Chapter 6
Chapter 6
I try not to look too closely at the bodies as I approach the women. Correction, one is a woman with a kind oval face and only a few wrinkles at the corner of her eyes. The other is a girl my age, tall and long limbed but still young enough to hide behind her mother. Both eye me fearfully as I approach.
"Hello, my name is Harry," I stop at the edge of a blood pool, pointedly not looking at the headless body laying beneath a still rumbling motorcycle.
"Hello," the woman answers nervously, looking between me and the nearby buildings. "Was that a friend of yours?"
"A friend?"
"That shot... them," she asks uncertainly, looking between the bodies on the ground and me.
"No, that was me."
"You?!" The girl scoffs in disbelief.
Several dead are shuffling closer, drawn by the noise. Both women turn, their attention drawn by the groans of the dead much too close. I flick my wand, casting quickly and hiding it again when the two turn back around. Although, I probably shouldn't bother hiding it, I just don't think they're ready for magic.
The woman clears her throat, eyeing me suspiciously as I hide my wand in my back pocket, "So that was you? Thank you... Harry, did you say?"
"Yes, my name is Harry," I straighten my shirt, glancing briefly as one of the engines sputters out.
"I'm staying at the corner pharmacy if you..." I trail off uncertainly as I'm met with twin incredulous looks.
Clearing my throat, I try again, "You don't have to stay or anything but if you want then I can give you some supplies and you can head off."
Neither says anything so I turn away, calling over my shoulder, "I need to check on the twins."
Neither moves as I cross the burnt petrol lot to walk along the fence behind it. I can already hear the twins crying loudly, not liking being left alone for so long. When I turn at the corner of the fence I see both women peaking around the corner of the long shop building. I leave the gate slightly open in case they decide to follow.
The twins are loud, choking on their cries so they must've been going for a while. I hurry inside, catching both girls as they stumble the moment the door opens. Tiny hands fist in my shirt, blunt fingernails scratching at my arms as they cling tightly to me. I carry the girls to our palate, repeating reassurance that they are safe and I would never leave them alone.
"A girl, don't cry," I smooth the downy curls back from her face. "I would never leave you alone. I told you I was only just outside."
"Sweet B," I pull the other close as her stuffed bunny hides her face, "What happened to my brave little buddy? You're supposed to be in charge when I'm away."
I really need to name them soon. A girl and sweet B have worked for a couple days but they need real names. Maybe something with an A and a B.
What should I call A girl? Anna? Apple? She's the sweeter of the two, always wanting to be held and cuddled. Maybe April? Abby? Abigail? Yeah, Abigail is a good name, right? The librarian at my grade school was an older woman named Abigail. She would let me hide out sometimes so that I wouldn't have to deal with my horrid cousin. I would like to think she wouldn't mind me using her name for A girl.
What about sweet B? She's quicker to laugh, more talkative, and a bit more independent so long as she has her bunny. Bunny? No, that's stupid. Bethany? No, that was a snotty little girl who ran crying to the teacher, telling her that I pushed her off the swung because she was too afraid of Dudley to admit it was him. What about Bella? No, one of Mrs. Figgs cats was named Bella and she was a mean tabby. Bonny? No, reminds me too much of Seamus singing way off key in the showers after getting a hold of Fred and George's firewhiskey. Briar? That was the name of a princess, wasn't it? Briar Rose? That's a good name, right?
So, Abigail and Briar Rose. I guess I'm not so terrible at naming as I thought. I bet even Hermione would like them. Not that I'm likely to see her again... ever.
"What are their names?" The woman kneels down on the rug beside us, purple bruises visible on her legs where her jean shorts don't cover. There's also dark shadows on her throat that will no doubt bloom into dark bruises. I wince in sympathy, remembering when Uncle Vernon left the same marks on my neck.
"Abigail and Briar Rose," I answer her question, nodding to each girl in turn.
The woman greets them with a smile, introducing herself as Vanessa. Her daughter, Kayla, stays back but offers a quiet Hello when Mrs. Vanessa prompts her. At least she doesn't do that horrible baby talk that Aunt Petunia and her 'friends' would do whenever they saw little kids.
"Is there somewhere we can... clean up?" Mrs Vanessa asks, throwing me a nervous look.
I shrug but point out the layout of the store. There is space behind the pharmacy counter but it isn't much and there is no water back there. There is an office near the register and a bathroom across the hall with the storeroom stretching past them to curve with the wall.
"You can use whatever you need," I reassure her, or at least I hope that I do. "I checked for dead but I haven't had the time to really go through everything so I'm not sure what all is there or what works."
Kayla leaves without a backwards glance. Mrs. Vanessa mutters a thank you as she hurry after her daughter, darting through the door to the office. They may take a while and it's probably time to eat so I may as well get food sorted. Maybe some soup will help.
It's easy to heat it in the can and a cutting hex gets it open. I warm up a couple cans of chicken and rice. The girls eat theirs eagerly, clearly hungrier than I thought. I feed them an entire can and give them butter crackers once that's gone.
I grab a bag of crisps and some beef jerky sticks. Then a quick clean up to buy some time but they still haven't come out. They're okay though, aren't they? Maybe they're just taking a while.
I cant sit still, too much nervous energy makes me need to do something. I move our bed behind the pharmacy counter. A quick transfiguration turns the blinds at the window into metal bars that will offer protection even if the window is broken. A levitation charm moves the shelf over to one side.
The girls clap, following beside me and enjoying the magic tricks. I do a few more, making glowing bubbles and floating a few colorful toys around. The twins are happy again, forgetting they were ever upset.
I stop when I hear footsteps approach. Mrs Vanessa leans against the counter, smiling at the twins as they play with their toys. There's a painful sadness to her smile that I don't know how to help with.
She tells me that they will stay, at least for a little while. She and Kayla will take the office, since it has a door. I'm not sure why that part seemed important to her but it's not like I have a reason to argue. So I point out where the small throw blankets are and offer to find them a mattress if they choose to stay.
Before she can slip away I point out the soup bowls. I apologize that they're cold but she replies with a quick thanks, picks up the bowls, and darts away. I worry a bit that I've upset her somehow but maybe she just needs a minute. Maybe tomorrow will be better.
At least we're not alone now.