The world was different. Things were changing, for the worse. The smoke of the city filled every living, breathing thing blackening their lungs till there was nothing left but to choke. The mother clutched her child close, taking in her warmth. All the pain, still flashing in her mind of the furious screams,‘Take her! Take her!’. It still filled the mother with anxiety. Children were not welcomed here, in this remorseful society. Especially her little infant, with her bouncy brown curls and her big golden eyes flecked with hazel near the iris. She the most was unwelcomed, because she was ‘tainted’. The mother shook off her uneasiness and smiled warmly at the soft body swaddled securely in her arms.
        “There there my little Rouge, I promise I will never let any harm come to you. You’re my precious baby girl.” The woman hummed and gently kissed her nose, which wrinkled slightly in response. With a contented sigh, she stood from the cold brick wall she had been pressed against and kicked the rags from her legs. The girl in her arms let out several small coos up at her mother, blissfully unaware of the future hardships she would have to go through. “We don’t have much time left together I’m afraid.” The woman choked back a sob, “They’ll find us soon enough.” She walked towards the back of the alley and bent down to the cardboard box, filled with rags and blankets she had managed to scrape together for her infant. With a final kiss to the baby's head, she placed her gently in the cushioned shelter and stood up. “Goodbye my love, I’ll always be with you even if you can’t see me.” She whispered her final goodbye and turned leaving the infant without another word. The baby sat quietly in the box and gazed after her last connection in the world before letting out a small whimper.