A small figure stood near the gate, partly hidden by the shadow of the church wall—a child, but not one of theirs. Ava would have recognized every face here. This girl was a stranger.
And she looked utterly lost.
“All right, ye wee demons,” Ava called out, causing several heads to turn. “I need to step away for a moment. Can ye manage nae to kill each other while I’m gone?”
“Aye!” came the chorus of responses, though Thomas immediately tackled Robbie, so Ava had her doubts.
She made her way across the yard, moving slowly to avoid startling the girl. As she drew closer, her chest tightened with worry. The child couldn’t have been more than eight or nine, with dark hair hanging in tangled waves around a too-pale face.
Her dress was decent enough. Nicer than anything the orphanage children wore, but it was dirty and torn at the hem, as if she’d been walking through rough terrain. Still, it was her eyes that made Ava’s heart tighten. They were wide and frightened, darting around the yard like she was searching for something or someone.
“Sweetheart,” Ava said softly, crouching down a few feet away so she’d be less intimidating. She kept her voice gentle, the same tone she used with the most skittish of the orphans. “Are ye all right?”
The girl’s eyes locked on her, and she instantly stepped back, her tiny frame tense like a cornered animal.
“Hey, it’s all right. I’m nae goin’ to hurt ye.” Ava held up her hands, showing they were empty. “I just want to make sure ye’re safe. What’s yer name?”
The child stared at her but said nothing. Her lips pressed together in a thin line, and her hands twisted the fabric of her skirt.
“That’s all right, ye daenae have to tell me if ye daenae want to.” Ava offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I’m Ava. I volunteer here at the orphanage, see?” She gestured to the building behind them. “Those other children playin’? I help take care of them sometimes.”
Still nothing. But the girl’s eyes flickered toward the other children, watching them play with something that seemed like longing.
“Are ye lost, sweetheart?” Ava asked gently. “Did ye get separated from yer family?”
At the word ‘family,’ something changed in the girl’s expression.
Her small body stiffened, shoulders hunched inward as if she were trying to make herself smaller, to disappear.
Ava’s breath caught. She recognized that posture, having learned it herself as a child—how to take up less space and become invisible when ‘family’ brought danger instead of safety.
“It’s all right,” Ava repeated, keeping her voice soothing even as old memories clawed at the edges of her mind. “Whatever happened, we can sort it out. But ye look like ye’ve been walkin’ for a while, aye? And I bet ye’re hungry.”
She paused, studying the child’s hunched posture and the way she held herself as though trying to take up as little space as possible. She recognized those signs; the learned smallness of a child who had been made to feel like a burden.
A warm meal would do a lot for ye, lass.
“When did ye last eat?” Her smile was intended to put the child at ease.
The girl’s shoulders relaxed visibly. A hand moved unconsciously to her stomach, and that told Ava everything she needed to know.
This child was hiding and scared. Just like Ava had, all those years ago.
“Right then. How about this, why daenae ye come inside with me? We’ve got bread and cheese, and I think Mrs. Crawford made some bannocks this mornin’. Do ye like bannocks?”
The girl’s expression didn’t soften, but she gave a tiny nod.
“Wonderful.” Ava slowly stood, still moving carefully. “Will ye come with me? I promise, ye’re safe here. No one’s goin’ to hurt ye or make ye do anythin’ ye daenae want to do.”
The girl hesitated, her eyes studying Ava’s face as if trying to figure out whether she was telling the truth. Whatever she saw there must have satisfied her, because after a long moment, she took a cautious step forward.
“That’s it,” Ava encouraged. “That’s a brave lass.”
Another step. Then another. Until finally, the girl was close enough that Ava could have reached out and touched her, though she didn’t. Not yet. This child was like a frightened bird; one wrong move and she’d bolt.
“See? That wasnae so hard.” Ava kept her tone light and warm. “Now, I’m goin’ to walk toward the orphanage, and ye can follow me if ye’d like. Or ye can stay here. Whichever makes ye more comfortable. All right?”
A slight nod.
