Meet in The Space Between ✔️

21

'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low
Only miss the sun when it starts to snow
Only know you love her when you let her go
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I TRIED my best to seal Emma away by having her stationed behind me as we ducked under alleyways and creeped around the side of buildings. It was dead at night, which meant two things:

One, the Isle was darker than it already was.

Two, it's thieves' happy hour, according to Jay. So we had to be very aware of our surroundings. If someone finds electric flashlights and good conditioned tools in my bag, they'll definitely be asking questions.

"You alright?" I whispered to my sister.

"Yeah. Just a little scared." She replied, eyes darting around.

"When we get to Uma's, we'll be completely safe. Don't worry."

Suddenly, two young boys leaped from the left and tackled Evie to the ground.

"H- hey!" Mal shouted, "Hands off!" She pried their small arms off her.

One of the boys had Evie's ruby necklace clutched in his hands. His clothes were tattered and oversized.

"Give that back." Evie demanded, stretching out her arm.

The boy stubbornly shook his head, then turned to his companion who looked similar enough to pass as a brother. "Bring it back to mother!" He cried, thrusting the jewelry into the younger boy's chest, "It could give us a week of food."

I saw the expression on Evie's face soften as the smaller lad eagerly nodded his head and scrambled away. She looked like her heart hurt. I felt it too.

How long ago was I a young girl, doing the same thing? Not long. I knew very well what it meant to be hungry. We all knew.

"Wait!" Evie grabbed the child by the shoulders before he could run away too.

Right at that second, he bursted into tears. "Please don't hurt me."

"No, no. I'm not hurting you." Evie responded quickly. She took her hands off him and reached into her pockets and emptied them as fast as she could. "Here. Take it. Take all of it. Take it back to your mother."

The boys eyes glimmered at the sight of the bracelets and coins and accessories that were piled into his wee hands. He was speechless, beaming with childish hope. When he looked up at Evie, I felt like I was about to cry myself.

Something inside him stirred. I could see it. Goodness.

"Thank you." The boy said slowly, softer than a whisper, then he ran away, a joyful leap in each step.

The impact of the words hit us. Almost like it was the first time we've ever heard the phrase.

Thank you.

I wonder if that boy has ever had the opportunity to say those words. I was astonished that he even knew what thank you meant.

Evie turned around to face us. And we all exchanged a moment of glances, understanding each other's thoughts.

"Let's go." Evie finally said. And we did as told.

When we got to Ursula's Fish and Chips, the first thing I noticed, despite the little light source, was the repainted walls and fixed deck. Did they get a raise or something?

Mal pushed open the door and even the conditions inside looked better than before, even if it's just a tad. Better polished floors and less stink.

"Interesting." Mal said.