Jace decided to get to know Hannah by himself. He bowed his head when he stepped on something. Paper folds---paper airplanes. He took one, then unfolded it. 

Dear Daddy, where are you? I’m very lonely here. When will you fetch me? 

That's what was written on the letter by crayons. Jace automatically turned in the direction of the door. After that, he looked at the open window. It looks like the kid was climbing on the window sill to throw those paper planes outside. There are paper planes on the road, on the roofs of houses, and on the branches of trees. Just how many papers did this little girl fold? It's too much for a little kid. 

Jace came closer to the kid and raised his hand awkwardly to reach the little girl. It was exactly the moment where the little girl peeked under the comforter. The girl’s almond eyes widened, and again she gasped. She hides under the sheet like a cuckoo bird on a clock. Jace couldn't help but chuckle. At that moment, the little girl's head peered from the comforter. She covered the comforter over her head, took a few steps back, and looked at him with pure curiosity.

"W-who are you?" she asked with obvious reluctance.

"Jace," he answered casually with a wide smile on his lips. Maybe the little girl would be at ease if he wouldn't act as a stranger.

"Jace," she pronounced his name. She threw a glance at the door. "D-do you know Maila?"

Jace raised an eyebrow with the way the little girl addressed her mother. Well, Brianna never called Aubrey "Mom." She called their stepmother by her name with a crisp tone. It was arrogant and lacked politeness. In the little girl's case, there's awkwardness in it, like her mother was a total stranger.

"She's my mom's childhood friend," he answered. 

"R-really?" Her round eyes shone with excitement. When she removed the comforter from her body, Jace had the chance to look at her from head to toe. Her black ringlets were almost touching the floor in her sitting position. She had a small face, a wide forehead, and reddish chubby cheeks. Her nose is small and red too. Her mouth is slightly open while she's staring at him. The little girl reminded him of the natives who resided in some of the reservations in America. Sun-kissed skin. Her skin tone is like a cup of coffee with creamer---mocha.Y

"Your name is Hannah, right?"
    
She nodded eagerly. However, the hesitation in her eyes didn't dissipate. "Hannah Bautista," she introduced herself, using her full name. She's obviously using the last name of her mother.

"Where were you before you came here, Hannah?" he asked.

"Miami. Three weeks ago, after Daddy was brought home by a long black car. They said he would not be coming back because he's already in heaven. That's why I made a lot of paper planes. If by chance he reads my letters, he will know that I'm waiting for him here." The little girl's eyes watered. She wiped the tears away clumsily with the back of her hand. "But a lot of days have passed already. He didn't come for me." She sniveled and sobbed. "Aunt Veron is angry at me. That's why she brought me here."

"Aunt Veron?" 

"She's not my mommy, but she's my daddy's wife. She didn't want me to call her mommy."
In that case, the child's father has his own family. When Hannah came to Aunt Maila suddenly when her father died, then it became an unforeseen problem.

Hatsiii! The girl suddenly sneezed. Her nose was runny and red. Jace looked down at her clothes. She's wearing a square-neck white gown with half-sleeves, and it's not enough for the cold weather outside. She's not even wearing a sweater or a pair of socks. 

Jace stood up and closed the window. He turned the heater to a higher degree, then he came closer to Hannah and removed the muffler around his neck.

He put the muffler around Hannah's exposed neck. The little girl looked at him the way a newborn chick looks at its mother hen—like an imprinting animal.

Jace automatically beamed at her. He was amused when the little girl smiled back at him. Hannah has two dimples on both sides of her mouth. Her expression became vibrant, unlike her gloomy face before. She stood all of a sudden. Without a warning, she sat on Jace's lap, then put her arms around his shoulders, to his surprise.

Jace blinked with a baffled face. Then he heard her whimpers, and he thought that maybe the kid was trying to find someone to lean on. He raised his hand and patted her head. Hannah was petite—too small for her age. Or maybe he's just used to American size. American kids are bigger than Asian kids.

"Jace, is Myla angry at me too?" Hannah asked after a while. "She didn't want me here. And I'm scared of West. He's always glaring at me and scolding me."

Jace pushed Hannah's body a little to look at her face intently. "Did they hurt you?" he asked seriously. 

She bowed a bit, then shook her head slowly. "They didn’t hit me like Aunt Veron. But West is always angry. He yelled at me and yelled at Maila. I want to go back to my daddy." Her face crumpled into sobs again. "Daddy said that we're going back to the Philippines and we're going to buy a big house there and stay for good. But Daddy's not in here. He didn't go back from work, and then we were all in the cemetery before I realized it. The people were all crying. They said he's gone already. What will happen to me? Maila didn't want me here." 

Jace gently wiped the tears from the little girl's cheeks. "It doesn’t mean that she doesn’t love you. Aunt Maila is going to work for your sake, Hannah. She can't take care of you because of that. We’re going to look after you, Hannah," Jace tried to reason with her and informed her. "Mom and I are here to fetch you. Maybe your dad received your letter. That’s why we’re here in his place. We're going to take care of you in his place for the time being. Is that all right with you?"

Hannah's eyes flickered. "I’m going to your house, Jace?"

Jace nods his head. It was exactly that time when the door opened and the two adults entered the room. Aubrey looked at him with eyes full of questions. Jace just shrugged his shoulders. He stood up. Hannah didn't let his hand go and instead grasped it tightly. 

- to be continued -