I'm Not Just That Scared Little Girl

"No, it's alright, Serena. I don't want to be responsible for anything happening to you." Alex murmured. Seeing Serena's fearful and anguished expression, Alex felt another twang of guilt. She quickly darted forward and hugged to younger girl. "What's wrong, Serena? Please don't be sad because I said those things. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm not mad at you at all, Serena! Really, I promise!"

"I'm not upset at you, Serena." Alex reassured the younger girl, "It's pretty hard to get upset at you, if you ask me." A twinkle was in her eye. "But you may find that I'm not as enjoyable to be with." She smiled gently. "It's okay, Serena."

"Maybe you'll think differently if I ask again in a few days... or a few months... or a few years." Alex murmured, "And, why wouldn't I be hard on myself, Serena? Think of it like this. The only people who care about you enough to point out what you're doing wrong or reprimand you for making mistakes are your parents, your close relatives, and your best friends. All three of those are dead for me and Luke is far, far away, so if I want to survive, I have to be hard on myself. I think you'll understand once you've been in real danger." Alex smiled softly at what Serena was doing.

OOC: I'm so sorry for not replying! I could've sworn I posted something... >~<

Alex sighed softly at Serena's confusion. "Don't think that way! You're not useless and I won't let anybody tell you that you are!" she exclaimed, ruffling the little girl's hair. "It would be nice to finally be able to actually count on someone." She could feel the Cresselia Communicator hugging her tightly and she smiled. "Serena, I know you'll do your best to protect me, but I have to be hard on myself in order to protect you and the rest of this family, alright?" she murmured, smiling encouragingly.

Alex laughed softly when Serena patted her head. Normally, it was the older sister patting the younger sister's head, not the other way around. "Don't worry about me, Serena." she murmured.

OOC: That's the end of the first short story! Not that anyone's reading this. MrBulbs and I have talked a bit and here's the scenario for the second story:
Alexandra "Alex" Mayers, seasoned veteran of the streets of London, has gotten herself into deep trouble by taking freshly orphaned Serena Rivers under her wing. Serena Rivers, who has just been thrown out onto the streets, does not understand the laws of the streets and has witnessed a member of the most dangerous gang to roam the streets, Team Eternity, commit a crime. Not knowing what to do, little Serena told the police and now Team Eternity is out for her blood. Can Alex keep herself and the younger Serena safe? Can Serena stay out of harm's way?

"Hey! Get back here, you thief!" the owner of the small shop called as fourteen-year-old Alex weaved through the crowds of London, the bread clutched carefully in her hands. Quickly, she darted down an alleyway, narrowly avoiding the shopkeeper's beefy hand as he reached for her. Alex knew the streets like the back of her hand. After all, she had been living on the streets, alone, ever since her parents had died teo years ago. Looking behind her, Alex could no longer see the shopkeeper and she smiled. Again, her nimbleness and agility had won out.
Alex swerved around to head back towards her little hideout, a small, dark alleyway. On the streets, there was no such thing as "mine" or "yours." It just was. Nobody really argued about territory. Everyone was busy trying to stay alive. So, of course, Alex was shocked to find a young girl cowering in a corner with a Team Eternity member looming over her. Alex's eyes widened at the sight of the Team Eternity member. Everyone knew that Team Eternity was the toughest street gang around and nobody bothered them. Why would Team Eternity be worrying about a silly little girl? In Alex's territory, no less.
Alex quickly pushed the bread into her left hand, hiding it within her cloak. Then, she drew her dagger, which hung at her waist. Clearing her throat softly, she asked the Team Eternity member, "Excuse me, but what are you doing here? Don't you have other people to pester?" Her tone was rather innocent, but Alex was well-known around the streets, too, and not for being very gentle when attacked.
The Team Eternity member whirled around. "Oh! Alex, right?" he asked, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly, "I din't know this was yo hood. This gal reported one of our members to the police. I thought I'd mighta teach her a lesson..."
Alex sighed softly. It was clear that the little girl had only began roaming the streets very recently. "Excuse me, but it seems as if she hasn't been on the streets for very long, I don't think she knew what she was doing."
The Team Eternity member smiled, showing rotting teeth. "I'm afraid dat has nothin' to do with all this."
Alex stepped forward quickly, brandishing the dagger. "Get away from her!" she ordered. The Team Eternity member noticed her dagger and backed away.
"Fine, but I'll be back with my friends to get rid of you and her for once and for all!" he spat. Alex ignored him as he lumbered off into the streets. Turning her attention to the girl, she noted the fact that the little girl looked extremely scared and her clothing wasn't in the best condition, either. The girl was only wearing a pink dress, which was torn slightly and smeared with dirt. Alex slowly advanced, sheathing her dagger. She tried to smile encouragingly.
"Hi there. I'm Alex. I promise I won't hurt you. Can you tell me who you are?"

Alex ignored the girl's words, walking closer, unclasping her cloak and taking out the bread, as well. "Here. You must be cold..." she murmured worriedly, gently wrapping the cloak around the smaller girl's much tinier body. Pulling off a piece of the bread, Alex handed it to the girl, murmuring soothingly, "Shhh... Everything will be alright. I'll keep you safe." The girl couldn't have been much younger than Alex, but she looked so tiny and frightened and alone. "Can you tell me what your name is?"

Alex smiled softly at the little girl, Serena, and sat down beside her. "Please don't be scared, Serena. I promise I won't hurt you. I made the other man go away, right?" she murmured softly. Serena's mistrust wasn't normal for someone new on the streets, but it would certainly serve her well in the future. "Look, Serena. I can tell that you're pretty new to the streets. I don't want you to get hurt or anything, so I'm going to ask you to stay with me. If you don't want to, it's fine, but I really and truly don't want you getting hurt, especially since Team Eternity is out for your blood. I know you probably don't trust me. After all, I'm just another girl on the streets, right? Why would I care about someone like you? Well, I promise, Serena. I'm not like Team Eternity. You can trust me." Alex paused, thinking about her next words. "Besides, you have no weapon or means of defending yourself, so it would be best if you stuck with me for now..."

Alex tipped her head to the side, as if confused. "I did give you my name. No matter though. It's Alexandra, Alex for short." she replied, smiling. "So, what do you say? Would you like to stay with me? Or would you rather stay on your own and get killed by Team Eternity?" Then, realizing her words were a bit too harsh, she murmured, "They'd do that without a second thought, Serena. Kill you, I mean."