11 Child custody

Penny went under the shrub to rescue a kitten, but

this wasn't a kitten.

What welcomed her was a petite young boy. He looked a little gaunt and pale, but his eyes were brooding as if he were the grim reaper himself.

"What are you?"

"What are you?"

They asked in unison, but Penny was most taken aback because his low-pitched voice didn't match his sickly appearance. He frowned while her brows rose. Before she could say anything, she heard a soft 'meow' from somewhere. Averting her eyes, she caught a small and frail kitten coming from his other side. "Oh." Her lips formed an o-shape. "There's the kitten."

A big smile appeared on her face as she looked up at the boy. "I thought you were."

Did he look like a kitten to her?

The boy looked at the girl's round face and noticed

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11 Child custody

that her nose looked pink. He bit his tongue, knowing whatever he was about to say was rude.

"It looks hungry and... oh, it has a company?" Curiosity was seen in her eyes as she stared at the cute rain frog.

Seeing this, the boy looked at the cat and froze.

"A rain frog?" she mumbled. "I didn't know there's some in here."

Penny glanced at the boy, only to furrow her brows upon seeing the horrified look on his face. Earlier, this guy had already looked sickly, but now it seemed he was about to go into the light!

"Kitty, are you okay?" she asked, watching him twist his neck like a rusting robot. The moment they were face to face, Penny panicked. "Are you dying?!"

"He help."

"Help?" Penny was about to summon her superhuman strength and carry him, but then, noticed the frog coming closer to him. His face stiffened even more, and he was holding his breath until his neck turned

taut.

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11 CHAT tedy

subsided, moving closer but finding it hard to move freely

as she put her weight on it to reach for the rain frog.

of it? It's safe!" she reassured,

a child once, and

like this back

realized there were more things scarier

Even so, she

was valid, and she felt sorry for the little

She nodded at him encouragingly, smiling wide until her eyes were squinting.

Great aunt?

a sigh of relief, flinching wherever she waved the

shouldn't be in this place if you're scared

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him. "But I know it's

truth, the situation was the opposite. It was more like

trying to pull. herself out of the shrub. As she tried

she added, "I have to

you take care

stopped and looked up at

can't take it home," he

this favor. "But I think it

all alone."

Penny pouted as her eyes fell

hairs still thin and dirty. It

such a young age.

past her lips as she smiled. "You can't take

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"Huh?"

shared custody," she negotiated. "Giving her to me means

were talking about child custody? Or rather,

in this?

what she said was right. He wasn't capable of raising it. He didn't even know if he would reach adulthood. "Fine,"

come here every Thursday, same time. You can play

this, the little guy

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