Chapter 117 Mothers and Orphanages

Avalyn

Ed's sister— Sidney was sitting on a chair as Tessa talked softly to her. She looked at me and stood up, her eyes tearing further.

Her shoulders drooped like she carried a lot of weight on her shoulders and there were huge bags under her eyes, indicating a lot of sleepless nights.

I opened my arms and she she took two long steps and hugged me. "Thank you, thank you so much." She cried softly. "He hasn't been this happy in so long!"

"Don't thank me, Sidney." I rubbed her back. "I'm very happy to be here."

She took a step back and wiped her cheeks, her cries slowly decreasing.

"There was something I wanted to talk go you about." I started. When she nodded, I continued, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen." She whispered.

My heart squeezed.

"Where are you staying?" I asked.

"I -umm...I," she let out a small sigh. "Nowhere and everywhere."

I waited for her to explain.

Her hands trembled and her eyes skittered around before landing on mine again. "I do odd jobs here and there and then catch a little sleep in the breaks I get. I sometimes sleep at the hospital too. The bill is so much that I can't afford a place."

"You are still underage. You should have been in the system, or staying with a different family." I bit my lip.

"No one wants a kid with cancer and hospital bills to pay. I'm not leaving Ed." I understood.

"What are you good at?" I asked her.

"Huh?" She looked confused.

"What are you good at?" I repeated.

"Uh...I like teaching kids." She replied.

"Perfect." I gave her a smile. "Ed is sleeping right now and you are coming with me."

Without another word, Sidney nodded.

I nodded at Tessa and Eli and we walked out towards the reception.

I smiled at the receptionist again and she greeted me with a wide grin. She stood up and handed me a small piece of paper with the amount of the total hospital bill written on it.

I took out my cheque book from my purse and signed a check.

Sidney was looking at me, her eyes wide.

"You don't need to worry about bills anymore." I gave her a smile and then smiled at Mindy. "Thank you so much for accompanying me today."

"It was my pleasure, Luna Queen." She bowed.

After that all three of us got into the car again. "To the orphanage, Eli."

"Yes, Mistress." He replied and started the car again. I made sure that the guards' car was right behind us.

"Sidney, these are my very trusted associates, Tessa and Eliyah."

"Hello." She said quietly to both of them and they replied with a synchronised hello of their own.

Once we reached the orphanage, I went to the reception and donated a fat cheque.

"T-thank you, Luna Queen. You are the most generous." The man at the reception stuttered, his eyes widening at the sight of the cheque.

"You're welcome, Ian." I said, glancing at his name tag and smiled at him. "I have someone with me who is very interested in a part time job," I pointed to Sidney. "Sidney is still in school right now but she is great with kids. She can tutor the younger kids and help take care of them too."

Ian smiled knowingly, "you have the job. Would you like to stay here too? You have many kids around your age and several rooms to spare. You can decorate it the way you want to," by the end of his sentence, she had tears in her eyes, "thank you." And then she turned to look at me, "thank you, Queen Avalyn." I gave her a big grin and a hug.

"Can someone show us around? I would love to meet the kids."

"Of course." He replied. "Please follow me. It's lunch time right now so they are in the canteen. And I know our food is not at par with that of the royal chef's, but would you like to have lunch with the kids?" He offered.

"I would love to." I wasn't a snob. Yes, I have been having meals prepared by the best chefs but there was a time when I used to go without food for days or barely get scrapes. I'm just grateful for having something to eat everyday.

When I entered the canteen, the young ones were running around and laughing and playing while the teens were sitting on the table and eating quietly.

"Kids!" Ian said, making everyone look up at us. "Queen Avalyn has come to visit us. Say hi."

"Hi Queen Avalyn." The kids greeted together, singing.

I chuckled at that. "Hello kids. I hope you don't mind that I and my friends— Sidney, Tessa and Eliyah will be having lunch with you all."

"Here, have my soup!" A middle aged boy came in and handed me a bowl filled of soup. "It's very tasty."

He waited patiently, wanting me to try it.

I lifted a spoonful of soup and drank it. "It's really good. Thank you."

"Welcome." He gave me a toothless grin and ran away.

Seeing him, many more kids approached me, giving me something or the other from their plates and talking to me endlessly.

We ended up sitting on the floor in a circle because the tables simply weren't big enough for all of us. Ian was fretting about me sitting on the floor but I smiled at him and told me to not worry so much.

"Queen Avalyn! Adi is stealing my food!" A little girl crossed her arms and pouted.

"I am not! She stole it first!" A boy, who I assume is Adi exclaimed.

"No fighting. Why don't you two make two parts of it and share?" I asked. Although reluctantly, Adi cut the chicken in half and gave it to the girl. When the girl gave him a grin, he smiled back at her.

"And then we have the infants." Ian lead us to a separate room after we were done with lunch. "Right now we only have two so we have hired a nanny to take care of them." He opened the door and a lady was holding a baby in a bundle of blankets in her arm and holding a milk bottle to it's mouth.

My heart melted at that sight.

The nanny bowed her hear, unable to bow with the baby in her hand. I gave her a small smile.

"The infants get adopted quickly, so we don't worry that much. It's the older ones who face the rejection." Ian said gently and then a loud cry startled us.

My eyes fell on the baby crying in the cot. My feet instinctively took me to the baby and I picked the little guy in my arms.

Huge watery grey eyes met mine and the baby fell silent, studying me closely. He was so cute and so chubby that I couldn't even see his neck! Babies are so cute!

The picture of a baby with Nik's grey eyes and my deep brown hair flashed in my mind but I squashed that thought as soon as it appeared. I can't get pregnant. Not unless I want to die. And the thought of being apart from Nik pains me. As selfish as it sounds, I would rather have Nik than a child.

I caressed the baby's cheek. So soft. So cute.

Eliyah

After we were done at the orphanage, Avalyn decided to go to the school. We were on our way, passing through a road which had very few houses. The other ones were still being built.

"Pull over." She suddenly said. I did and then she jumped out, "I'll be right back, stay put," and then walked to the other side of the road. That's when I saw an old lady carrying two bags that looked too heavy. Two other bags were on the ground and she was helping her. I hadn't even noticed the old woman. The guards immediately stepped out to help her. Tessa and I stayed put as she asked.

I had been living among supernaturals since the day I had been born. Never in my twenty five years of age have I seen a supernatural—a living being as kind as her. If there was a problem, she'd try to solve it, if someone was sad, she'll talk to them and try to make it better. And then hug them, not caring about their stature or specie or any background. If the person had a soul, it was enough for her.

Her hugs were like what I imagine a mother's hug would feel like. Not that I would know. My mother didn't care about me. She had several other kids to take care of and birth. I had more siblings than I bothered to count.

Avalyn's sympathy hug was the first hug of my life. A touch that though not wanted in the beginning, was a touch for my benefit and not for someone else's pleasure. After everything I had been through, I had become numb to the cruel ways. She made me feel again. That day, I realised that she actually cared for me. And since that moment, I had decided that she was the only person worth caring for. I had taken a silent oath when she had hugged me and offered me the comfort I never knew I needed or wanted—I will protect her with my life.

Not that it counted. I was weak. I was strong inside the arena, but outside of it, I was fragile. I hated it. And I knew what I wanted to do to change it.

What's taking them so long? I stepped out of the car. It had been about five minutes since Avalyn and those guards had carried the bags inside the house.

"She has the tendency to talk to people a bit. She'll be out in some time." Tessa have her unwanted opinion. I knew she liked me the second she saw me. I knew the way she saw me and the way her gaze lingered on me. I fucking hated it. I fucking hated women who looked at me like they wanted to eat me up. Their eyes made my skin crawl. I'm a goddamn man and not a fucking boy toy. A guy looks at her like he wants to fuck her—the same way she looks at me, she'll make a disgusted face and hide behind Avalyn's skirt.

Everyone sees the problem female slaves face. Males are ignored. Because 'men can take pain'. Because 'all men like sex and like to be touched'. Fucking bullshit. I never want to be fucking touched ever again. I never want to have fucking sex again. I thought I never wanted to kill again too. But killing Adira gave me more satisfaction that all the orgasms I've had in my entire life combined. And now I wanted to kill for Avalyn too.

And right now, my hands itched to kill again. Something was wrong. I could feel it. I took out the brief case from beneath the car seat and took out the gun and walked to the house.

"What are you doing?" Tessa shouted in her typical shrill, overly concerned voice, rushing after me.

"Shut the fuck up." I grunted.

I stopped outside the door.

No sound.

I opened it and stepped inside.

No sound.

The house had an open layout with the basic couch, television and a mini kitchen in the corner. But there were no guards. No old lady.

And no Avalyn.