain. Every muscle in his body screamed at him, telling him to run – to run as far as his feet could carry him. He knew, but he had to wait for the right time in the right place.

To any outsider or passer-by, the two would seem perfectly normal. A furious mother dragging a naughty child – that would be it. No one would even bother to take a second glance at them.

But he himself knew that the situation was not what it appeared to be.

He chose to wait.

As they rounded a corner and reached a road junction, Rylan saw his chance. It was the perfect opportunity. The place was bustling with activity and he could easily blend in with the crowd. Furthermore, it would not be easy for Mabel to find him if he were among the crowd. Among the tall crowd.

He knew it was now, or never.

Grabbing hold of what seemed like the only chance he had, he yanked his arm free from the grip Mabel had on him and dashed for the road. He weaved his way in and out of the crowd with ease, though once in a while he was jostled and pushed around by fat round hips or thighs.

Reaching the other end, Rylan heaved a sigh of relief. But he knew he could not stop. Not now. Not yet. He would still be visible to Mabel once the crowd disperses. He had to continue his escape route, till he reached somewhere far and safe.

He followed the people around blindly, not knowing where they would lead him. But he did not care. He did not know where to go anyway, and most importantly, he was safe for now.

If only he could ask the way home. If only he could make it home and call his father before Mabel did. If only he could be safe from her.

Just then he halted. He saw it. He saw his hope. He saw his shelter. He saw his protection against Mabel.

No, he was not home. He was, in fact, far from home. Neither did he see his dad.

Rylan saw a police station.

Sprinting towards the station, he knew he was saved. He may be a mere six-year-old kid, but his father Ian had instructed him many times before that if he were lost or being chased after by "baddies", he could go to nearest police station. It had been drilled into his head that policemen are adults who could be trusted and people who could help him. It was time to test it out.

He walked up the front steps and tried pushing open the glass door, but it would not budge. He tried once more, shoulder leaning against the door and giving it a hard shove, but still it did not give in to the little figure. What he got in return was not an opened door, but instead a sore arm.

Just as he was wondering how he was going to enter the station with his meager energy, a man in uniform appeared behind the glass doors suddenly. The man was nearly bald, with a stout figure and a thick brown moustache right under his nose. He was smiling down at Rylan kindly.

Rylan decided that there was no way he was going in alone, and he desperately needed the man's help, so he put on his best set of pleading and innocent eyes, and gazed at the man.

He guessed that he had melted the man's heart with his pure and innocent gaze, because within seconds he was working his way into the station, with the man trailing behind him.

Bingo! He was in. Now he was safe, if only he could get some policeman to talk to. He peered around.

"May I help you, little boy?"

Rylan jumped at the question. Whirling around happily, his spirits soon dissipated when he saw whom the voice belonged to. It was the kind man who helped open the door.

I thought… Why is he still here? He cannot be a policeman! I'm looking for a policeman! I thought a policeman should be taller, darker, younger and more handsome than him? That I always see in television shows! This man is like a Baldie.

"Uh… a– are you a… a p– policeman?" Rylan feared for the worst.

"Yes I am, little boy." The Baldie replied with a knowing smile as he stooped down to the young boy's level, so as to not frighten him. But there was not much difference in their heights anyway. "Why? What are you doing here? Where are your parents?" He asked.

Rylan knew those were the basic questions a policeman would ask. He knew and understood the questions, but he did not know the answers. He remained silent.

Baldie, taking the silence as a cue, said, "Would you like to sit down and tell me about it then? Do not fear me, I would not eat you. I only want to help you."

The boy nodded. He knew that the man had no ill intentions, but truth be spoken, he had not expected a policeman to look like… that. No one could blame him for that, could they?

He followed Baldie into an air-conditioned room and sat down in one of the leather chairs. Without any prompting – as he knew he had not much time left – he took a deep breath and said. "I… I want to talk."

Baldie nodded encouragingly. "Okay. Go on."

Rylan bit his lip. When he could contain it no longer he blurted, "I – I am scared! There is this… this woman outside – no, not outside, she's gone now, but she wants to catch me! Just now she hit me so hard, it was so painful! I… I'm scared, but I don't dare to go out again. I scared she come back… I want to go home!"

Silence filled the room as Baldie tried to digest it all, as though slowly chewing on the words he had just taken in, unsure of whether to believed them or not. Finally he spoke. "Very well son. I shall escort you home to your parents, if you tell me your address."

A wide smile broke out on Rylan's face. Thank God. He was safe.

Or so he thought.

The ride back home was a long one, but Rylan didn't mind as long as Mabel was out of his bounds.

The policeman did keep to his words. He pulled up at the front of the house Rylan had directed him to, and followed the boy onto the porch. It was after all his duty to keep the boy safe from harm.

There was an awkward silence as they both walked up the front steps. Rylan looked up at Baldie while the man gazed down at him, pursing his lips.

For a moment their gazes were locked, as though it were some kind of staring competition. Then the policeman turned away and raised his fist to knock on the door.

"Wait." Rylan said, certain that no one was at home. "Nobody's home, but we have a spare key outside here."

Sighing, Baldie let his hand drop to his side and waited while he watched the young boy rummage through the pots of plants lined alongside one of the walls. Finally, buried in the soil of the third pot from the right, he pulled out a silver tiny odd-shaped key. "Ah ha! Here!" The boy announced proudly as he held it up in the sunlight.

Dubiously, the policeman took it in his hand and tried the door. The key did not fit.

"Come on, kid. This can't be the one. Look at how small it is! It can't open the door." Baldie sighed, returning the silver key to the boy.

"No? Ok, wait. I think I know where the real one is."

Within seconds, Rylan pulled out a second key – this time, the third pot counting from the left. This key is silver too, but at least it looked big enough to fit into the keyhole.

"This is surely the one." He was confident about that, as he strode over to the door. Smoothly, he slipped it in and turned the key. There was a soft 'click' as the door gave way with a turn of the knob and a gentle push.

Beaming, he quickly rushed into the house, with the policeman following him.

Rylan was all ready to make an emergency phone call to his dad, but a single voice stopped him.

"Rylan! Where on earth have you been?"

TBC...