Chapter Two – Tracing Shadows
Jack caught up with what indeed was a child, a young girl, probably around the age of 5, with almost black hair and hazel eyes. Despite her short legs the girl had kept Jack on a pretty good distance until he had finally caught up with her. She had run straight into what looked like an alley, cut off by a mountain wall. Jack had cornered her, trying to block the way out.
"It's okay..." He said reassuringly, trying to calm the girl down. He reached out to her with one of his hands, gesturing for her to take it.
The girl looked terrified and tried unsuccessfully to run past the doctor. Jack grabbed her and tried to hold her still, as she desperately struggled to get free. "It's alright, I won't hurt you." He said calmly.
Kicking and hitting frantically, the girl almost managed to get out of Jack's strong arms. Jack slowly got down and sat flat on the ground, still holding a firm grip around the child.
In the meantime Kate had stayed on the spot where Jack had felt her, all alone. Something had held her back from running after Jack when he had taken off chasing the invisible intruder.
She really did feel like Jack had just abandoned her. That might have been the reason she hadn't followed him. Like a punishment for both of them. To Jack for letting go of her hand, leaving her all alone and to herself for letting her guard down when it came to Jack. She felt pathetic, it wasn't like her at all to be this depending on someone else.
She snapped out of her thoughts as she heard another unidentified sound from the bushes, just a few feet away. Kate held her breath and listen carefully.
It sounded almost like quiet sobbing.
Kate took a few steps closer to what she thought was the source of the sound. She kneeled down and pushed a few branches to the side. Sitting in a curled up ball was a little girl, covered in mud. She had brown curly hair just like Kate, her face was pale and she looked really skinny, like she hadn't eaten properly for quite some time. Kate couldn't determine the little girl's age, but she could not be older than 2.
"Hey" Kate reached out for the girl, who instantly moved backwards further in to the thicket.
Kate had a problem gripping her mind around the situation she was in. There was a toddler curled up in front of her, in the middle of the jungle. How could such a small child survive out here? She asked herself.
The little girl was obviously frightened, who could blame her. Just a few minutes ago Kate herself had been terrified, even if she would never admit that out loud.
"It's okay, don't be scared." Kate tried again, once more reaching for the child.
Kate could feel the girl tense up as her arms wrapped around her smaller body. The toddler pulled back at first but didn't fight her off. Drawing the girl closer to her, Kate managed to balance the girl on her left hip as she stood back up.
Getting out for the bushes Kate took in the appearance of the little girl properly for the first time. She was indeed completely covered in mud. It looked like she had literally taken a mud bath. She was wearing a white dress with an adorable white jacket, or Kate at least guessed hat they had been white at some point. They somehow looked fancy even though they were all dirty. Glancing down, she noticed that the girl was barefoot, her small feet covered in small cuts. She lifted her head up and met the toddlers face. Kate was surprised to find a pair of hazel colored eyes studying her closely. She didn't look particularly afraid anymore, just curious.
"Hi" Kate said softly, looking directly at the little girl.
The child didn't respond other than letting her eyes travel over Kate's face.
"What's your name?" Kate asked gently, still balancing the toddler on her hip. When the girl didn't answer, Kate gestured with her hand to herself and than to the child. "My name is Kate. What's your name?"
Kate felt a bit uncomfortable. So the girl was young and probably both shy and scared, but it would have been nice if she said something or at least letting her know that she understood what she was saying. Maybe she didn't speak English, Kate told herself logically.
Taking a deep breath, Kate started to walk slowly, still carrying the toddler, down the path where Jack had disappeared moments earlier.
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