Little Red

Squeals of high pitched laughter echoes across the small playground built out in the back of the orphanage. Kids ranging from five to almost sixteen dart across the grounds, chasing one another in a game of tag or engage in fictitious battles that took place in faraway lands. An older woman sits by the entryway to the orphanage, supervising the children while they play. Feeling content that the younglings were fine and happy, her gaze flits over to where she spots a red headed young girl playing by herself in the same spot every afternoon. Sheets of white paper covered in her own little works of art ruffle a bit in a stray breeze from where they are in her backpack as she conjures up a game for herself to stay occupied for the time they were outside.

A saddened expression crosses the woman’s face as she watches the child play by herself. The girl had been shunned by her fellow peers about a week in after she had first arrived. A service worker had found her alone in her house, sitting on the doorstep after her parents were reported missing. She was only five. Everyone had seemed curious about the new girl; they always were. But something… unsettled the other kids, making them lash out and call her names. Of course they didn’t do any of those things where the adults could see but she could tell by the way the girl behaved. She was a strong headed child and tried not to show just how much the isolation affected her but it was there. The supervisor lets out a small sigh. A sweet as a little red head was… God knows when she would be adopted. Who would take in a child with bright red hair and glowing red eyes? She had been there for the past five years and still no one had taken a shining to her.

The older woman glances down at the data pad in her hand. It was an older model, a little more bulky than the most recent one that had been released a few months back but it got the job done. It was a resilient thing. She thumbs the access panel and it takes her fingerprint, unlocking itself. She scrolls through and brings up the agenda for the day. She had heard word from her manager earlier in the week that they would be receiving an interesting visitor today. Just how interesting, the woman didn’t know. Her mouth pulls into a thin line and places her elbow on an arm rest, propping her head up with her middle and index fingers and thumb.

“Loretta?”

The woman jumps a little, having spaced out for a moment, and glances up over the top of her data pad to spot the little girl standing in front of her with her hands behind her back.

“Avery,” Loretta replies, smiling a bit. “What brings you over here?”

“I made you something,” the little girl says, rocking back a bit on her heels. Loretta places her tablet in her lap and leans forward, giving the child her full attention.

“You did, did you?”

“Uh huh! Close your eyes.”

The supervisor smiles again before shutting her eyes. A rustling of paper sounds off nearby.

“Okay. Open them!” Avery announces and Loretta glances down at her to see piece of paper that the little girl had doodled on. It showed the orphanage and a few of the staff members Avery had managed to talk to and befriend. Loretta smiles at her.

“Oh my. You certainly outdid yourself this time,” she replies and Avery grins broadly, giving her a bashful, “Thanks” before handing Loretta the paper. The supervisor takes it and sets it on top of the data pad.

“How’re you doing today?” the woman asks as Avery swings her arms a bit by her sides.

“I’m okay.”

“Anyone bugging you?”

The red haired girl shakes her head causing a large black strand of hair to fall in front of her face and she pushes it back behind her ear. Loretta’s eyes search her face, trying to see if the child was fibbing but, after a few seconds, she could see that Avery was telling the truth.

“Okay. If anyone does start bugging you, you come get me. Alright?”

“Yes ma’am,” Avery replies, nodding to her. Loretta smiles and lightly pokes her nose, causing the girl to giggle a little before she wanders back over to her spot. The smile fades a bit from the supervisor’s face as she watches the red haired girl sit back down with her toys by herself and glances down at the little drawing in her lap.

This child deserves so much more than what this place can offer her, she thinks and runs a hand through her dark brown hair before pulling it up into a loose bun with a hair tie on her wrist. A few minutes pass by before Loretta picks up on low voices and the dull rhythmic thunk of wood on tile behind her. She glances back and spots the receptionist walking with a figure who easily dwarfed him. Her eyebrows rise up in surprise before she composes herself, keeping a professional air about her as she stands to meet them.

“Ah, there you are,” the receptionist says, a nervous smile on his face. The supervisor nods to him.

“I take it this is our guest,” she replies, clasping her hands behind her back. “I’ll take him from here, Mike.”

“Gotcha,” Mike responds and glances at the two before nodding once and begins to walk back to his post by the front of the building.

“Forgive him,” Loretta says, looking back over at their guest and feels a little intimidated by how much he towered over her. “He got here a few weeks back and isn’t used to speaking to visitors. Give him a little time and he’ll be a master at it. I’m Loretta Williams.” The woman offers their visitor her hand out of respect and shakes his, noticing just how small she as compared to him. “I’m our manager’s, Amanda Carlton, second in command here. I watch over the children and keep the peace as best I can.” She smiles a bit. “We don’t get many like you down here so I think it’s safe for me to assume you’ve arrived for an important reason.”

“Indeed I have. I am Serva Vadamee and I have received word that young red haired girl was placed in this orphanage,” their guest replies in a deep voice aged by time and hardship. “Is she still here by any chance?”

Loretta’s eyebrows rise again at his question. A Sangeheili… here for Avery…? What on earth? She clears her throat and nods.

“She is, yes. May I ask why you are interested in seeing her?”

“I have heard that she possesses… unique gifts that set her apart from the others around her. I would like to see just what exactly she can do and show her how to use them to her potential.”

“Gifts… You know what she… Why her eyes are the way they are?”

The old warrior nods to her, placing both hands on the top of the wooden cane in front of him. “I have been around for many years. If I may speak with her, with your permission of course, I would like to see if she would be inclined to seeing what exactly she is capable of doing.”

Loretta falls quiet for a few seconds and glances over where the girl could be seen playing. A collective hush had covered the playground where the other children were centered, giving the visitor curious looks.

“I suppose so… Avery is over there,” the supervisor responds finally and gestures to where she was.

“Thank you. I won’t take long.” The woman watches him make his way over to where the red haired girl sat with her toys. Avery was rummaging around in her bag for something before hearing the cane hit the grass near her and glances up in time to see the Sangheili approach her. Her head tilts to the side a little as a curious expression crosses her face. She had remembered coming across a book that spoke about his kind before but had never expected one to come to her orphanage.

And… he’s walking over to me…

She looks over to where she could see Loretta and the woman gives her a reassuring smile.

If Loretta thinks he’s alright… I guess everything’s okay… But what if he thinks I’m a freak like every other adult does?

A frown forms on her face, replacing the curiosity that had taken residence there. Her eyes flit up just as Serva reaches her and watches as he kneels down in front of her, grunting a bit as he uses the cane as a crutch to help lower himself down to her eye level.

He’s so big, she thinks, looking the grizzled warrior over and takes in his appearance. She notices the scars that he had accumulated over the years and tries not to stare at them.

“Uh… Hullo,” she says, breaking the silence. She could feel the other kids staring at them but does her best to ignore it.

“Hello there.”

His voice is so deep too!

“I… guess you’re here to adopt one of us. Everyone wants to go home with someone and most of them do. But I don’t look like everyone else. They don’t have red eyes.” Why did she feel herself becoming pessimistic? Maybe she suddenly felt that she would never be taken in by a new family due to her appearance. “You probably think I’m freak too…”

"Find you a freak? Dear, I see a young girl who is very very talented,” Serva replies in an honest tone and looks at Avery who watches him with big eyes and curiosity only a child could muster.
"Tell me, do you like it here, dear? I have plenty of time to converse. I want to see what you think of this… refuge?"

The small red haired girl moves to sit cross legged in front of him and absentmindedly pulls a doll into her lap. She glances down at it, feeling more than a little surprised that someone didn't find her red eyes freaky.  

"It's... okay, I guess," she finally says after a few seconds of hesitation. "I have a bed and food and the adults are nice..." Her gaze flits over to the other children, who had gone back to playing their games, which told a different story before she looks back up at Serva. "People stopped bugging me after a while so now I have time to play and draw!" She smiles a little though it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

"Bugging you... Teasing? Harassment? Well… I suppose the beds and treatment is nice here.” She watches the Sangheili crane his neck around, noticing the other children playing on the playground a few meters away from them before returning his attention back to Avery. “Oh, I see you’re alone. Shall I play with you at least, dear?" A smile can be seen on the elder warrior’s scarred face. He was once the proud leader of Sangheilios, now a humble and kind sage. The girl watches as he kneels down and sits cross legged as well. His hands rest on his knees, robes rustling a bit as he moves, before he takes a clean sheet of her drawing paper out from her bag and begins to fold it.

"Tell me of your... ability you have, dear. Your talent?” Serva asks her. “The one the staff sees you sometimes using. I’m curious!"
Her eyebrows rise up a little in surprise and a genuine smile crosses her face as she watches his nimble fingers bend and fold the paper into a different shape. She couldn’t believe someone was taking an interest in her.

"Ooh! That one." Avery glances around until she finds the small scythe nearby that was close to four feet in length and picks it up. "One of the teachers helped show me how to make this. She liked how creative I got." The little girl stands up and holds it next to her, the dull red color glinting in the sun. "I can't swing it around too much or I'll get in trouble. I used to have to hide it because some of the bigger boys said they'd take it but they've already left a long while ago with other families so I don't have to worry about that anymore." Her head then tilts to the side as she recalls the old leader’s questions before she rocks back on her heels, the small scythe clasped in her hands behind her back. "I can see better in the dark than the other kids and I sometimes see colors coming off of other people if I focus hard enough."

Serva leans back a little, taking a few seconds to process the girl’s creation. He tilts his head, mainly in awe, before chuckling happily. "Impressive, beautiful, creative even! A young girl like yourself will become the next generation of our kind indeed! Hmm....Well, now that you told me about that, what of a... family? Are there any left seeing as you are here of all places for a child? Or I assume they cannot take care of you? Forgive me if these questions may seem a bit difficult for you to answer but I just want to know more of you, my dear. You’re very interesting and well..." Avery watches as he folds the paper into a small ornate butterfly and smiles before a purple glow surrounds his body. Suddenly, the folded paper twitches and soon lifts off the palm of his hand and into the air. It flies a little wobbly before circling around Avery, almost as if it was playing tag with the red headed girl. "You’re not alone out there with... strange, yet beautiful talents,” the old warrior says, watching her.

Avery’s bright red eyes track its movements and her mouth drops open in surprise as what had once been a flat piece of paper flies around her as if by magic. She raises a hesitant hand to it, afraid that if she touched it, the spell keeping it afloat would break before her gaze flits back over to the Sangheili who seemed to be watching her with what seemed like an amused look on his face.

“There’re other people out there that are… like me?” she asks, sounding puzzled and a bit shocked by the news before her demeanor suddenly shifts and sadness creeps into her voice. "There isn't anyone left to take care of me. My mom was... killed one day when she left to go out on some sort of mission and my daddy?" Her small shoulders rise up a bit in a shrug and drop once more. "I don't know what happened to him. He wouldn't have left us. I know he wouldn't but... he's not here anymore or else I wouldn't be stuck here." Her gaze lowers to the scuffed points of her shoes that had been worn down by the many times she’d used them. She had always tried not to think about what happened to her parents but… it was hard not to. Her vision blurs a little and she wipes at them quickly with the heel of her palm. She wouldn’t cry in front of the stranger. Not now.

A saddened yet comforting expression crosses the Sangheili’s face after he listens to her story. Serva reaches out and places a hand on her head, smiling a bit as he looks at her. His eyes glow a faint purple. “No matter what became of your parents and family, know that they loved you and that they would want the best for you,” he replies reassuringly. “I'm sure your fallen family is looking down, proud of who you are, dear. I would be." Moving his hand back, he smiles again and holds his hands together in front, resting his head on them as support before nodding to her as he goes to answer her first question.

“Oh yes. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of us in the galaxy! And we have a multitude of
refuges set up throughout several systems. All of us are brothers and sisters, guardians of the shadows and hidden knowledge, something only the truly talented and wonderful kind, like you and I, are allowed to safeguard,” he explains. “Tell me, would you enjoy a warm bed, food, others like you and a way to unlock your potential? How you answer will determine what becomes of your future. Do choose wisely but know that you will have a family with whatever choice you choose, dear. I made arrangements for this day!" Serva waits for her response, a look filled with reassuring and comforting happiness plain on his face.

Avery looks up at him, pushing her black streak of hair that had fallen forward into her face back behind her ear and mulls her options over in her head. She had been in this place for most of her life. Going to a new place would be scary but... to think that there were actually people just like her? She couldn't believe it and she was almost bouncing with excitement and what felt like hope for the first time in a long time. People like her who wouldn't think her red eyes were weird and wouldn't pick on her at lunch or when their teacher wasn't looking. She'd be able to finally find a place where she belonged in this big world and could figure out why she was so different from everyone else. Avery then looks back up at Serva and smiles.

"I would like to go. I wanna see the other people like me! I wanna know why I'm not like everyone else," she replies before quickly adding, "please?"

The old warrior found her exuberance rather amusing but welcoming and stands up, bracing himself against the cane. “Then, please, come with me young Avery. We’ll gather your things and set course for Harvest immediately! I'm sure the others will be very pleased and happy to welcome a new apprentice into our order!” He lets out a warm laugh before he holds his hand out to her. He smiles to himself, eyes gleaming with pure joy. The young girl’s excitement was a bit contagious as he looks forward to see what will become of this entry in her new life.

Avery grabs what toys she had out with her and puts them in a small backpack that she slings over her shoulders. She then picks up her little scythe in one hand before taking hold of the Sangeheili's proffered hand, seeing how it encompasses hers.

"It'll be like an adventure, huh?" she says, glancing up at him. "Kind of like one in a book."
Serva chuckles once more in amusement as he watches the young girl clasp his hand.
“Something like that, yes. This time, however, we’ll be the authors of our tales,” he replies as she walks with him across the grounds. There would be paperwork that had to be filled out but… she was going to have a home. An actual home with people who she belonged with. It was almost impossible to believe and she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face as they enter the orphanage once more to get a few things in order. Avery heads up to her room quickly and gathers up the necessary belongings and items of sentimental value into another bag before she walks back down to the lobby to stand with Serva.

Loretta is there as well and the woman fought back tears after everything signed and put into order. She kneels down in front of the little girl and takes her hands in her own.

“You know… I’m going to miss you running around here and your little drawings,” the supervisor says, smiling a bit before pulling her into a tight hug that Avery returns just as tightly. “We’re going to miss you so much but I know you’re going to a good home where you’ll grow up to be an amazing young woman.” Loretta then holds her at arm’s length, studying the child’s face for a second before she kisses Avery’s forehead. “Hopefully we’ll still be here when you drop in to say hello. I want to see just how much you’ve grown. You stay safe out there. I know you’ll do well.”

“I’m gonna miss you, too,” the red head replies, rubbing at her eyes where tears had begun accumulate. “I’ll come back to visit you guys again.”

“I know you will. We’ll see you again, Avery. Take care.” Loretta squeezes her hands once before she stands up and looks over at the Sangheili. “Take good care of her. She means more than a lot to us,” she says and Serva inclines his head toward her.

“I will but judging by how she behaves, she’ll be able to handle herself within no time at all.” Avery looks up at him with a smile that he returns. “Come, my dear. There are many who are going to want to see you.” The girl glances back at Loretta whose mouth twitches into a smile and nods to Avery before they walk out of the orphanage to a car that had been prepared for them. As he approaches it, an agent in formal dress stands beside it and smiles at the two before saluting the elder out of respect.

"Thank you for having the car prepared. These old legs won't be able to walk very far now,” Serva remarks, letting out a short laugh. “Avery, come. I'll sit in the back with you, dear." The agent holds the door open for them before they both sit down. Serva then asks the driver to head back to the orbital elevator. Soon they would be off world within an hour or so, leaving the orphanage well behind them.

Thus begins a new chapter in Avery Deltin’s life. One that would soon begin to shape her into the young talented woman she was meant to be.