His mother seemed the perfect tour guide with one exception, she never spoke or even looked at other people unless they addressed her first. Otherwise, he saw no sign that she was any different than anyone else. She was calm, pleasant, smiled, and spoke appropriately. 'Maybe this will work out okay,' he thought to himself.
Following the tour, they went back to her room to talk.
"Let me know what you'd like," she said sitting on the side of the bed.
"Thanks. Can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Are you alright with me calling you mom, rather than Precious?"
"Mom doesn't need a protector, Precious does. You're my protector now. Precious takes care of you, and in turn, you protect Precious."
"What does Precious need protection from?" Mike asked.
"The ones that hurt me. They aren't
