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“Freezing,” I admitted. Without a word, Ducky removed his oversized coat and draped it over my shoulders. I zipped it closed, inhaling the flowery scent that was uniquely Ducky.

His long brown hair was braided, cascading over his shoulder. I yearned to run my fingers through it. Touch it. Would it feel as soft as it looked?

“You don’t come around as much as you used to,” Ducky deadpanned. He tried to keep his voice impassive, but it broke halfway through. He was hurt, devastated.

Didn’t he know that I would rather be here than anywhere else? Did he know how much he meant to me?

My fingers interlocked with his, and I squeezed his hand.

“You know I love our time together,” I whispered.

“More than anything?”

“More than anything.” I smiled, and his answering one was luminescent. I practically melted when he directed it at me.

The shrill ringing of the school bell announcing recess as over broke us apart. We both jumped, heads snapping upwards.

“I need to go.” He sounded so sad, so despondent, as his head turned towards the front door of the school. Children were teeming near the entrance, waiting for the teachers to let them in.

I yearned to be one of them, one of those students. What would it be like to be a normal child?

“See you tomorrow?” Ducky asked timidly. He blinked at me through his thick fringe of lashes.

“Always.”

I waited until he was lost in the sea of kids before I ambled to my feet, wiped dirt off my dress, and headed back in the direction of my home. Well, my home for now.

Daddy moved us monthly, it felt like. This home was the furthest from the school I’d ever been, a penthouse at the top of one of his hotels.

The walk back was quiet, interrupted by only the intermittent chirp of birds and the songs of crickets. It was peaceful, serene, and I resisted the urge to spin in a circle like a fairytale princess.

I stopped near the largest oak and removed Ducky’s jacket, folding it up and putting it in a chest I always kept at the base of the tree. I was beginning to acquire quite the collection of his clothes. His pants, too long for both him and me. His tee shirt I wore after I spilled chocolate on my own. His sweatshirt. And now his coat.

I smiled softly, emotions I had never felt before warming me from the inside out.

Finally, the hotel came into view. It was an impressive structure, even my ten year old mind could see that. Roughly hewn logs gave the hotel a rustic feel. Balconies sprouted from each room, black rails freshly painted. The doorman, a sweet guy named Nate, smiled when I entered and nodded his head.

“Good morning, little miss.”

“Good morning.”

He never asked me where I went so early, before the sun fully crested the tree boughs. And more importantly, he never tattled on me.

I moved into the spacious lobby and smiled at the front desk worker.

His smile faltered, eyes widening in alarm, just as a rough hand grabbed my little arm.

“Where have you been?” Daddy sneered, dragging me towards the elevator. I struggled futilely, but it was no use. I was no match for him.

“I took a walk,” I lied easily. He would kill me if he discovered the truth.

“Every morning?” he countered darkly. The elevator was empty, and he all but shoved me into the tiny box. I fell onto my hands and knees, a sob being wrenched from my throat.

“I’m sorry, Daddy.”

“You should be.”

My fear only grew when he pressed the button for the basement, not the top floor. Only one thing was in the basement. The elevator descended, and it felt like I was traveling to hell.