Becca Solonik: Scintilla

Chapter 1

The white painted door creaked open slowly, the bronze knob turning back into place as the child loosened her grip. Her wide, forest green eyes glimmered in the natural light coming through the kitchen windows. As she checked the room for any other person, her small hand pushed against the door opening it wide. Warm sunlight hit her ghostly white skin, filling her with a sense of serenity.

The house was quiet. Dirty pans and plates sat in the kitchen sink from an earlier meal. The only sound the small girl could hear was the humming of the fridge. The distressed and bloody child stepped away from the grimy basement she had come from. Her own blood marked her inner thighs, arms, and face. Bruises had formed in various areas of her body where they had touched her. Matted and tangled black hair hung over her eyes and down her shoulders.

The tole under her bare feet sent shivers up and down her body. The only thing the child wore was a large white t-shirt that barely went past her knees. Stepping across the shiny, white floor, she left traces of dirt behind her. She was headed towards the back door, moving faster with each step. A pattern of circles and stripes marked her face from the curtain hanging over the window on the door. Her fingers wrapped around the silver handle to handle and she pulled.

At first, she was blinded by the bright light of the sun. Her eyes adjusted and her body suddenly felt warm. A smile formed on her lips as she saw what was outside. Grass, an oak tree growing tall in the corner of the backyard, and other houses. Things she hadn't seen for years. The child stepped out into the freshly mowed lawn and wiggled her toes. Her ears instantly filled with sound. Birds chirping, other children laughing, and car tires crunching on the pavement. She felt as if everything behind her was long gone and she could move on.

Snapping back into her harsh reality, the ten-year-old went to the edge of the chain link fence and followed it. Locating the gate, she flipped the latch upward and opened it to freedom. Standing on the sidewalk, she looked both ways before crossing the street. The cars had stopped coming after she left the yard.

Wanting to get as far away from the house she had left, the child began running. The hot, summer pavement burned under her bare feet as she ran. It didn't take long before her body began to fail her. She felt weak and had to stop before the pain set in. She gripped her stomach and panted, her eyebrows scrunched together in pain and confusion. Her vision was blurred and every breath she took burned her throat. She never expected to feel this way after only a minute of running.

The child was far from healthy and any strain brought her pain. Hands moving to her knees, the child caught her breath with tears stinging her eyes. After her short break, she started to head towards the hustle of the city. Passing honking cars and angry drivers, passersby stared her down. Couples gawked at the way she looked and whispered asking where she came from.

Her cheeks flushed red and her heart sped as she quickened her pace. Weaving in and out of the Saturday shopping crowd she tried to avoid interaction. It wasn't long before cell phones were out and people were calling the authorities to get the child in custody.

Turning a corner, her eyes were instantly drawn to another child with flaming orange hair. His hand was attached to his mother's as she pulled him down the street. The girl quickly caught up with the two, hanging a few feet behind as to not alarm the mother.

The boy occasionally turned his head to glance at the girl behind them. Wondering where she had come from and seeing the paleness of her skin, and the blood, he began to think she was a spirit. The boy had been watching horror and true ghost encounter shows for the past week, making his mind wander.

He suddenly collided into his mother's back as she came to an abrupt stop. Peering into the window of a candle shop she let go of his hand. The girl stepped back a few feet and then hid in the alley by the shop. "Watch where you're going!" The mother scolded with a teasing grin. The boy's worried look softened as he thought he was going to be in some sort of trouble. "I'm going to take a look inside, why don't you stay right here?" She placed both hands on his small shoulders and positioned him center in from of the window.

As the mother disappeared into the candle store, the girl came out of hiding and stepped toward the boy. She thought about running past him but he stopped her by talking. "Are you dead?" He questioned, tilting his head like a confused puppy. The girl gripped a piece of her arm and pinched.

"No,"

"What's your name then?"

"Becca, not Rebecca, just Becca."

"Oh," The boy paused for a second. "Mine's Tyler!" He flashed a large grin, showing off his missing teeth. "How old are you?" He kept his smile plastered on his face. Becca couldn't tell why he was so happy but it was contagious.

"I'm ten." Her responses were kept short and spoken in a mellow tone. It seemed as if she didn't want to talk. Tyler didn't seem to mind, though.

"Oh, I'm eight," Tyler replied. He sounded a little disappointed and it showed when his smile faded to a slight frown. But, he was happy nonetheless. His excitement of meeting a new friend was interrupted as his mother exited the store, a small white bag in her hand and purse over her shoulder. Her sudden appearance took Becca by surprise. Like a frightened animal, she took off running back to the safety of the alley. There, she could hear what his mother said.

"Tyler James Norhing! What did I tell you about talking to strangers? Stay away from kids like that!" Her shrill voice was filled with concern for her child. "That's how you get kidnapped!" Tyler's jade eyes widened and filled with tears from the yelling of his mother. She grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the spot he had been standing. Becca poked her head out of hiding to see Tyler leaving while being lectured. He turned back and waved with an apologetic smile. Becca only waved back before turning around and facing down the alley.

The first thing she noticed was a person lying about halfway down the alley. The person was covered by a dirty green jacket, using folded up boxes as a makeshift pillow. Upon closer inspection, Becca could see it was an older woman. Her matted brown hair had streaks of grey and she seemed to be asleep. Becca started to step carefully past but she didn't get far before the woman spoke.

"Might want to get some shoes, there's broken glass further down there," She warned. Becca stopped walking, not wanting to cut open her already worn out feet. Staring down at the woman, Becca could see her face much more clearly. She had kind brown eyes and a soft smile. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Becca, not Rebecca. Just Becca."

"Can you tell me why you're covered in blood?" The woman's voice strained and her eyebrows furrowed together as she sat up to get a better look at Becca. The tone of voice she had used made Becca calm down little by little.

"I- I don't know." There was a slight pause as Becca thought about telling the woman. "I don't want to say." She avoided eye contact and instead stared down at the ground. She noticed tiny fragments of glass, a few spots of red paint or blood, and tiny pebbles.

"If you tell me what happened we can get the police and they can help you," The woman nodded towards Becca's stained legs and face. Becca lifted her head and shook it vigorously. "Why not?"

"Because a cop did this too." Becca's lower lip quivered and tears glistened in her eyes. Yet, she didn't cry. The lump in her throat was beginning to be harder to ignore but she suppressed it. The woman reached up and squeezed Becca's shoulder reassuringly.

She looked up and down the alley while pondering what to do with the child. She didn't know whether the kid had parents or if she was kidnapped. Not wanting to take the child to the authorities, the woman came to a conclusion. "Why don't you stay with me for a while? I promise you'll be safe. We can move to a new town and leave your problems behind." She smiled slightly, her eyes staring into Becca's while she waited for an answer. Becca sighed but nodded a quick yes. "Let's get you cleaned up then. I know a decent place with showers and then we can get you new clothes." The woman stood up and cracked her back while stretching. She held the jacket that was used to cover her and unzipped an inner pocket. She pulled a wad of one and five-dollar bills. It was her savings.

The woman held Becca's hand and took her down the streets towards the town's Community Center. They offered soaps at the front desk for people who wanted a shower for a small fee. Stopped at the front steps, the woman looked down at Becca. "I want you to go around back and wait for me at the door, I'll let you in. We can't have people see you like this." As the woman entered the building, Becca listened to orders and went around back to wait.

Within a few minutes, the door was opened and Becca was let in. "Follow me to the showers." The woman led her across the hall and down a few feet to the bathrooms. She motioned for Becca to enter first then followed. Becca went into another section of the bathroom where the showers were. Each shower was in a stall with a curtain hanging over to block anyone from seeing. "Here, use this to wash your hair and this for your body." The woman handed Becca two bottles. One was shampoo, the other conditioner, and then a bar of soap. "Stay here, clean up, and I'll be back with your new clothes." The woman gave a quick smile and then left.

Within the hour, Becca had scrubbed the blood and bad memories from her body. She sat on the counter with her towel wrapped around herself. She felt uneasy letting the woman leave her here but she needed new clothes right away.

The woman entered again a few minutes later holding a pair of new clothes. "Went to the thrift store, hope these fit." She laid the clothes on the counter next to Becca. She grabbed them and then headed to a stall to change.

The faded blue jeans fit perfectly, but the black t-shirt was a bit too large. Coming out of the stall, she lifted her arms to show her new found friend how the clothes looked. The woman stepped back and tilted her head. "I got the shirt a little big so you could grow into it."

Becca felt attached to this woman already. She had shown more of an effort to care for her than her mother ever did. "What's your name?" Becca spoke up, her voice just a small squeak. The woman's eyes widened in surprise.

"She speaks!" The woman chuckled and cleared her throat. "Just call me Fiona."She answered in a softer tone. Becca nearly jumped towards the door. "Slow down there, where do you think you're going?" Fiona called after her.

"Let's get out of here! I'm ready to go!" Becca was more lively, filled with hope for her new start in life away from her mother and away from the people who hurt her.