I instructed the girl to take the fallen bars, and I watched after her despite the opposing looks and murmurs of everyone else. I could see on their faces they didn't trust me anymore. If they ever had.
The girl surprised me when she went to the boys and back, returning to the cage wall.
"Are those your brothers?" I asked, to get her comfortable with conversation before I questioned her.
Her foggy brown eyes creased miserably, and she shook her head. "Not by blood."
"You don't need to be bound by blood to be family. Loving them is enough."
She studied me a moment, curiosity noticeable on her, and nodded. "Yes. I agree."
She nibbled on the bar I'd given her, likely to make it last, and I couldn't ignore the flare of anger that tightened my muscles. The guile of anyone to treat children this way. To neglect and abuse them. If anyone should be protected in this world, it was the innocent, and kids were exclusively that.
