Little One, Chapter Five

Chapter 5

Amy groaned, sitting upright and wiping the sweat from her brow- somehow, she had fallen asleep again, for once free of nightmares. She sat up, wrapping the blankets around herself and sighing. The small girl rubbed her eyes and glanced about- it was dawn; she must have slept in for quite a while. With a bit of effort she extricated herself from the bed and peeked out the window- a hint of a smile played about her face as she watched the sun peek over the horizon.

Slowly, the young girl retreated to the bed, too tired to try and stay up. She curled under the blankets in a little ball. Suddenly she shoved her face into a pillow, trying in vain to hold back a furious coughing fit. She had been feeling miserable for a few days, but had opted not to mention it to her new friend. There was a moment of serene silence, broken by the padded footsteps of Anya, who opened the door with a frown.

"Was that you Amy??" She stared wide-eyed, as the smaller girl meekly averted her gaze.

"W-was, um, was what me?"She mumbled, trying to avoid the subject of her cough. Anya's soft pink eyes bored into her, causing Amy to flinch a bit, before confessing. "Y-yes... I'm a little sick..."

Anya sighed, and walked off for a moment. She returned with a bottle of cough syrup. She poured out a cup and handed it to Amy. "Drink it." She ordered. "You are more than a 'little' sick."

Amy sighed, reluctantly tossing back the foul liquid, swallowing with a shuddery gulp. "Agh!" She sputtered. "Gross!"

"Yeah." Anya giggled. "It is. But it'll help your cough and your throat won't hurt for a while. If you start hacking again, come get me and I'll give you some more, okay?"

Amy sighed miserably, glancing at the now-empty cup of medicine. "Okay." She reluctantly consented. Despite the foul taste, it was kinda nice to have any form of care.

"Have you ever been this sick before?"

Amy nodded. "Lot's. Especially after I w-was alone. I was always cold n' wet and stressed and I h-hear that's not healthy." She shrugged. "I... I remember one time..."

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Amy shuddered with a horrible, violent sneeze. She wiped her nose bitterly on her sleeve, wrapping herself tighter in her raincoat. She huddled near a power generator just outside a house, absorbing the tiny amount of warmth that it gave off. She sneezed again, even worse than before, so hard that it burst a blood vessel in her nose. The tiny girl sobbed in horror, staring at the blood on her hands. Grinding her teeth, she steeled herself and struggled to stay focused. She needed water- good, clean, water. It would soothe her throat and clean her nose. She scrambled forward, wheezing every now and then. She eventually came across a river and risked a drink- she sipped before shuddering- the water was slightly dirty, but drinkable. She drank a bit more, letting the cold liquid ease her wretched thirst. She used her damp sleeves to wipe up the bloodied nose and scooped some water to her nose, easing the slight stinging sensation. Sighing, the small girl crawled back to her warm place beside the generator. She curled up and again burst into another coughing fit.

Or perhaps, they were simply sobs.

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Amy timidly sipped at a bowl of soup Anya had made for her. She kept her eyes low, not wanting to speak any further- her food was hot, and Anya's sympathetic face made her somewhat uncomfortable. She felt a soft touch on her head, and she looked up at Anya, who ruffled her hair silently. The pale-skinned girl stood up, smiling softly at her roomie, giving her a soft hug. "You'll be fine. I promise." She let go, smiling gently.

Amy blushed a little, lowering her gaze a bit. The small girl interlaced her fingers together, managing a small smile, followed by a slight cough. Anya, without a hint of humor, handed her another cup of medicine. Amy groaned, but tossed it back without any verbal complaint. However, she was glaring a little bit.

Anya held a hand over her mouth to hold in a giggle. It was the most nonthreatening glare she had ever encountered. She was just so tiny and her face too frail. A thought occurred to her. Amy was small; just a few inches under five feet, maybe four foot eight at the most., but she was also drastically thin. On a whim, she took a moment to open her computer, at a desk next to the bed while Amy slurped down her soup. She took a moment to look up a few average height-weight charts. According to them, the ideal weight for a person that was about 4'9" was somewhere around seventy-five to ninety pounds. She glanced at Amy, before walking out of the room.

Amy tilted her head, before shrugging and finishing off her meal, setting it aside. Anya returned with a scale. She lay it on the floor and flicked it on. She wanted to be sure, but Amy most definitely did not look like she weighed that much.

"Stand here, Amy." She commanded gently, helping the small girl to her feet. The small girl obeyed, standing on the scale, wincing as her bare feet touched the cold surface. After a moment it calculated her weight- Sixty-one pounds, even with the robe on. Anya tutted softly, helping Amy back into bed.

She fetched a thermometer, and a few other things. "Time you get a checkup." She gently placed the device in Amy's ear, until it beeped. A hundred and four degrees. A prime example of a perfectly unhealthy little girl. Sighing, she shook her head, and had Amy stand again. The girl's limbs were just as skinny as her body, but over the past few days, the color had been returning to her face- she looked a bit more flush, but in a natural, healthy way. However, it was also being caused by her fever. After a quick, rudimentary check-up, she lay the tiny girl back down.

"Sleep." She ordered calmly. "If you get some sleep, you'll get better faster." She then offered a smile, and ruffled Amy's hair again. Amy nodded shyly, snuggling back into the bed with a tiny grin.

"Any excuse to stay someplace so soft and comfy is okay w-with me." The little girl managed a half-hearted giggle, before nestling under the blankets and into her pillows- she almost vanished into the bed. Anya hid a smile, before slipping into a chair at her desk, grabbing a pencil and beginning to write, slowly and smoothly. She wrote down what Amy had told her, as well as some shorthand notes of what she thought of it.

I always wondered, why do such awful things seem to always happen to harmless, good people? Is it because they are good that bad things happen? Because that can't be right. Because I know good people who don't have bad things happen to them...

Poor Amy. Nobody should have so much trouble smiling. It looks like it almost hurts her. Poor thing...

She glanced at Amy, head tilted to the side. The small girl was already nestled down and fast asleep. Anya couldn't help a wry smile.

I get the feeling I won't be using my own bed for a bit. Maybe I should get another bed for her.

Sighing, the albino girl rubbed her brow. Big sis would kill me. The small girl stretched her arms behind her back, popping her shoulders and neck. Actually, I don't care about that. I want to make Amy happy. I think she needs more hugs. She chuckled. I think I ought to find out more about her... There's a big gap in her story, between when her family left her and when she was all alone.

After a pause, Anya wrote four questions on the paper, before folding it and tucking it into her breast pocket, before grabbing her stick and leaving to go on a walk.

What was foster care like?
How many homes were you in?
What was school like??
Why did you run away????

Anya rubbed her face weakly, letting her mind wander. Then, she picked up the phone. It was time to get Amy a proper check-up. She only knew so much after all.