Smallara

Alejandra stood up, bracing her palm under the tiny girl’s fragile back as she set Charity carefully down on her old coffee table. She watched for a heartbeat as Charity…

Charity didn’t realize how cold she was until Alejandra’s hand pulled away.  In the suffocating closeness of the backpack, in the folds of that battered hoodie, she’d had warmth, even…

Alejandra couldn’t believe what she was looking at.  She’d barely kicked off her shoes, the cheap sneakers squeaking against the warped floorboards of her tiny living room, when she’d dropped her…

Charity’s lungs pulled in shallow, ragged breaths as she lay motionless in the soft bowl of Alejandra’s palm, but even now, trembling as the giant girl’s eyes raked over every…

Charity’s breath caught in her throat at the sound of Alejandra’s soft, incredulous words.  "Pues, look at you now, patrona. So small. So quiet."  The words landed heavier than any…