“So, I’m Kayla,” I repeat to the tiny girl. She nods up at me nervously, still holding my finger. “Can I get you anything?””

A moment passes before she answers. “Um...w-water?”

“Sure. Wait right here.”

“NO!” she shrieks, startling me. Her tiny fists grasp the skin on my finger tightly.

I tilt my head at her, raising an eyebrow. “No? You don’t want water?”

“N-no, I do,” she stammers. “I mean...please stay here.”

“Okay. Um...there’s no water here. It’ll only be a minute, so—“

“Don’t leave me alone!” she wails. She pulls my finger closer and clutches it to her chest like a security blanket. I can feel her racing heartbeat, even at her small size, and the tiny mist of her tears dribbles onto my fingertip.

I clear my throat. “Rose, I know you’re scared. I promise I’ll keep you safe until we figure something out. Right now, I just want to keep you hydrated. I promise, I’ll be back in just a second.”

She doesn’t respond. I sigh, unsure of how to proceed. “Do you want me to...bring you with me?”

Rose shakes her tiny head frantically and tightens her hold on my finger, tears still in her eyes.

“Okay, how about this,” I continue softly. “When I say go, let go of me, close your eyes and start counting to a hundred. Don’t open them until you’re done. You’ll barely know I’m gone. Okay?”

Her crying seems to die down slightly, and she moves a hand from my finger to rub her eyes. Her breathing slows. She gives a tiny nod.

“Ready?” I say, not allowing the unpredictable pixie any time to change her mind. “Go.”

She releases my finger and covers her ears with her hands, squeezing her eyes shut tight. I hear her start to count quietly. “One...two...three…”

Somehow I move off the bed without disrupting Rose’s counting and tiptoe quickly to the tiny utility closet we call a kitchen. I grab an empty jar from the recycling bin and rinse it out, then fill it with a few inches of water. Perfect. I stretch to grab a plastic cup from the top shelf, and...wait. Rose will hardly be able to drink from a normal cup. Even a thimble would be difficult.

Wary of Rose’s countdown, I crouch under the sink and frantically dig through the basket of random knick knacks that’s accumulated over the years, looking for something, anything, that Rose can use to drink. A thumbtack. A few popsicle sticks. A marble-sized ball of aluminum foil. An open bag of rubber bands. A broken...wait. Aluminum foil?

I hold the ball between two fingers and peel back a few layers of foil. The soft metal is pliable, but it maintains its form as I twist and bend a tiny piece into a crude but functional (I hope) container. Pinching it lightly between thumb and forefinger, I screw a matching lid onto my jar of water and bring them both back to my room.

Good, she’s only made it to eighty. I carefully sit back down on the bed and place the foil cup next to her, then I unscrew the lid from the jar and pour a bit of water into it. Of course, this reservoir is the size of a small washtub to Rose, but that’s what the cup is for. I carefully set the lid down next to Rose and set the jar on my nightstand.

Phew. Who’d have thought fetching water would be such a chore?

“...a hundred.”

I look back at Rose as she uncovers her ears and opens her eyes. She stares blankly at the lid-tub of water next to her for a few seconds. I open my mouth to point out the foil container I’ve fashioned, but she suddenly scurries to water’s edge and starts cupping it into her mouth with her two tiny hands at a rapid pace.

“Uh...I brought you a cup…” I mumble, not quite sure whether I should interrupt Rose. I don’t think she hears me. I sit here gaping for at least a full minute while she frantically drinks and splashes water onto her face as if it were some anti-shrinking balm.

She finally finishes and sits, panting, next to the lid.

“Are you okay?” I ask. I’m still mildly concerned she might explode from all that water.

“I’m...I’m good,” Rose mutters back, still catching her breath. She finally relaxes and looks up at me sheepishly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome…what happened to you?”

“Huh?”

“What happened when you, um...” I don’t even want to say the word, lest it set her off again. “What happened before I found you?”

Her face grows red and I can tell she wants to cry again. She holds it in. “I really don’t even know. I was getting a snack for the walk home, then I felt dizzy and it just kind of...happened. ”

I nod understandingly. “How long were you there?”

“A few minutes, maybe,” she replies. “Hey, what were you doing going through my purse anyway? I’m glad you did, but—”

“I was trying to find out who it belonged to,” I interrupt. “Then I picked up the phone and saw you.”

“Oh, my phone!” she says suddenly. “Where is it?”

I point to her purse on my nightstand. “I left your things over there.”

“Can I see it?”

I reach over and pull her phone from the purse. “You have a text from someone named Emily.” I scroll through the notifications on her locked screen. “And a bunch of missed calls from someone named Janice.”

She nods. “Janice is my mom. Probably wondering why I’m not home.”

“You said they were on vacation.”

“Vanesa must have told them,” she groans. “Our maid.”

God, she has a fucking maid? She must be richer than I thought.

“Well, do you want me to call her? Or your aunt?” I turn the phone to face her. “What’s your password?”

Rose freezes. “Can’t I stay here?”

Huh? What’s she playing at? I gape at her, flabbergasted, for a few seconds before realizing I should reply. “Um…we’re not exactly in a great financial position.”

“But you...well, just fucking look at me!” she bursts out, gesturing to her minuscule self. “I don’t need much! Food and water and...I guess books or something!”

“Rose,” I cut in sharply, causing her to flinch. “Why do you not want to go back to your family?”

“I...just can’t,” she mumbles.

I cross my arms. “Yeah, that’s a good reason. Seriously, weren’t you trying to call your aunt when I found you?”

“I can’t,” she repeats, her voice quivering.

“Look, I know this must be rough for you.“

“No, you DON’T!” she screeches. “You don’t know how I feel! You can’t!”

“Maybe not, but I can still—“

“I’m adopted. Did you know that?”

It takes me a second to process the sudden change of subject. “Um...no, I didn’t. So what?”

“So, my parents are rich snobs who adopted me for the attention! They need everyone to know how special and important they are. They made me start learning the piano when I was just fucking three so they could parade me around and show how talented their girl is! Do you think I actually WANT to go to music school?”

I stare at her, stunned, unsure how to respond.

“I guess it doesn’t matter now,” she continues, burying her face in her hands. “Because now I’m a…I’m just...”

She bursts out crying yet again. I clear my throat quietly. “I’m sorry, Rose...but they’re still your family, aren’t they? Wouldn’t you rather be with them?”

“You don’t get it!” she sobs, looking back up at me.  “Having a shrinker as a daughter would be a dream come true for them! If you take me back there, I’ll just be another...another THING they can use to show off!”

I’m at a loss for words. I’ve always had this idea of Rose in my head—this sweet and beautiful girl with a perfect life. “But...what about your aunt? You were trying to call her, right?”

Rose wipes her eyes, sniffling. “I shouldn't have. She lives off my dad anyway. If he ever found out…” Her voice trails off.

“You don’t even want me to tell them?”

“Can you afford a lawsuit? If they know I’m here, they’ll come after you with everything they have.”

“Huh? Aren’t you eighteen?” I ask, confused. “You’re legally an adult.”

She shakes her head. “Their lawyers always figure something out.”

“Maybe it’s for the best, though,” I say pointedly. “I don’t think I can, like...keep you.”

“Kayla, please!” she begs.

“Rose...between taking care of mom, my shitty job, and trying to actually graduate...I’m barely alive as is.”

“I’ll...I’ll earn my keep!” she stammers, tearing up again and clasping her hands together in quasi-prayer.

“Yeah? How, exactly?” I snap, more harshly than I intend. Rose lowers her head and I can see her shaking with silent sobs.

“Look, I’m sorry,” I apologize. “But even if I let you stay, your parents will know you’re missing! And the school will notice when you’re not in class, or at student council meetings.”

Rose looks up. “I could...leave my parents a note that I’m running away. They’d believe it.”

I guess that makes sense, but still...why does she want to stay here in particular? “Don’t you have friends from school you’d rather be with?”

She shakes her head again. “Nobody I’d trust enough.”

“Unlike me, who you basically just met a few hours ago?”

“I didn’t choose you!” she cries. “But...you’ve been good to me.”

I exhale deeply and cover my face with my hands. I can’t take care of another whole fucking person, at least not without some serious help. And her family is obviously out. Maybe I can take her to one of those shrinker shelters? But those could be even worse.

“Look,” I say resignedly, “It’s already past seven, so you can stay here tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday anyway. In the morning we’ll talk to my mom and figure out what to do.”

Rose’s eyes grow wide. “I don’t want anyone else to see me.”

“She’s my mom. If you really want to stay here, you’re going to have to meet her.”

“B-but what if she doesn’t like me?” Rose stutters.

“Rose," I laugh. "She’s a fifty-two year old woman with failing kidneys! I think she’ll be happy for the company.”

Rose perks up immediately. “So I can stay?”

“I didn’t say that! Look, let’s just relax for now, okay? It’s been a long day. Do you want something to eat?”

She bites her lip nervously. “I’m not really hungry.”

“Come on,” I coax her. “I make a mean grilled cheese.”

Rose actually smiles for the first time since she got here.

“That sounds nice.”