Rebecca heard footsteps behind her and she quickened her pace. The footsteps sped up too and soon caught up to her. Now Rebecca looked up into the faces of three girls who were quite a bit bigger than her. "Where do you think you're going?" one of them asked.
"H-home," Rebecca stammered.
"Why?" another one sneered. "When you could stay out here and play with us." The three girls began pushing Rebecca and laughed when she lost her balance and fell. "What's wrong? Are you gonna cry now?" Rebecca bit her lip and refused to let the tears that stung her eyes escape. That was when the three girls started kicking. They wanted to make Rebecca cry and they wouldn't stop until she did.
"Hey!" a voice yelled. The girls stopped and looked up. A boy a couple years older than them was walking towards them angrily. "Leave her alone," he growled.
"Why?" one of the girls asked.
"Do I have to show you?" the boy asked. The look on his face was enough for the girls and they took off. The boy looked down at the tiny girl on the ground. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded without looking at him. He held out his hand to help her up, but she didn't respond. Shrugging, the boy sat down next to her. "My name's Brian. What's yours?"
The girl finally looked at him with wide eyes. "Rebecca," she replied softly. Brian smiled, the corners of his blue eyes crinkling.
"Well, Rebecca, how about I walk you home so they don't come back?" Brian asked, standing. Rebecca nodded and this time took Brian's hand. They walked down the sidewalk slowly. Rebecca finally stopped in front of a run-down old house.
"This is it," she said walking towards the front door.
"Wait!" Brian called. "Are you sure? I mean..."
"This is home," Rebecca replied. "Thanks for walking with me." With that, she turned and went inside.
The next morning, Rebecca hurried out the front door and came face-to-face with Brian. "Hi," he said.
"What are you doing here?" Rebecca asked.
"Walking with you," Brian replied. He didn't know why, but he had become attached to Rebecca. Of course, being seven, he didn't worry about it. He just continued to walk with her, protecting her...setting the stage for everything to come.