no monkey here (Sophie)

The exterior of the orphanage was the grounds. The grounds had its own playground and today Sophie was going to the monkey bars as well. She looked tomboyish today in her denim shorts and red t-shirt and she was actually going to swing on the monkey bars. It was one of her ways of being active. Actually thinking about a gymnastics class was possible but she could do this on the orphanage grounds instead.

She was short but flexible as she pulled herself up on the bars and swung on them. She’d spied Jace and gave him a little smile.

Jace Maddox

Seeing a boy climb a bit higher than her Sophie had kept moving swinging from bar to bar. Then he introduced himself. Sophie stopped her swinging and reaching the place she could climb up higher she did so she was on his level.

“I’m Sophie and I agree with you” she cheerfully said. “It’s good to see what you can do with the abilities you have as well but this will take more practice”. She really needed more time but it was more likely that she’d need to cut back what she was doing already to fit it all in. Especially now school was back on.

Jace Maddox

Sophie had been here a while. Much longer than the time she’d lived in the West slums as that was cut short by the violent death of her aunt during a robbery and that was still an unsolved crime. So while she might have been able to go back and live with her mother that was too fragile a future for Rebecca Giver. So Sophie stayed right here.

“I’ve found the longer you stay here the more you get to do. Ideas are encouraged and backed up. I bake cookies and things like that and that started because I wanted to feel useful rather than just cry all the time. Now I get to teach others what I know” she replied. Her support doll programme was also quietly expanding and she had an apprentice to keep the basic operations going these days.

“It’s usually the babies that leave first. Then followed by the cute toddlers. Some of the friends I made here will also age out here and leave when they’re eighteen. In between that those children will be here long term” she added and would continue to be a big sister figure in the long run.

Jace Maddox

“We’ve always questions to ask as we grow up. Then we go to school and get some of the answers; not all the ones we need in elementary school but those should come later on” Sophie replied. “We are a lot of work once we become teenagers or close to it. My late aunt said so”.

She couldn’t see much of the big picture yet but once she was 13 she’d start a new part of her life. It wasn’t just a number but she was already wondering about boys and girls. Her abilities would also develop further along with her body as she grew up. Mattie crossed her mind as well.

Jace Maddox

Was this the time in your life when you figured you could do everything? Probally as once teenage years kept rolling round you got to see the obstacles a lot more clearly. Right now the choice was to continue with tennis or add on gymnastics to an already busy life. Or to explore other things she’d barely any information on.

“We don’t know a lot right now. We think we can do anything but I do know being here is good for me. Who knows what kind of trouble I could have gotten into living in the slums?” Sophie replied. She knew what level of trouble that could find her right now for sure and that was just living on this island. Giving into fear meant dying a little at at a time instead of all at once on your terms.

“Why don’t we go out for a while? The sea front is nice this time of day” she added with a smile.

Jace Maddox

Sophie had decided the general area as she replied “I did live in the slums for a short while before coming here. So got to see what goes on first hand. Occasionally gangs, certainly night workers and plenty of things that could have gotten me in trouble; but if you’re careful it’s not as dangerous as it is looks”.

She needed to get a hoodie before leaving as it was late afternoon and getting a bit chilly. Then they were walking to the seafront. A city this compact meant you were only a few miles away from anywhere when in the oprhanage.

Jace Maddox

“My old neighbourhood in LA was like that too. So when did you get to the island?” she posed. By now you could see the pier and the part of the city tourists tended to start in before they explored. The cruise ships still arrived for now.

“I think you’ll do just fine. We could get dinner here as well” she added. School would cut into their time but the evening was still theirs.

Jace Maddox