This was my last year. With the beginning of the autumn, my days in this forsaken place would come to an end. Enough babbling, I shut my thoughts. The dangerous situation was afoot. I couldn’t let my guard down.
Hard soles of the good sister Maria’s shoes tapped against the floor and the woman cursed her old age.
“Whose idea it was to take the night shift,” she murmured as her steps sounded in the room. She seemed to be busy with something, at least the woman didn’t mind checking the corridor. “I hope Esme left some wine and cheese. I’m starving.”
Cheese? At the mention of food my stomach grumbled.
“Whose’s there?” the good sister Maria asked, but didn’t make a move to check it out. “Halo?”
Laying on the floor, I felt the chill soak through my skin to the bones. To stay warm, orphans cuddled together as there weren’t enough blankets left in the building.
“Must be the black cat again. The infernal beast doesn’t know its place,” she complained. There indeed was a black cat, which has lived in the orphanage as long as I could extend my memories. I’ve heard children whisper about it. I didn’t see anything strange about the little feline and so I ignored their comments.
The kitchen was on the other side of the house. It was always heavily guarded. In the face of hunger, some orphans could become bold. The good sisters were strict about food rations and how hard we had to work to earn them.
“…and bacon,” the good sister added quietly as her steps sounded closer to the corridor. My heart started hammering and I genuinely considered running away. If she caught me here, the strain on my body would be too severe. All I needed was to get out of the building. I could find food without a problem in the village. Some trees there held nuts and fresh fruits! We’ve never had nuts to eat, though we knew the good sisters had them delivered.
“YOU!”
I’d closed eyes and couldn’t know that her words weren’t aimed at me. The black cat crossed the corridor … it was too late though. I was already raising. The good sister Maria’s eyes snapped toward me and her face twisted with disgust.
“And you! Out of bed at this hour. Come to me at once!”
Not exactly understanding what was happening, I spun and darted toward the hall. There was a backdoor that led to the yard. From there it was a formality. I could flee the orphanage for good. I don’t get much anyway and they stopped giving me clothes. I can sleep beneath a bridge or go to the forest. I don’t need them, I kept saying to myself. Tears ran over my full cheeks that forgot how to smile. Why did I wait so long? I should have done it long ago.
The good sister cried out my name, waking up half of the building. Shit. If the caught me, they’d punish me beyond my imagination. In the heat of the moment, I forgot which spots on the wooden floor were silent and what was worse, I turned into the wrong corridor. This one led only up. The orphanage seemed different this night or maybe I was too distracted to pay attention to where I was going.
The place was already waking up. I might be able to outrun a few of the good sisters but within the building, they’d eventually catch me. I took three stairs with each step, trying to get to the roof. In my head, it sounded like a neat idea. The good sisters were large women and they feared heights. So I told myself, forgetting completely about the bars in the windows.
They were also smart. Way smarter than a seventeen-year-old. In the darkness, my foot missed a step and I stumbled. Shouts came from the bottom and top.
I panicked when a good sister appeared in the corridor. She held a candle, her face was a picture of contempt.
“For the eternal life in hell, what’s the matter?” she barked at me.
Lying belonged to one of the heaviest crimes which were punished by belting. Nothing triggered them more than not finding a culprit. At that moment, the life-trained reflexes failed and I said, “I think, it’s a rat. A whole herd.”
The good sister Clara shuddered at the mention of rats. The last year’s plague took two good sisters. Rats evoked fear in the hearts of everyone, including me.
“Dear God, it can’t be.”
I almost changed my mind, so much the aversion to lying was ingrained in me and only by sheer luck, that another good sister came down from the floor above, I was spared.
“Clara! What’s going on?”
“Rats!”
The head sister Esme cried out, jumping back on the stairs as if it could help.
“Fix it, Clara! Kill them all, I hate rats.” The head sister Esme left but her cry got the good sister Maria’s attention. I heard her curse somewhere below.
“I hate rats, too,” I added and followed the head sister Esme. I can’t be here when the good sisters figure out the ruse.
As I made a step onto the corridor on the second floor, one of the doors there banged close. Orphans weren’t allowed to come here and it only showed how shocked the good sister Clara must have been that she didn’t stop me from coming here.
But by coming here, I trapped myself as well. This floor didn’t possess a second staircase. It was destroyed during a fire years ago. Bunch of rooms here held god knows what, and windows were barred.
Desperation kicked in when the good sisters below bellowed in anger. They found out about my lie. The heart in my chest banged so hard it stabbed me with physical pain. I couldn’t breathe.
My only chance was to get away from here. I ran alongside the corridor until it turned right. There I found a sort of living room with sofas, armchairs, and tables.
Food!
Plates on the tables held nuts and dried fruits and more. Why is this here? There is so much food that orphans could live on this for days…
I snatched a dried pear as I sped past the room into another corridor. The moonlight seemed stronger here. Maybe, in different circumstances, I’d stop and think about it. But all I wanted was to get out of the building. I didn’t find it at the end of the corridor though. Where the staircase should be, I found only a wooden wall.
Maybe the good sisters won’t find me here?
Windows.
My hands grabbed the irons handles but failed to even twitch them. Either these windows didn’t open or I simply wasn’t strong enough. Fear took over my mind and I cuddled into the corner, praying to become invisible. Because I sort of was. Other orphans have never remembered about me unless I talked to them first, and even then, their attention drifted away from me a minute later. I’ve had neither friends nor enemies.
I had nobody. When James lived here, he sometimes seemed to notice me more often than others. But he was away, living out in the big world, chasing his dreams.
The good sisters found me, while my entire mind was consumed by memories of James. I didn’t feel the belt struck my face or pull and throw. I must have cried out in pain at some point. Why didn’t the good sisters forget me? They’ve sometimes done this.
“She almost slipped my mind,” one of the good sisters said. “With her age that diabolical aptitude becomes harder to notice.”
“Should we send her to the church?”
“Church? Are you mad, Mabel?” I was again pulled up. “She’ll stay with us. I wasn’t brought here to look after a band of dirty ruffians. Pearl village is more than meets an eye.”
The good sisters didn’t ask questions. Not yet. They’d do this outside as they tied me to the pole. There was no telling how long I’d be left without food and roof this time. I should have known better. Only one more year and I’d be free.
“Be strong, Avery. You’ll survive this infernal place. Let’s meet in the future, far away from here.” These were the last words James told me. They were everything I had. Oh, and his shirt and pants.
The good sisters opened the backdoor to the yard and the warm air embraced me. All the pain the women inflicted on my body has become irrelevant as I realized something with terror. The windows on the second floor meant to be always open but barred. They were closed and without bars. Why it was colder inside than outside then?
I couldn’t understand this. Something was terribly wrong with this place.
“What are we going to do with her?” the good sister Clara asked as they herded me to the pole where they’d tie me up. Drenched with fear, I noticed my chance too late. For a few seconds, I stood outside, free from their grip. I could run away now.
“She lied and was out of her bed. One week without food and water!”
My chance disappeared as my legs became so weak that I dropped on the ground. I’ve barely eaten and they wanted to take it all away for a week. Squeezing my fist harder, I realized that the dried pear was still inside. My only hope.
Chapter 2 – The Black Cat
The good sisters left me tied to the pole. They were merciful tonight as no one bothered to beat me up. I clung to the fact that I had the dried pear. I’d survive the week. All I needed was to be strong.
It was easier said than done. My swollen face started hurting and my stomach rumbled. At least I wasn’t shivering from cold anymore. The ground around the pole was bare. Rarely a week went by without an orphan being tied up here. The good sisters always noticed bad deeds. There was no roof or walls to shelter from the wind and rain. The garden with all its vegetables and fruits was locked up beyond the fence but stayed in my sight. Being so close to food was painful.
I coiled on the soil, dispersed my thoughts, and tried to sleep. No orphan was allowed to sleep past 6 a.m. This included those who stayed outside as well. But sleep didn’t come.
The moon hid behind the clouds and blackness surrounded me with a thick coat. Did I fear? Absolutely. Older orphans, who have left years ago, had spoken of strange incidents in the village and how one day fires appeared all over the place without explanation and died before villagers could react. They said that Pearl village was cursed, that demonic forces converged there.
And there was no need to believe in any of this, my mind was skillful at conjuring images and visions. My dreams could be crazy. I closed my eyes, focusing on the dried pear in my hand. If I fall asleep, it’ll be my reward, I promised myself.
But instead of sleep, I heard purring. It melted everything inside me, I was ready to scream out of fear, even if the price was to be beaten up. The purring stopped and I lay frozen, wondering about my stupidity. I could have waited and didn’t go out of my bed—
Something soft and furry touched my back and I jumped up. My mouth opened but not a sound came out of it. Two green eyes regarded me with mild curiosity. It was that damned, black cat, the good sister Maria had mentioned earlier. The animal purred so more, then looked away.
“What do you want?” I asked, finally being able to find my voice. “You scared me.”
The cat turned his slick head to me. There was something disturbingly intelligent in its gaze. A sort of expectation. What did it want from me? Maybe a dried pear? I handed the fruit to it, forgetting my own hunger. But the cat only sniffed at it and stepped back. It clearly wasn’t a fan of dried pears.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, taking the fruit away. Confused, I sat, not expecting an attack from it. I thought I could deal with a little feline if I needed to. A scratch or two was nothing in my current condition.
The cat made a step toward me, slow and hesitant, then another one, until it was on my lap. It purred, smelling of fur and pines. This was one strange smelling cat. It placed its paw on my stomach and … and the hunger receded. I blinked unable to find words. I must be dreaming. I think I fell asleep after all. Though it didn’t feel like a dream at all. The little creature didn’t finish at this. It jumped on my shoulder, having almost no weight. I felt its rough tongue touch my swollen face.
What was happening? The pain disappeared without a trace. This wasn’t possible. I reached to take the cat down, but it wasn’t there anymore. My heart lodged in my throat as the fear stabbed me. I looked around but found nothing but the soil.
Did it really happen or I came up with this?
“Where did you go?” But what was more disturbing, was the fact that I didn’t feel it jump off. The cat just vanished.
Okay, it’s just a stupid dream, I decided and put my head down.
*
I woke to harsh words and muted conversations somewhere in the background. Without opening my eyes, I knew the voices belonged to the good sisters. Orphans had chores until noon and weren’t allowed to come out. The good sisters didn’t trust us to do gardening or stay in the yard without supervision. They said we were reckless, but they feared we’d eat fruits and vegetables from the garden.
“Get up!” the head sister Esme snapped.
“I told you, there is something very wrong with her,” another good sister added.
I should feel bad. Usually, the hunger brought down headache on me and nausea, adding to that my face, which had been hit with a belt … but everything seemed amazing. I wasn’t full but neither hungry. And my face … not even an itch. How did it happen? The cat…
“She’s waking up,” they noticed as I opened my eyes and for the first time in my life a realization hammered my skull. Every single good sister looked fat, wearing modest but good quality gray gowns. White and gray hats on their heads weren’t looking cheap either. Food I found on the second floor, was more than we, orphans, have seen throughout the week. Not mentioning wine and cheese.
Behind the good sister—which I couldn’t call ‘good’ anymore—stood the building, dark and gaunt. The windows on the second floor were opened. What the hell?
The orphanage was old but in a good state of repair. The date above the door said – 1688. I didn’t remember it there.
“What did you do?” the g—sister Maria asked arrogantly chipping a piece of cheese. “Mabel’s belt got her across the face. Where is it?”
“Where is what?” I asked a little too provocatively, but out of nowhere anger began boiling inside me. How could I be blind to injustice? We, orphans, were nothing but slaves to them. The presence of sisters evoked disgust in me.
“It looks like someone’s growing a backbone,” Esme drawled. I still remembered how she reacted to the lie about rats. This woman was a bully, through and through. “I’ll break it if I must. So, I warn you, don’t test me, girl.”
“Exactly!” Maria added. “Tell us, are you a witch?”
I blinked, shaking my head. A witch? What were they talking about? Witches belonged to legends. They weren’t real. And somehow this bunch believed in them.
“I am not a witch,” I replied with indignation. It was an infuriating notion to take me for a witch.
“Then how will you explain your face?” This was a good question. I dreamed about the black cat. No, no, no. It wasn’t a dream, was it? What’s going on?
The sisters held their distance, apparently not trusting me. If I convinced them I actually was a witch, would this buy me a chance to get out of the orphanage? It was a possibility. I was hesitant, wondering about others. What would happen to them? I couldn’t just leave them here.
“I don’t know,” I replied finally.
“That’s a lie!” Mabel snarled. Her elongated face, too large nose, and small eyes looked perpetually vicious. Her grubby fingers fished a cookie from her pocket. She raised it to her mouth, then she froze. “Do you want one?”
Hunger accompanied me for my entire life. I’ve never been full. I once ate a cookie. Years ago. By now, I didn’t remember the circumstances anymore. Cookies meant to be delicious. They meant to be for good children, bring them joy.
I wasn’t a child anymore and so I shook my head, shocking the sisters. Their pudgy heads shuddered and they made a step back. I could see that they weren’t finished with me but temporarily ran out of options. I’d thought they were smart, I didn’t think so any longer. As the sisters conversed in the hushed voices, I noticed orphans’ faces stuck to the windows. Rarely more than two sisters went outside at the same time. Here I was with all of them.
I made a gesture to the children, pointing up, but except their gazes that went up, they didn’t move.
There is food laying unlocked and they stare at us.
A wind brought a bit of warmer air from somewhere beyond the forest. The sun climbed above the horizon and I had a chance to admire the sunrise. The rope grated at my wrist and I genuinely began considering running away right now. They wouldn’t catch me and yet other orphans held me. I couldn’t abandon them, could I?
I turned back to the sisters and froze. The black cat walked nonchalantly toward us.
“The cat!” I yelled. “It was the cat.” What am I doing? What’s wrong with me? The cat’s healed me and my way of saying thank you was to tell its secret? I was ungrateful.
The sisters noticed the animal too and instinctively stepped back. Some made a sign of a cross. Then two sisters broke off the group and fled back into the building.
“Witchcraft,” Esme hissed. “I’ve known it but no one believed me. This village has been invaded by witches!”
Esme came to the front, she barred her teeth at the cat. Her greasy orange hair swayed as she moved.
“This cat hasn’t changed since the day my father received it as a gift. That was more than eighty years ago. He knew something about what was afoot here. People he met and such,” her angry stare found me and she puffed. “You’re one of the witches. I once saw one casting a spell in the village. Too bad no one had guts to look for her.”
“Esme…”
“Don’t Esme me here! We saw what happened yesterday! This one is the proof we needed.” I hadn’t known any of this before but her words made very little sense. Esme didn’t sound afraid or angry exactly. I noted a trace of anticipation in her voice. Her intentions toward witches were unclear to me. I didn’t voice my questions and watched the unfolding situation.
Bewitched: A Paranormal Academy Romance Page 18
