Lost In the Water

Chapter Two

Chapter Two

            We entered the revolving doors and we were greeted by Mr. Grieg, another tenant. His eyes never left the young girl under my arm. Of course she was catching people's eyes; she was only wearing my suit jacket and a torn skirt.

            The elevator doors opened and revealed the emptiness. She stepped in first and waited for me to punch in my floor number. Her gaze stayed steady and she had no reaction when I hit the largest number, which meant the penthouse. “You really aren’t joking.”

            “Would I really joke about something like money?” I swung the basket in my hand nervously. A woman hasn’t made me nervous in a long time.

            The metal handle on the door was cool to my touch as we made our way in, she had a nauseating stench escaping from her pores and burrowing deep into my nostrils, it was a thick smell it must have been the blood mixed with the man in the alleyway's pong and something else. Rita stood dusting off the lamp in the front entrance. “Hello Mr. Henry,” her accent was very thick; she'd only come to North America a few years ago.

            As she made her way out of the room she eyed the girl and said something quick and low in Spanish. What she didn't know was that I could understand every word. She'd said 'Lord, help this young girl'.

The girl's soft blue eyes met mine and she smiled a smile that involved no humour. “Thank you, so much; if it weren't for you I would have no place to go.” Before I could react she had me in an embrace with her arms wrapped around my torso.

            “It was nothing.” I made sure not to show any interest or emotion, I couldn't risk playing with such a beautiful creature. “Why don't you take a bath, relax your muscles, forget about today? It must have been horrible; you'll feel better afterword.”

            “Okay, but I won't have any clothes to change into afterword.” Her fair complexion exposed her red blush creeping behind her skin. She was so innocent, it was very charming.

            “Don't worry; there will be something outside the door for you to wear.” A single tear ran down her cheek and she was hugging me again. “Thank you so much.” She whispered into my chest. “Everything was going downhill, but it was like you picked me up and washed away every bad thing in my life.”

            I kissed her forehead and brushed her auburn hair away from her face and my thumb rested right below her chin, holding her face up. “You took quite a spill; I'll get you bandaged up after your bath.” She nodded and I showed her where her room was that included her own bathroom.

            She said thank you once more before I made my way out. I figured that I should look for something that she could wear; I presumed that she would take a while so I could make a quick trip to one of the boutiques close by.

            The city was calm and I would take thirty minutes at most. The nearby store was one I'd never noticed before; it was average sized from the outside, mannequins stood exposing all types of clothing, from suits, to dresses, lingerie and other pieced together outfits. I could take her out tomorrow and let her splurge and have the dream shopping spree.

            “May I help you with something?” I could feel the woman's breath through my thin dress shirt; I swiftly turned and saw a woman. She was attractive, but she showed too much skin to be proud of. It looked like she was wearing a shirt instead of a dress. If it were up to any other man they would have encouraged that kind of behavior, but not I.

            “Actually, yes, what would you suggest for a girl, about eighteen, nineteen?” Her brow raised and her eyes traveled down my body, then up resting on certain parts of my body.

            “You mean for your daughter?” She leaned closer, allowing me to get a closer look into her teal tinted eyes, surrounded by coal colour liner that complimented her youthful brown skin. To the human eye she looked flawless, but I could see the rare slight scar and wrinkle only years away from exposing itself.

            “That has no relevance, please, be professional.” My facial expression stayed stiff.

            She scoffed at me. “Okay, do you know what size she is?” Come to think of it, I actually didn't know what size she was or what kind of clothing she normally wore.

            “I don't know. Honestly I'd say she's a 2, I just want to make this a quick trip, she needs these clothes pronto.” Again, her eyebrow raised and she smiled.

            “May I ask why?”

            “I said professional, not inquisitive.”

            “Yeah, whatever.”

            “Okay Miss, if you could be so kind as to wait by the cash and then be a prude that would be lovely, but at the moment I just want to find some clothing and buy it.”

            She scoffed loudly, again and paced over to the register swaying her hips back and forth. I shook my head and looked through the racks of clothing, trying to find something suited for her. A dress would suffice, wouldn’t it? I picked up a plain pale pink dress, it had no beading, not extra stitching or anything of the sort, and it was simple and pretty. I picked up a pain black jacket and some other items, if she didn’t like the dress and a silk nightgown.

            The same woman rung up the clothing and with a fake smile she said goodnight. It was around closing time, but the city lights would never go out for good.

            I was out of there quickly and back at my place before she was out. The pile of clothing sat before the door, in a way that was hard to miss. The girl would probably be hungry when she came out, so I turned the kettle on and put out a plate of chocolate chip cookies. Rita had gone home for the night, so I was left to cook for me and the girl.

            Pasta? That would be fine, right? I threw the noodles into the boiling water; at that point I began to chop the garlic and my stomach started to grumble, I hadn't eaten anything all day and I was hungry. Something caught me off guard, the girl's scent. It was sweet, like succulent fruit. “Hello?”

            There she stood, in the silk nightdress and she looked like the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen, she looked like someone I once knew, but I couldn’t exactly place her. Her hair was still wet, but brushed. She stood on the balls of her feet, clutched onto the wall dividing the kitchen from the living room. “Ciao, bella.”

            “I smelled food.” Her nose crinkled and I tried hard not to smile. “I'm really hungry.”

            “Here,” I made my way to the kitchen table and pulled a chair out for her. “Would you like some tea?”

            “Please.” Before she could even open her mouth to speak again I was there with a pot of tea and two mugs. My body turned to pace back to the kitchen, but she started to speak again. “You know, my mother taught me not to talk to strangers, forget going back to their house. But I knew I'd be safe you with you, and for that I thank you, Mr. Henry.”

            “Please, call me Jeth,” for the first time since meeting this girl I smiled, with full teeth. “You never did tell me your name.”

            “Callie, my name is Callie Zurich.” She smiled just as wide as I did, exposing her off white teeth that had a slight chip on one of the front ones. Everything about this girl drew me in; I swear she'd be the death of me.

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