Page 98 of Enchanted Kingdom
I sighed. “That’s too bad.”
My mother nodded. “Yes, but Officer Grens was the one who handled it, so they didn’t get any lashings to their wrists or anything.”
I held a hand over my heart. “Thank goodness.”
Owen was looking at us strangely.
“What?” I asked him.
“So some children were caught stealing and you are glad they got off?” he asked curiously.
My mother turned and gave him a smile. “Oh, do not get me wrong, Mr. Raikes, we do respect the rules, it’s just the Ragle twins do not have a nice life. Their father died when they were little, and their mother cannot take care of all four of them on her own. The twins are rambunctious and always getting into things, yes, but when they steal, they usually only steal food. It is an unspoken rule in Nerede among the food shops that we do not turn them in for it.”
Owen gave her a smile of understanding. “Oh.”
“They truly need it,” I explained. “We would all prefer it if they’d just ask, but pride or fear of it getting back to their mother, whatever it may be, prevents that from happening.”
Mother paused before continuing with her Nerede gossip. “Hattie has been sending me Elouise and Gavin to help here and there.”
“Oh good!” I grinned. “I almost wish I don’t come home for a while now just for them to keep coming.”
“Hattie keeps asking about you,” she told me.
“Ugh,” I groaned. “I miss those kids so damn much, Mother.”
“Alani is worried you will get turned into a frog,” she said with a laugh. “They read some fairytale and now she is convinced you’ll return a frog.”
“Oh how sad!” I laughed. I was more worried about becoming a monster, but a frog was much simpler.
“I have some leftover rolls and bagels from yesterday that need delivered later, I’ll be sure to tell Alani you are still very much human.”
I set my teacup down forcefully. “Let’s just go!”
“What?” Mother asked.
“Let’s go deliver it now. We still have more than an hour. It’s a five-minute walk.”
Mother looked from me to Owen and back again. “Can we?”
I walked over to Owen, “Yes, can we? Please Owen?”
Owen’s eyes were wide. “You want to go to the orphanage? Right now?”
I nodded. “Yes. Yes, we do. Just to deliver our leftover food we cannot keep. I have done it for years and I know every single one of those children.”
“You don’t say.”
“Please!” I begged, taking his arm. Seeing those kids was exactly what I needed after this last week. I needed to be reminded of the good in the world.
Owen looked torn, like he wanted to say yes but needed to say no.
“Are you worried about Will approaching us again? Or something like that?”
“No.” Owen shook his head. “This time of day we should be able to go relatively unnoticed, it’s just....”
I didn’t understand what his inner battle was then.
He took a deep breath and gave me a smile. “Fine. Let’s go.”
