~The Girl’s Car~

All Frank could see was folds of a skirt and a giant face. It was the face of his new owner (that concept felt alien). By the time they’d reached the girl’s home, he was way too familiar with her dark blonde hair and bright green eyes, like they were cut straight from an emerald.

‘We’re home,’ the girl gave him a gap toothed grin. ‘Come on, Captain Cuddles.’

Oh, gods save me.

Clutching Frank tight to her chest, she jumped down from the car and giggled, running up to the door. She pressed the doorbell which rung to the tune of the Big Ben clock tower in London. Frank had always liked the tune, but now he hated the fact that it called someone to drag him into this place.

Not that the place wasn’t nice. Marble columns lined the front porch underneath a balcony on a second floor. The walls were a brilliant white like they’d recently been attacked by a dentist, and the rood was a cool shade of grey, not quite dark but not quite light either.

Frank heard the tinkle of keys before the dark oak door swing open to reveal a young man who was obviously the girl’s father. His hair was the dusty blonde. Frank wondered where the girl’s stunning green eyes came from, because her fathers were brown, as were her mothers.

‘Hey, Millie!’ her father said, picking his daughter up and Frank with her. ‘What have you got here?’

He sat Millie on his hip and she showed him the white rabbit,’ Mommy got me a bunny! His name is Captain Cuddles!’

Her father chuckled, ‘Captain Cuddles; what a great name.’

Millie nodded, giggling. Her mother came up behind the two, carrying a load of supplies from the pet store. Millie’s dad put her down and she stared up with big, green eyes.

‘Jacob, Honey, could you grab the tank and put it in Millie’s room?’ she asked. ‘It’s too heavy for me.’

‘Ah, need some man power?’ her father flexed his arms impressively while both Millie and her mother laughed. Frank would’ve too, if he wasn’t a rabbit.

‘Just go get it, you big dork,’ Millie’s mom shoved him, smiling though she shook her head. She knelt down next to Millie as her father walked back to the car, ‘Sweetie, why don’t you take Captain Cuddles up to your room and show him around.’

‘Yes, mama,’ Millie gave her mom a kiss on the cheek before spinning around and sprinting inside the house.

The inside of the house was just as fancy as the outside. The walls were a smooth washed out white colour and the floor was covered in patterned splotchy cream tiles. The entry hall was long with four closed white doors leading to other rooms and a staircase at the end. The stairs were covered in a soft white carpet.

Millie raced up the stairs and into the nearest room, shutting the door behind her and placing Frank on her bed by the door.

‘This is my room, Captain Cuddles,’ she explained, a serious look on her face that was rather cute.

She began a long description of every item in her room without bothering to glance at Frank. On the far side of the room was a large window with a box seat looking over a beautiful garden including a fruit and veggie patch, rows of flowers and bushes, and an extravagant fountain complete with a Cupid (hate him) sculpture spitting out a water.

The interior of Millie’s room was mostly pink. Her bedspread was a pale pink with butterflies dancing across the bottom. Pink drapes hung over the window and three pink and purple cushions sat on the box seat. A simple white desk was next to the bed. A few children’s books were stacked on top, but the majority of the desk space was taken up by coloured pens and pencils, pieces of paper and drawings. A few pictures were tacked up on the wall above the desk. One recent picture was Millie holding hands with what was obviously meant to be the Easter Bunny.

Frank felt his heart melt. This little girl was just that; a little girl. She didn’t understand that he was a person with an unfortunate ability to shape shift. She thought he was a white bunny that she could keep and love.

Maybe I could stay for a little while, Frank thought. Millie is just a kid.

Millie finally finished her speech and sat on the bed next to Frank.

‘What do you think, Captain Cuddles?’ she asked him. ‘This is your house.’ She picked him up and hugged him, ‘You’ll be friend, won’t you?’

Of course, Frank wanted to say. Millie was nothing more than a oblivious, innocent little girl. There was no way he would ever want to hurt her.

But you have a legion to run, a demon in the back of his mind said. You’ll have to leave her to go home, and that’ll break her heart.

Shut up, Frank told the voice, but he knew it was the truth. He would have to leave Millie.

Frank snuggled up against Millie and she smiled, holding him tight.

‘You’re a good friend, Captain Cuddles,’ she said. ‘Not like them. They laugh at me.’

Frank looked up at her, nose twitching. Who would laugh at a poor, sweet girl like Millie?

‘They think I’m silly because I like flowers, like Daddy,’ she told Frank. ‘They think vegetables are yucky, but I like vegetables. And I like to go to the flower shop with Daddy. They think I’m strange.’

Millie screwed up her nose as she sounded out the word strange, like it felt weird saying it. Frank was appalled at these people making fun of Millie because she liked flowers. What kind of stupid word did they live in?

‘But you’ll be my friend,’ Millie said happily, hugging Frank again. ‘You won’t leave me like them.’

Once more, Frank felt guilt explode in him and felt his heart crack in two.