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

closer but finding it hard to move freely because of the

hand on his leg, making him wince as she put her weight on it to reach for the rain frog. She grabbed it without fear, making the boy

It's safe!" she reassured, a little sorry for

a child once, and she was also

this

there were more things scarier

little creatures. Even so, she knew

and she felt sorry

smiling wide until her eyes were squinting. "This great aunt already took care of

Great aunt?

relief, flinching wherever she waved the frog in her

be in this place if you're scared

38

scolding him. "But I

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

pull. herself out of the shrub. As she

"I

take care

looked up at him.

it home," he said, a

"But I think

all alone."

Penny pouted as her

still thin and dirty. It reminded her of herself, abandoned by everyone

such a young age.

as she smiled. "You can't take

48

"Huh?"

ask for shared custody," she negotiated. "Giving her to me means you are not capable of raising it. Don't bother

were talking about child custody? Or

in this?

boy felt a little dissatisfied with it, but what she said was right. He wasn't capable of raising it. He didn't even know if he would reach adulthood. "Fine," he said, but was curious.

"I'll come here every Thursday, same time. You can

little guy was

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