Starting Life From Zero: Far From Home

Chapter Three

Following Peter's original idea, they circled back around to the area where things had started. The main thoroughfare looked even more busy than when he had first appeared there. Covered wagons pulled by those lizard creatures moved through the street in huge packs with only intermittent breaks between them.

Surveying the area for any clue or anyone who might be interested in helping them, Peter felt a tug on his sleeve to the side of him where Satella stood. It was odd being this close to her, sure he had been near other women before but not without knowing them for a longer time. The thing that grabbed at him the most was there was this intoxicating scent about her.

Was he imagining it?

There was a girl crying across the street from them and a little ways up. Satella tugged his arm harder now and pointed to the same girl that he saw.

"That child there...it looks like she's in trouble Peter."

Grasping for her hand, Peter glanced back to her and nodded. "We should go help her then—we can be quick so we don't take too much time from finding your badge thing."

Satella seemed to be stunned by the feel of his hand on hers but she allowed herself to be led across the street while Puck zipped along between them. The small girl had green hair, cropped into a bob. Some of the dust kicked up from the lizards drawing the carts had gathered around her in the little nook where she stood.

"Hey there, is everything alright?" Satella asked.

The girl sniffled, trying to stop the tears from coming. There was a glimmer of hope in her eyes as she glanced up to meet Satella's eyes and then the tears flowed anew. In fact, this time she seemed even more terrified.

"We're not going to hurt you," Satella said, but her expression darkened and she recoiled back and glanced around as if she expected someone to chide her.

Peter squatted down in front of the girl. "Maybe we're not the ones you're looking for, but are your parents around here."

The girl continued to stare at Satella.

"It's okay if you're lost sometimes, so long as someone find you right? And someone did. This pretty lady here and I are going to help get you home—you know I was lost one time," maybe I still am, Peter thought as he took a deep breath and offered opened his arms to embrace the girl. "But in the end I found where I was supposed to be."

The girl stepped into his arms and he hefted her into the air with even more ease than his powers would have usually allowed. Yeah, the gravity here was different for sure.

Satella jaw hung open just a bit, her purple eyes wide with shock. "You seem really used to that."

The small girl's legs were wrapped around Peter and she was resting her head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I used to help the kids back home out from time to time. It's easy, they're light," he joked.

"People might assume you're some doting father with the way she's clinging to you," Satella muttered.

"What?"

The three of them moved a little ways up the street, avoiding the alley where Peter had almost been mugged earlier. The bandits were gone along with the webs, so he wondered if the guards had come by and picked them up or if they had gotten free of their own power. He'd stuck them down pretty hard and the webs took longer than this to melt.

Peter chatted with the girl for a few minutes before he asked her name. Her light blue eyes stared at him with a kind of wonderment as she answered. "Plum."

"That's a good name, Plum. Easy to remember huh?" He joked. "I'm Peter and this is—"

"Momma!" Plum shouted and wiggled free, landing on the cobble stones hard enough that she had to stoop to catch herself with her little palms. She charged through the crowds toward a brunette with brown eyes and what looked to be the adult version of her small face. The woman wore a half cloak over her shirt and had a skirt cinched at the waist with a belt made of a fox's tail.