Lita continued talking for a bit more. After showing them the small garden at the corner of the yard, she finally turned back to Gray and Mara with a warm smile on her face.
"That’s pretty much everything, Sir," she said followed by a reassuring nod.
"You’re free to roam around if you want, sir. I’ll just be in my office because I need to finish signing some files. Please call me if you need anything. You may also ask the staff around if you have more questions or need help."
"Alright," Gray nodded. "Thank you for showing us around. I appreciated it."
"No problem, Sir," Mara added with a polite smile on her face.
Lita thanked them once more before heading back inside. Once she was gone, the atmosphere became lighter. Maybe it was because even if the woman was kind and helpful. Gray preferred for them to be left alone.
The kids who were still playing nearby kept glancing at Gray and Mara. When they saw that Lita was gone, a few of them got the courage to come close. They were holding balls or chalk, or toys that looked like they had survived years of use.
"Hello, Miss... Do you want to draw with us?" One boy lightly tugged on Mara’s sleeve to catch her attention.
Mara blinked in surprise. Instead of saying no, she smiled and then crouched down on the ground to be the same height as the little boy.
"Sure, young man. Show me what you’ve got."
The boy immediately got excited. He raised his hand and quickly dragged her toward the shed. A few more kids followed them, excited and talkative.
Gray stayed where he was at first. He was unsure if he should join in, until a kid holding a rubber ball walked up to him and held it out.
"Mister... do you want to play catch with us?"
Gray stared at the ball before glancing at the young kid. The kid stared at him with hopeful eyes that he couldn’t seem to say no to. He remembered Lily on them.
With a smile on his face, Gray slowly nodded, "Sure," He said.
"Yay!" The kid jumped in joy. He hurriedly stepped back and threw the ball lightly. Gray caught it and threw it back. In just a few minutes, three more kids joined them. Their laughter grew louder.
Even Mara looked up from the chalk drawings to watch them. She shook her head with an amused smile.
"Gray," she called. "You’re gonna get tired."
"It’s fine!" he muttered, even though he could feel his arm already starting to ache.
Still, he kept playing with the kids. For a moment, everything felt simple and light. It was just kids running around. It was the kind of warmth Gray hadn’t felt in a long time.
Then, after one more throw, Gray felt a sudden pressure in his stomach.
’Oh great... I need to pee.’
He glanced at Mara. "I’ll go inside for a bit," he told her quietly.
"Bathroom?" she guessed.
"Yeah," Gray nodded.
"Alright," She waved him off with one hand before stopping drawing with the kids. "Go. I can handle things here."
"Alright," He excused himself from the kids, who groaned in disappointment that their play should stop. However, Gray quickly assured them that he wouldn’t be gone for long, and was just really going to the bathroom.
With that, the quicks nodded their head and let them be. And so, being free, he stepped inside and stopped in front of a nearby staff who was wiping down a table.
"Excuse me. Where’s the restroom?"
The worker straightened up when someone talked behind him. He scratched the back of his head and pointed at the other side of the hallway. "Ah, sir, it’s at the far end of the hallway. You turn left and walk straight. I can guide you—"
"No, no, no. worries, it’s fine," Gray said right away. "You’re cleaning. I don’t want to pull you away from work. Just tell me where it is."
The worker hesitated. Then he pointed down the hall.
"Go straight. Turn left at the end. Walk for more, then turn right, and right, and then one more left. The door with the blue sign is the bathroom."
"Got it. Thanks."
Gray followed the directions. The hallway was a little confusing with its uneven turns, but he found the bathroom eventually. The inside was surprisingly clean. The tiles were old but neatly scrubbed. The air freshener was doing its best, and the sink was spotless too.
You could tell that it was a bathroom that had been cleaned pretty well.
’Not bad,’ Gray thought. ’Honestly, the whole place is nicer than what I expected.’
After finishing, he washed his hands and stepped back into the hallway... only to realize he had no idea how to get back.
Which way did I come from?
He stared at the two identical hallways in front of him. One went deeper into the building. The other led somewhere he didn’t remember passing.
"Great..." he muttered to himself before letting out a small sigh.
With it, he picked the more familiar direction and started walking. However, even after doing that, he got lost. After a few turns, the hallway opened up to a small side yard he hadn’t seen before.
And the side yard was surprisingly quieter compared to what he had seen. There were no laughing kids and no staff around. It was really just a shaded patch of ground behind the building.
Gray stopped when he noticed someone sitting alone on a small wooden stool near an old tree.
It was a child.
A boy. Maybe around eight or nine was sitting with his knees pulled close to his chest. He wore a plain shirt and shorts that looked too big for him. His hair was slightly messy, and his gaze was fixed on the dirt in front of him.
"...Hey," Gray tried calling out for the boy.
However, the boy stayed completely silent, as if he didn’t hear anything at all.