The next morning, I woke to the sound of a baby. Confused, I yawned and looked around confused. I brushed my teeth and hair before I followed the crying to a room down the hall from me. I saw a baby that couldn't be older than eight months old. I looked around but it was just this baby boy. My need to nurture kicked in and I picked the baby out of the crib and cradled him. There was an embroidered pillow with the name 'Rhett' on it. I cooed him as I started bouncing him gently.
"Aw, Rhett. What's the matter, pretty boy?" I asked in a baby voice. I shushed him and tried to get him to calm down. Eventually, he did.
"Who are you?" I heard from behind me. I turned to see a woman with blonde hair and tired brown eyes. Her eyes held bags and her demeanor just looked tired. She must have been Rhett's mother.
"Oh, I'm Novalyn, or Nova. You must be Rhett's mother. Sorry, I heard him crying and couldn't help myself," I blushed embarrassed. She sighed and collapsed in the rocker.
"No, it's okay. I should be thanking you. I'm so exhausted. I'm Jasmine but everyone just calls me Minnie," she smiled tiredly. "He's probably hungry," she sighed.
"I can take care of him if you want to sleep more and I'm really good with kids," I offered. She smiled gratefully.
"Thank you, Luna. His bottles are downstairs in the refrigerator," she said before she scurried out of the room. Luna?
"My name is Nova," I called after her. I looked down at the curious little thing and couldn't help but to smile. "Let's go get you some food," I cooed at the baby. He smiled and kicked his legs happily. I chuckled as I took him down to the kitchen. I pulled open the fridge and saw the bottles with Rhett's name on it. I popped it in the microwave for just a little bit before I tested it and fed the bottle to Rhett. I sat with him in the living room as the TV droned on numbly. I noticed that Rhett's skin felt a little hot.
"Nova, what are you doing?" Elias' voice reached me. I turned my head slightly to see him walking in with Taylor. Taylor looked shocked and amused.
"And what are you doing with my baby?" Taylor added. I shrugged and turned my attention back to Rhett.
"I found him. He was crying and... that's how I ended up here with him," I shrugged. Taylor chuckled.
"He likes you. You know, I'm surprised Minnie didn't grab him. She can be a little overprotective sometimes," he said sitting next to me as Elias took the open seat on my other side.
"Minnie seems nice. Tired, but a genuine person," I smiled.
"She saw you holding Rhett and she didn't freak out?" Taylor asked surprised. I shrugged.
"She said to take him and she left," I explained. He chuckled.
"I can't believe it. She must really be tired," Taylor smiled, shaking his head.
"I don't mind. Rhett is a cutie," I said as he finished the bottle. Taylor held his hands out for Rhett.
"Just burp him," I instructed. Taylor chuckled.
"I know how to take care of my baby," Taylor rolled his eyes.
"He has a fever, though," I added. "When's the last time he saw a doctor?" I asked. Taylor began burping Rhett as he turned back to me.
"Never. We had a home birth and then he was fine so we never went to the hospital," Taylor explained.
"You should take him to get seen and get his immunizations. It's important for newborns and if he hasn't gotten them yet, he's defenseless against hundreds of sicknesses and diseases," I said. Taylor nodded as a small smile graced his lips.
"Thanks," he said sincerely before he disappeared up the stairs. I caught Elias staring at me in admiration.
"What?" I blushed as I looked at my feet. He stood suddenly.
"Go get dressed. I'm going to show you around town," he said. I had to admit, I was kind of curious. The town looked nice from the car ride to the house. I was curious to see if the town was as happy as it seemed from the quick ride. I smiled and darted up the stairs. I was actually excited to go outside of the house for the first time. I quickly showered and ran mousse through my hair before it could get frizzy. After pinning my bangs back with a simple clip. I brushed my teeth and went to find something suitable. I remembered what Elias said about the town waiting to meet me. I thought it was odd, but I figured that jeans and a t-shirt wouldn't suffice. I dug through the closet until I found the perfect sundress. It was sort of stretchy with a small V-neck. The pattern was made up of Hawaiian flowers on a sky blue background. It was tight until the waist and then it flowed to just above my knees. I paired it with white converse. After I felt suitably dressed, I met Elias back in the living room. He looked over my attire shocked. I suddenly felt self-conscious as I held my arms in front of my stomach and blushed.
"I'll go change," I muttered quickly, turning on my heels. Elias caught my arm gently and pulled me closer to him.
"No... you look great, love. I just... I wasn't expecting a dress," he said softly. I blushed even more if that was even possible. He looked at my face confused.
"I liked your freckles," he said. I shrugged, tossing my hair over my shoulder. Okay, so maybe I put on a little makeup as well. Those townswomen really thought of everything.
"Ready?" I asked, trying to change the subject. He smirked and offered me his arm.
"You look beautiful, Cupcake," he said. I glared at him out of the corner of my eye.
"My name is not Cupcake," I glowered. He only chuckled as we walked out of the house.
"Sure thing, Cupcake," he teased. I groaned and threw my head back dramatically.
"Seriously Eli, my name isn't that hard. It's four letters," I argued. He only laughed. He full blown laughed. The town was pretty much all within walking distance. The weather was just comfortable enough to not be too cold or too hot. The people of the town greeted us as if we were royalty. These people were deliriously happy.
Drugs.
Drugs were the only answer I had for how happy these people seemed. I would have to remember to stay away from the water. We eventually ended up at a marketplace. It was huge. We entered from outside where vendors were set up everywhere. There was everything from carpets to fresh fruits. The inside was completed with a huge food court and tons of stores from Nike to Victoria's Secret to GNC. They had everything. We looked around for a bit, and Elias even got me a few things before we settled in the food court to eat. I chose a cute little Vietnamese restaurant while Elias went for Burger King. We got our food and sat down to eat. I spun the noodles on my fork and took a bite. It was truly delicious.
"So this is your town," I said after I swallowed the food. He smiled.
"It's your town now too, Cupcake," he said. My smile dropped and I sighed. Elias only laughed before he took another bite of his burger.
"I don't even know why I still try," I muttered to myself before I finished the rest of my food in quietly as Elias went on and on about the town and the people in it. It was really interesting watching him get excited about what he was talking about. It made me smile. I could tell that he really cared about this town and it's people. After we finished eating, we continued our tour to the high school, middle school, and the elementary school. I lingered in the elementary school a bit before we walked to a building near the school. It was quiet and looked quite homey.
"Eli, where are we?" I asked. His smile was tight, and he looked uncomfortable.
"I personally don't like being here, but I have a feeling you would love it," he said. We walked inside to be met with a reception area. A moment later, a middle-aged woman rushed to the desk. Her ivory skin was flushed pink. She had high cheekbones and small almond shaped light brown eyes. Her black hair was pulled into a loose bun on the top of her head.
"Mr. Madsen, it's an honor to have you here. What can I help you with today?" she asked in a rush.
"Nova here loves doing this kind of stuff. I'll be back in a few hours to pick her up," he said. I turned to him confused.
"Wait, you're leaving me?" I asked confused and slightly hurt by the thought.
"Yes, but only for a little bit. You'll love it and I have some work to do," he explained. I couldn't explain it, but I didn't want to be apart from him and I hated that.
"Only a few hours?"" I asked for confirmation. He chuckled with a sense of arrogance and took my hand in his.
"Only a few hours, Cupcake," he said. I rolled my eyes and pulled my hand out of his. A look of pain crossed his features but only for a brief second. He sighed and looked at the floor for a moment. "Have fun," he muttered before he left. I knew I hurt his feelings but from what? Pulling away from him? I sighed and just let it go. I would never understand Elias and I didn't expect that to change any time soon. The woman bowed her head slightly in a nervous manner. I held my hand out to her instead.
"My name is Nova," I introduced myself with a smile. She looked at me in wonder before she hesitantly shook my hand.
"I'm Y-Yana," she introduced herself.
"That's such a pretty name, Yana. So, where are we exactly? What is this building?" I asked.
"It's the town's orphanage," she answered easily. "And you're timing is perfect. I could use some help, the little ones are about to wake up from their nap," she said. I felt my heart break a little.