Are you hungry?" Tolan found himself asking softly as he sat upon one of the over-stuffed chairs.
"Suppose," Diabolique shrugged. In truth it had been well over twenty-four hours since her last meal, not that she wanted Tolan to know that!
"Can I ask who you left behind, child?"
Tolan knew how much this would hurt yet the child before him needed to get it off her chest.
Diabolique looked out towards the red sea as it splashed upon the golden sand, toying with it, inviting it to play. She thought of the last few weeks, how things had gone from bad to worse with her mother and her mother's boyfriend, how she missed her father and just wished they would kiss and make up. Clearly if a nine year old could see that the love was still between them, then surly so should they? Maybe that was why her mother and the boyfriend argued, but then again, adults were weird!
Yet that had led to the boyfriend becoming violent and her mother standing there, shocked, as he laid into Diabolique not two weeks ago. Why didn't she defend her? So she'd come to the conclusion that running away was easier. Well, it wasn't really running away she was going to her father's, not that it had worked out right, for here she was.
"Child?" Diabolique blinked, shaking the cobwebs away as she looked over her shoulder to the old man.
"No-one. I left no-one who cares if I'm here or there," she answered softly.
"That can't be true. Surely someone cares about you?" Tolan asked in disbelief as he sat forward slightly.
"It's true, so… food?" Tolan noticed the tactic for what it was and, with a sigh, he nodded and slowly got to his feet using the cane to help him up.
"Of course, I'm sure Mia will have the mid-meal ready in the hall, and you shall meet the people of Haven."
Diabolique followed the elder man as he slowly made his way out of her quarters. She began to memorize the path, wishing never to be lost as Tolan began to explain some of the residents of Haven and about Haven itself.
The sounds of loudening voices greeted her ears as they came closer to the two, large, oak doors ahead. Somehow she was nervous, but she reasoned that if she wasn't nervous then she'd be dead, right? Tolan had slowed his steps as Diabolique came to a stop. It seemed the brash child he had met was just a face, he decided, as he could see her fear as she stopped completely.
"Child?"
Hazel eyes looked up in fear to the older man who was four heads taller than her.
"What if they hate me? What if they ignore me or something?" she asked softly in fear.
Tolan sighed, it seemed to him that this child's life was not as easy as she seemed to portray. Stepping closer with a hand on her shoulder, she smiled warmly, something she hadn't done in some time, he noted
"You shall sit with me, so no matter what you shall be protected and spoken to. That, I promise, child."
Diabolique nodded slightly as she took in a deep breath. She was Diabolique now, not some sniffling scaredy-cat who would jump at a ghost!
"Come." Tolan spoke again as he led the way with a hand still upon the small child's shoulder.
The room went silent which was no shock to Tolan, though it was to Diabolique. She was now gripping his hand so tight he tried not to wince.
"Oh quit it!" Tolan growled to the now silent room as they all seemed to stare at the young child.
But with that the talking started once again.
Tolan huffed, leading Diabolique towards two chairs. Upon helping her up he began dishing out two meals, leaving Diabolique to study the hall. He hoped she didn't notice the glances she got.
The hall was huge to say the least! Pillars of the same dark brown held up the large ceiling in the style of a gothic church, yet it was simply undecorated. Thirty huge, gothic-style windows allowed light to dance around each crevice of the hall. Four long tables sat in the corner to allow optimal room and sight of one another with so many chairs that Diabolique lost count. The people who occupied them though were the biggest shock - though some were human a fair few were not!
Diabolique attempted to not linger upon that shock as a plate was set before her. With a sigh she looked once again at the strange faces. So this was now her future, or was it not? Though she wondered just what future she was to have on this alien planet, she somehow doubted it would be good and that scared the living daylights out of her. Just why was she here? What did this Karl want with her? She wasn't special so what was going on?
(Review welcome please! Please let me know what you think? Thank-you so much Lucky-cakes my bata reader!)