𝙴𝚌𝚕𝚒𝚙𝚜𝚎𝚍

Chapter Six

The welcoming smell of the garden was a pleasant distraction as I made my way through lush flowerbeds and blooming shrubs.

Just the repose I was in need of, especially before the events to come.

I wondered about what I should say to her, how I was going to comfort her when my nerves were as tattered as they were. She had to have already known what kind of punishment they were going to sentence her with. Yes, she was only ten years of age, but that did not make her stupid. In fact, Katie was quite brilliant at that. She would be listening when everyone thought she wasn't and had a bad habit, that she had learned from Mira, of eavesdropping. She knew more than everyone gave her credit for, and now that she was with wolf, she needed to have been treated as such.

There was no need for me to try and sniff her out, or listen for her sniffling, because I had already known exactly where she had gone.

In the back left, past the fountain and rose bushes, was a large weeping willow accompanied by a small pond that Katie ran to in her moments of need. She loved feeding the fish, watching their little mouths open and close as they gulped down the food, and how they would just disappear back into the depths after having their fill.

Something, I must admit, I too enjoyed. Which is why I knew exactly where to find her. Because, on more than one occasion, we both had bumped into one another while on our way there, specifically around the anniversary of mother's death.

As I neared the pond that was canopied by the large tree and obscured by its hanging leaves, I could hear her little sniffles.

"Did you show Bree the fish yet?" I pushed aside the curtain of leaves, "I am sure she would love to see them."

"N-no, not yet." She quickly turned to greet me, wiping away her little tears. "I f-forgot the food."

"Well, then it is a good thing that I remembered to bring it." I smiled, holding up the jar of fish food. "Shall we?"

Her eyes lit up at the sight of it, and she sprang up from the ground she had been crouched down on. "Oh, I can't wait for Bree to see them!"

It filled me with joy, momentarily, seeing her smile in excitement instead of having to watch tears roll down her little cheeks. This day was supposed to have been a celebration for her, yet instead it had turned into a day which I was sure she would come to regret.

I crouched down around the pond with her, watching as she unscrewed the lid of the jar and began to sprinkle the food into the water. Then we waited silently for the little orange fish to emerge from the muddy bottom.

"Look!" She squealed, "There's one!" She pointed at the rippling water. A little orange mouth suddenly appeared out of nowhere and gulped down a piece of food.

Soon several more joined in and even a few of the larger ones made their appearance. Then came the Koi, quickly snapping up the food with their large mouths and splashing water as they darted back down into the darkness.

"Does she like them?" I reached into the jar and sprinkled some food onto the hungry fish.

"She wants to eat them." She chuckled, "But yes she thinks the fishies are cute too."

"Good." I patted her on the head, enjoying the soft sounds of the fish as they finished off the last bits of food.

We sat there for a while, quietly listening and watching until all of the fish disappeared, leaving the two of us with nothing but each other.

"Are they going to beat me for what Bree and I did?" My heart sank as I tried to keep my eyes from filling with tears.

"What makes you think that?" I asked, my throat tightened, but I did my best to pretend otherwise.