The park bustled around Credence and his siblings as they stood handing out fliers for the upcoming sermon Ma would be giving. It had been a little over a week since the incident with Adeline in her kitchen and they had been out together a handful of times, mostly spent covering the details with little searching done. Credence found himself telling her more about Graves and what little of the magical world had been told to him. Adeline seemed curious though, and always listened to him closely. He found more and more that he looked forward to meeting with her again. And, today was no different.
As Adeline approached, he smiled. The sun which finally seemed to have appeared glinted off her hair, making it seem as vibrant as ever. Chastity smiled to herself, taking in how happy her brother seemed to be lately, but he was too busy to notice.
"Hello," Adeline greeted them, smiling up at Credence from under her cloche hat as he met her halfway excitedly, pausing a brief moment before fumbling with the stack of papers in his hand to give her.
"Have you all been busy this morning?" She asked, looking to Chastity as she took her papers. Credence ducked his head and took a step back.
"Not entirely," Chastity pressed her lips together in thought, looking about her. "Four of us in one area may be too many. We might fair better to split up?"
For a moment Adeline and Credence stared back at her a bit confused. Mary Lou had never quite said they had to stay together, but they were almost certain if she found the two of them apart their heads might be taken. But a light bulb seemed to pop over Adeline's head and her eyes widened with her cheeks reddening.
"Oh! Okay!" Adeline looked back up to Credence. "Shall we go, then?"
Credence looked from Adeline to his sister. What had just passed between the two? It seemed like some sort of unspoken language that only girl's possessed. He looked back to Adeline, who nodded at him, and he nodded slowly in return. Adeline then gave a small wave to Chastity with a thankful smile as they walked away.
It wasn't till they were down the road and out of sight that Credence glanced quizzically at Adeline.
"What was that...back there?" He asked and she pressed her lips together, clutching her papers in front of her with both hands nervously like she might do a purse, indeed serving as a safety blanket. She spoke carefully.
"I think that...your sister...Chastity, may...Well, she may...seem to think that... you're courting me."
She refused to look at him as she said this and he was glad, because he could feel the heat climbing up into his face and wasn't quite sure where to look himself. He tugged at the collar around his throat and swallowed. She continued quickly.
"And I know given the circumstances that's absolutely absurd! But well, she doesn't quite know those things." She looked at him now with eyebrows furrowed in embarrassed concern. "You know how it is, I'm sure?"
He looked back with his own furrowed eyebrows, confused, but not wanting to seem stupid, he just nodded in agreement. And for a moment, he could have sworn he saw a flicker of disappointment cross her face. But as quickly as it came, it vanished. Instead, her eyes lit up with recognition.
"Oh Credence! It's that boy!" Adeline pointed through the crowd at the little orphaned boy who couldn't have been much older than 7 or 8. He carried a small stack of papers on his head, seeming to be at the tail end of his newspaper shift.
Credence had confided in Adeline that there was one particular boy who seemed to be isolated from the others that came into their soup kitchen. Whispers among the children said he was a witch among them and as such lead to a lot of bullying. Just the other day, Adeline had to put her foot between the boy and a group of ruthless children teasing him. Though this never happened around Mary Lou. Credence and Adeline had begun to wonder if there was any truth to their claims.
"Let's follow him!"
Credence wasn't about to object, thankful for the distraction.
Within a short time, the rest of the boy's papers had been sold and they followed him through the increasingly dense streets till Adeline looked up with wide eyes at the sound of festive music and found themselves at the entrance of a carnival that had been set up spanning a large plaza.
The boy stopped at the entrance to count out the pennies he had to pay to enter, but the gatekeeper just shook his head and pointed to send him away. Seeing an opportunity, Adeline jumped forward.
"Wait!" She fumbled around her pockets, and pulled out enough money for all of them. Credence watched a bit shamefully, having no money of his own.
The child's whole face lit up, recognizing her as the one who'd stopped the bullying. And now she was getting him into the carnival?
"Wow! Thank you, M'am!"
"Oh, well a hard working young man like yourself, you deserve a bit of fun!" Adeline placed a hand on top the child's head. "Isn't that right, Benji?"
The boy grinned, front tooth missing. None of the adults at the orphanage ever acknowledged his nickname.
"Yes M'am!"
"Well then, what would you like to do? My treat."
Credence walked a bit behind the pair as the day wore on, watching with admiration how easily Adeline seemed to bond with the kid. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. He couldn't imagine anyone ever wanting to purposely hurt her and the very idea that her father of all people would lay a finger on her both saddened and unsettled him. How long had it been just her and her father? She didn't deserve to be in a situation like that, not like him. He knew he deserved in part, some of the punishment he received, almost certain of a monster inside him. But...He wouldn't stay under Mary Lou forever, and he would see to it that Adeline would be free as well.
"Credence!"
He looked up abruptly, Adeline gesturing him over to a game of knock a milk bottle over. He'd been lagging a bit behind and she wanted to find a way to include him. She smiled as he approached.
"My arm is awfully tired, I think you'll be a much better winner!"
Credence felt his stomach turn in knots as Benji and Adeline watched him expectantly. Benji practically on the tips of his toes to watch.
"You can do it, Mr. Barebone!"
In that moment, Credence wanted nothing more than to topple those bottles over and win Benji the giant stuffed lion. Looking back at the bottles stacked on upon the other, he gave a hard, confident throw. The ball made a small clang and bounced to the floor disappointedly. One out of three… He would get it this time for sure. He threw again, barely budging one of the bottles. He could feel the sweat on his brow, heart pounding anxiously. He closed his eyes, willing the bottles to tumble over, a sense of anger at his own failure growing. He threw again.
The bottles tumbled! Benji and Adeline cheered excitedly and he grinned, able to hand the huge stuffed animal to Benji. Nobody noticed, however, that the bottles fell just a second too long after the ball. But Credence knew.
"Oh wow! Those people are swallowing swords!" Benji exclaimed, rushing away, leaving Adeline to twirl around to Credence with a big smile and a laugh that somehow simultaneously filled him with pride and made his knees weak.
Eventually the day wind down into contented silence, where all three of them sat on a short stone wall encircling a small garden, eating hot dogs. Mustard oozed out of Adeline's hot dog and narrowly missed her shoe. It was nearly time to go home, however, and little had been found out about why the children teased Benji so much.
Adeline cast a brief look over Benji's head, who sat beside her, to Credence, who seemed to understand it was time. Adeline spoke first.
"Benji...I've noticed, the other children seem to pick on you an awful lot, why is that?"
Benji, who had his mouthful, struggled to chew quickly, swallowing just enough to speak.
"They say I'm a witch, Ms. Nickels, but I'm not! I swear it!"
"Oh, why ever would the think something like that?"
Benji fell quiet, chewing. A big splotch of mustard dolloped on his cheek. He seemed to think rather seriously about this, a bit too long so that they began to wonder if he were avoiding the question all together. Credence spoke quietly.
"You know...When I was your age, I was picked on a lot too."
Benji looked up at Credence with wide curious eyes, it seeming to awe him to think Credence had at one point been his age, with his struggles.
"Really?"
Credence nodded, taking a moment to take another bite of hot dog, leaving Benji on the edge of his seat.
"How did you get rid of 'em?" Benji pressed.
Adeline chewed her hot dog slowly, knowing full well the group of bullies that still followed Credence around to this day. She wondered how he would handle this and as she watched him take another bite of his food and chew carefully, glancing off to the side, she wasn't convinced he knew himself.
"Someone kind saw, and she helped."
Adeline stopped chewing. She?
"Oh…" Benji said a bit dejectedly. "Well, I ain't got no one. They don't much pick on me when adults are around."
"Well, they think you're a wizard don't they?" Adeline said, a mischievous smile turning up her lips. "Next time they pick on you...Why not trick them?"
Benji's eyes lit up, then seemed to die down again.
"I know it's wrong, but I sure wish I could use magic. Then they'd regret it."
Credence and Adeline shared a look at each other, over the boys head. Perhaps this wasn't quite the child they were looking for. He really seemed adamant on being unable to use the craft.
Adeline placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Well Benji, next time something happens, you come get me or Mr. Barebone here and we'll make sure to set them straight. Isn't that right, Credence?"
Credence nodded, standing and helping the boy to his feet.
"That's right," He spoke softly, placing a hand on the boy's head so that his hat fell down just past his eyebrows. "We'll set them straight."
Benji grinned, looking up at Credence and fixing his hat, all the confidence in the world that Credence and Adeline were his new heroes.
Later, Adeline stood a bit up the street from the orphanage waiting as Credence delivered Benji back home. Adeline had said she would walk home on her own, but Credence insisted he go with her, even if he would have to stop around the corner from the shop.
But the air was growing chilly, and goosebumps were rising on her skin. She shivered. Across the street she noticed a lazy group of boy's not much older than her, if not younger. She recognized them as the same group who sometimes picked on Credence, and who often made her uncomfortable with catcalls. She could feel their eyes on her, but she stood turned away from them, glancing back in the direction of Credence, her heart racing a little. She could feel the energy build invisibilly, waiting for one of them to begin the harassment.
"Hey Sugar," One called.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes on the exhale. And so it began.
"When's you gonna take me up on that date?"
It must have been the same boy who came into the shop one day looking for her. A brief glance in their direction was all she needed to confirm it. It was also all the encouragement they needed.
"Come on! You worried about your ol' pa?" His friend called.
"I'll be your daddy!"
"Don't be such a prude!"
One of the boy's got to his feet and Adeline promptly turned and began walking away. Credence could catch up with her further down the road, away from these low class hooligans.
But she wasn't much further down the road when their catcalls faded and their attention turned to someone else.
" Ey, Witch Boy!"
Dread made her stop and close her eyes again. With another deep breath she turned to see Credence just rounding the corner, head ducked and in a bit of a hurry. One of the boys jumped up.
"Witch Boy! Come on, what's the hurry?"
"Hey Freak! Where's y'momma?"
"What's up with that dumbass haircut?!"
They all laughed and Adeline had a horrible feeling as she watched another boy get up, that they were about to follow him.
Adeline puffed up, mildly resembling an angry bird and marched towards Credence with her chin held high and with such determination that Credence stopped walking and looked up curiously as she approached.
Without a second thought, Adeline grabbed his face and pressed a kiss to his lips. The whole group falling silent but for a quiet and indignant. "No fucking way". Adeline turned and started to walk away, but had to stop to grab the stunned Credence's hand so that he would follow after her.
They weren't bothered again. And Adeline, walking slightly ahead of Credence with his hand still in hers, was entirely thankful of his preference for men. She held her head proudly, the kiss had meant absolutely nothing at all. Nothing. But she couldn't hide the satisfied smile of a first kiss from her face.
And Credence, well Credence allowed himself to be led rather blindly, touching his lips in disbelief, replaying the scene in his mind repeatedly. The way the group of bullies shut up left him feeling almost as satisfied as her kiss.
When they got to the corner near her home, Adeline faced him, losing a bit of her confidence, standing straighter, and more proper than usual. His eyes fixedly on his shoes, ears burning, glancing up at her briefly, then looking away.. A long moment of silence passed and eventually, Adeline gave a stiff nod.
"That'll show them,"
Credence started laughing. And Adeline paused in her seriousness, then began laughing too. She couldn't remember having ever had a better day.