For several weeks we sat in each others company without finding any cause for conversation. It was an awkward silence; each of us lost in our own thoughts. His thoughts were probably on how he wished he hadn't asked to be my friend.

In each of those silent sessions spent with Riddle, my mind sat in grief. His attack on me made my grief worse and it was difficult not to show any form of sadness upon my face. Sometimes it showed and I often saw Riddle glancing sideways at me when this happened; he wasn't the only one.

Every child in that orphanage now looked at me as if I was a kind of enemy.

At first they were surprised at seeing Riddle and I sitting next to each other. Now they won't speak to me or even acknowledge my presence. This didn't faze Riddle as I knew he was used to it nor did it faze me. Company I did not need.

We tried a few times trying to get to know each other but our conversations often went dead; each of us not wanting to trust the other. So we sat indifferent to each other, staring off in the distance, always looking away but not at each other.

After a while I thought he would never gain my trust. But gain my trust he did.

***

It was on another outing and the day was warm and sunny. This time we were going into the markets, not that we could buy anything. I was excited at the thought of something to do.

Riddle took his usual silent post beside me and we were divided into pairs and allowed to walk through the markets. I walked beside Riddle in total silence wondering when his patience would crack and he'd give up on his endeavor.

Neither of us asked where we were going; we just walked and walked; sometimes our hands brushed as we were pushed by crowds of people. On one of those occasions, for the first time in weeks, we looked at each other.

He looked emotionless and I gave a weak smile but he hastily turned away. I gave a bitter sigh; what was the point?

We turned down a dark alley and I feared another attack from him but he did nothing. We just continued on in our usual silence listening as our feet slopped in puddles of filthy water. It smelt really bad and would have been a nice little dark corner to grow viral bacteria. Riddle was rushing ahead and I lagged behind with my hand over my nose.

That's when it happened.

Someone grabbed me from behind pressing a cold object to my throat. I yelled out and saw Riddle spin around and stop; my limbs thrashed wildly, flailing in a desperate attempt at escape.

"Shut up!" I got a face full of putrid breath and I gagged.

Riddle was running full pelt toward us as I fought with my attacker; he was trying to drag me through a door. My constant efforts at freedom stopped him from achieving this. Like lightening, Riddle appeared beside us and I was amazed at his speed.

"LET HER GO!!!" Riddle screamed latching onto the males arm.

There was a deafening scream, the hands holding me relinquished their grip and I bolted. But I could still hear that god awful wail that echoed all around that was until it stopped abruptly.

The alleyway seemed so much longer and the exit too far away.

There was a pitter patter of running feet behind me and my fear accelerated me forward; please I didn't want to be captured again.

However a soft hand grabbed my arm and pulled me close.

"You're okay" I didn't realise I was crying and Riddle held me to him, hugging me tightly in reassurance.

This relieved me greatly and I sobbed into his neck; there was only so much violence a girl can take.

"You should have kept up with me" he muttered, "it's dangerous"

"I didn't know where we were going! If you had opened your stupid mouth and said something then none of this would have happened!" hysteria was making me go crazy and my tears ran like a tap.

There was a hint of guilt in his eyes before he hid it away "what matters now is that your safe"

"How did you stop him?" I demanded chocking back a sob "you're eleven! How did you stop him?!"

He stared at me for a second "you're in shock, let me accompany you back-"

"NO!" I cried, "You have my trust! Please just tell me"

He came close to my face, wiping my tears away "I will tell you when we return to the orphanage but for now we will look for a place to sit so you can calm down"

He took my hand and pulled me on and somehow I felt safer with him than anyone else even if a few weeks back I would have said different.