Cover Up

🔪 1 💌

A young girl sat on the window-seat, staring out at all of the children playing in the snow, whilst she sat alone inside her room on her sixth Christmas day. She sighed sadly and closed her beautiful hazel eyes, resting her head on her hand, her messy chocolate brown bangs falling forward. 'Who is this girl?' that is what you are probably thinking. This girl is Tiffany Mae Willow, a simple orphan just wanting to get through life after her parents died in a fatal car crash. 'I really do want to play outside but I don't actually know anyone.' she thought. She shuffled around so her small legs dangled over the edge of the seat and swung them forwards and backwards. A sudden knock came from her room door, making Tiffany snap her eyes wide open in surprise.
"Hello, who's there?" she called out, slightly worried. The door opened and Ms Pine, the owner of the small orphanage, poked her head through the doorway. Tiffany breathed a breath of relief.
"Why aren't you playing outside in the snow with the others, Tiff?" she asked, concern in her voice, as she slowly walked into the room.

Ms Pine was a short stocky woman with jet black hair and sky blue eyes and she always wore an orange dress and white apron, many stains were on the apron. She also had an unnaturally high-pitched voice
"I don't really know anyone..." the girl replied looking down at her feet shyly. Tiffany had always been shy around new people and had never met anyone her own age at a school because before the car crash she had been home-schooled by her parents. Ms Pine's eyes shone brightly, as if a sudden idea had come into her head.
"Just you wait here, Tiff, I'll be back in a minute." the woman said happily before running out of the room and down the corridor. 'Wonder what that's all about.' Tiff thought before brushing her bangs out of her eyes so she could see properly. She moved from the window seat to her comfy bed and sat on the fluffy crimson duvet. Several minutes later Ms Pine returned but with a small child clinging to her dress, hiding behind it slightly. All Tiffany could make out were a blue jumper, brown trousers, murky green boots and a pale hand. Tiff jumped up of her bed and cautiously walked towards the woman and the other child.

"Who's that?" she asked innocently, pointing. Ms Pine smiled happily and gently pushed the child out, who barely struggled against it. Tiff's eyes widened with wonder at the sight of the new child, It was a boy, she could tell but he didn't look... normal and that intrigued her. He wore a dark green shirt, a dark blue jumper, brown jeans and tiny pale green boots. He also had puffy lilac hair that covered his right eye, his visible eye was a deep crimson color and Tiff could only assume that his other eye was the same. Sure those two aspects were strange but there were three other things that were even stranger. On either side of his head he had a large dark purple cat-like ears and on top of his head he had two small golden horns and as he smiled at her she could make out two sharp fangs. Tiff slowly walked towards the new boy and looked at him up, down and back up again.
"What's your name?" Tiffany asked curiously, "I'm Tiffany Mae Willow but most people call me Tiffany or just Tiff." she added reaching her hand out.

"Areano, Areano Kiada." the boy replied before politely shaking hands with the other child.

After shaking hands, they grinned at each other whilst Ms Pine smiled proudly at the two orphans. Areano still seemed to be a bit on edge so Tiff, being the social and friendly girl she was, pulled him into a friendly hug. The newest child was surprised at first but then happily accepted the hug.
"Well do you two want to go outside together; you already seem to be friends after all?" she asked, beaming with pride. Areano and Tiff nodded in sync and beamed happily.

"Follow me Areano." Tiff chirped before gently pulling Areano along by his with her down the stairs so they could get some woolly hats, coats and mittens. They pulled on the gloves, scarves and coats before Areano jumped to reach the door handle and tugged it open. The children ran outside and into the snow, not a single care in the world. Snow fell around them and the entire world it seemed was covered in a thick white blanket. Areano threw himself onto the snow back first and began to form a small snow angel, quickly followed by Tiff.

"Hey, Areano lets build a snowman." Tiff suggested, sitting up in the snow.
"Snowman?" Areano asked as he sat up, tilting his head. Tiff blinked, completely dumbfounded.

"You don't know what a snowman is?" Areano shook his head.
"I'll show you how to make one." Tiff smiled, holding her hand out to pull Areano up. Once Areano was up Tiff began to roll up a snowball to make a large ball.
"You make another ball but smaller." Tiff smiled, pointing to the floor. Areano nodded and listened to her, rolling another ball and assuming that it went on top of the first ball for a few moments before actually plopping it on top of the bigger snowball. There were twigs and stones on the floor so Tiff picked them up and used them as the arms, nose, eyes and mouth for the snowman.

The two children then sat in the snow, looking at the snowman that they had made together with delightful happiness.
"So... this is a snowman." Areano sighed in awe, "You're amazing Tiff." he added, draping an arm over her shoulder. Tiff mumbled a small thank you to him before snuggling up to him, too cold to be outside but too tired to go back inside.

"Hey Tiff..." Areano mumbled.
"Yeah?"
"We really are friends, right?"
"You betcha, my best and only friend, Areano." Tiff replied, looking into his visible cherry red eye.
"Forever?"
"Of course, best friends forever."