It was a busy morning at The Lord's Orphanage Home. The bell had just rung, and the sound of excited children filled the air as they hurried toward the assembly hall. Among them, two kids—Charles and Charlotte, could be seen laughing and playfully hitting each other with pillows while running along with the others.
"Charles! Charlotte! You better not be silly!" Sister Tina called sharply. She seemed to be the only one who worked at the orphanage. It caused her to be really stressed by the kids and that had made her strict. Kids could get out of hand if not controlled, she would say. The best way to put them in order was to instill fear in them, and that was exactly what she did.
"Sorry, ma," they both replied at once and quickly dropped their pillows, joining the rest of the children heading to the hall.
The Orphanage was just a new one in the city and the catholic church had built it to help give helpless kids a home. Within a space of two years, due to Sister Tina's leadership, the orphanage was the talk of the town. The government also supported them because the children there were doing well in their educational performances and were well behaved. Children who got adopted from there ended up being even more well behaved than most biological kids in Dontown. This made many couples with child bearing issue come from Nearby and far away to adopt them.
After the morning announcements, the kids gathered for their morning prayers, breakfast, and lessons. After those were over, the children returned to their rooms to observe their siesta. Charles and Charlotte, who had been scolded earlier, were now sitting together on Charlotte's bed, chatting quietly.
Their room was cozy and colorful, filled with toys and soft blankets. It didn't look like a sad place at all—it looked more like a home. The two of them stayed in the room for kids between the ages of eight and ten, and they were both about ten years old.
Charlotte kept fiddling with the bracelet on her wrist, a habit she had picked up ever since. She didn't know why, but it always gave her some sort of relief.
"Charles," she said, staring at the bracelet on her wrist, "I still don't understand why my parents gave me this… and then left me here. Maybe it's supposed to help me find them someday."
Charles gave a dry laugh. "As for me, I don't even want to meet mine again. They didn't care. They just dropped me off and disappeared, leaving me with no clue."
"Maybe they had no choice," Charlotte said softly. "What if they really wanted to take care of us but couldn't? I like to believe they still love us and might come back one day."
"Well, that could be the case in your parents' case," Charles muttered, looking away. " As for mine, I don't want to see them again."
Charlotte reached out and touched his hand gently. "It's alright Charles."
They had talked like this many times before—ever since the day Charlotte showed Charles the small items her parents had left her. It was then they realized they weren't actually twins, like Sister Tina had assumed. Maybe they had just arrived at the orphanage on the same day. But Charlotte had gifts, a name, and even a letter…and he had nothing.
Charlotte noticed his sudden silence and the sadness in his eyes. She tried to change the subject.
"Hey… you're not thinking too hard about this, are you?" she asked gently. "I believe a good family will come for us soon. A rich one too, just like you always dream about."
She patted his head, and that made him smile a little.
Just then, they heard the sound of the sister's shoes tapping down the hallway. Quickly, they both dove under their blankets and shut their eyes. The door creaked open. The sister peeked in, saw the children lying still in bed, and walked away, heading toward another room, looking for an unlucky kid to spank.
A sudden cry came from down the hall.
"She found a scapegoat," Charles whispered with a smirk and that made Charlotte giggle softly on her bed which was just opposite his.
Moments later, the sister returned to their room.
"Attention, everyone!" she called. The children jumped up from their beds, sitting straight and wide-eyed.
"Tomorrow, I want everyone on their best behavior. Dress neatly too. We've been getting a lot of calls lately—some of you might be adopted soon. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Sister!" they all replied together.
She gave a short nod and left, closing the door behind her.
A bell rang for lights out. The children turned to one another.
"Goodnight," they whispered excitedly, trying to not be too loud so they don't attract Sister Tina's punishment..
With that, they slept off.