Overcoming Demons (G/t)

Chapter Two

The hooded woman clutched the young teen to her body, slipping into the dark of night unseen by others and hidden in the cover of the shadows. The needle she'd used was tucked safely in her pocket. Any evidence that Kenny was in that alley was gone, the police wouldn't find out who took him. Never again would she let those horrible people lay a hand on this boy.

She could feel the body growing lighter in her hands as the seconds ticked by.  Of course, she knew why, and was prepared. 

A car she'd parked in the dark of a separate road was waiting for her, and she slipped into the back seat. The boy in her arms was now simply clutched to her chest, his body covered by the now too large clothes for him. She'd tried to make it so the clothing would shrink with him, but apparently, that didn't work out. Luckily, she was again prepared.

Taking a soft rag from her cloak's pocket, she closed her eyes to avoid looking at the boy and wrapped his bare body in the rag so he was at least wearing something. Opening her eyes, she smiled gently down at him. "It's alright now..." Her finger gently caressed his short, tousled hair.

Still holding him close, she finally slipped into the front seat, started the car, and used one hand to control the vehicle with the boy in her lap and his clothes discarded in the back seat.

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Kenneth's head was pounding against his skull. He could barely open his eyes and he found it difficult to move at all. A soft groan passed his lips. Whatever he was lying on though was comfortable. Not the concrete of an alley and not the pile of blankets he was given at his foster parents home. 

Forcing his eyes open, he blinked to let them get used to the light. A shadow hovered over him. No, not a shadow. A face. Not just a face, but the size wasn't normal.

Squeaking in surprise, Kenny forgot about his inability to move. But when he started to move, his clothes started to fall off of his body. Again, not his clothes.

His eyes drifted to his body and frowned. Where were his clothes?! Why was he wrapped in some kind of towel? And who was this giant woman gazing at him from above?

To say he was scared would be an understatement. Kenneth was downright terrified, he couldn't move anymore. His throat was tight and his stomach was in his knots, and he could no longer fight back the lump in his throat and a sob escaped his lips. After that sob, he started to full on cry, his body trembling with each loud wail of fear and confusion. 

The woman's face fell and large hands came around, lifting him up into the air. He fought the touch, but part of him was reassured by how gentle they were. That, however, was drowned out by his fear. "L-Let me go! Please!" He cried out, his voice cracking with his desperate plea.

A fingertip about half the size of his face came around, brushing the frightened tears off of his face. The woman holding him started to speak with a voice soft as cotton. "It's alright, little one. You don't have to be afraid. Not anymore."

While her words were gentle and calming, they hardly brought comfort to Kenneth in this particular situation. He continued to fight the fingers holding him in place. 

"Don't you recognize me?" The woman visibly frowned, but her finger moved from his face to gently stroke his brown hair. 

Her words now made him pause, his chest rising and falling with each shaky breath he took. He took in her appearance, her strangely familiar kind eyes, but it was hard for him to place just where he knew her from. It was then it struck him like a bolt of lightning. Quick, sudden. "M-Ms. Morgan!" 

He'd only met her twice. In fact, she was only a substitute teacher for him when he was in third grade for two days. But in those two days, he'd been treated kinder than he ever had been before. 

A smile returned to the woman's face, and she gave a very slight nod of the head. "Nova Morgan, at your service, my dear. I couldn't bear to watch them torture you that way any longer. No compassion, hardly anyone to stand up for you," her kind blue eyes faded into a look of sadness, her finger now stopping to simply rest on the top of his head.

Kenny blinked tears from his eyes as he gazed up at Nova, one of his hands lifting to wipe his face. "B-But why did you shrink me? Wh-Why did you h-have to scare me like this?"

Nova's smile remained but faltered only a little. "I didn't mean to scare you, Kenny. And I had to do this so that it was harder for them to find you. If the police found you with me, I'd be arrested and you'd be sent right back to those horrible people."

His light brown eyes blinked wide open in understanding. "N-No! I don't want to go back!"

"Hey, hey, I know," Nova frowned deeply now and brought the young teen close to her body. She carefully wrapped the rag around him a little more securely. "You won't go back. Not if I have anything to do with it."

"Wh-Why do you want to help me, a-anyway?" Kenneth muttered through his sniffles. Being held this way was strangely comforting, yet just plain strange at the same time. It would be hard to get used to this...wait. If he was thinking that way, did it mean he wanted to stay here?

What was he even thinking? This wasn't a debate. This woman already showed more kindness in three minutes than what he receives in a whole week. He was staying here, despite being as small as a Barbie.

"A few years ago, I had a stillborn son. Well, not exactly, but that's the way I see it. He was born a month earlier than he was supposed to be and...didn't survive," Nova murmured, the memories causing her heart to ache and tears to sting her eyes. "That's why I wanted to take you. They couldn't see what they had, but I could. You are a very sweet, special young boy that didn't deserve anything they put you through."

Kenny frowned at her story. He couldn't fully understand, but he was smart enough to know that must have hurt a lot. "And...your husband?" 

"I never had one. The baby's father was a sick man that I broke up with weeks before finding out I was going to have a baby," Nova murmured, knowing that if he asked more questions that received honest answers, he might be more comfortable with her.

Kenneth slowly leaned into the warmth of her body, and despite feeling bad for her, he smiled. "Th-Thank you, for wanting to protect me," he murmured, genuinely meaning it. 

Nova smiled warmly down at the boy in her hands. while the thank you and his little lean weren't much, they were surely a good start.