far too young to die ✰ m.w.

CHAPTER TWO

Emily had been the first to act. Despite the cold rain, she had taken off her poncho in order to take off the coat she was wearing and give it to the strange girl, who's teeth were chattering. She knew just adding a coat was not going to keep the girl warm, and if they were to just leave her out there, she would eventually succumb to the elements. She told the girl to come with them, that they would get her to shelter. The girl looked around at the boys with an uncertain expression. Emily looked around at them, too, and rolled her eyes when she saw that they were gawking at the girl. She had given them a warning look and they quickly straightened up. Mike seemed to be the only one who understood that they had to get the girl to warmth as soon as possible, while Dustin and Lucas were absolutely no help when it came to transporting her to Mike's house and sneaking her into the basement.

"Is there a number we can call for your parents?" Mike asked the girl as she sat on the couch in the same spot Emily had sat earlier.

"Where's your hair?" Dustin asked her. "Do you have cancer?"

"Did you run away?" Lucas asked.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" Mike asked.

"Is that blood?"

"Stop with the questions, all of you!" Emily burst out. "She obviously doesn't want to answer them right now."

"She's freaking me out."

"And you're freaking her out!"

"I bet she's deaf," Dustin said. He clapped his hands in front of the girl's face, making her jump. "Not deaf."

"You have no idea how much you're making me want to smack you right now."

"All right, that's enough, all right?" Mike said, breaking up the bickering. "She's just scared and cold."

"Yeah, she needs a change of clothes. That shirt is soaked. Mike, do you have anything she can wear? Preferably something clean."

Mike crossed the room to a laundry basket, removing the first two articles of clothing from it and coming back, handing them to the girl. She took them and just looked at them for a moment before setting them down next to her. She then stood up and took the coat off before reaching down and grabbing the bottom of her shirt, preparing to pull it off of herself. Realizing what was about to happen, Emily lunged forward to stop her while the boys quickly turned around, Dustin and Lucas being especially dramatic about it.

"Okay, um, you see that room over there?" Emily said, trying to keep her composure as she pointed over to the open bathroom door. "That's a bathroom. You can change in there. With the door closed. For, you know... privacy."

The girl just looked at her for a moment but thankfully, she seemed to understand. She grabbed the clothes from the couch and allowed Emily to escort her to the bathroom. On the way, Emily sent a glare over her shoulder at the boys.

The girl entered the bathroom and Emily began to close the door behind her, but just as the door was about to close all the way, the girl grabbed the door, holding it back.

"Something wrong?" Emily asked her. The girl looked at the door and then back at her. "You don't want the door closed?"

"No," the girl replied.