Lisa's P.O. V.
I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. A small girl with the roundest cheeks and widest eyes peered at me from behind a tree. She looked so frightened as her eyes moved to Davis. He can look pretty intimidating to those that don't know him, but in this case it was working against us. I slowly took a step forward, trying to approach her without scaring her away. She could run away at any moment, and that would be no good for any of us.
"Hi sweetheart, are you lost?"
I used the softest tone I could, giving her a warm smile. She seemed ready to back away and dash off into the woods, but thankfully, she didn't. Her head shook no ever so slightly, answering my question.
"Where are your parents?" I asked her, wanting to get her where she needed to be. There's no way I am leaving here all alone, not anywhere.
She shook her head no again, but I wasn't sure what that meant. Was she telling me ' no, don't come closer' or ' no, she didn't know where her parents were'? I looked at Davis for just a moment, hoping he could somehow help, but he just seemed so lost staring at that little girl.
"Why don't you come with us, and we' ll help you find your parents?" I asked her, almost close enough to reach her now. Again she just shook her head no. That's when her stomach growled. How long had she been out here alone? "Are you hungry?"
This time she didn't shake her, or as I took it as a good sign.
"We can get you something to eat before we look for your parents if you want?" Davis finally joined in.
The little stepped out a little more, allowing me to see her curly hair had matted in areas as if it hadn't been washed in weeks. She was dirty all over, and her clothes were littered with small holes. Her once pink shoes were now faded, caked in mud, and barely hanging on, tearing in spots. I felt a sharp pain in my chest at the sorry state she was in. It was obvious that she had not been home for a while, being out here alone. Where are her parents?
"Come on, I won't hurt you, sweet girl. Can you tell me what you like to eat? We'll get you whatever you want." I promised her, stretching my hands out towards her in hopes she would hold it.
She looked at it suspiciously for a good few seconds before very gently placing her hand in my palm. She felt so cold, and she stepped further into the lit path with me. I noticed she had scratches and bruises on her arms and legs. The more I looked at her, the more I saw what a terrible state she was in. I couldn't understand how a parent could allow this to happen to their child. Were they not out worried and looking for her? Why have I not seen a single missing poster for this child?
"What's your name?" I asked her, hoping by some miracle she would be willing to share.
She stayed quiet, unwilling to speak, but shook her head no again. It was obvious that she had some trauma, probably from having to fend for herself out here for god knows how long. I had to fight back my tears with all my might. There was no way I was going to make her feel bad. Davis had walked ahead of us, so he could call the police without the little girl knowing. Sadly we couldn't just take her with us.
"Should we send the big guy over there to get you some McDonalds? Do you like McDonalds?" I asked her, pointing at Davis as I referenced him as the big guy.
Once again, she nodded her head yes. At least we are getting somewhere with her, even if it is something as small as she likes McDonalds. Davis hung up, coming towards me and whispering in my ear.
"They' ll be here a little while, Derek is going to come in the meantime and take a look around."
"That's great, the little one here said she likes McDonalds, so why don't you go get her something and we' ll wait for you here."
"I'll be back. Don't steal my fiance from me while I'm gone." He joked with the little girl, but she shied away, seeming scared. I knew it made Davis feel bad, but he said nothing, giving the girl some space.
Davis left on his bike, causing the girl to jump at the loud sound of its muffler. She squeezed my hand tightly, seeming to have formed some sort of bond with me. I found a nearby bench and had us both sit there as we waited for Derek, the police, or Davis to return. Who would come first?
My question was answered 10 minutes later when Derek's SUV came into view. He stepped down, but didn't approach me, just gave me a curt nod. I guess Davis told him where we had found her as he headed down the trail we were just on. Derek was smart in not coming over here to talk to the girl. She wouldn't have answered any of his questions anyway, but he would have scared her too.
"I'm Lisa, by the way. The big guy who went to get you food is my fiance, Davis. I know he looks scary, but he's a very good guy. You are safe with us, okay?" I tried to ease her worries, but she still seemed so lost and scared.
Even with all this caked mud and dirt on her, I could see how beautiful she is. I am sure when properly washed and maintained, her hair has beautiful ringlets, at least it seems like it would to me. I sighed as she said nothing again. She seemed to pick up on my disappoint as she opened her mouth and uttered her first word since finding her.
"Calliope."
Her voice was but a small whisper in the air, almost making me miss her name. It was beautiful just like her. At least her parents gave her a nice name.
"That's a beautiful name, Calliope. I love it, very unique." I smiled at her as her wide light brown eyes stared up at me.
There was this deep temptation in me to just snatch her up and take her home like another stray I'd found on the street. Only she's not a pet, she's a human and I can't just take her to my house without permission. That's kidnapping and I'm no kidnapper, although at this point, is it kidnapping if her parents aren't even looking for her? I heard Davis' bike before he came into view with food. He jogged over to us, sitting beside me to keep a decent distance from the girl. She was obviously still scared of him.
"Here you go, sweet child. I got you nuggets and fries. They were my daughter's favorites at your age."
Davis handed her the food with a soft smile and the girl looked at me as if asking for permission to grab it. I nodded my head at her, seeing her grab the food so quickly her hands were a blur. Davis and I watched in horror as she devoured the food like she hadn't eaten in days, which could very likely be the case. I fought those tears back again as I popped a nice soggy fry in my mouth. I'm sorry but those are the best.
"Calliope, how long have you been out here?" I asked her, hoping maybe she would answer again. She held up 3 fingers to my horror. "3 hours?" I hoped, but she shook her head no. "3 days?" Again she shook her head no, and I couldn't stomach it anymore as I asked my question really hoping she would say yes, even though it would still be terrible news. "3 weeks?" She nodded her head that time.
She's been out here 3 weeks!
What has she done to survive? Has been at the park this whole time? God, it's a miracle she's been out here by herself for so long. I shuddered at the thought of all the terrible things
that could have befallen, that probably did befall her. Unable to hold it back anymore a tear slid down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away before Calliope noticed.
"That's a long time." Davis was trying hard to contain the rage I am sure he was feeling towards her parents, we both were.
"Did you runaway from home, Calliope?"
She shook her head no to my question, which was both good and bad. But what exactly happened? And where are her parents now?
"Can you tell us how you got here?"
She made her fingers trail in front of her, telling me she walked.
"Do you know from which way you came?" Davis asked her this time, probably trying to get a feel for which direction she came from. She pointed towards downtown. At least, we have a place to start. There's no way I am letting these parents off the hook when we find them.
God, help them because a Viking and a warrior are coming for them.