*Vanessa’s POV*
“Who are you?”
Both Erik and my heads turned to the right immediately, our attention caught by something young and fragile. When we looked and finally saw who had asked the question, a gasp escaped me at the sight I saw.
There was a small boy trapped in a cage. He couldn’t have been more than fifteen years old, but his demeanor and body seemed so malnourished and deteriorated that he seemed less than ten.
“What are you doing here?”
His voice was somewhat strong despite it, and a creeping feeling shuddered at the back of my neck.
“Who are you?” Erik asked as he moved forward slowly, hesitant to approach the child.
“My… my name is Louise. I’m from the sea village. My… I live with my father and mother… but she’s evil, she’s not nice.”
I felt something in my heart clench at the sight of the boy, and moved to the cage to try and pry the door open, but it wouldn’t budge.
