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Post by Guido Brunetti on Mar 27, 2008 1:49:31 GMT -5
*Commissario Guido Brunetti followed Little Red to her room at the inn. He opened the door and allowed her to enter first. Then he smiled gently to her.*
"Well, little signorina, here we are. I will leave you now, since it is late, and children at your age need their sleep. But I will come back and see you now and then. To make sure that everything is ok. You could have used some adoptive parents, but we can discuss that tomorrow. Think about if there are anyone you want to adopt you."
*He smiled and stroke her hair gently.*
"Is there anything else you need before I leave?"
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Mar 29, 2008 14:30:31 GMT -5
"I guess not," she said, a little sadly. "Promise you'll visit often? Um, so I don't get lonely?" Her voice raised in pitch slightly, both hopefully and nervously.
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Post by Guido Brunetti on Mar 29, 2008 14:37:17 GMT -5
*Guido smiled warmly. He had been in the police force long enough to recognize a lonely soul when he saw one. And this lonely and sad little child was a soul he wanted to protect.*
"I would never leave a little girl alone in a motel in Paris, without anyone to look after her. I will come and see you as often as I can. And I'll be back tomorrow. This is only a temporary solution for you. Until we find out where you can stay. But we can discuss that tomorrow. Now you need sleep."
*He stroke her hair gently before he left.*
"Buena notte, signorina. And sleep tight."
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Mar 30, 2008 1:12:53 GMT -5
She smiled and mumbled "good night" before turning around and closing the door behind her.
Not realizing how tired she was, she crawled into bed and fell asleep within minutes.
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Apr 2, 2008 18:08:49 GMT -5
She was only asleep for an hour or two when a bad dream woke her. She stayed in bed and stared at the ceiling, waiting to fall back asleep.
Then the door softly clicked open, and she jumped, her eyes snapping towards it.
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Post by Loki on Apr 2, 2008 18:13:20 GMT -5
Uwe stood in the doorway, silhouetted in the dim light of the hallway.
He smiled at her, a smile that wasn't happy at all, and took two steps into the room. The door closed slightly behind him, allowing her to see him.
"Hello, little girl."
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Apr 2, 2008 18:17:57 GMT -5
She sat up, her back stiff, and pressed against the headboard. Her face went very pale as she looked him up and down.
In a strained little voice, she mumbled, "Hello."
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Post by Loki on Apr 2, 2008 18:30:18 GMT -5
He grinned even wider, and still didn't look happy. He walked towards her in long, slow steps.
"You're going to be quiet, like a good little girl, aren't you?"
His huge fingers traced her cheekbone lightly.
"You're going to be quiet, and you're going to tell me where your piggy bank is."
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Apr 2, 2008 18:31:40 GMT -5
"I don't have a piggy bank," She said quickly, pushing herself as far from him as she could.
"My granny says, if anyone--if anyone comes into the house, I'm supposed to scream. Really loud. Break his eardrums."
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Post by Loki on Apr 2, 2008 18:33:23 GMT -5
"I'm sure your granny is a very charming lady," He said quietly.
His fingers trailed from her cheek to her waist.
"And I'm also sure you're lying to me."
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Apr 2, 2008 18:35:56 GMT -5
She stared at his hand, then glanced from his face to his hand, back and forth, back and forth.
Eventually she turned her face away, staring at the end table on the opposite side of the bed.
"Grown-ups aren't supposed to touch kids like that."
Her voice trembled, which only made her more frightened.
"There's some...I have some..." She bit her lip, swallowing nervously. "My apron--the pink one, on the chair--there's a bit of money in the pocket."
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Post by Loki on Apr 2, 2008 18:40:21 GMT -5
"Such a good girl."
He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, then turned and walked towards the chair. He pulled the few coins she had out of the pocket and dropped it on the floor.
Then the door clicked shut in the same quiet way it had opened, and he was gone.
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Apr 2, 2008 18:43:39 GMT -5
She waited a minute or two, then turned and stared at the door, half expecting him to walk back in.
When he didn't, she pulled the bedcovers back and walked across the room. Daintily, she picked her apron up between two fingers, folded it carefully, and set it back on the chair.
Glancing from the chair to the door, she decided to push it over and lodge it beneath the door handle. Seeing such a flimsy chair with a pretty pink apron on it made her feel even more vulnerable, and she wasn't able to go back to bed until a desk and lamp had been pushed in front of the door, too.
Then she sat on the bed, hugging her knees and staring at the door, waiting for day to come.
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Post by Guido Brunetti on Apr 2, 2008 18:48:40 GMT -5
***NEXT MORNING****
*Guido Brunetti decided to check in on the child on his way to work. He knocked politely on the door.*
"Signorina, are you in? It is me. Guido Brunetti."
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Post by Little Red Riding Hood on Apr 2, 2008 18:52:44 GMT -5
Startled out of a half-sleep, she stared at the door for a tiny forever, unsure of what to do.
After a moment she got off of the bed, and started walking towards the door.
"I'm coming," she called, and was frightened by how little, sad, and almost crazy her voice sounded.
She pushed the desk, lamp and chair back to their original places as quickly and quietly as she could, then opened the door and looked up at him.
Her wide blue eyes were set in dark purple circles, and her cheeks looked unnaturally pale against them.
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