Reyona's rush forward was paused when she saw Allysyn standing at the side with two small bags.
She was staring away from the women without making any indication of having heard the scream.
"Hi," Reyona said to get her attention.
Mary said the girl had grown worryingly quiet since she learned that they would be taken away.
Since the first day she had anxiously asked Reyona to get their dad too, Reyona couldn't remember any other time she had spoken in the few times that Reyona had seen them after.
But the girl turned to her now and Reyonas's heart clenched.
The girl had a look that didn't belong on the face of a girl of her age.
Her vacant eyes stirred with something, but then she only looked at Reyona without saying anything.
"Uhmm, what is going on?" Reyona asked as she pointed towards the open door.
"My dumb brother," Allysyn said, and looked away again.
Reyona quickly entered just as she heard the scream again, followed by "Damn it. He bit me! Again!"
"Junior, please…"
Their voices attracted Reyona toward the kitchen, where she saw old Cliff standing at the door like he was out of his element.
"Oh, you are here," he said with relief as Reyona got closer.
He quickly made way for her, just as Mary moved her head out from beneath the sink.
Tears welled in her eyes as she saw Reyona, and she came towards her with an anxious "You came. You were not picking up my calls. He doesn't want to go. Please do something."
The woman standing close to the window cradling her finger with a displeased look on her face scoffed as she said "Really we can't go over this again. Just convince that…boy that we need to get out of here. These things have been explained to you all before and I shouldn't have to go over them again."
Reyona looked over at the woman with disdain. "Is this one of the kind of people who would be in charge of them from now?"
As much as she wanted to walk over to the prune-faced woman, drag her out of the room, and stuff her into her car with a stern warning; she knew she didn't have the right.
So, instead of wasting her breath on a response, she stepped around Mary and bent down to what Junior must have thought was the best hiding spot.
It was a bit dank with moisture and shadowy too, but she saw the excitement that sprang into Thomas Junior's face as he shouted excitedly "Bad woman! Ally said you wouldn't come!"
Before Reyona could react, he dropped his ball and crawled towards her.
She cupped her palm against the sink slab to protect his head from striking the sharp concrete edge in his excitement.
She had no time to slow him down before he launched himself on her in a hug.
Grubby hands and all.
********
Reyona was not expecting the force with which the boy launched himself onto her.
She was in danger of toppling over when a hand supported her.
Warmth spread through her as a familiar scent tickled her nose.
She moved her hair from her face and looked up to thank Cliff for his help.
Only to look straight into Maxwell's hazel-green eyes.
Wait, how come she had never noticed that they…
"Are you okay?"
His soft question drew Reyona's gaze to his firm and luscious… "Yeah, I am fine. Thanks," she said tersely before looking down at the boy who was still clinging to her neck.
"Hi," Reyona said with a tight smile borne off her sudden discomfort.
"He said he is our uncle. Ally said he is lying. Liar!" Junior said in an accusatory tone as he looked at Maxwell with a mutinous face.
"Uhm, yeah. I suppose he is." then she realised what she had said and cleared her throat. "I mean, not that he is a liar, uncle, he is your unc… can you step back, please?" she said in a hushed whisper to Maxwell Can, who was still crouching close to them.
He smiled and stood up as Reyona realised that her guess was right after all. She was feeling uncomfortable because he was breathing down her neck.
Idiot.
"Hi, Mr. Rohan. I have heard such wonderful things about you….. Yes, I know you have met my colleague, but she is ill today and, since we can't put things on hold, I was asked to come in her stead…. Yes, of course, here is my ID. I am so honoured to see you today. I can assure you that they would be in wonderful, wonderful hands. Yes…"
Reyona rolled her eyes at the syrupy voice and irritating half-laughs that the woman was directing at Maxwell as he asked her questions in his cold, curt tone.
She ignored them and turned her attention to the boy who had seemed to find something of interest in her pearl necklace.
The gesture reminded Reyona of how Leah had toyed with her hair the first day they met. As if she was right there, she could almost hear the bubbling voice as the girl called her pwety.
The surge of moisture behind her eyes made her close her eyes for a moment, so she wouldn't have to make a fool of herself in front of him.
"Are you sleeping? You are sleeping, silly!" Junior said excitedly as if he had caught her at something.
Reyona's melancholy was forgotten as she smiled suddenly and said "I shouldn't do that. I know, I am sorry."
As Junior grinned, she leaned over to pick up the ball that had rolled out after the boy and handed it to him. "Like I was saying, he is your uncle." When she saw the disagreement on Junior's face and the boy opened his mouth to argue further, she said "I know. It is complicated. We…you can discuss it later. For now, let's talk about what you were doing down there."
"Hiding," he said emphatically. "Mary was not supposed to find me."
Mary's sniff behind Reyona was not helping matters. "Why were you hiding?"
"Her! I don't want to go with her! Ally doesn't want to go with her!"