by Mark Butler
“Dark Friends”
By
Mark Butler
Unwanted. There was no other way to describe how eleven year old Amelia Gannerson felt when she took her first few steps into Lisson Orphanage. Amelia could not remember her parents, though she knew that she hadn’t seen them since she was two years old. They must not have wanted me, she thought. This was the third orphanage that she had been sent to in her short life. The first one was a large, colorless place that she could barely recall; it had burned down when she was three years old. Her second orphanage, St. Bart’s, had been shut down after three of the counselors were indicted in a child prostitution ring. That’s when Amelia had been sent to Lisson Orphanage on a large green bus. The buses' windows were completely blacked out, except for small slats on the window edges, causing Amelia to lose track time. The bus suddenly stopped.
“Get moving...get off...hurry up!” the bus driver suddenly started barking orders, ushering his charges out of the vehicle. Once out, they found themselves in front of a huge building in the middle of the country. A stone faced attendant stood waiting.
“Well, get in, then” he suddenly snapped, sending the gawking girls inside.
As soon as Amelia and the eight other girls from the bus walked through the tall oak doors that formed the entrance of Lisson Orphanage, they had all keenly felt how truly unwanted they were. The adults who were in charge eyed the girls with undisguised annoyance, as though this was entirely their fault. From the adult’s perspective, they only saw nine more mouths to feed, nine more wild children to break with hard labor and harsh discipline. Here were nine more children of infinite potential problems and the adults lamented that they would never find nine families to adopt these girls. In reality, adoption was of little importance to the counselors; if a child ever made it to eighteen, they were abandoned in a nearby city and forgotten about. They were the staff of the orphanage and it was their job; watch the kids, feed them and keep them quiet.
The main lobby of Lisson orphanage was gloomy, matching the gray weather outside. The middle of the room had a huge, dirty green carpet that orphans would gather around for mass announcements. The ceiling was too high to see; obscured by dark shadows. The rest of the room had a few doors that led to various parts of the facility, and there were no ornamentation’s whatsoever. No, Amelia noticed, there were decorations; sculptures carved right out of the wall by the main lobby that appeared to be huge birds with open mouths. She felt her skin crawl.
The counselors were all dressed in identical dark blue uniforms, with black shoes, black belts and military-style caps. The orphan girls were wearing various styles of dress, from pajamas to school uniforms to dresses and one girl even had boy-style pants on. The counselors halted the crowd of girls in the middle of the lobby and thanked the social services driver who drove the large green bus. After he left, the girls were arranged in a single file line, on the green carpet, facing the group of counselors. The counselors instructed the girls to put their hands by their sides and to put their chins up, so they could hear and see exactly what they needed to.
A huge man in a counselor uniform broke away from the group and stood in front of the girls, inspecting them with a practiced eye. Amelia picked him out as the leader due to the golden rope wound tightly around his left bicep. He cleared his throat loudly and spoke in a deep, forceful tone,
“I am Counselor Ellis. You will call me Counselor Ellis or ‘sir’, no exceptions. You will not speak unless spoken to, ever. You will not touch anything without permission from a counselor. You will never, under any circumstances, get on the ladder that leads to the third floor” he paused for dramatic effect, “The rest of the rules you will figure out as you go.”
“What’s on the third floor?” A dark-skinned girl asked from the end of the line. Amelia recognized the girl from the bus; she had not come from St. Bart’s, but was instead picked up on a street corner on the way to the orphanage. There had been a dark-skinned woman on the corner who had profusely thanked the bus driver when he took the girl from her. Amelia wished that the lady had taught the girl how to mind her words.
“What did you say?” Ellis asked, his voice rising in anger.
“I asked what was on the third floor” The girl replied, her voice clear and innocent.
“Nothing!” Ellis screamed as he approached her. He stopped a foot away from the girl and motioned as though he would hit her, though his hand never fell. The girl recoiled dramatically nonetheless, throwing her hands over her face and screaming. Ellis sighed and rolled his eyes, motioning for one of the female counselors to take the girl away. A stern-faced middle aged woman ushered the girl out of the room.
“Nobody moves a muscle” Ellis instructed the eight remaining girls.
Screams erupted from the room where the dark-skinned girl had been taken, and all of the girls jumped in surprise at the loud noise. One of them let out an involuntary shriek. None of the counselors moved a muscle or looked even remotely surprised; they had been through this routine dozens of times before.
The girls stood in absolute stillness for nearly three minutes, listening to the soul-wrenching screams coming from the room. After what seemed like an eternity, the screams stopped abruptly.
The dark-skinned girl suddenly burst out of the room, looking panicked. Her eyes focused on the line of eight girls in front of her and she half-ran to the end of the line, stopped, and stood at rigid attention like her companions. Amelia had not seen any visible damage to the girl when she ran through her line of sight, though the girl had clearly been sobbing.
“There are consequences when you break the rules” Counselor Ellis said simply, “Welcome to Lisson Orphanage.”
Chapter 1
Amelia remembered everything. Well, almost everything. She could recall little before she turned four, including anything about her parents. She remembered every face, name and every detail of her entire life since then, however. At eleven years of age, she could remember everyone she had met at her previous two orphanages. Her mind's eye could clearly recall the way everyone walked, talked and behaved. She remembered the woman who had taken the dark-skinned girl to the bus. Peering through the window slats, she had seen the woman’s black shoes, her long yellow and black silk shirt and her Afro-style haircut with blond streaks. She even remembered that when the bus was pulling away from the corner that the woman had mouthed the words “Goodbye Sabrina” with tears in her eyes. That was the dark-skinned girl’s name, Amelia thought, Sabrina.
Sabrina had not spoken to anyone in the three days since the girls had arrived at Lisson orphanage and Amelia was concerned for her. In fact, all the girls were curious about what had happened to her on that terrifying first day. They had not been given a chance to ask her, however, as they were absorbed into the orphanages’ cold embrace. After they had been processed into the facility, the girls were sent to their dank dormitory and issued work clothes. They had not had time to socialize then, either. They were immediately put to work. Some girls were given laundry duty, others scrubbed floors and windows, and still others were sent to the kitchens. Amelia had not yet had a chance to speak with Sabrina and she wondered if they would ever get a respite from their chores. She vowed to herself that she would engage Sabrina at her first opportunity and offer her a degree of comfort. Amelia would not get the opportunity during work, however, because Sabrina had been taken to the yard while Amelia was stuck in the laundry room.
The laundry room was a large, clean room that always smelled of lime and bleach. It was situated close to the orphan’s dormitories and the light was always on in there. Laundry was done twenty-four hours a day in one of the three industrial size washing machines and the two small dryers were constantly running, trying to keep up with the huge dema
nds of the orphanage. Amelia thought she could have liked working in the laundry room. The hum of the machines and bright light gave the room a lively atmosphere. There was always a fresh smell in the air that contrasted with the close, suffocating odors of the sleeping quarters.
“Empty the dryers, folding crew, get moving” a counselor instructed.
“You” a counselor commanded Amelia, “empty the lint traps.”
Under different circumstances, Amelia truly would have loved to work in the laundry room all day, chatting with her friends and washing, sorting and folding clothes. But she hated it. No matter where you went in the orphanage, there was always a counselor nearby, looking over your shoulder, ready to discipline at the slightest infraction. For reasons Amelia couldn’t fathom, Counselor Ellis preferred to monitor the laundry room and he was vicious with his hands, belt and booming voice. Ellis seemed like he would have been ideal for an all-boys orphanage, where his aggressive nature could transform boys into men. But he was at Lisson Orphanage, a girls-majority facility that his rough presence disrupted. In reality, it was not just Ellis who abused his power and position.
None of the counselors seemed to have any genuine concern for the girl’s well-being. They should be called “slave masters” or “guards”, Amelia thought. She had not yet seen or heard of any of the counselors show kindness. Instead, they seemed to be in competition with one another, each one trying to prove that they had the least regard for the orphans. They were infallible. There was nowhere safe, not even in the dorm. Amelia felt that at all times she was walking on eggshells with bricks in her shoes. Counselors would walk through at random times and yell, throw belongings or perform surprise inspections. They were everywhere. There were dozens of counselors, constantly on the move. They roamed the hallways, the grounds and even the bathrooms. Amelia thought about running away. She had planned it out in her mind; She would wait until it was very dark, then sneak out of the building and escape into the surrounding woods. She could find people who would treat her well. Even if she couldn’t find anyone, she would rather survive alone in the woods than to stay at this hellish orphanage. During one of the daydreams, her eyes glazing over, she had suddenly snapped back to reality only to have Counselor Ellis staring directly at her, seemingly reading her thoughts. He had an amused glint in his eye, as though he would relish the opportunity to hunt down a runaway orphan. Again, Amelia wondered what Counselor Ellis’ motives were for running such a military-prison style orphanage. She knew it was him. He made all the decisions and ruled with an iron fist. He seemed to be the only counselor who was above merely punishing the girls as part of his duty. He seemed to enjoy punishing them and he always had an excited aura when he was administering his own brand of justice. Amelia avoided Counselor Ellis as much as she possibly could. She would find a way to survive, like she always did.
As her mind resigned to her temporary fate, Amelia began to think about making friends. She knew no one at this orphanage. She had no idea how many children were kept there or how long they were kept there. She imagined that once a child became eighteen, they were released into the world, free to pursue their dreams. But that was still seven years away for Amelia, so she had plenty of time to make friends. She knew they had many girls her age and some a little older, so all she really needed was a moment of free time to meet someone. She remembered hearing somewhere that the only free moments were in the middle of the night and perhaps when the girls were eating. As amazing a memory that she had, she couldn’t remember where she had heard about those free moments. Amelia prided herself on her insight and intelligence, so she probably could have figured that out on her own, anyway. She decided that once her work day was over and the girls were put to sleep, she would make her move.
They were like vermin, he thought. Lice-ridden, hungry, and always wanting more; that’s what they really were; vermin. Jared James Ellis had applied for the counselor position at Lisson Orphanage nearly seventeen years ago and he cursed that day. They kept coming in droves, these vermin, crowding the facility and stretching the already precarious budget. Ellis knew that he was a part of the solution, not the problem. In his career as a counselor, he had learned that nearly four out of every five orphans had at least one living parent. He also knew that those people would continue to create kids that they couldn’t support, then just dump them off at his orphanage and go on to make more cursed offspring. That was why he was the way he was; his companions couldn’t get pregnant.
His first time had been with a girl who was now dead; her loquacious nature had ultimately damned her. Still, she had been so small and helpless and…perfect. He had taken her to the third floor on a whim and vented his life’s frustrations on a symbol of his problems. There had been many more since her and he wondered at his continuing luck. Most of them were too scared to speak anyway and the ones that did try to talk were forcibly silenced. When a counselor had accused Ellis of foul play, he had already been the Head Counselor for three years and he fired the man on the spot. After that, he had selected his staff more carefully, choosing only those who could be trusted. Ellis had no fear inside his own orphanage anymore and he rarely had any serious incidents. His only true concern was for the overcrowding. The nine new girls he had been brought that day had pushed his resources to the limit. He would have to thin the herd.
Ellis lifted his muscular two hundred and sixty pound bulk out of the frail wooden chair at his desk and made his way towards the counselor’s common area. Though Ellis had grown soft in the midsection as he aged, he had been raised on a farm and was immensely strong. He hoped whoever was at the counselor's lounge was ready for some heavy work. Although it was one thirty A.M., three counselors were sitting at the break-room table drinking gin and talking loudly. They quieted when Ellis entered and they all recognized the evil grin on his face and what it signified; his orders were expected.
“Who wants the honor?” Ellis asked.
“It’s Gene’s turn.” Edward said. His bloodshot eyes and shaking hands indicated that he was only just starting to drink that evening.
“No, I did it last time.” Gene retorted.
“I don’t care! Get it done and get it done now!” Ellis hollered, his patience breaking. Whoever he chose would be in for a long night of driving and risk.
“Do it, Gene.” Ellis said finally.
“Yes sir.” Gene replied, chugging her glass of gin.
Since Amelia had arrived at Lisson orphanage, she had felt only fear and oppression. But tonight was different. She felt…excited. She waited until the lights were turned off and the counselors left the room, then she crept silently towards Sabrina’s bunk. Sabrina was awake and her eyes registered shock when Amelia’s pale white face appeared inches from her own,
“Who are you?” Sabrina asked.
“I’m Amelia.”
“What do you want? You shouldn’t be here. If we get caught talking then we’ll be punished.”
“I just want to be friends. I haven’t talked to anyone since I got here and I thought maybe you would want to have a friend…”
“Stop!” Sabrina’s voice got dangerously loud, “I don’t want a friend! You’re gonna get me in trouble!” Amelia recognized the look of horror in Sabrina’s eyes, it was the same look she had after she had been punished on the first day. Amelia knew that she should go back to her bunk, but her overwhelming curiosity forced more words out of her mouth,
“What happened on the first day? Where did they take you? What did they do?” Amelia pressed on, but Sabrina’s eyes had already glazed over, terror paralyzing her vocal cords. Amelia knew she would get nothing out of Sabrina then, so she kissed her on the cheek and slogged back to her own bunk, disappointed. She had been looking forward to conversing with Sabrina all day and the silly girl thought that the counselors were omniscient, monitoring their every move. Amelia closed her eyes and vowed that she would never be so scared of someone that she lost touch with reality. She was still in the moments before sleep took her, t
he moments where you don’t know if you’re awake or dreaming, when a counselor entered the dormitory. Amelia wouldn’t have sensed the woman’s presence if she hadn’t let the door slam so loudly, apparently unconcerned that she might rouse witnesses.
Her name was Gene. Amelia remembered that Ellis had called her by that name a few days after Amelia had arrived. What was Gene doing? Amelia kept one eye closed and her breathing rhythmic as she watched Gene go to Sabrina’s bed and wake her up. Sabrina let out a yelp as Gene grabbed her hair and unceremoniously half-dragged her out of the dorm, making lots of noise but never hesitating or slowing down. As soon as they were gone Amelia ran to the door and pressed her ear against it, but the sounds of Sabrina’s struggle faded after a minute and Amelia wiped a tear from her eye. She did not know why she was crying, only that the dread in her soul was as valid as anything she had ever felt. She went back to her bed and her mind played out a thousand terrible scenes, each one more likely than the previous. She kept her eye on the door as she tried to fall asleep, fearful that she would be taken in the night.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“Get up” the voice was youthful, feminine and hurried, “get up!”
“I’m up, I’m up.” Amelia groaned. It had been a long day in the laundry room and her body ached from carrying the great baskets of clothes. Her mental fog lifted slightly as a great explosion sounded outside and Amelia felt like a building had imploded next to her ear. She sat up, hearing the rain on the roof, like a thousand tiny feet tap-dancing.
“C’mon, there’s not much time.” The small voice insisted. Amelia blinked and saw a small girl in front of her, probably no more than seven years old. Amelia didn’t recognize her. “Who are you?”
“I’m Allie. C’mon, you haven’t seen everything yet.” Allie grabbed Amelia’s hand and half-pulled her out of bed. Amelia went along, wondering what she hadn’t seen yet that could be so important in the middle of the night. Allie led her out of the dorm and Amelia’s heart pounded as she entered the hallway. If they were caught, a harsh punishment surely awaited both of them. Allie led Amelia fearlessly down the hallway going away from the laundry room, towards the rest of the facility. Amelia’s breath caught in her throat as they suddenly emerged outside in the freezing rain; she hadn’t realized how close she always was to the outdoors, she hadn’t been outside since her arrival. Amelia followed Allie towards a tall building across the courtyard and the girls burst through the entryway, eager to be out of the rain. Allie’s small, cold hand gripped Amelia’s' and she led her up a winding staircase that never seemed to end.
