Little Girl

She was lost. How else could she explain? She was too young to understand the emotions she was feeling. She stared up at the bus and smiled to herself, she was going to run away like the big kids did, run away from the mean people that didn’t notice her.

The step was higher than she remembered them being but she managed it, she fell in the process but she pulled herself up and grinned. The bus wasn’t how she remembered it; there were no row of seats that smelt damp or of old people. Instead there were sofas like where she lived, a telly vision and so many other things that didn’t look right. There was no one to buy a ticket off of, she had to say half and hand them the change but they weren’t there.

“They will be here soon.” She told herself, nodding determinedly. She walked over to one of the sofa’s and pulled herself on to it, holding her hands in her lap and sitting straight, she knew to be quiet because people on buses were grumpy. Her eyes were closing and she could feel herself falling asleep, but she knew she had to stay awake. She just couldn’t.

Zacky walked on the bus and stared in shock. There, in front of his eyes, was a toddler, clutching a purse asleep on his sofa. She was adorable in the way that all young children were, she had chubby rosy cheeks and curly golden hair, and she was wearing a pale pink dress that made her look angelic.

The rest of the guys all walked onto the bus and stopped just behind Zacky, each one just as shocked as the next. Everyone was silent as the girls eyes fluttered open; she took in each ones appearance and pulled her eyebrows together in confusion. Once she woke up properly she nodded to herself and stood up, the bus still wasn’t moving and she was worried that the mean people would come and get her soon.

“One half please.” She said, her voice sounded so young and yet so confident, she stood up and walked over to them and began looking through her purse, taking out a handful that she wasn’t sure what was and tried to hand it to each one of the boys, none of them would take it. “One half to somewhere far away please.” She said again, trying to hand each one of them the money, they shook their head in turn and she sighed angrily.

“Where are you trying to go?” Jimmy asked, kneeling down to look her in the eye, his heart melted as he realised how sad her eyes looked.

“Far far away, where the princesses live.” She said happily. Jimmy looked back at his band mates; no one was sure what to say. She was confused now, and scared. Were they going to make her go back? She couldn’t help but cry and each one of the boys wanted to hug her, comfort her and make her stop but they didn’t know how.

Matt was the first to move, he knelt down next to Jimmy and pulled the small girl towards him, hugging her and whispering soothing words to her, she tried to stop crying and slowly she was only sniffling. She moved away from him and stared at him, he was sort of scary looking, they all were but she didn’t let it bother her.

“What’s the matter?” Johnny asked softly kneeling down, slowly Zacky and Brain kneeled down too in a kind of curve around her. She shook her head slowly. How could she explain that mummy would be better without her? How could explain that daddy had never wanted her?

“I don’t want to go home.” She said, feeling herself start to cry again. “I want to go where the princesses live.” She said, her voice was still small. They knew something was wrong and they all looked at each other, what could they do?

Once she calmed down they sat her on the sofa and she giggled as they put on a Disney film that no one would admit to packing but they were all glad that someone had. Soon enough she was asleep again and carefully they all walked off of their parked bus and stared at each other.

“She can’t stay with us.” Matt said sensibly, he liked the girl but she was someone’s daughter and that someone would be missing her.

“Look at her, whatever you say; you know she can’t go back.” Zacky said, feeling strangely emotional about the girl.

“Dude, that’s someone’s kid.” Matt said, he hated what he was saying just as much as everyone else.

“She went missing in the middle of the night, someone really cares.” He was getting louder and didn’t realise that the girl had woke up and crawled closer to the door where she was now stood listening to them.

“So we kidnap her and take her on tour with us.” Matt said, he felt defeated though.

“You don’t want me either.” She cried, making them all jump and crowed her again. “Mummy and daddy don’t want me, and now the bus drivers.” She was crying and Zacky pulled her into his arms and hugged her, trying to calm her down. Matt felt his heart broke and walked away, none of the guys said anything, concentrating on the girl. He slid his phone out of his pocket and pressed speed dial on his phone.

“Hey, it’s Matt, there’s a kid on our bus and she doesn’t want to go home. Can you come and talk to us about how the adoption thing works. Thanks.”

He hung up his phone and walked back to the bus, smiling to himself slightly. The guys all looked at him funny and he just winked at them, whilst finding out a non-violent video game for the girl to play.

“What’s your name?” he asked her as he tried to show her what buttons to press, she was giggling as all of the five men made fools of them selves for her.

“Alison.” She whispered. In his head he repeated her name. Alison Sevenfold.