Balance (In Hiatus)

Greetings

Never say never, darling.

Her thoughts as her dream ended made her physically hurt. She opened her eyes leisurely and found Theo looking straight at her, the same cunning smile he had when they jumped out of that damn train.

"Good morning, sunshine."

Saved by an Angel.

Hailee allowed her torso to stand, ignoring the emerging headache. Good thing she had fallen with the side of her face, rather than head-first to the ground.

"It took you a good while to recover. I wasn't betting your survival though, so I guess that's better than expected."

"You are the one to talk, Theo, you asshole. You have wings and still you cannot fly. What are you, a chicken?"

"Sorry for not letting you get tied up by those guards, Hailee. I bet it would have been a very fun experience."

His words went straight to her feelings. He was right, and Hailee knew it. Theo had indeed saved her by the Vamps.

"Thanks Theo. I suppose. But you shouldn't have."

"Why? Because you could have annihilated them easier by yourself?"

The realisation hit her suddenly, right that very second.

He knows. He saw me performing my tricks on the Vamp lead, even when I thought he wasn't looking.

"Because I am not one of your allies."

"Since none of my allies tend to turn smoking purple when mad, I guess you are right. But still my race is all-forgiving and all-forgetting. You know being Angels and all."

His tone was highly ironic however, and Hailee couldn't help but laugh.

"Still... All I am saying is, you'll probably regret this Theo. But thanks again for saving me and that little...."

The girl. Fuck.

Hailee sprung up looking at all directions.

"Where is she? The little one? Did she make it?"

Theo tilted his head, laughter of pure joy bursting from his throat.

"Better than the both of us. She was the one who woke me up. She is by the river now, playing with her teddy."

Hailee turned her body 90 degrees, wanting to get to the kid as soon as possible, when Theo caught her arm gently.

"Say, how old are you making her out to be?"

She shook her head at the absurdity of the question.

"Dunno, eight or nine I guess?"

"That was my original guess too. But I spoke to her a little, and her manner of talking is no older than a five year old. She even confuses some of the words, making up others, like baby talk."

Hailee raised her eyebrow.

"Your point being?"

"We have to be careful around her, is all I am saying. She looks like a normal kid, but appearances can be deceiving. I also looked like a lone goofy traveller, didn't I?"

***

The girl was having an intense conversation with her teddy bear, as Hailee approached her, Theo at her side. The little one turned her head abruptly, alarmed, but her expression changed when she saw them. She screamed happily and run, embracing the both of them in a rather asphyxiating hug.

"MOMMY! DADDY!"

Oh hell to the no, girl.

"I don't think you should call us that way, honey. Your real mommy and daddy would be really sad if they've heard."

The girl looked at Hailee with big sad eyes, but said nothing, clinging to her tighter instead.

"Well I have an idea," Theo said with a comical, childish voice. "Why don't we all introduce ourselves? Like we did in school, remember? I am Theodore, but you can call me Theo."

"Hailee. That's easy for you to say, isn't, dear?"

The girl nodded in agreement.

"Nattie."

"Wow, that's a nice name. Does it come from Natalie?"

She nodded again, but a shadow of sadness crossed her big blue eyes.

Better stick with Nattie then.

"Say darling, what were you doing alone on that train? Did you get separated from your parents?"

"Lindor. They send me in Lindor."

Hailee and Theo looked at each other. What kind of parents would let their kid travel alone in one of Trudeaux's biggest connecting cities? Still, the girl had fallen into their hands, and it was their responsibility till they found a safe place for her to stay. If Hailee found out they weren't cut out for parents however, there wasn't a chance in the world they were getting Natalie back.

"Then we are getting you to Lindor, Nattie," she heard Theo saying, reflecting her thoughts. "This was our destination too."

"Where are we anyway?" asked Hailee, looking left and right at her surroundings.

There were standing on the edge of the river, and although thick trees were all around them, Hailee could hear the voices and the town's familiar buzz.

"A little further from the city's outskirts. Really close to civilisation in fact."

"Do you think they'll be looking for us, Theo?"

"Why? Don't tell me you gave your actual name and ID to the train conductor?"

He winked at her, and Hailee wondered once again about his identity. Angels were supposed to be these all-honest, all-holy creatures, and Theo was turning out to be anything but. She couldn't help herself but like the guy, and forced herself to stop.

Remember what happened the last time you let an enemy steal your heart.

She smirked at him, a smug look at her face.

"You think I am that stupid then?"

"Nah. Not that much you would give a valid ID while on Tournament, anyway."

He leaned closer, whispering in her ear.

"And something tells me our little co-passenger here doesn't have a valid ID either."

Nattie was a little further ordering the things in her tiny backpack, talking to her toys. She was indeed acting as a five year old kid, even though she looked a lot older. The teddy bear was placed next to her, her sleepless guard.

There was something mesmerizingly odd in that old piece of wool and skin. Its belly was full with stiches, its left eye a broken button and its right a shiny black stone. Its ears were both cut in half. Unsettling, to say the least.

"Nattie, don't you think it would be better if you put mr. Teddy in your backpack? That way we can hold hands better with Theo, so we won't get lost."

"Mr. Teddy doesn't like it when he doesn't see the world. He gets angry. And when Mr. Teddy gets angry, bad things happen."

Nattie spoke in a pure serious, adult voice and Hailee felt her skin crawl, her first impulsive thought to leave the spooky girl and her stupid doll alone and start running. What was she expecting to accomplish, siding with her mortal enemy in a "lost and found" operation? It was not her job messing with Angels and orphaned girls.

But that's exactly what you want Hailee isn't it? To help. To make everyone equal. To heal the world. It's why you do the things you do.

She cursed the soft side of herself, and took the girl by the hand. Creepy or not creepy, she didn't deserve to die in the hands of some lowlife Vamps. Lindor was only a few miles away. Their mutual journey wouldn't last long.

"Then let's go, Nattie. Let's show Mr. Teddy how a real city looks like."