“All right kids, I need you all to remain together, don’t forget that Mr. McCrae was amazing enough to make sure both classes could come here at the R.O.M for the next three days for your upcoming school projects!” Ms. Miller spoke loudly on the bus, as I sat in the front with Mr. McCrae.

This was a school field trip to the museum with my class and Lukas’s, though Lukas was on a special bus since this bus wasn’t good for wheelchairs. Though he asked if I could join him so he wouldn’t be alone, I could feel Mia’s eyes glaring at me the whole time.

And I had to tell him that I didn’t think it was possible. I felt bad for making Lukas sad since we were kind of friends, but I felt like, for some reason, I was being watched, not by Mai and her friends, or Kaya, but by someone else.

It was when my class and Lukas’s class were getting on the bus to go to the R.O.M, which was short for the Royal Ontario Museum. The most well-known museum in Toronto, and had a vast amount of history from all around the world. I had been only once before when I was three my Dad brought me not long after my Mom ran away when she hurt me. He talked about the giant creatures that used to walk the earth before the people before we came to be.

I don’t remember much, I just remember the sound of his voice as he talked about things, I think I was scared, not of the old bones and long-dead creatures, but scared that Mom would come back. Scared that she’d do what she did to me and that I wouldn’t live anymore.

I think my Dad knew that, so we’d be out of the house more often, be it at museums galleries, the park, Vivian’s place or his cabin. Anywhere but home.

But when I realized that Mom wasn’t coming back, that she was gone for good, I didn’t feel scared anymore. My Dad always said that a home is a place where you should feel safe, it was also when I came to another realization, that the basement was off-limits.

In the years since I never once stepped foot down there.

Probably because that’s where it happened, or at least I think it is because people said they saw my Mom fleeing to the airport when the police were trying to track her down. But then she disappeared.

I shook my head, I didn’t get why I was thinking that now. These past few days I had been trying to see what I could use as a test to send that secret email, but nothing. Mia and her group kept pestering me, and Kaya avoided me, even when Mia would say things to me, wanting me to disappear.

As if telling me would make it happen.

It was dumb, yet she, her friends, and even the kids in my class found it funny. They wouldn’t be laughing if it was them instead of me.

But I knew that those kids who were laughing along with Mia were just scared. Because they didn’t want to be targeted next.

Though maybe with Lukas’s class Mia and the others won’t try anything. I thought as I walked with the other kids when we got off the bus, only to have someone pull my arm off the sidewalk and between two buildings.

I shook off the hand and ended up facing Mia, Nancy, Jill and even Kaya, though she looked like she didn’t want to be there, while the three boys, Edward, Brandon and Josh just watched from the road. I guess to be lookouts if any adults came by.

“You got some nerve,” Mia snarled.

“What did I do this time?” I asked as I fix the sleeve of my blouse.

Her anger grew, as she pointed at me like I stole something from her. “You know damn well! You little bitch! Do you think others will like you actin’ all girly and shit? Why did you even come back to this school?!”

I didn’t say anything, I knew what she meant, and why she was acting out, but there had to be other ways to go about it than attack me, wasn’t there? Though, just because there might have been didn’t mean Mia would do it when hurting others was easier.

Not answering her seemed to make her angrier. “Well?” Mia demanded. “Say something!”

“Yeah!” Jill said.

“Say something!” Nancy said.

Was there even a point? They’d just try and say something else or blame me for something or push me on the ground.

“Sure, okay,” a voice didn’t know said from behind me. “How ‘bout ya piss off an’ leave the kid alone. Ya little creeps.”

I looked behind me to see a tall man, with blond hair and green eyes. He kind of looked like a girl and looked mad too.

He glared at Mia and the others who looked scared by this new person. “Didn’t ya hear me? Piss. Off. Now, if ya know what’s good for ya.”

Mia was the first to run.

Past the three boys who shouted after her, but when seeing this new person they ran away as quick as they could too.

Confused and scared, so did Nancy and Jill, while Kaya looked like she wanted to say something but was pulled away by Jill. Leaving me alone with this man.

Without a word, he glanced at me and his angry expression fell before he went to sit on an old concrete step.

He looked tired.

“Hey, kid, ya should head back, I’m sure your teachers are worried about ya.”

I know I needed to head back, but part of me felt I shouldn’t go back just yet, this man scared off Mia and the others but somehow, he didn’t seem all that scary to me.

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I then noticed he had a bruise on his cheek, it looked like it hurt. “Here,” I said after digging in my skirt pockets and holding out a band-aid for him. “For your cheek.”

“Ya don’t gotta do this as ta say thanks.” He says.

I looked at him confused. “I’m not giving you this as thanks, I’m giving you this because you’re hurt,” I tell him. “But, I am happy, no adult has ever stood up for me like that before. Not against them.”

He then held out his hand. “If yer offerin’ guess I got no reason to refuse.”

I smiled and put the band-aid in his hand. “Here you go, it’s even got a rose pattern on it. And I think you look good with roses.” I then looked at the bruise on his face. “How did you get hurt, Mister?”

“Ah, this old thing? I was dumb and walked into a pole.” He grinned. “You don’t do what I did, pay more attention when yer walkin’ about okay?”

“Amalie!” I heard Mr. McCrae’s voice. “Amalie, where are you?”

“That’s my teacher,” I say before looking back to the other man. “Make sure when you put that on, but you should at least wash the area where you were hurt with soap and water first. That’s what my Dad says, or it’ll get even worse.”

“Ya inspirin’ to be a doc someday?”

“No, I just don’t want you to get sick. Bye Mister.” Before he could say anything else, I ran out to my teacher, I didn’t want him to get in trouble for helping me.

“Amalie there you are,” Mr. McCrae looked relieved. “Please don’t run off like that, okay? You scared me.”

“I’m sorry Mr. McCrae.” He then led me to the rest of the class, I then saw Mia, she and I saw me before looking away, I think she got scared of the man from the ally.

“Amalie,” Lukas waved me over. “Where did you go? Mr. McCrae was really worried when you just disappeared. He looked like his soul just left his body when he realized.” Lukas snickered as he covered his mouth with his hand. “It was kind of funny.” He then stopped laughing when he saw that I didn’t react. “Did something happen?”

I shook my head. “No, just thinking about stuff.” I think gave him a knowing smile. “You ready to see the dinosaurs?”

“Yes!” he said in a determined/happy voice of his. It made me smile, he really liked dinosaurs.

“Alright everyone,” Mr. McCrae spoke up. “Stay with your groups of two or three. If you have questions, hold up your hand like you would in class.”

The R.O.M was huge, as there were other classes there too from other schools and families, it was crowded, but it was amazing, as we were led through the different exhibits, I felt like I was being watched again, at first, I thought it was because of Mia since I was in Lukas’s group, but she was busy with Kaya and her friends making jokes about the bones, saying that they couldn’t be that scary if they still existed.

So it wasn’t Mia, who was it?

It didn’t feel like when I was at school, and Mr. McCrea was talking with the guide about some of the other exhibits besides the dinosaurs and what was on display.

With so many people I couldn’t figure it out, too many eyes, too much sound, it was hard to tell. But then it was gone, and then came back again, it made me a bit worried.

Then when it almost was lunchtime, I found out who it was. I shouldn’t have been surprised.

But I was.

It was the man from earlier who helped me from Mia’s group.

Since everyone was distracted with the displays or talking to each other, I took the chance to sneak over to him.

“Are you keeping an eye on me, Mister?” I asked him when I snuck over.

“I don’t like bullies.” He says while trying to look like he didn’t care as he leaned against the wall with arms crossed. But I could tell that he did, why else would he help me?

Are you being bullied too?”

“Eh?” he looked confused. “What makes ya think that?”

“Your cheek,” I tell him while pointing to my face where he was hit. “It looked like it hurts, and not the kind you get from falling or walking into a pole.”

He just stared at me. “Ya knew I was lyin’ from the start, didn’t ya?” I nodded, for reasons that were just normal to me, I could tell when someone wasn’t telling the truth or lying, it was in their eyes, face and voice. But most of all, how they were, like the air around them gave off what they were like, and this man, while a bit scary, wasn’t at all like Mr. Green, if anything, this man was good that much I was sure of.

He sighed running his hand through his hair. “Damn, getting seen through by just a kid,” then looked back at me with those same tired eyes as yesterday. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“They’re not nice then,”

“That’s one word for it,” he laughed before squatting down and being eye to eye with me. “Yer a smart little girl, what’s yer name?”

“Amalie Hilmarsson,” I said when doing a proper greeting, which seemed to surprise him as it did for Elain. “What’s your name?”

“Anthony,” he said with a smile. “Nice ta meet ya, kid.”

* * *

Mr. Anthony made sure they wouldn’t bother me during the rest of the first day. Though when I called him Mr. Anthony I think he didn’t know what to think when I called him that.

My Dad always said to be polite to those who are older than me, and Mr. Anthony never gave me his last name. When I told him that he seemed to be okay with it.

What I also didn’t expect, was when Mr. McCrae caught me trying to sneak over to give Mr. Anthony some snacks, because he didn’t eat anything on the second day.

“So, you’re the individual making sure the kids stay out of trouble.” Mr. McCrae stated after he made sure I was okay.

“Eh, mainly just her.” He said with a shrug as he then looked at me. “Ya know she’s bein’ picked on right?”

“Yes, I do, but I can’t be at two places at once.”

“An it seems like the other teach ain’t doin’ her job all that well.” Mr. Anthony said rather annoyed. “How many times is she gonna’ shout at the kids today? I don’t think she’s a good teacher if she’s gotta do that every single day.”

“Ms. Miller has had it rough this past while. And while I agree she shouldn’t shout, it’s not like me telling her will change anything. Originally, we were supposed to have another teacher with us. But he couldn’t come with.”

“What happened to the other teacher?”

Mr. McCrae’s face became tight. “I wasn’t about to let him.”

I didn’t say anything, I knew who Mr. McCrea was talking about, and I knew he’d never let that monster near the kids if at all possible.

Then Mr. Anthony said something that surprised us all. “Say, why don’t I do it?”

Mr. McCrae looked confused. “What?”

“Yeah, just buy me some good lunch an’ will call it even. Besides, it’s not like I have anything else to do.”

“I can’t let you do that,”

“Hey, ya said so yerself. Yer missin’ an extra pair of hands, an’ I’m offerin’ mine up for some food. Ya don’t gotta pay me or nothin’. Besides, watchin’ some kids from a distance, don’t seem all that bad.” He then looked at Mr. McCrae with a… different kind of smile, not sure what you’d call it but it was different. Like he was trying to ask Mr. McCrae on a date. “But if that’s not good enough for ya, I can sweetin’ the deal if ya know what I mean.”

I don’t know at all what he meant, whatever it was just went right over my head.

Then Mr. McCrae held up his left hand showing the ring on his ring finger. “I’m going to decline; my fiancé wouldn’t be too happy with that.”

His smile didn’t change. “Ah, who’s the lucky gal?”

“He,” Mr. McCrae corrected.

Mr. Anthony’s smile grew. “Oh-ho, even better. Welp, I’ll only take up the offer for food. Absolutely no one can ever say no to free food.”

Mr. McCrea sighed. “You really want to do this?”

“Yeah, besides, I owe a certain someone, a little favour for what she did for me when I wasn’t doin’ too well.” The way Mr. Anthony looked at me with a smile, made me happy. Even though what I did was small. I guess what some people say is true, small things can bring you the greatest of people to help when you need it.