Chapter 77

Stepping out of the room and beginning the journey down the halls, the first person Beth bumped into, literally, was Mia, and not too far behind her was a little boy. From the look of things, they were playing tag.

"Sorry!"

She was going to go past Beth when Beth grabbed her shoulders.

"Mia."

Her little head shot up and almost immediately, excitement entered her eyes.

"Aunty Beth!"

She threw herself at Beth, climbing her when Beth's hands went under her arms. Chuckling, Beth hugged the little girl to herself, patting her back and watching the little boy come to a halt before them and scan her inquisitively.

She scanned him right back.

Something about the boy looked jarringly familiar, but before Beth could place it, Mia pulled back and exploded into a rant.

"Aunty, I have been looking for you. We checked the toilet, the roof--"

"The roof?!"

Mia nodded enthusiastically, a small, emphatic frown on her face.

"Yuh-huh. We even went to the reecpon. You were nowhere. Where did you go?