Chapter 9

Miranda lead the 5-year old Allen threw the sewers. She looked at the little boy; she slowly extended her hand toward the kid. "Can I hold your hand?"

The boy had made sure to keep the features on the left side of his body hidden from Miranda; he looked at her hand nervously.

"It's okay." Miranda smiled.

The boy slowly extended his right hand and held Miranda's hand.

"See, I won't hurt you."

The two continued to walk, having to maintain a slower pace to not overexert Allen. They came into an empty chamber.

"Wow, I didn't know this was down here." Miranda whispered in awe.

Allen explored the chamber, climbing over rocks and examining the halls.

"Do you like this place?"

Allen nodded.

"Well… how would you like to live here?"

A smile light Allen's face and he continued to explore the chamber.

"I need to get back. It should soon be morning, if it isn't already, and I need to wake everyone up." Miranda dusted off her dress.

The boy cocked his head to the side confused.

"I'll be back in a minute, just be good." She waved and turned to leave. Instantly, she felt a tug on her skirt. She turned to see the boy holding her dress with tears streaming down his pale cheeks. "What's…?"

"Please don't go!" The boy cried. "I don't want to be alone."

Miranda's heart dropped into her stomach. At least he can speak.

More tears flooded down the small boy's cheeks, he buried his face into Miranda's skirts as he continued to cry.

"It's alright." She stroked the boy's knotted hair. "Do you want to come with me?"

The boy looked up and nodded. He sniffled and wiped his eyes dry with his hands.

"Here," Miranda withdrew a handkerchief from her pocket, "Use this." She handed the cloth to Allen, but he just looked at it. Miranda smiled and took the cloth back from him and began to wipe the tears from his face. She even wiped under his deformed eye. She then placed it to his nose. "Now blow." She ordered.

Allen obeyed.

"That's a good boy." Miranda ruffled his hair. "Are you ready?" Miranda extended her hand to Allen.

Allen nodded taking her hand in his.

####

The two walked into the Order's bathrooms from a secret trapdoor in the wall. They scurried out of the bathroom and down halls.

Miranda stopped at a door and pulled out a key. She unlocked the door and ushered Allen in. She turned on the lights to reveal a bed, desk, dresser, closet filled with clothes, and a small bookshelf. Miranda closed the door behind her.

Allen looked around the room, unsure of what to do.

Miranda unfastened her cloak and tossed it on her bed. She then checked her bedside clock.

6:25

Right on time. "Hey…" She paused. I don't know his name. "Sweetheart."

The boy turned away from looking at her small book collection to face her.

"Do you have a name?"

The boy nodded. "Red."

"Red… Huh?" Miranda considered and shook her head. "Would you like a new name?"

Allen nodded. "Yes please."

"How about…" Miranda thought for a second. "Do you like… Oh! How about Allen? I use to have a dog named Allen. He was my best friend, and then he died. As for a last name… How about Walker? Walker was my mother's maiden name."

"Allen Walker…" The boy rolled the new name over his tongue.

"Do you like it?"

Allen nodded grinning.

Miranda glanced at the clock again.

6:28

"Okay… Allen. I need to go and wake up the performers. Can you wait here? I promise it will only take my a few minutes, nothing more."

Allen hesitantly nodded.

Miranda exited the room and locked the door behind her, just in case someone tried to go into her room. She walked into the dormitories of the sleeping performers and clapped her hands yelling for everyone to rise and shine.

The performers moaned and groaned some even cursing at Miranda for waking them up so early.

After making sure everyone was out of bed, ate a decent breakfast, dressed, prepared for the morning, and was out on the stage; did Miranda decide to go back to Allen. She unlocked the door to see Allen fiddling with a small golden ball.

Allen looked up at Miranda and a smile splayed across his face. Allen ran over to Miranda and glomped her leg.

"Jeez, I wasn't gone that long." She smiled at the 5-year old. She got down on her knees, so she was eye level with Allen. She ran her fingers threw Allen's dingy white, knotted hair. "First things first, we need to clean you up."

Allen nodded.

Miranda fastened her cloak on Allen's small body, to hide him. She opened the door and checked the hall to see if the coast was clear of anyone.

Nobody.

She held Allen's hand and walked him to the showers. In the shower room, Miranda helped Allen strip down and turned on the shower for him.

While Allen bathed, Miranda looked through the Order's costumes searching for something that would fit Allen's small frame. She found a pair of pants she could hem up and a white long sleeve button up. She took the clothes to her room and quickly shortened the pants. She then carried the clothes to the showers were Allen was figuring out what to do with his towel. Miranda smiled and set the clothes on a bench and helped the boy dry off. She then assisted Allen by helping him put on pants and with buttoning his shirt. "Comfortable?" She asked about the new clothes.

He nodded.

Miranda lead Allen back to her room, she set a stool in the center of the room and helped Allen climb onto it. Miranda opened her dresser drawer and extracted a comb, brush, and scissors. She then began to comb Allen's white hair.

It was heavily knotted, but with time, Miranda finally managed to gently untangle the hair to get it smooth and silky.

She finally noticed that the tips where a chestnut brown color. His hair probably turned white due to premature stress.

His hair was uneven and poorly cut.

"Can I trim your hair?"

Allen nodded.

Miranda set about measuring out locks of hair with her fingers and cutting off the excess. Miranda cut her final lock of hair and looked at her great job. She walked over to her dresser and found a hand mirror, which she handed to Allen.

He gazed in the mirror, fascinated by his own reflection.

"Do you like your hair?"

Allen nodded.

"That's good."

Allen helped Miranda sweep his cut hair into a dustpan.

"I'm going to go throw this out. Be right back." She walked out leaving Allen alone once again. Her stomach growled alerting her that she hadn't eaten any breakfast yet. Miranda felt bad instantly, remembering Allen. She had forgotten to feed Allen, he was probably starving.

She walked to the mess hall and asked Jerry to fix up three breakfast plates.

Jerry gave her a quizzing look but asked no questions as he piled three plates high with leftover eggs, bacon, toast, sausages, a cup of orange juice, and a carton of milk. He handed the plates to her on a tray and wished her a good day.

On her way back to her room, she noticed a first aid kit and decided to take it with her. She fumbled to open the door, but managed to get it open.

Allen's eyes light up when he saw all the food in her hands.

Miranda handed Allen a plate, which the youth dug into as soon as it touched his fingers. Miranda found the boy funny while he ate.

"Slow down a bit. Don't choke." She warned. "I have more if you're hungry." She gestured to the other plate of food as she ate her own breakfast.

Allen devoured both breakfast plates and some of Miranda's leftovers before he declared himself full.

After breakfast, Miranda insisted that she clean up some of the nasty cuts and scrapes that the abuser man at the circus inflicted on Allen.

Allen let her examine his body, letting her bandage and sterilize anything she thought needed treatment.

Miranda finally saw Allen's abnormal features, clearly. His arm was very veiny with a rustic red coloring to it and on the back of the hand was a glowing green cross. She also examined Allen's face. A pentacle scar started above his left eye and fell down the left side of his face in a jagged pattern. The saddest thing was the kid's eye. As she cleaned a cut from under the right eye she couldn't help looking at the left. His eye was pure black with the iris consisting of two red rings.

After she was done bandaging the kid up she let Allen do whatever he wanted as she studied for her caretaker position test at her desk.

Allen was silent and laid on her bed fiddling with the golden ball she saw him with earlier.

"What's that?" She asked the 5-year old.

"Nothing."

Miranda smirked at the childish answer. "It has to be something."

"It's a gift Mana gave me."

"Who's Mana?"

"Mana was my best friend in the whole world." Allen smiled, but Miranda watched as it fell. "I played with him every day at the circus. But one day he got really sleepy and didn't wake up."

"Oh." Miranda's heart went out to the little boy. "What exactly is that ball?"

"A music box… or ball."

"What song does it play?"

"I don't know the name of it. Mana never told me." Allen pressed the cross on the side of the ball and a melody began to play.

"I know this." Miranda smiled. "It's…" Miranda felt tears spring to her eyes. "It's learn to be lonely."

The melody continued to play.

"Child of the wilderness,

Born into emptiness.

Learn to be lonely.

Learn to find your way in darkness.

Who will be there for you?

Comfort and care for you?

Learn to be lonely.

Learn to be your one companion.

Never dreamed out in the world

There are arms to hold you.

You've always known your heart was on its own.

So laugh in your loneliness,

Child of the wilderness.

Learn to be lonely.

Learn how to love, life that is lived alone.

Learn to be lonely.

Life can be lived, life can be loved alone." Miranda sang and wrapped her arms around Allen and kissed him on the cheek. "I promise you won't be lonely anymore."