"Oh, look who's here!" a voice interrupted from somewhere. I look at my side to see an old woman walking towards us with a bright smile. I should thank her for saving me from this little girl's scrutiny.
I was not able to catch what she said because my attention was focused on the children's retreating footsteps. They were running inside the house. Phew! Saved.
"I'm glad to see you again Liam, Asher." She gave them a hug. Then a bit of my mother's face resurface in my memory. I didn't know I spaced out that moment.
"Young miss, are you okay?" I felt her warm touch then I'm back to reality.
"Ehm." I nodded as I force a smile.
"Dorcas, she was the one I'm telling you about." Liam interrupted. "I shall leave her to your care." Then I saw Liam and Asher kowtowed before the old woman and ride their horses. I wanted to chase after them but who am I to be their burden anyway? I was looking at their retreating figure when Dorcas held my arm.
"I believe your name is Diana, am I correct?" she gave out a warm smile.
"I'm sorry for not introducing my name early. My name is Diana Wilshire. I'm glad to meet you Miss Dorcas." I bowed.
"You can just call me Dorcas because I don't fit that title." She chuckled. "No one calls me Miss Dorcas here. They either call me mom or aunt Dorcas. I hope you'll do the same." She explained.
"I shall call you aunt Dorcas then." I smiled at her.
"We better go inside Diana before someone sees you." she touch my back as we walk inside the wooden house. I didn't understand what she meant by that but I didn't ask further.
I never expected what I saw inside. I thought the place is just an ordinary two story wooden house but once you get inside, you'll find three wooden buildings connecting each other. there's a wide empty space in the middle. I guess it's the playground and the middle building seems to be the classrooms. Outside the house fences lies a dark forest. Eh, so creepy.
"Diana, this place is called Little Angels Lodge. Liam and his comrades built this originally for the orphans but later became an institution." I heard aunt Dorcas as she walks towards the right building.
"I'll show you to your room. come follow me." she climbs a wooden staircase. I was following her silently until we reached the last room. she took her key and inserted on an old doorknob. I followed her inside. It's quite spacious and I like it. there is a single window, enough to see what's happening outside.
"Thank you, aunt Dorcas." I smiled. "How much does a room cost here?"
"Don't think about the payment Diana. Everything is free here." My eyes widened in disbelief. Did I hear her correctly? She must have seen my confusion so she chuckled.
"Liam and his men were the one taking care of all the expenses here. And you should know that this is Liam's room but he told us to let you use it for the meantime since you won't be staying for long, is it true?" she asked.
I nodded. "Yes aunt Dorcas. I usually stay in a place for only a short span of time since my work includes travelling from places to places."
"But I doubt if you will be able to leave this place so soon." She gave a meaningful smile.
"Eh.? what do you mean?" I really wanted to know what's on her mind but she turns her back on me.
"We'll talk about that later. For now, I'll let you rest for the meantime." Then she left after closing the door.
I looked around the room. It's a studio type room with a built in cabinet, a single bed and I'm happy to know that it has a private comfort room. I guess the kitchen is somewhere in the building. I'll roam around the place later but for now, I need to fix my things.
I opened my bag and took out my two sets of clothes and placed it inside the drawer. Then one by one, I removed the sealed plastic cover. It has been my practice to cover my stuffs in a waterproof sealed plastic bag whenever I travel by sea after the incident five years ago.
After uncovering all my things, I start to record a short video regarding my latest experiences. I was supposed to upload it but my laptop isn't working. Dang! I need to find someone who can fix this as soon as possible.
***
"Are you sure to leave her at the orphanage without telling her anything about this place?" Asher asked Liam on their way home.
"She can't stay in the camp. She's safer with Dorcas. Dorcas will surely tell her everything she needs to know about this place." Liam casually answered.
"Are you still thinking that she's a spy? Is that the reason why your treating her coldly?" Asher wanted to clarify but he didn't receive any respond.
"Liam, I don't think she's a danger nor a threat to the group. Haven't you considered that the hoods might catch her and sell her like what happen to Rika and Sheena?"
"She's a foreigner. They won't lay their hands on her. It'll be more dangerous if they see us with her." Liam explained. "Besides, she won't stay long in this place anyway." There was a hint of sadness in his tone for a second.
Asher sighed. Liam was right. She'll be in constant danger if she stays with them. But with her distinct beauty, she will surely catch the trader's attention. Her features are priceless. She's a rare breed. Any merchant will surely pay any amount just to obtain her. Asher is sure that Liam knows that fact. But why is he doing nothing?