Once Elliot sat inside the police car, the car took somewhere far away to the place totally unknown to Elliot. The last time she actually remembers going out and having fun was the year of tragedy, the same year her mother left her alone in this world, all by her self. Elliot never considered herself 'all by herself' up until now, because according to her, her father's shadow was still hovering over her and she knew she should not feel at ease near him, considering the things he did to her and the hell he put her through, but Elliot couldn't help it. Her bright blue eyes that were deep like the vast ocean, kept looking outside, watching every single stranger who walked by and every single car that passed by. While sitting silently in the car seat, Elliot began to laugh, from light simple giggles to loud laughter which barely gave her the time to breath. The police officers both looked back from the front seats, glancing at Elliot and then focusing their gazes onto each others horror stricken faces.
Elliot: 'Hey, police mister. Do you know my name?'
Officer: 'No, I don't. In all the chaos of murder, we forgot about that.'
Elliot: 'Do I also look pathetic and miserable to you? Does my existence also don't matter to you?'
Both officers looked at each other, confusion and panic clear on their faces. Elliot snickered a little and again went back to silently staring out the window, knowing even the police officers could not answer the question Elliot's been asking herself over and over again. She wondered if the people, whether she knows them or not will keep on trying to forget her and her entire existence and that feeling was not pleasant to say the least. But this time around, Elliot was surprised that despite feeling miserable and unpleasant, she was still smiling. Has she finally perfected the art of hiding her true emotions and setting her heart and mind separately? Will she finally be able to conceal her true feelings towards her family and not get caught? Did she finally succeed in nurturing a mask of her own? An invisible mask that will be Elliot's new best friend. The finally made a stop in front of what seemed like the police station, making an abrupt stop to Elliot's portentous thoughts. The officer opened the door for her as she quickly came out of the car, her eyes barely resting. She kept on watching and analyzing her surroundings, knowing well enough that every step she takes from here on out will be a battle in its own way. The officers gently motioned the poor little Elliot to follow them inside the police station, the female officer continuously telling Elliot that everything will be alright.
Elliot flinched at the sight of people actually treating her gently and telling her that everything is going to be alright. The last thing she wanted was to doubt her decisions and her strong will power over some petty kindness displayed by the strangers who pity her. She went inside the police station and looked around. Almost everybody inside the police station was equipped with guns and other small weapons. The knife that rested so magnificently in the female officer's pocket reminded Elliot of the tragedy that left her all alone in this world. She was suddenly reminded of her father's death, the thing that she so effortlessly forgot. The officers sat Elliot down on a wooden chair as Elliot embraced herself, ready to get questioned. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath when the officer finally spoke.
Officer: 'Child, I know it was very horrifying and disturbing to witness the death of your family but-'
Elliot: 'Do you really acknowledge me as a witness? All I did was to lay low on the ground, unconscious and totally out of mind while that atrocity took place. Can you still say I'm the witness when I don't even know how the killer looks like?'
Officer: 'What do you mean by laying low, child?'
Elliot: 'It's Elliot.'
Officer: 'Sorry what..?'
Elliot: 'It's Elliot. My name. Address me as Elliot, not Child.'
Officer: 'Alright Elliot. It's okay even if you don't know how the killer looks like. Do you have any idea who might be behind the murder of your family? Like any family relatives or your parent's friends or business partners?'
Elliot: 'I don't know whether Elliot has any family relatives or not. Mom always told me that father and mother is all I have in this world and they'll be the only people I'll ever need in my life, but Elliot is all alone now, mister.'
The police officers all looked at each other trying to comprehend the situation at hand. On one hand, there was a murder case. On the other hand, there was this little child who spoke nothing but absolute mind boggling things, one after another so to say from the police officers point of view. They discussed among themselves the fate of this young, helpless child who just lost her entire family. Elliot had no idea about her family relatives and did not speak anything that could help the officers be at ease. They argued if an orphanage would be a good option but if not for the orphanage, then where can she go? Putting all her laughing fits and riddles aside, the officers wondered what should they do about her trauma? Children who go through something like this are usually struck with severe PTSD and are handed over to the special cases authority that leads to them being put under 24 hour observation until the day they finally let go of their past. Holding on to the past mentally destroys a person and the officers argued whether the same fate would befall Elliot. Aside from the little chitchatting of the officers, Elliot silently waited for the worse possible outcome to occur. She was waiting for somebody who would eventually get her into an unfamiliar car and drive her off to an orphanage where God knows what would happen to her. After a long discussion that ended after what felt like a century, the officers decided that the best way for Elliot to survive is to remain in a special Centre designed especially for kids like her. The officers had to look at every single thing that posed a threat to Elliot's life. According to the officers, it was a miracle that Elliot survived when none of her family members did but there is still a possibility that the killer might come after Elliot too.
Not too long after the discussion ended, Elliot met some unfamiliar faces yet again and she immediately knew what she had to do. She stood up from the chair and stared at them from head to toe. The man approached Elliot and crouched down so that he can be at the same level of height as her. Elliot knew what he was about to say. She could see the pity for her that he had just by looking at his eyes alone and that feeling made Elliot smirk a little.
???: 'Would you like to go with us?'
Elliot: 'Go where? I don't know you guys.'
???: 'I am fully aware of the fact that we are complete strangers to each other but trust me, where we're about to take you will be your new home and you'll get to meet lots of new friends your age.'
Elliot: 'Is that place bad? I know what an orphanage is so why aren't you guys telling me clearly?'
???: 'I'm sure you yourself don't want to go to the orphanage or now do you?'
Elliot: 'I don't. But that doesn't mean there is a place where I can stay either.'
???: 'Of course there is. There does exist a place that is specially made for little kids like you. How old are you if I may ask?'
Elliot: 'I'm 14. I turned 14 this year in the cold winter.'
???: 'You'll get to meet people your age and that place is way better than an orphanage. So trust me now will you?'
Elliot nodded her head as she got a little at ease while knowing that where she will be staying is anywhere but an orphanage. She gave her hand to the man dressed in a long white coat as he passed her a gentle smile and lead her to where the rest of the members were standing. They all smiled at Elliot and lead her outside the police station towards an all black car which was going to take Elliot to a place that she does not even know the name of. She just wished that where she will be staying from now on will finally give her the peace that she has been looking for all her life. Right now, Elliot just wanted to close her eyes and rest a little since its been almost 48 hours and she was functioning on only a couple of minutes sleep. Elliot got a little comfortable in her seat and immediately drifted off to sleep.
???: 'Wakeup little child, we have finally arrived.'
Elliot slowly opened her eyes as she tilted her head a little to the left where the man was standing. The car door was fully opened for her as if Elliot was a princess straight out from a fairytale, but the circumstances in which the car door was opened for her were totally different than the circumstances of the princess in a fairytale. She lightly placed her foot outside the car and grabbed the man's hand. Elliot suddenly remembered that she forgot to tell him her name. She wanted to know the name of the man who will give her a new home, after all she cannot keep calling him 'man' forever.
Elliot: 'My mother named me Elliot. What name did your mother give you?'
Leonardo: 'You want to know my name? Well that is an interesting way of asking. My mother named me Leonardo. Pleased to meet you Elliot.'
Elliot: 'Leo...nardo?'
Leonardo: 'Yes Leonardo, but you can call me Leo. It's a kind of a nickname. Everyone here calls me Leo, Doctor Leo.'
Elliot: 'Are you really a doctor? The last time I saw a doctor was when my mother passed away.'
Leonardo suddenly stopped in his tracks and glanced at Elliot. He kept on thinking again and again whether Elliot had a nice childhood, a rough childhood or a brutally disturbing childhood. He noticed how she jumbles up the things she says in a complete 360 degree rotation. Leonardo thought that maybe others were not able to understand her because her mind works a little differently than the rest of them? But he knew that in order to help Elliot get over her trauma and the other things she's suffering, he should help her with all he has. Maybe it finally is time to put all the knowledge he's been storing inside his mind and heart to good use. Leonardo thought that maybe it finally is the time to put his skills of being a psychiatrist to good use. Both Elliot and Leonardo walked hand in hand towards the white building and entered the premises. The inside of the building was surprisingly luxurious as compared to how it looked like from the outside. Elliot was really confused at this point. She kept thinking about Leonardo's words that he was a doctor but the place looked more like a hotel than a hospital. She tightly grabbed his hand as he passed Elliot a smile of reassurance, stepping closer towards the elevator with each passing step. The elevator led both Leonardo and Elliot towards a hallway that had several rooms, each labeled with numbers. They finally stopped in front of room number 106, the room that would probably be Elliot's new home. The door creaked open and to Elliot's surprise, the room was nicely organized and totally clean. The room was in a hundred times better condition than the attic where Elliot used to live in. It was like paradise to her, especially the soft single bed placed in one corner of the room near a large body mirror and a side bed lamp.
Leonardo: 'This will be your new home Elliot.'
Elliot: 'Will I be able to live at peace in here and make new friends?'
Leonardo: 'Of course you will. You will find a lot of people here that are the same as you, so you don't need to be afraid. I also work here so you can find me anytime you want. Now, have a good night's sleep.'
With those words, Leonardo turned around and left the room, leaving Elliot behind on her own. She turned around, flopping on the soft mattress and finally drifting off to sleep knowing tomorrow will be a brand new day and a turning point for her in her life.