Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
He rubs my back. I like it when he does that. “A millennium is a very long time. I suggest you not even think about making fun of another Little girl.”
I gasp. “I would never do that, Papi. Hopefully no one will think to call me the stupid nickname the mean kids called me in school,” I grumble.
Papi frowns. “What nickname was that, Little one?”
I lower my gaze and whisper, “Plain Jane.” I lick my lips. “She has no brain.”
Papi’s entire body stiffens. He grabs the back of my neck and tips my head back. “I’m sorry that happened. That’s very mean, and nothing like that will ever happen to you again. I promise. Never. No one behaves that way on Eleadia.”
I purse my lips to hold back my tears. “Can I stay with you all the time?”
“Yes. You’ll rarely be apart from me, Little one. We don’t separate from our mates. I told you that.”
“But what happens when you have to go to work? Will I be home alone? What if someone comes to the door? Can I pretend I’m not there? I don’t like to talk to people. What will I do when you work? Will I get a job, too? I don’t have any skills.” I ramble all of that so fast, not giving him a chance to respond. I have so many questions.
My head is spinning. I’m scared. How is this going to work? He has no idea how awkward I am or that people don’t like me.
“Janelle…” His voice is soft and kind.
“Why did you pick me? I’m weird and awkward. No one ever picks me for anything.”
“You’re not weird or awkward, Baby girl. You’re exactly perfect for me. You were fated to be my mate. Now take a few breaths so I can answer your questions.”
I inhale deeply.
“Good girl. My job is designing landscapes. I sometimes go to people’s homes to help them choose what plants and other flora they want in their yards. I do a lot of that work from home after I’ve visited their houses. You will always be with me. When I have to go to a property, you will come with me. You will never be left alone for any reason. I wouldn’t be able to walk away from you, and I’d worry the entire time. We don’t leave our mates unattended ever. If, for some reason, I had to go somewhere you couldn’t go with me, I would leave you with another Papi for a short time. Not long.”
A weight lifts from my shoulders. “You won’t leave me alone?” I keep harping on this because it worries me. It’s hard to believe everything he’s saying.
“Never. Can you feel our bond growing?”
I nod. It’s weird, but I feel it.
“That’s going to increase every day. Can you imagine me putting you down in here and leaving the room?”
“No, Papi.” The idea makes my throat constrict.
“I can’t imagine it either, Little one. It won’t happen. And let me address something else. There is no class system on Eleadia like you have on Earth. If you don’t want anyone to know your background from your time on Earth, you don’t have to tell them. Every Little girl will look exactly the same. Diapers, pigtails, pierced nipples. There’s no makeup. No nail salons. No special hairdos. All Little girls are on equal playing fields no matter what background they came from. There’s no room for the kind of mean behavior you’ve experienced on Earth.”
“Okay.” I try to picture a world where some of the mean rich girls I knew in school would be forced to use a diaper and forgo their makeup.
Papi lifts my chin. “You know what I suspect, Little one?”
“What?”
“Fate doesn’t select a mate for us who has a mean disposition. Fate selects for each of us a Little girl who is kind and loving. Someone who will be able to adjust to our way of life. There are times when Little girls arrive who have more difficulty than others submitting to their Papis and accepting life on Eleadia, but they eventually always come around. You, my sweet, precious Little one, are not going to have many difficulties. I can feel it in my soul.”
I smile at him. I hope he’s right. I feel so lucky to have come into the club tonight and met Papi. It was such a random decision made mostly because I wanted to get warm. Was there more to it like Papi thinks? Was there a higher power that propelled me to go to the club on this particular night?
“What if I hadn’t come in tonight, and you had found another Little girl?” Papi makes me feel little. I don’t know how that’s a thing.
“Nope. It doesn’t work that way. I’ve been on Earth visiting the club every night for two weeks, Baby girl. I would have been there until you came in.”