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The worst part was the children. Small faces that had seen too much, and a familiar fading horror in their eyes. These were souls whose innocence had been stolen, and their faith in the world around them tainted from a young age. It hurt the heart I didn’t know I still had.
One little boy took it upon himself to run up and greet us, showing off his paper hat. “Look, Nina!” he exclaimed.
“That’s very lovely, Christopher.” She patted him on the back.
He went down the line, showing it to each of us and explaining how he’d made it in the arts and crafts class. I paid close attention, but it didn’t escape my notice that Lucian could barely look at him. There was no smile to be offered. No scrap of kindness. And it was at odds with the very reason we were here. Again, I didn’t understand.
“I’m so sorry.” A girl who looked to be about my age ran up and inserted herself into the conversation, taking Christopher by the hand. “These littles get away in a second if you’re not careful.”
“It’s okay,” Nina told her. “Luna, I’d like you to meet Gypsy. She’s going to be helping us out today. Maybe if she’s willing, when the tour is over, she can help you with looking after the kids. It seems you could use another pair of hands.”
“Always.” Luna smiled in my direction. “Gypsy, was it?”
I nodded. “Hello.”
Her eyes moved over my features, and her face brightened. “You wouldn’t happen to be Roma, would you?”
My shoulders went rigid, and I offered her a tight smile. “How did you know?”
“You have the look,” she said. “Plus, the name kind of gives it away. I’m Roma too, if you can believe that.”
I could, actually. Something about her was mysterious and beautiful; two qualities my mother always told me a gypsy possessed.
“I’m only half,” I admitted.
“Maybe by blood.” She held a hand over her chest. “But you are whole at heart.”
Lucian watched the interaction between us closely, and I felt awkward with everyone’s eyes on me. I wanted to know more about her. I wanted to know how a gypsy ended up in this place.
“We’re almost done with the tour,” Nina cut in. “Maybe I can send Gypsy your way when we’re finished.”
Luna approved, and we followed Nina into the back office.
“I’ll need you to fill out a volunteer form,” she told me as I sat down at her desk. “We keep information on everyone who enters Haven for the protection of our staff and residents.”
“I understand.”
She handed me the form, and I went to work filling it out before I returned it to her.
“There are a few other rules I’d like to go over quickly, for future reference,” she added. “The facility is locked between the hours of six p.m. to eight a.m. every day of the week. Volunteer hours can be scheduled for those times, but otherwise, if you come during the day, just pop in and see me. I’ll find you something to do.”
“Okay.”
“Our facility does allow male staff members, but they don’t typically work in direct contact with the residents. You might see the cook, cleaners, and health care staff floating around from time to time, and that is normal. But if you ever see anyone without a badge…” She plucked the red lanyard from her chest and showed it to me. “Be sure to let another staff member know immediately. It’s just a safety precaution.”
I nodded.
“Do you have any questions so far?” she asked.
“Not that I can think of.”
“There’s just one thing I like to make clear to all of our volunteers,” she said. “This isn’t your typical shelter. We specialize in helping victims of human trafficking, so all the women here have been affected in some way. It’s very important you acknowledge that when working around them. Some startle easily and we need to be mindful of potential triggers. Using quiet voices, maintaining appropriate space and distance, these things are important. I have a pamphlet I’d like you to read over quickly, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure,” I agreed.
While Nina worked on retrieving the pamphlet from a file, Lucian brushed his fingers over my arm to get my attention. “Are you okay with staying?”
“I think so.”
His eyes were warm with approval when his hand squeezed mine. “Nina will show you what to do. I’ll be in the far left corner of the common room, but I’ll be able to see you if you need me.”
“What are you going to do?” I asked.
“I give the girls legal advice.”
He tried to release my hand, but I hesitated. A nagging sense of uncertainty plagued me when I realized he would be talking to these girls about the intimate details of their lives. Girls like me… the broken ones. And I wasn’t sure, but I had a suspicion that was what Lucian liked. Suddenly, I didn’t want him to go.
