Karin scrolled on her phone while patting Cosette. The girl had worked hard to pull the wagon, and there was still half the trip left. She deserved a good brushing when they got home.

It was well past noon now. The forest was so dense here the sun barely peeked over the treetops. Even in the middle of the day, it was still a bit chilly when standing still.

The door opened with a creak, catching her attention. But instead of Ms. Redwax, there was an unfamiliar girl with dark skin standing there. Did the witch live with someone? She looked young enough to be her granddaughter, but there was no likeness between them.

The girl seemed to be too young to be a teenager, but not far off, either. Karin couldn't tell for sure. She hadn't spent much time with people with a different skin color. From her very limited experience, she guessed the girl was African or Afro-American. Or any other variant thereof. Her dark brown hair was packed in tight curls. She was quite short, maybe not having finished her growth spurt yet. Still, she had curves. And an obvious lack of a bra. She was also somewhat fat, but far from obese. Just a girl that enjoyed her food.

Where had she been hiding? Karin had failed to notice her while helping Martin inside. The hut had only one room, which didn’t leave a lot of places to hide.

“You can come in now,” the girl announced.

Karin thanked the girl as she made her way inside. Ms. Redwax took a break from what seemed to be tidying up when she entered. She had a weird smile which was honestly a bit creepy. The girl stood by the door, seemingly unsure where to go.

Where was Martin? She couldn’t see him anywhere. It didn’t seem particularly important, just a bit curious.

“Karin, this is Mina,” Ms. Redwax introduced the girl. “She has no one else, and she can’t live with me. Can you help her out?”

There was something peculiar about the words. No, not the words, just the phrasing, or something. She could practically feel the pull in her heartstrings. So this poor girl was all alone? That poor thing. Were her parents dead? She couldn’t exactly ask, who knew if she had experienced any trauma.

“Yes, of course,” Karin immediately agreed. She lived alone on a farm, there was plenty of space available for another.

“Good, good. In that case, off you go. I’m busy.”

Well, she hadn’t really expected good manners from someone that willingly isolated themselves in the forest. Then again, there was a strange juxtaposition between her words and her seemingly chipper mood. Wait, wasn’t there something else she came here for? Oh, right.

“Where is Martin?” she asked.

“He’s dead,” Ms. Redwax stated.

“Oh. Okay.”

Well, it wasn’t unexpected. He was seriously wounded, after all. It just seemed so anti-climatic. But no matter, she had more important things to think about.

The girl, Mina, bowed. “I really appreciate your help,” she practically radiated gratitude. “Also, thank you, Ms. Redwax.”

“Yes, yes. Now leave me alone.”

Mina nodded and held the door open for Karin. She quietly followed her down to the wagon, and took up space beside her on the front bench. It was clear that she was not clad for the current temperature. Karin handed her blankets from the back bench.

Should she strike up a conversation or not? Maybe she needed a bit of time alone? Who knew what the girl had gone through.

“Are you okay?” Karin asked her.

“I’m… Yes, I think I will be.”

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“I understand that you’re overwhelmed. It’s not everyday you are thrust into a completely new situation. At least I hope you don’t experience that often.”

“Yes, overwhelming is a good way to describe it.”

They rode in silence for a while. The girl didn’t seem too curious, she mostly looked down and looked a bit melancholic. Karin wanted to hug her, but was afraid of upsetting her. Maybe she was not big on physical contact?

“Do you want a hug?”

“I… don’t know?”

“Do you want to try and see if you like it?”

“Sure.”

Karin put her arm around the girl, and she leaned in. It was a bit awkward at first, but she soon relaxed and even smiled.

“Thanks. This is nice.”

The poor girl wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed. Karin's feelings were overflowing. It had been years since Anders allowed her to hug him. This was like having a second child, only without all the fuss of childbirth, diapers and wakeful nights. There was also no man involved that could poison their relationship. She had to remind herself that Mina was a stranger, not family. In addition, as an almost teenager, she probably didn't appreciate being treated like a child. At least not all the time.

They sat in comfortable silence. One arm on the reins, one arm around her ward. Maybe, if she had no one else, maybe she wouldn’t mind a new mom? Karin would need to check with Mina if she was okay with a relationship like that first. Heck, if she had gotten her first child early, Mina could have been her granddaughter.

Wait, why was she in such a rush to adopt Mina as a daughter? She had known her for like fifteen minutes. There was something about her that tugged at Karin’s heart strings, but she couldn’t tell exactly why. Calm down, calm down, she told herself. One step at a time.

She looked down, only to discover her ward had fallen asleep in her armpit. It didn't bother her. Quite the opposite; Mina trusted her enough to be safe around her. She ached to learn more about the girl, but that would have to wait.

Suddenly, her phone rang. She panicked, trying to get it before it woke up Mina. Unfortunately, her sudden movements did more to wake her up than the sound did. A sleepy face looked up at her.

"It's fine, dear, just the phone," she said guiltily. A grunt was all the answer she got. Mina leaned in again, this time placing her head on Karin's lap.

Karin couldn't help smiling. She pulled her phone out of her purse. An audio call from Britney.

"I'm between classes," she heard her friend's voice. "How's it going?"

"Here? Fine, completely fine."

“Okay? How's Martin, then?"

"Oh, he's dead."

"He's dead? What happened?"

"I think he just expired from his wounds."

"I see. Makes sense, I guess. He died before you got to the witch?"

"No, he died in her care."

“Oh, okay. It was a long shot, anyway. So… how are you holding up?"

"Me? I'm fine, I said."

"Really?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you said something about hating yourself if you let him die and all that?"

"I did say that, didn't I? Weird. I don't think I really meant it."

"No? You could've fooled me."

There were a few moments of silence. Karin wanted to tell her about her new ward, but didn't know exactly what to say to not hurt her if she overheard it. She'd have to explain that Mina was all alone, and that'd lead to more questions than she could answer right now.

Now that she thought about it, if she was alone, and had a different skin color… could she be an illegal immigrant? No, she spoke English perfectly. Not even a hint of an accent. Maybe… she had grown up here, and her parents had been caught and sent back to wherever they came from?

Boy, this was going to be a hard subject to breach. A problem for later.

"So, what happens next?"

"Well, we're headed back to the farm, obviously."

"'we'?"

D'oh!

"I have a passenger," she diplomatically explained, "Her name is Mina. She's taking a nap right now."

"Okay? You'll have to tell me more about it later."

Phew. Saved by the bell.

"I called you in case you needed immediate assistance. Since it sounds like you have everything under control, you don’t need me. I still have work left to do. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Yep. Thanks for caring."

"Last time I checked, my name wasn’t Andr…”

“DON’T!” Karin interrupted her. “Just… don’t. Dead horse, okay?”

“Funny choice of words. It remind me of another horse that is almost dead....”

“Thanks for calling, talk to you later,” Karin swiftly ended the call. She imagined Brittney was laughing at her.

“Mina…?” she tried, but Mina seemed to be completely asleep.