Lost

May 18, 1984, 4:39 AM

Stafford Mansion

The Stafford Mansion was quiet and dark. Peaceful, even. The guest room hadn't been touched for 18 years, if the thin layer of dust over everything inside wasn't any indication. That was mostly because the Staffords didn't have guests over very often. The only reason that they would ever use the guest room would be because of their little 12-year old daughter, Estelle. Estelle loved to have friends over, but they never got to stay the night. It's not like they ever wanted to either.

The Stafford Mansion was said to be haunted, and no willing soul ever stayed inside of that cold, dark place overnight. Not even the most daring would try. Even though everyone in the community agreed that it was stupid to be scared of an old wives tale of goblins and ghosts, nobody ever seemed willing to stay the night with the Staffords. And the Staffords accepted it.

Then something unexpected happened. With a crack like thunder and a flash of blinding pink light, there was suddenly a child, not older than nine standing in the guest room. The child was battered and bloody, bore clothes that looked like they were made in the deep forest, and had no means of communicating with any spoken word. They jumped when they saw the bed. Their eyes wild, they looked like they hadn't slept in a bed for years.

It took no time for them to crawl in and fall asleep immediately.

May 19, 1984, 6:16 AM

Stafford Mansion

The poor child woke to the opposite of last night. The Stafford Mansion was bustling and busy, many servants trying to get the house ready for the Stafford family when they awoke in precisely two hours. They had bled on the bed, but they didn't notice, and even if they did they probably wouldn't care much. The first thing that they did when they got up was look down.

Used to sleeping in trees, they were surprised to see a carpeted floor below. Stepping onto it, they were brought back to their own home, so far away. Memories of loud shouting and glass shattering against walls flooded their mind and gave them tunnel vision. Shuddering and gasping, they fell to the floor.

Trying to push away the panic, they stood and stumbled into the bathroom. When their feet hit the cold tile, it seemed to help just a bit. Seeing the sink in front of them, they remembered what it did. Ignoring the reflection that they saw in the mirror, they turned on the faucet and washed their face. Dirt and blood clotted together fell into the sink, and at this time they realised that they were making a bit of a mess everywhere.

They hoped that the people that owned this place didn't mind that. They waddled out of the bathroom and back into the guest room, grimacing at the mess that was the bed. Hearing all of the commotion outside, the child chose to investigate it. When they emerged from the room, nobody was there, but the noise of morning was certainly louder. The child looked down the hallway in both directions as if checking for cars so that they could safely cross the street.

When they had confirmed that the way was clear, they stepped out and closed the door behind them. As they walked down the halls, they passed a great many doors. They opened none. Whenever a servant came into view, they ducked and hid before the servant could notice them. They didn't want to get into trouble for being here.

They kept walking, looking for a way out of the very large house. The child had never seen a place this big before, and it scared them. They had no idea where they were after their last teleport, and they couldn't count on it again to get out. They could get stuck inside a concrete brick for all they knew, and that wouldn't be very ideal.

As they passed one door however, they heard faint, muffled cries coming from inside. It reminded them of how they used to cry when they couldn't let mother hearn them and punish them for being weak. He knocked on the door a little, and there was a startled yelp and the crying immediately stopped. Then a voice responded to the knock.

"*Come in," The voice that came from inside the room was elegant, but that wasn't what has surprised the child that was listening through the door. The voice on the other side suddenly cursed and changed languages. "*Entrez," Was that French?

They opened the door, revealing another child that looked to be about twelve, and gasped. The child opposite them looked beautiful, and they looked like they had barely survived a wolf attack. The child that was already inside the room looked startled, and then introduced themselves.

"*Je m'appelle Estelle. Quel est ton nom?" That was definitely French. They couldn't understand French. They simply raised an eyebrow to signify. The one on the bed quickly switched languages again. "*My name is Estelle. What is your name?" When they respond to Estelle, Estelle looks surprised. "*You understand?" Estelle asked. They nodded, then used ASL to sign,

"*My name is Megalo," They fingerspelled their name. "*Yes, I understand Delta Rune." Estelle seemed to know ASL as well. That meant that they could understand each other, and the first thing that Estelle said to them after that was,

"*You look like you were just run over by a car. Why don't you take a shower in my bathroom? I don't mind. I will get you some old clothes that don't fit me anymore." Megalo signed their thanks over and over again before finally going into the bathroom to shower. Estelle chuckled at Megalo's eagerness and thanks and looked down at their lap.

Why had they helped this kid? Was it because they felt pity for them? Was it because they understood their special language? Was it because of their soul of kindness? What had prompted them to help? As the shower in the bathroom turned on, resulting in a yelp of surprise, Estelle realised that it didn't matter why they had helped Megalo. They fell back onto their bed and smiled at the ceiling. They had done something kind and impulsive, yes, but they also found a kid that was like them. Perhaps they would turn out ot be a good friend. A friend that understood them well.

They got out of bed and started to root through old clothes for Megalo.