"Come on, Miss Elina! You're going to be last again!"
The shout came from somewhere down the hill—probably Theo, the loudest of them all. Elina looked up and burst into laughter as seven kids barrelled down the slope towards the wide green meadow, each of them shouting over the other.
Sophie, the tiniest of the bunch with her hair tied up in two messy pigtails, huffed up beside her. "You said you'd race, and then you didn't. That's betrayal!"
"Big words from someone who still needs help tying her shoelaces," Elina teased, crouching to re-tie Sophie's sneaker.
"Only sometimes!"
"And yesterday? And the day before?" Elina raised a brow.
Sophie grinned sheepishly. "Okay, but today I didn't need help... until now."
Jaxon jogged past them, a football in one hand, shouting over his shoulder. "Better hurry up! Dario's already claimed the big rock as the finish line!"
"That's cheating!" shouted Millie, trying to catch up with Dario.
"There are no rules!" Dario yelled back.
"There are always rules!" Millie declared. "Especially when I'm losing."
Rachel stood near the picnic blanket, arms overflowing with juice boxes, a sandwich barely balanced on top. 'If someone doesn't help me in three seconds, I swear I'm feeding this to the ducks.'
Elina laughed and ran over, taking a few boxes from her. "We'd never forgive you. That's the last peanut butter and jelly."
"Precisely. Do not test me," Rachel mumbled around a mouthful.
They spread out the food on the blanket. Jaxon sat cross-legged next to Danny and tried to mediate a squabble between him and Zoe over who got the blue plate.
"It's just a plate," Jaxon said.
"It's not just a plate," Zoe countered. "It's the lucky plate. I used it last week and found a caterpillar."
"Ew," Danny cringed. "Exactly. I should get it so I can break the curse."
"It's not cursed, it's lucky!"
Jamie, the quietest of them all, sat with a sandwich in her lap, watching the chaos unfold with a small, amused smile.
Elina watched them bicker and laugh and chase one another. She lay back on the grass, folding her arms beneath her head, the sun warming her skin. Sophie plopped down beside her, cheeks flushed and hair tangled with blades of grass.
"Do you think clouds are soft like marshmallows?" Sophie asked suddenly, staring up at the sky.
Elina turned her head, smiling. "I think they might be even softer."
Sophie squinted. "If I had wings, I'd sleep on one. And maybe keep a bunny there—one that could fly too."
Elina chuckled. "A flying bunny on a marshmallow bed? Sounds perfect."
Sophie nodded seriously. "And I'd invite you too. You could bring cookies. And we'd have a picnic on the clouds."
Elina laughed softly. "That sounds like a perfect plan."
"But you have to pinky promise," Sophie said seriously, holding out her tiny finger. "You can't break a pinky promise. Ever."
Elina linked her pinky with Sophie's. "Then it's sealed. I'll come forever."
Just then, Dario's voice rang out from above. "Uh… guys?"
Everyone looked up to find him halfway up a tree, legs dangling awkwardly from a branch.
Jaxon blinked. "How did he even get up there?"
"Magic," Millie said matter-of-factly, chewing on a piece of grass.
Elina stood up. "Come on, brave climber. You stuck?"
"I'm not stuck," Dario insisted. "I'm just… resting."
"I'll give you an extra cookie if you come down," Jaxon bargained.
There was a long pause.
"…Two cookies?"
"Fine," Jaxon sighed. "But that's your whole cookie future for the week."
Dario scrambled down so fast he almost landed on Jaxon. Everyone cheered.
Not far off, Danny had curled up in the shade, his head resting gently on Millie's shoulder. She was braiding little loops of grass around his hair, humming softly to herself.
Elina sank onto the blanket beside Rachel. They watched the kids play quietly, poking sticks into the dirt, stacking pebbles, or simply laying back, staring at the clouds.
Rachel passed Elina a juice box.
"You know," Elina murmured, "what you did here… it's magical."
Rachel smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "It still doesn't feel real sometimes. Like any second, someone's going to tap my shoulder and say I imagined the whole thing."
Elina shook her head. "No one could imagine this. The laughter, the chaos… the love. You built this from nothing."
Rachel exhaled slowly, her voice soft. "I just wanted them to have something steady. A place where they could stop running."
"They did more than stop," Elina said, watching Sophie try to teach Pietro how to twirl without falling. "They found joy."
________________________________________
"Elina."
A voice tugged at her.
"Elina."
It grew clearer. Sharper.
Elina blinked. The warmth of the sun vanished. The soft grass turned into marble beneath her. Her breath caught as reality clawed its way back. She was in Adrian Blackwood's office.
Adrian was leaning forward, watching her closely. The office came into focus—cold, structured, sterile. The contrast to the memory hit like a brick wall. "You weren't listening to a single word I said," he said quietly, with a calculating smile. "Where did you go just now?"
Elina's mouth was dry. "Nowhere."
"You're a terrible liar. You zoned out."
She swallowed. Her throat was dry. "I was... with the kids."
"Last year, Rachel opened the place she always dreamed of. We threw a fundraiser, painted the walls with the kids, stayed up late labelling beds and organising books. She named it Haven's Nest."
He didn't interrupt. Just watched her.
"We took them on a picnic after everything was done. Seven kids. Sophie, Theo, Dario, Millie, Danny, Zoe, and Jamie. Each one a different note in a song you never want to end."
Her lips trembled, but she kept going.
"Sophie always holds my hand when she's nervous. Theo pretends to be brave but he's scared of caterpillars. Dario is too smart for his own good and always asks me questions I can't answer. Danny has nightmares but he never tells anyone except me. Millie dreams of being a dancer and made me swear I'd be front row at her recital. Zoe wants to be an astronaut. Jamie barely speaks but always tugs on my dress when she wants to sit near."
She closed her eyes. "They love me. And I love them. So much that it physically hurts. I promised them I'd be there… always. That I'd make something for them. Somewhere for all the kids who don't have anyone."
A long silence followed. Adrian stood, walked over, and leaned against the edge of the desk.
"You really meant all that," he said. "Every word."
She nodded slowly.
"Then take the offer."
"It's not that simple," she said hoarsely.
"It is." He reached out and gently placed a pen into her hand. She didn't even realise she was holding it until her fingers curled around it instinctively.
"No more scraps. No more waiting for someone else to care. You sign this, and you get to build exactly what you've dreamed of. I won't stop you. I'll fund it, I'll protect it. But you have to sign."
Elina stared at the pen.
"I won't be gentle," he warned. "But I will never lie to you."
She looked up at him. His eyes were sharp, unwavering.
And behind her eyes—the laughter, the wind in her hair, Sophie's hand in hers.
She signed.
The ink bled like a wound.
Adrian smiled.
"Good girl."
And Elina stared at the contract. Her kingdom. Her cage.
________________________________________