“Okay,” I said carefully. “I won’t shout. But you can’t stay inside this bin. It’s hot, and you could get hurt.”
Both girls pressed closer together.
“You can come into my house,” I continued. “Just until we figure things out.”
They stared at me.
“My name is Laurel.”
The girl in green finally spoke.
“I’m Wren.”
She pointed at her sister.
“That’s Ivy.”
“Hi, Wren. Hi, Ivy.”
I held out my arms.
Wren hesitated before reaching toward me.
I lifted her out.
She was frighteningly light.
The moment her feet touched the pavement, she grabbed my shirt.
Ivy came next.
She wrapped both arms around my leg.
I guided them toward my house without looking next door again.
Once we were inside, I locked the door.
The click of the deadbolt made both girls jump.
That reaction bothered me even more than finding them in the bin.
I brought them into the kitchen and set out water, crackers, apple slices, and a few pieces of cheese.
They didn’t touch anything.
“It’s okay,” I told them. “You can eat.”
Wren looked at Ivy.
Only after I sat down across from them did they begin.
And then they ate fast.
Too fast.
Ivy stuffed almost an entire cracker into her mouth at once.
“Slow down, honey.”
I slid the water closer to her.
“When did you eat breakfast?”
Neither answered.
I tried something else.
“Is your mommy home?”
Both girls stopped chewing.
Wren lowered her eyes.
“What about your daddy?”
Ivy shook her head hard.
