Chapter 277: Elena

*FLASHBACK*

A boy, who seemed to be merely eleven years old, was standing by the bank of a river on his own. He had his black orbs fixed on the shimmering clear water as he watched the fishes moving around, immersed in their own little world. His unwavering attention was disturbed by a loud shriek of a girl which was followed by a splashing sound. With a troubled expression, he shifted his attention in the direction from where the sounds were coming from, only to be greeted by the sight of someone struggling to stay afloat.

He let his eyes wander around to check whether or not the child was accompanied by an adult. To his dismay, there wasn't a single soul in his line of sight. Shaking his head at the carelessness of the child's parents, he walked in the direction from where the shrieks for help were coming with hurried steps and a hastened pace.

"Have you lost your mind?" He yelled at the small figure which was struggling her way through the clear water. Her meek attempt at keeping herself afloat was forcing the water to form small ripples. "Use your feet, you little fool." He added, with a scowl resting on his face.

"Help! Help me, please." Seeing a silhouette standing by the bank of the river, the girl called for help again, splaying her dainty arms up in the air. Her actions only annoyed the boy more, forcing him to let out a frustrated growl. "Stand up!" he yelled as loud as his lungs allowed him to, only to be ignored once again by the struggling child once again. It seemed like his existence and words didn't matter to her as she was too lost in her pleas.

Given no choice, the boy couldn't help ruining his overly priced, designer jeans and shirt. Without even taking off his white branded sneakers, he jumped into the water with a loud splash. "Stop moving, you stupid girl." He grabbed the collar of her baby pink frock to stop her measly little movements and pulled the upper half of her 'drowning' body out of the water. "The water here isn't even deep." He added in an annoyed tone as he shook his head at her foolishness. "It is barely reaching til your elbows."

His words pulled the girl, who was still calling out for her help, out of her delirium. She shifted her teary eyes down only to see that the water level was a little above her waist where a now wet pink ribbon was dangling. With her tear streamed face she looked up at the man and muttered a meek apology, "I am sorry."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" The boy asked the teary eyed girl as he continued to hold her up.

"Your clothes are all soaked and dirty because of me." She answered him with a pout, pointing her dripping index finger towards his jeans.

"It's fine. Let's get you out of here." The boy shifted his attention back to the little girl and spoke in a bored tone before he began to move through the clear water. As he found his way to the bank, his shoes shifted the settled dirt at the bottom which turned the water murky. Once he was by the edge, he pushed her up and made sure that she was securely sitting on the dry ground before dragging his half soaked body out as well. He settled himself on the ground next to her and began to question her. "What are you doing here on your own? Don't you have anyone accompanying you?"

"My caretaker was with me, but she went to get me something to eat because I was too hungry." She answered in a quavering voice.

"And how did you end up falling in there?" He asked her in a polite tone as he took out a small packet on tissue papers from the inside of his jeans' pockets. Luckily for him, the packed was still sealed, so the water from his soaked jeans wasn't able to soil them. After wiping his hands using the dry part of his shirt, he broke the seal and took out a bunch of tissues. "Here you go!" He passed her a few and then took out some for his own use.

"You still haven't answered me. How did you end up falling in there?" He repeated his question from earlier and stared at the top of her crown as he waited for her answer.

"Thank you." She spoke up in a meek voice, thanking him for the tissues. "I was just looking at the fishes and lost my balance due to bending over too much." She diligently wiped her face clean, especially the trails of her tears. "I am sorry for the trouble you had to go through to pull me out. I am just too scared of water." She added, scratching the back of her head. "And if you don't mind, I would like to pay for the damages done to your shoes."

Seeing her point towards his soiled white sneakers, he shook his head firmly. "It's fine. I will just get a new pair, I wasn't fond of these anyways. But if you really are feeling bad about it, just tell me your name." He added with a smile. Just from the way she spoke, he could tell that she didn't belong to any normal family. He couldn't see the kid who was bawling her eyes out just a little while earlier. But what was she doing in a downtown area just with a caretaker? It made him a little curious about her identity.

"I am not allowed to tell my name to strangers, but you just saved my life, so I will tell you my first name. It's Elena." She extended her right hand towards him which he took right away.

"Hello, Elena! My name is Taylor. It's a pleasure meeting you." He took her extended and introduced himself, giving it a firm shake.

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