She understood.

With few words, and little explanation, I knew Elsie understood me.

I dragged in a ragged breath, and Elsie mirrored my action. Minutes passed, silence again wrapping around us.

When the throbbing of my heart calmed, I asked, “Where are you from, Elsie?”

Elsie’s eyes narrowed on me, but she wrote, “Portland, Oregon.”

“How did you wind up in Seattle?”

I could see he didn’t want to answer, but she wrote, “I had to get away. I managed to get here, and,” she looked away; I squeezed her hand. She drew in a deep breath, and wrote, “I had nowhere else to go.”

I had no idea what to say in response. My mind flashed back to the corner of the alley and her being cold, thin and unwell. Those memories were plaguing me when she added, “I’ve never even seen Seattle, Levi. Apart from cold alleys, I don’t know the city at all.”

Elsie dropped her pen. Her face was tired and sad. I hated seeing her this way, then an idea popped into my head. “Elsie?”

Elsie faced me.

“You feeling better? Better enough to get away from this house for a while?”

Elsie’s forehead lined with confusion, but she slowly nodded her head, sadness being gradually replaced by intrigue.

Standing up, I pulled her to stand too, and instructed, “Go back to bed, get some sleep. Be ready to go by nine.”

Elsie’s face scrunched up in confusion. Pulling her toward me, I gently lifted my hand to her face. Elsie swallowed hard and I heard her breathing deepen. “I’m,” I pushed myself to say, “I’m taking you out tomorrow, around Seattle. The Seattle you’ve never seen.”

Elsie’s pink lips parted, and she exhaled a short breath. I froze, thinking she would refuse. When those lush lips lifted into a smile and she nodded her head.

I wanted to kiss her. This close, with that beautiful face beaming up at me, I wanted nothing more than to kiss her pink lips. But I didn’t. Like a coward, I backed away. I thought I saw a flash of disappointment in Elsie’s eyes, but she lowered her head before I could be sure.

Elsie grabbed her pen and paper; I took her hand. I walked her out of the pool house to the kitchen door. I opened the door, and Elsie walked through. When she glanced over her shoulder, I said, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Elsie smiled and walked up the stairs to her room. Just as I was about to shut the door, Lexi appeared from the darkened dining room, a sleeping Dante in her arms.

I opened my mouth to say something when Lexi beat me to it. “Dante woke up for a feed a while ago. I was in the dining room when I saw Elsie run by and leave. I panicked at first thinking she was running away, then I saw you by your pool house. Saw you let her inside.”

My face was on fire as Lexi spoke, rocking my nephew in her arms. I didn’t say anything, but I clearly didn’t need to. “You like her. A lot,” Lexi stated. Unable to lie to my brother’s wife, I nodded my head.

Lexi moved closer. “You’re taking her out tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Lexi nodded, then went to walk back up the stairs. Before she did, she turned round, and looked like she wanted to say something, but stopped herself. Needing to know what it was, I questioned, “What?”

Lexi looked in the direction of the stairs, in the direction Elsie went, and she said, “I think she’s been through more than we can understand, Lev. I’ve tried to talk to her every day, but she avoids conversation completely.” Lexi sighed and added, “I think she’s really broken inside. Severely. I think there’s something dark in her past that’s haunting her.”

My heart ached, and just as I turned to go back to my room, I whispered, “Then we’re the same. That’s what makes her so special to me.”

“Lev…” I heard Lexi hush out softly, but I was out of the door and into the pool house before she could react.

My mind raced with what Lexi said, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t already see. Elsie didn’t speak, she was too timid and shy.  She’d lost her mamma, like I had lost mine. And I could see she was lonely, just like me.

Taking off my jacket, I walked to the table to clear away the mugs, when I saw a piece of paper was lying on the top. I wondered what it was. Suddenly I recognized Elsie’s handwriting.

Moving round the table, I dropped to the seat. The paper was folded in two, my name written across the top.

My heartbeat picked up speed as I opened the paper. At first I was confused by the centralized column of words, then my heart burst apart when I read a poem that Elsie had written:

Alone and lost, appeared this saint,

With pretty gray eyes, darkness can’t taint.

He stole her from cold, from blustering storm,

Kind and gentle, he took her from harm.

Fearful of dark, he created her light,

A jar of gold, chasing demons of night.

Telling stories of love, he brought to her life,

A moment by his side: no pain, no strife.

He gifted her poems, a gesture on whim,

With every word read, she could see only him.

She counted the days until he returned home,

The boy with his light, the girl not alone.

Invisible to all, a shade wandering in dark,

He brought back her faith, with his pure kind heart.

I love poetry, Levi.

Thank you for the book.

Elsie x

I read through the poem three times. I poured over every word, every thought from her heart. Sitting back in the chair, I ran my hand down my face. Then I stared at the clock on the wall, counting down the hours until our date.

Eight hours.

Twenty-four minutes.

Twelve seconds.

Damn torture until I could see her again… and maybe hold her hand.

* * * * *

I knocked on Elsie’s bedroom door, and waited for her to answer. I’d had about two hours of sleep by the time I finally closed my eyes, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t have traded the time spent reading and rereading her poem for all that I had.

With every word read, she could see only him… She counted the days until he returned home…

These lines, these two lines had my head spinning. I’d put the poem in my drawer, keeping it safe—I’d never be throwing it away.

Elsie’s door suddenly opened. I opened my mouth to say “Hi” but my voice was lost the minute the silent girl was framed by the doorway.

My eyes fell over how she looked, and I was dumbstruck—skinny blue jeans, a white cami top with a cute pink sweater hugging her slim frame. She wore black leather ankle boots on her feet, and held a fitted padded black jacket in her hands. But it was her hair that had me staring the most, or rather how she wore it. Her hair was back in a French braid, small silver heart earrings dangling in her ears. She always looked beautiful, but she looked even more beautiful because all her hair was off her face. Her pretty face was revealed for me to savor, no longer hidden behind the curtain of blond strands that normally shielded her from the world, concealing her shyness.

Then my heart swelled when I thought that I could be the reason she was no longer hiding. That I could be the one that had helped her step out of the dark.

Invisible to all, a shade wandering in dark… He brought back her faith, with his pure kind heart…

As those lines played in my head, I realized I’d been standing here silently staring. Elsie was motionless as she watched me watch her. Stepping forward, I bravely ran my finger down her soft cheek. A blush bloomed in its wake, and I whispered, “You’re real pretty, Elsie.”