"Close the coffin," the bald man spoke to the reverend sister, almost in a hushed tone, as if his words were forbidden. She could not hear clearly; the heavy rain made it impossible. The harsh rain hit across the muddy ground, making it more slippery. Both the reverend sister and the man were soaked.
They stood not far away from the orphanage home. One of the girls had died in the orphanage, and they were burying her. It was only the lady and the man. They said silent prayers as the thunder cracked loudly, the wind growing harsher, as if it was trying to say something of its own.
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Back at the orphanage, the thirteen-year-old girls stood on the top floor, pressing their cheeks against the window, curious about why their headmistress had left in such a rush an hour ago. They were all dressed in long night dresses.
They stood in the top hall because it was the only place with long windows. The large room was lit perfectly with candles on each side—not too bright, yet not too dim.
"Where did Sister Lorence go?" one of the girls asked almost loudly. They knew that if they got caught, they would be punished badly. They were supposed to be sleeping by now.
"I don't know. She left with Mr. Kindness," another girl spoke and they all gasped loudly. Mr. Kindness was a disciplinarian—very strict, for them to leave under the rain meant that something bad was happening.
A girl who stood at the end silently watched, her eyes staring at the forest. She had seen it. She knew what had happened, even though the others didn't. She had overheard it. Her long white hair fell over her shoulders, her emerald eyes scanning over the fence, thinking of a possible escape plan.
She looked further, and just then her foot tapped against the floor as she suddenly turned and ran to the door, straight toward her room area. The other girls turned, curious about why she was running.
"Sister Lorence is coming," one of the girls spoke, and the others immediately ran out of the hall to their various rooms. They definitely did not want to get punished—not when Mr. Kindness was there as well, as he could increase their punishment.
At the Glorious Orphanage, girls were trained in etiquette and different languages so they could get adopted, and when they were of age, marry. The girls were to study hard in Gatrem. If they were smart enough, they could marry dukes or princes.
Yeara climbed onto her bed and covered herself with a blanket. She had caught sight of Sister Lorence, and one thing she did not want was to be punished again. Earlier that day, she had been punished and told to mop the floors after pouring hot tea on one of the couples who came for adoption.
The door opened as the girls rushed inside, scrambling into their beds with speed. Yeara shut her eyes and pretended to already be asleep.
The room turned silent. Thunder cracked again as the rain hit harder, as if it were angry. Yeara turned to the other side, trying to sleep, but she couldn't. She was unable to forget what she had seen that evening—what she had witnessed just as she was heading to the bathroom to wash her hands.
She opened her eyes and turned to Ella, whose eyes were closed. She wanted to speak to Ella so badly, but she couldn't wake her. Ella was the only person who made her smile. They were close, so close—since Yeara was little, since the day she arrived at the orphanage at six years old after the tragic drowning accident of both of her parents.
She decided to close her eyes and try to sleep. Maybe that way she could rest. But time passed as the rain continued to fall. Unlike the usual rain that fell and stopped, this one fell hard—it did not seem like it would end.
Yeara tucked her hair behind her ears, her lips pressing together as she sat up. She was scared and couldn't sleep. She looked around; all the other girls were asleep. Her emerald eyes moved slowly across the room as she sat upright, but just then the doorknob moved.
She quickly laid back down and shut her eyes tightly, her heart beating loudly against her chest as she tried to calm her breathing.
Sister Lorence walked into the room, her eyes checking everybody as she moved to turn off the candles. Another set of footsteps followed as another lady entered. She was also wearing a reverend uniform as she walked toward Sister Lorence.
"Sister Lorence, we need to talk," she spoke impatiently, her gaze sweeping around the sleeping children to make sure they were truly asleep.
"What could possibly be the matter that you had to come here?" Sister Lorence asked as she blew air onto the lantern. The flame went out, and she closed it before turning.
"You have to understand that we need to send these girls for adoption. The current state of the orphanage is no longer stable," the lady spoke seriously, staring at Sister Lorence as she walked calmly toward her.
She hushed her tone.
"I am going to send letters around the village that we are open for adoption, and Lord knows what I would do if you end up declining that."
She turned and walked away, closing the door gently so as not to wake the girls. Outside, the rain fell as leaves flew around. Sister Lorence sighed as she walked calmly away, but then she heard a sound. She turned quickly, looking around once more before finally leaving.
Yeara lay there, her breath shaky as she wondered what could have caused the sisters to fight. They were taught to be kind, never to raise their voices at each other or act rudely. What she had heard just now shocked her deeply.
Just then, she felt a hand tap her. She gasped loudly and jumped, but it was no one other than her close friend, Ella.
"Oh heavens, Ella, you scared me," Yeara whispered, lowering her voice as she looked around before turning to Ella pointedly. Ella giggled softly.
"I thought you were asleep," Yeara added, relief clear on her face.
Ella sat up on her bed, her midnight-black hair loosely packed into a bun, her pure black siren eyes filled with worry.
"I couldn't sleep," she said before standing. She lowered herself and picked up a pair of shoes. Yeara raised a brow at what Ella was doing.
"Ella, what are you doing?" she asked.
Ella tied her shoe and glanced outside, sighing. It was still raining.
"Wear your shoes as well," she said.
Yeara moved in confusion. She didn't understand what her friend was planning, but she still reached for her shoes. She knew she would be in serious trouble if Sister Lorence caught them.
"Why?" Yeara whispered as she tied the lace.
Ella looked at her, her voice firm but low.
"Because we are escaping tonight."