Idk if I dislike the pacing, or if I like it... I I think I might not... I am still sticking pretty close to the first drafts, which is probably why it feels off, at least to me...
Well, if you are reading this by some miracle, please let me know what you think! I do appreciate any constructive criticism or suggestions you might have :))
Isabella was struck with a strange sort of notion as she met the eyes of the young girl before her.
She sat straight-backed, perched on the edge of her chair, her hands folded politely in her lap. Her feet dangled high above the floor, and Isabella was certain she could be no older than four.
That was why she seemed peculiar— it was the composure the young child held. Isabella found her own posture stiffening as she held herself in a more imposing manner.
What was it about this child that made her feel smaller than the Grandmother herself did?
"This is [Name]," Grandmother Sarah introduced the child.
Isabella stopped sizing up the girl with a motherly smile, any traces of her hesitation vanishing. "Hello, [Name]."
"Hello, Isabella." The girl smiled brightly, as if the cold, calculating expression of hers had never been there in the first place. But the smile was replaced with a similar, plain look as she asked, "Or should I call you mom now?"
Isabella's own face sweetened. "Only if you'd like," she said, "but that would be wonderful."
She had been interested to meet the girl she'd heard about– supposedly a cattle child who had been raised initially at Headquarters due to some sort of 'special circumstance.' Isabella strongly doubted this was the exact truth, of course, but she knew her own place well– and that was not the place of someone who was permitted to ask questions.
"Would you accompany me to your new home?" The mother asked, holding out her hand for the girl. [Name] slid carefully off of the chair and took it, before pulling her suitcase off of the table.
Now that she stood at her full height, Isabella could see that the girl was even smaller than she'd initially thought. She quickly stifled a sort of smile at the child's apparent seriousness. Could it be because she was nervous?
"I'll carry your suitcase," Isabella offered.
[Name] looked up at her and then shook her head stubbornly. "No."
And that was that.
Soon they walked through the field hand in hand, as the grass tickled [Name] just above her boots. The wind was blowing gently, nice and refreshing in the humid summer air.
The whole scene was interesting– it felt as if [Name] had just taken a step straight into another world. Even the house looked like it belonged somewhere in Europe several hundred years ago. She hadn't spent much time in the demon world thus far, but the organisms at this farm were identical to that of the human world— much unlike the plantlife of the demon world. However, she noted, there was a general lack of wildlife– demon-world esque or otherwise.
Isabella soon spoke with a casual hum, "Hey, [Name]."
When [Name] looked up to her, the woman's eyes were still trained on the house they approached. "Yes?"
Isabella smiled, as her purple eyes slid to the girl's. "You know the secret of the house, don't you?"
There was the slightest pause in the girl's gait, the only sign of her surprise— one that didn't go unnoticed by the woman.
That question, asked so suddenly, wasn't so much within expectations.
With a tilt of her head, [Name] weighed her options, and made a decision. "Yes, I do," she replied simply, her gaze focusing straight ahead.
Isabella hummed to herself at the young girl's easy admittance of the truth. Is she just a kid, after all...?
"Would that happen to be your 'special circumstance?'"
[Name] considered the thought. "Perhaps."
"Then, did Grandmother allow you back into the farms to be a spy?" Isabella asked.
Assisting the Grandmother may be expected, but completing the mission Peter gave me comes first.
"Yes, that's right," [Name] replied, accepting the half-truth as a cover.
Isabella smiled once again, tucking a loose strand of hair from her bun behind her ear. "What a straightforward little girl," she sighed. "Then, I supposed it should be expected that I be straightforward as well."
She paused in her step and looked over her shoulder at the young girl. "[Name], would you like to make a deal with me?"
"What's going on?"
"Don't we still have free time?"
The kids were murmuring amongst themselves in the hall. The bell had been rung not long ago, calling them back into the house, where they now awaited their mother.
The door opened and over 30 heads turned to look. Isabella stood with a young girl, one hand resting on her back. "Hello, everyone," she said. "Let me introduce her...
"This is [Name]! She'll be living with us, starting today."
[Name] regarded the others with a small nod. "Nice to meet you," she said politely.
The way her eyes moved quickly through the room as she spoke would resemble a sort of nervousness. However, the girl was instead recalling the profiles she had memorized on the children.
There were four in particular worth mention, [Name] thought.
Identification Number, 70294.
This was a girl with long black hair that reached to her upper back. Her young face held cool, intelligent eyes and was framed with her middle-parted bluntly cut bangs.
Susan, age 6. Has achieved the highest scores in her age group thus far. Notably athletic and very empathetic toward her siblings, she is known to participate in most games, especially outdoors. Shows great promise, and will likely bloom into the highest-grade as she grows older.
There were then three of the four children [Name]'s age.
The ones Peter had his eye on.
63195. Emma, age four.
Emma was a bright girl with a crown of curly red hair atop her head. Her emerald green eyes sparkled with a sort of cheer, and her cheeks were always rosy.
Her first scores suggested average intelligence, but they seem to be improving at a rapid rate. Implied a great aptitude to learn... Notably athletic, and enjoys playing outside, mentioned in her file... Will likely become a future Tifari meal.
The next child was soft-looking, with fluffy white-blonde hair and a round face. His deep blue eyes held a certain lucidity that seemed unbefitting of a child his age.
Though [Name] wasn't really one to speak.
22194. Norman, age four. Despite only having been taking the daily tests for a short while, he consistently receives the highest scores of the group. Health concerns were noted in his file, with frequent mention of colds which varied in strength. Implies a weak immune system...
Troublesome.
The final one was the eldest of the group.
81194. Ray, age four. Achieved slightly above average scores until very recently, when there was a sudden spike in performance. According to his file, he has displayed a particular interest in books thus far. In addition, he pushes incredible importance on studying...
"Hello, everyone," [Name] greeted with a smile, both hands gripping the handle of her suitcase in front of her.
Her gaze flicked to the side as 81194's gaze narrowed in confusion. He looked uncomfortable.
The boy named Ray, [Name] suddenly reminded herself. She shouldn't get used to thinking of them by Identification Code. She may end up unintentionally referring to them that way out loud.
The resulting conversation would not be one she wanted to have.
"Hello, [Name]!!" the ginger girl exclaimed. Her hand shot into the air in something like a wave. "My name is Emma!" she exclaimed. "How old are you? Are you my age??"
"Emma, if you ask so many questions at once, she won't be able to answer them!" one of her older sisters, Michelle, scolded.
[Name] smiled sweetly. "I'm [Name]," she introduced herself again, "and I'm four years old."
"Really?! Then, we're the same age after all!!"
If she smiles any wider, her face is bound to cramp up, [Name] thought to herself. What if it causes permanent injury? That wouldn't do.
Alas, she couldn't think of a way to get the girl to stop smiling as Emma took her by the wrists and pulled her through the dispersing crowd.
"These are my best friends!" Emma introduced the two kids she was standing by. "They're our age, too! So is Chucky, but I don't see him right now... Oh well, I'll introduce you to him later!"
Chucky, 72194... Light brown hair and dark eyes. Reserved personality. Unremarkable scores—
[Name] ceased her analysis with a minuscule shake of her head. Now wasn't the time to get distracted...
Her eyes left the chattering Emma as 81194 raised a hand to grab at his mother's skirt. "Hey, mama," he said, "why was [Name] brought here only now? Most of the kids come earlier..."
Isabella's smile found her face again as she crouched by the young boy. She rested a hand on his messy black-haired head. "[Name]'s parents were caught up in an unfortunate accident just recently," she said. "That's why she's only joining us now."
22194, who had been watching their interaction, looked quickly to [Name]. "Do you remember your parents, then?" he inquired. His soft blue eyes were curious and bright, pools of knowledge looking to deepen further. Emma, too, now looked to [Name] with a cheerful curiosity.
[Name] shook her head plainly in response. "No, not really..."
"Oh..." the ginger girl sighed. "I see... that's too bad..."
[Name] felt an inexplicable twinge of discomfort at the girl's disappointment. Then she suddenly straightened, building up a mental wall. She didn't feel bad, she told herself. She was just caught off guard.
"Ah, but you'll be okay, right??" Bright green eyes turned to [Name] as the girl her age smiled cheerfully. "'Cause we'll be your family from now on!"
[Name] smiled at that, and nodded her head. Unfortunately, though, her smile this time wasn't enough to completely conceal her thoughts.
Family, huh...?
"Oh, sorry!" Emma suddenly exclaimed. "I didn't mean we would replace them or anything!" she ranted as she misunderstood the reason behind [Name]'s strained smile. "'Cause they're your parents... What I mean is, like, you can always have more family! So we'll just be extra!" she glanced to the two boys at her side, "Right!?"
22194– Norman, [Name] reminded herself, smiled softly. "Sure."
The two kids glanced to their third companion.
The black haired boy merely shrugged.
"Do whatever you want," 81194 said as he stalked away in the opposite direction, book under arm. [Name] watched him go for a moment before glancing back to Emma as she continued her chatter.
"What room are you gonna be in? Mine? Mama, can [Name] be assigned to my room?"
[Name] met eyes with Isabella over Emma's head, who tapped her chin with a hum.
"Well..."
Anyways I'm starting to think that [Name] might just end up with a big fat crush on Emma... I mean, if you haven't reached that conclusion yet, you obviously did not read the same chapter I just did.
That would make Ray and [Name] platonic besties who hate each other's guts, and [Name] and Norman, uh... geniuses w different agendas?? We'll see..
Also I think I might make the character gender neutral. Ofc that wholly depends on whether or not I'm too lazy to go back and change all of the pronouns thus far, so no promises.
Yee yee