Chapter 4: Welcome To Angie's Home.

Elizabeth’s POV

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I blink at Chris’ sudden suggestion, meeting his unwavering solid gaze with my baffled ones and staying with him until I huff. Ripping my gaze to look at Angie, she looks just as shocked and he presses on with our silence.

“It’s only an impulsive suggestion and besides, you keep refuting Angie’s help so I jumped in without thinking” He explains, attracting my eyes to see him still staring at me with those unreadable fixated orbs. “...you should hear her out too, try to understand her concern”.

I gulp quietly, his words guilt-tripping me as I lean back against the backrest without saying a word. Here I am, thinking she’s being pushy and not trying to see things from my angle but it’s not like I tried doing the same myself. I shift in position, “I know what you mean...”

Looking straight into his observant orbs, “...however, I can’t impose my problem on you either. I don’t know who you are but I can only accept your concern and nothing more”.

“Beth” Angie raises her voice a little and looking over to her, I let out a sigh and speak calmly, “I’m sorry I spoke out of tact, I just don’t feel right suddenly being told I’ve got to subscribe to people’s help to live my life now...I’ll need time to digest that, you know”.

Angie pouts angrily at me while Chris just shrugs, holding the straw in his beverage glass, “Suit yourself”.

Not like I’m expecting anything else from someone I don’t know but, his somewhat bland and nonchalant tone rubs me off as standoffish as I try not to glare at him.

“Let’s switch topic, the tension is suffocating- Beth” Angie’s back in her bright mood again and darting her hands out to grab mine, pulling them across the table. “However you like to evade it, you’re blatantly homeless now so, you have to live with me until your stubbornness manages to get you a place of your own. Why don’t we hang out for a while until I take you there?”

Angry she had to broadcast my pathetic situation like that, but unable to dwell on it because of the funny way she goes about it, I give in with sagging shoulders and she grins elatedly. “Will you come with us, Chris?”

I never liked her at all back then, but Angie was as defiant as a Mule when she had unilaterally yanked me off to introduce me to the other children at the orphanage. I think that had been the first time I cried since my waking up after that horrendous incident. Perhaps, that fragile heart of mine I had deliberately kept frozen, had been touched so immensely that I was overwhelmed by all the emotions I had forced away.

‘But, why does she want him to come with us?’ I hold a blank face as I rear my gaze to glimpse at him only to meet him doing the same. I flinch and avert my gaze, turning my body as well when I hear his lazy voice say, “Sure, not like I’ve got anything doing for the rest of my day”.

Angie’s happy clap follows and in the next minute, she’s hurling us out of the place and onto the cold street. Angie’s probably ingested the map of Ewon as she knows every nook and cranny there is, coupled with her vast knowledge of the recent and current affairs of the city.

Angie’s home is a simple and cozy two-story building not much different from where I lived with my family. Having a little wooden porch out front, a mowed lawn, and a spacious driveway. As we both chatter up the walkway beneath the blasting light pole, she informs me her folks aren’t home yet and fishes the keys out of her coat’s pocket to open the door.

“It’s not much, but it ensures good three-square meals and a warmth like no other,” She says smugly as she brings the door open and wobbles in boisterously as if boasting. I chuckle behind her and tease cheekily, “You talk like you pay the rent or something. I bet you don’t even take any chores”.

Angie fumes by the time we reach the bottom of a staircase along a wall and turns with a miffed face, fisting her hands as she retorts petulantly, “Hey! I’m not a lazy bum. I clean up my room and help mom out with the kitchen chores too”.

“Oh wow, someone’s been growing up, huh?” I continue to drop poking teases at her back until we reach the top and she opens the first door to the left with a grumpy huff. Removing my gaze from her, I peer into her room when she brings the lights on.

“See? It’s always tidy in here. I admit I was a rowdy lazy thing in the past but yup, I have grown up” She speaks with pride beneath her empty voice and I giggle, nodding in approval as she closes the door behind us.

Like a typical female teenager, her room is in a cool shade of pink, with a large bed that can fit three people right in the middle with folded comforters on it; pillows are pink and just like the sheets, are of Disney cartoons. The windows are large and there’s a reading desk with a pink lamp. A tall wardrobe of four doors stands across from the desk and next to the bathroom door.

“All in pink, I expected no less” I give a bland comment and hear Angie growl beside me but she says nothing as I giggle to myself, taking approaches to her big bed while she huffs and moves to the windows, grabbing the white curtains.

In just one day, I feel like I’ve already been taken and shown every place in the city as I slum onto the bed with a loud groan. “I’m never going anywhere with you ever again, Angie. You’ve drained me!”

She giggles from her spot by the window, shutting it from the cold wind and turning to mock me. “What? Chris didn’t even complain and you were pretty much amazed and excited” She says in her defense and I begin to lazily move my body, folding up and protruding my butt in the air as I force myself to flip up and sit on my heels at the middle of the bed.

Angie giggles petulantly and comes sitting on the bed, daring to still hold her giggles. “On second thought, should I have accepted his offer to crash at his place instead?” I begin to think on purpose, rubbing my chin when Angie jumps in protest.

“There’s no way you’ve suddenly taken a liking to him on just the first day. I won’t condole that!” Her outburst has me chuckling as I adjust my position, folding my legs on the bed and she hisses, rescinding away to speak to adopt a serious voice.

“That aside, you still need to tell me about the fire at the orphanage. So many were dead and many...injured”. Hearing her say this, I tense reflexively, dreading the incident altogether as I force myself to rattle out, “That’s not something I can talk about now...maybe some other time”.

Angie wants to say some more when someone’s voice rings from downstairs. “Angie, we’re home!”

Alert at once, Angie leaps out of the bed, speeding out of the room in a flash as I listen to the fading stomping of her feet as she hurries towards the voice. Her family must’ve returned, huh? I push towards the edge of the bed gloomily where I throw my legs down and sit properly, in wait for her return.

I can’t tell Angie about the secret of that orphanage and also the cause of the fire. The time isn’t right, yet. ‘Family...I haven’t asked her about it just yet, have I?’ I feel my chest constrict as my heart is laced with a strange feeling of forlornness.

After Zara’s disappearance, many months wheeled by and Angie found a family that was interested to adopt her. She was a child anyone would love, but I was reluctant to lose her like I had lost Zara. However, I realized if truly I wanted her safe and protected, I needed to make an exception and trust those adults with both eyes open as I had released her hand.

It takes some time but Angie eventually shows up, carrying a satisfied smile on her face and humming merrily. “You look especially happy, they got you something you’ve always wanted?” I tease, concealing the rueful air and she flushes; bingo.

Angie strolls away from the door and is instantly plopping down closely beside me and ready to spill.

She parts her lips in preparation to ignite her ranting but suddenly clamps her mouth shut and lowers her eyes, swinging her legs like a child. Disturbed, I ask, “Are you okay, Angie? You’re not dying to tell me anymore?”

Probing her with my eyes but she keeps dodging expertly until she can’t take it any longer and stands to her feet, “Wanna go downstairs with me to go say hi?” Her invite has me stiffening at once with my lips in a tight line.

Sensing my sudden dreary silence, she swiftly turns around and grasps my hands. “Beth, I know you still hold distrust and skepticism towards people but- It’s not like I can keep you here without them knowing. I already spoke to them about having you stay with us”.