“Today’s the day mom and dad get back.” Menda gasped and jumped out of bed starting to pick out clothes. Algera shook her head as she started to leave the room. “I'll come by during my lunch break to get food together.”

 

“Okay!” Menda shouted at her closing door before getting dressed and practically running out of the house.

 

While she didn’t want to take up the area by the gate of town she could wait by the box in the center of town because it looked straight down the main street to the gate. Algera didn’t like her waiting by the box but it was useful since it was part of Algera’s guard route so she could check on Menda throughout the day.

 

Menda started the day outside the rope surrounding the box at first. After two visits from Algera, she moved inside the ropes using the box’s shadow as shade. When she saw Algera coming for lunch she moved outside the rope since she didn’t want to be yelled at today. 

 

After lunch she stayed by the box until the sun went down. She didn’t leave until Algera walked by after getting off her shift. She frowned as Menda was still sitting on the box. She looked her over her frown only growing. She looked over her shoulder at the gate then back to Menda. “They still aren’t back yet?” 

 

Menda shook her head with a frown herself. 

 

Algera sighed, holding her hand over the rope towards Menda. “Well, let's go home for now.” 

 

Menda climbed under the rope and rushed into Algera wrapping her arms around her. Algera hugged her back for a moment before the two walked home.

 

At first, she only waited once a week but as the weeks went by she kept increasing days. Originally, as she waited people would talk to her as they passed by as long as she wasn’t inside the ropes around the box. Most of the time it was just normal catching up on how their day was going but as her days there increased they talked to her less and less. Eventually only the other kids would talk to her, though they were pulled away by their parents if they noticed them talking to her while she was on the box. 

 

Algera frowned as she came up to the center to find Menda sleeping on the box, tears running down her cheeks. She slipped under the rope to pick her up and bring her home. The next morning when Menda woke up Algera was sitting by her bed. 

 

Menda rubbed her eyes. “What? Why are you…” Menda looked around.

 

“I know you want to go to your normal spot but I have something I need you to do.” 

 

Menda sat up and turned to Algera. “But I need to wait for mom and dad.” 

 

Algera sighed, “I know, but the house is starting to get a mess and I work most of the day.”

 

“But…”

 

Algera shifted for a moment. “Well…we don’t want them to come home to a messy house?”

 

“I…No…” Menda muttered.

 

“So I made a list for you to finish. And once you do you can go outside okay?” Menda nodded but didn’t get out of bed. Algera gave her a smile and stood up giving her a hug before leaving the room.

 

The two's lives changed to their new normal. Algera would wake up Menda and leave a list of work for her to do on the table before leaving to work. She had just been promoted to the captain of her team and didn’t want to let any of them down. Menda would spend a few hours in her bed just staring at the ceiling. Eventually she would get up and head to the kitchen to look the list over. Throughout the day she would slowly do her work looking out the window whenever she passed one. Time passed them by keeping up this normal for a few years. Their parents never returned and as the years went by Menda slowly grew to accept that fact.