Chapter 1

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buz-

Elise slammed the head of the alarm clock with her palm, and the clock fell to the ground with a loud clamor. She twisted and turned in her bed before shoving the blankets off of her body and letting the cold air wake her up.

“Another long day…” The lanky girl rubbed her eyes, stretched, and emitted a loud yawn before swinging her legs over the edge and bounding off the bed. “6:00? Geez…” her thoughts weren’t happy as she read the clock in her bathroom and slowly brushed her teeth. She then carefully laid her pajamas on the toilet seat before turning on the warm water and entering the shower.

Elise allowed all the warmth to smooth her sore muscles away. She reveled in the sound of the rushing water. It seemed to give her strength. But it also reminded her that life would always rush by, no matter what she did.

It didn’t help that she lived on the other side of the city, and that it took half an hour by subway to reach her part-time workplace. No, she did not have a car. She did not own a bike. She made her way by walking, and walking only.

Elise would have liked better ways of transportation. But, she couldn’t afford them, not when she couldn’t afford college and a proper education.

Luckily, though, she was intelligent. Elise knew this. Her intelligence was what gave her the job as a freelance writer instead of one at a nearby McDonalds.

Yet she knew that this intelligence came with a price.

From what she could remember, Elise trusted no one. She saw ill intention in every gaze she bore into, and she was quick to judge. It was all she could do when she was the product of a betrayal.

Except, Elise may have a friend at the office. She may be okay. Elise doesn’t know yet since she hasn’t known her for that long. But so far, the bubbly personality wasn’t a façade.

Elise sighed as she turned off the shower and dried herself. After dressing herself and downing a quick bottle of water, she made her way out of her three-room apartment and into the underground tunnel of the subway system.

And that was the start of another long day.

~~~~~~~~~~

Elise was working in her own little cubicle, rapidly typing away at a contract that a publishing company requested for a new and fresh author to join their business. She was in the zone, and everyone in the small complex knew this. No one dared to approach her, for Elise did not hold conversation, especially when she was working. She would simply look into their eyes, and that was enough to scare them away for a millennia.

But there was only one girl who was daring enough to make “friends” with her. And she went by the name of Kate. Kate Lee.

Kate was a bubbly young woman, aged 25, and she hardly looked her age. She was a head shorter than Elise, but she was petite. Kate was the sweetest soul alive, and since she genuinely wanted to be friends with Elise, Elise couldn’t help but be nice to her.

And nice meant that she would talk.

Kate didn’t seem to mind that Elise was blunt, somewhat scary, and quiet. At least she was more truthful than anyone else at the company.

And that was why Kate hurried to Elise when she had any problems. “Morning, Elise!” Kate waved as she stood next to Elise’s cubicle.

“Mm?” Elise responded, never taking her eyes off the computer screen.

“Ooh, you’re working fast there! Just wondering, do you have time for lunch today? I know you have to leave to help the kind old lady down the street later, but I want to talk to you about something…” Kate whispered as she noticed people staring at the two of them once again.

There was a moment of silence before Kate responded. “Yeah. 12? Café?”

“Awesome!” Kate exclaimed. “See you then!”

“Mm.”

Kate, with her happy bubbly self, skipped back to her cubicle to work on the latest sales project. Although Elise never said much, Kate was always appreciative for Elise’s listening ear. If she had to choose anyone to talk to, it would be Elise. And Kate usually chooses Elise over her own mom.

In this case, what she was about to discuss with Elise was a little risky, but Kate had a gut feeling that Elise would enjoy it. Internally.

And it was all because of the one day when Kate found out that Elise liked kids…

~~~~~~~~~

Flashback

Elise hummed to herself at work one day. Everyone was quite surprised. Normally there would only be the sound of typing, phones ringing, and mouse clicks. And normally, there was a cold aura hanging around Elise’s lonely cubicle. But here she was, calmly humming herself away.

This was before Kate made herself approach Elise. The said girl was still the intimidating, silent person she was, diligently working away at any legal writing request thrown at her. Kate, being scared of her at first, usually tried to avoid Elise’s cubicle by taking the long route around the room to reach the coffee stand.

However, this time there were too many people the long way. And Kate really needed her coffee. So she decides to take a “risk,” and she walked right past Elise’s cubicle.

And there she saw on the computer screen, pictures of babies.

The site was an adoption site. Kate paused her brisk walk to look at the screen, and she almost squealed at the sight of all the adorable children. She herself loved children, and her ultimate goal in life was to have a family of her own.

After seeing Elise’s distant smile as she scrolled through the site, Kate took a deep breath and decided to talk to her. Elise couldn’t be mean, right? In Kate’s mind, no mean person would like babies.

Kate approached Elise from the back. “I see you like children too?”

Elise gasped and turned around, only to find Kate smiling at the screen. “I like children too!” Kate continued and grinned. She then gave a wonderful, genuine smile to Elise before sticking her hand out. “I’m Kate, by the way.”

“Elise…” Elise returned the handshake.

“I like your name, Elise! Would you like to get some coffee with me? I know it’s a little sudden, but I could use some company…” Kate trailed off to keep herself from rambling.

Elise simply nodded. “Sure.”

And that was how the first buds of a friendship began.

~~~~~~~~~~

Elise quickly shut her laptop before placing it in her bag, taking a large folder of just-printed documents, and heading out the door. She placed the stack with the secretary at the front, muttering a quick and quiet “thank you” before dashing to the elevator. She was already a few minutes late, and she hated to keep people waiting, especially when the said person is Kate. Was it because Kate was one of the only people to be kind to her? Elise didn’t know, but she was certain that Kate was a truly authentic person, and it wouldn’t hurt to try and be nice.

After reaching the ground floor, Elise rushed to the café lounge and found Kate waiting on one of the couches, with two cappuccinos ready on the table. “Sorry,” Elise muttered before dropping her bag on the ground and sinking into the couch.

“It’s fine! I don’t know if you liked cream and sugar with yours, so I kept it on the side. Hope it’s alright!” Kate replied.

“Thanks,” Elise spoke.

“So, Elise, could I ask you something?” Kate got to the point. If there was anyone who hated roundabouts in conversation, it was Elise, and Kate was not about to get herself kicked off of Elise’s “good” list.

“Mm?”

“You like kids right?”

“…So?”

“I have a favor to ask, but you won’t be doing it alone! I was thinking, there is an orphanage that currently needs some volunteers that can help with caring for the children there! I would like to go, but I really don’t want to go alone…” Kate continued, twiddling her fingers as she spoke.

“Why can’t you go alone?” Elise asked with one eyebrow raised.

“Well, the owner is my aunt, and she scares the poop out of me,” was Kate’s quick reply. Elise almost chuckled. “So, what do you think?”

Elise pondered for a bit, and Kate let her take her time. Kate saw this as a good sign that Elise may agree since, usually, if Elise refuses something, she would say no automatically.

And Kate was quite correct about Elise’s mindset.

If Elise ever had a weakness, it would be children. But so far no one knows, except for Kate. Also, Elise was not sure if she would lose her touch with reality if she spent too much time with these kids. But the biggest concern for Elise was that she would not be able to care for the children properly, especially with how stoic she is. “Children should not have to have a caretaker like me,” Elise thought.

Kate sensed Elise’s apprehension. “If you’re wondering, they’re taking anyone who is genuine, who does not have a criminal record, and has a steady job. And I say you meet all three requirements. It also doesn’t matter if you have no experience with children! The nurses there would help us out.”

Elise took in the information and continued to ponder. “But…” “Should I tell Kate this? No one knows… and I don’t know if I can trust her yet.”

“Yeah?” Kate asked.

Elise took a sip of her cappuccino, and her brows tightened as if she’s fighting an internal battle with herself. Kate sighed as well and leaned closer to Elise across the table. “You know, if you don’t want to tell me, I won’t rush you. But I’ll let you know that I’m always here to listen and keep secrets, just like you do with mine.”

Elise looked up to Kate’s comforting gaze. “It should be okay…”  “I’ve been on the streets for most of my life,” Elise muttered in a quiet voice. “That won’t help me.”

Kate’s eyes widened before she composed herself again. Seeing as how quick-witted and smart Elise is, Kate would never have guessed that Elise had to fend for herself in this busy city. She would never understand the difficulties that Elise may have gone through, but seeing the news of homeless people, robberies, and murders in the poorer parts of the city was enough for Kate to know that Elise had a hard life as a child.

The older girl took Elise’s hand in hers. “That’s okay, Elise. If anything, I think they may like you more.”

Elise stared at Kate. “Really?”

“Yup! This orphanage is not really well kept. It’s in a run-down building a few blocks down. I’m sure you’ve seen it before. No one likes to go there because of all the rumors, and I’m pretty sure the children haven’t seen a normal person other than the nurses and the always absent CEO.”

“But I’m not really normal…”

Kate shook her head. “You’re normal in every way. You have a job, you’re not mentally unstable,” Elise shook her head at that comment, “and you’re nice!”

“Nice?”

“Yes, nice.”

Elise shook her head. “I don’t talk…”

“Not all talkers are nice people, mind you. Silent people can be nice too! Anyway, they may like you more since, you know, you’ve been there, done that…” Kate hesitated, not wanting to offend Elise for her past.

Elise chuckled. “Kate, you’re something.”

Kate laughed. “If I’m something, I’m straight with my words. So trust me when I say that you fit the criteria just right. So, made your mind?”

Elise paused for a few seconds before giving Kate a brief nod and a glimpse of a smile. “Why not.”

Hey everyone! First chapter is up! Hope you all enjoy it!

Please subscribe and comment (especially if you would like to see something happen)! I'm open to any ideas. And don't forget to read my story "End of the World" if you haven't!

Thanks again!

shadowonsapphire

**NEW EDIT: I just photoshopped my own title image for it. Tell me what you guys think!