Page 26 of Believe

“An angel, honey. It couldn’t be anything but an angel.”

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Molly and Asia laughed as the kids finished their art projects for the holiday party. They’d taken the silliest themes and colors and made it their own for the holidays. In their world, there was no right or wrong, only creativity.

The walls were lined with paper chains, construction paper trees, and everything seemed to be covered in glitter, including themselves.

“Molly? Asia? How are you?” smiled Whiskey walking toward them with the others.

“Whiskey!” They rushed to hug him and the other men. Pork, Akin, Chipper, Garrett, Tango, and Skull.

“We’ve missed you guys,” said Asia. “Where’ve y’all been?”

“Busy, girl. Just like you,” laughed Skull. “Looks like we made it in time for the party.”

“It’s a lot of kids, Molly,” frowned Tango. “Are all of them street kids?”

“Not all,” she frowned. “Some are just from homes where the parents are rarely there. A few actually come from good homes, not great but good, but love coming here and hanging out. We had to add a dozen beds upstairs though if that tells you anything.”

“It tells me more than I need to know,” said Tango.

The laughter and happy screams of children enjoying holiday activities filled the entire building. The team brought bags and bags of groceries, gifts, warm blankets, and more.

As much fun as the kids were having, the men were enjoying it just as much. But when Skull noticed a little boy seated away from the rest, he knew something was wrong.

“What’s his story, Molly?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. You know we don’t push the kids. They’re welcome no matter what. I will not turn them away for any reason other than possession of drugs or weapons.

“I don’t even know his name. He won’t talk to me. He comes in every day, sits in that chair far away from the other kids. I give him a plate of food, he eats it but doesn’t ask for anything else.” Skull nodded, slowly walking toward the boy, afraid that he might scare him.

“Hi, there,” he smiled. “My name is Skull.”

The boy looked up at him with a puzzled expression. Skull couldn’t help but laugh at him.

“I know, that’s a weird name. But I used to be with the Coast Guard and I’m so big that I would crack my head on the doorways. So, I got this crazy nickname. What’s your name?”

The boy didn’t say anything, only looking away. He knew that he could hear him because he understood his name. Language wasn’t the issue, or hearing.

“You know, it’s okay to be afraid. Molly said you’ve been coming here for a while. You know that no one here will hurt you and you can always have a meal if you need one. You can also sleep here if you need to. We’d just like to know your name. If you need help, we can help you.”

The boy just stared at his worn shoes and Skull sat on the floor beside him. He wasn’t going to push the kid. He’d sit here quietly for as long as it took. They watched the other kids playing games, laughing, and having fun. But the boy never cracked a smile.

Skull just watched the party, watching the children enjoying themselves. Then, he felt something touch his face. The boy. His finger touched the long scar on his face and traced it from one end to the other. He let him touch it, not moving.

“Did it hurt?” he whispered.

“It did. A bad man did that to me a very long time ago when I was on a ship for the Coast Guard.”

“Did you hurt him?” asked the boy.

“I did. I made sure he would never hurt anyone again. Did a bad man hurt you?” asked Skull.

“No. I mean, not really.”

“What do you mean, not really?” asked Skull.

“I mean, I live with my granny and pappy and this man said they owed a lot of texes.”