Sang's Sins

Chapter One

Kota

I glared at the various people loitering around the park, mostly older men and women with gleams in their eyes. They would never take a child from this park. If they thought they could do so, they would pay.

A giggle reaches my ears, drawing my attention away from a scraggly woman standing under a tree. A small girl, probably no more than 7, sits on a see-saw. Her blonde pig-tails fly up when the girl on the opposite end, this one a bit older, pushes against the ground.

After playing for a few more seconds, the two get off to exchange words. The older girl runs off to the back of the park, leaving the small one behind.

Her eyes, so bright and green I can see them from here, meet mine. Rosy lips curve up with joy and wonder, completely innocent.

No one would expect me to be a demon, a deadly sin at that. I look like any other teenage boy, albeit more fit. Thick glasses sit on my nose, the glare rendering mortals unable to see my golden eyes. A hunter green button up covers my chest.

Her light pink dress bounces as she bounds over to me. She takes her bottom lip under her finger, a shy smile gracing her face.

"Hello," her soft voice greets.

I give her a polite smile, "Hello, sweetie."

She rocks side to side, her dress swaying, "What are you doing here?"

"I have a sister." She didn't know it but I hadn't answered her question. It wasn't a lie, I do have a sister. Except, she's long dead. The pale girl accepted my response, anyway.

Dainty fingers grasp mine, "I have a sister, too, but she left. Do you want to play with me instead?"

She pulls me away before I can answer. "Haven't you been taught not to talk to strangers?"

She ignores me, pushing me to the monkey bars. Grumbling, I find myself tucking my legs up and making my way across.

She giggled for hours.

//

"Hold on tight, sweetie." I ran in a circle, twirling the merry-go-round. Her laughter filled the air, a sound so beautiful my heart would've melted had it been beating.

It had been a few weeks since I met Sang. Her sister, whom I learned is named Marie, drops her off here nearly every day. While part of me is happy to spend time with the little angel, another part is irritable about a 7-year-old girl being at the park alone. Especially considering I was only here a few days out of the week.

The merry-go-round slowly spins to a stop, a giggling Sang not looking sick in the slightest. She climbed off the chipping yellow metal.

"Let's do something else, Kota! Something we can do together."

I glanced at my watch, "I should really get going. I'll end up being late."

Her bottom lip popped out, something I know Gabe would have been frantic about. The thought made me smile.

I sighed, shaking my head slightly. "Fine, another hour. Then, you're going home whether Marie shows up or not. Deal?"

She nodded enthusiastically, her head whipping back so fast I nearly worried. "Deal! Can we play that game you taught me?"

A smile graces my lips, "Hopscotch? Sure, as long as you're okay with being beaten."

Her grunt tells me she disapproves. "I'm great at hopscotch and you know it! I'll prove it right now."