Author's Note: This episode itself is still a work in progress, so I will keep updating it here until it is complete. Currently, in this episode, our main character, Hero, is ten years of age and is living in an Orphanage within the city. Just what is this city like, you may ask? And just what is her story...
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Well I haven't exactly written that yet... ^_^' ... But never fear! It's all up in this marvelous cranium of mine! And, without further ado!... Well... I present what I have so far...
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A glimpse into the life of a
CHAOS HERO
Episode 01: Guardian
The orphanage shook from the storm that raged outside and the wind howled and blew the windowpanes and made them rattle.
I sat on one of the steps in the middle of the old dusty staircase, my knees pulled up close to me as I watched a skeletal tree waving outside of the window. Other kids scurried past me to their rooms and bunks or to go brush their teeth before bed.
One of them stumbled over my foot and, for a short moment, flew through the air before finally hastily catching herself by bracing her hands against the wall. "Dammit Hero," the girl with bright red hair shouted after regaining her footing and raised a balled up fist over my head. I hunkered down lower under her gaze and gulped. She bit her bottom lip, noticing my fear, and lowered her hand again. "I know you're scared of storms," she lectured me, "but don't you think you'll be more comfortable in bed?"
I shook my head, my messy short hair twirling in front of my face, while not saying a word. The girl, whose name was Elaine and was three years older than I, sighed and continued down the staircase.
Sure, I'd probably be much more comfortable in bed, where I could fall asleep and forget all about the storm. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from thinking though. What if the orphanage began to crumble from the hail, what if the trees came crashing down into us, what if a whirlwind ripped the orphanage right out of the ground, like in that movie "The Wizard of Oz"? This would probably all sound ridiculous to anyone else, but to me it seemed all too possible.
I hugged my knees tighter to my chest. While everyone else was sound asleep, dreaming of happiness, new clothes, a new home, it was up to me to keep an eye on the storm and keep them safe in case of the worst.
I turned my attention back towards the window and watched as the dark sky continued to rain down.
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Morning came with sunlight. It streamed in onto the staircase and my eyes slowly fluttered awake to it and a merry chirping noise. I hazily noticed that on that same scary tree outside of the window, a tiny blue bird looked in on me. How rare to see one here, usually they stayed away from the city.
I forced myself to stand up, hissed and then rubbed my painful behind. I really hadn't been planning to actually fall asleep there. It had been more my intention to pull an all-nighter.
While scratching the back of my head, I sleepily slumped towards the kitchen, where I heard the Miss and Elaine, who also happened to be the eldest in the orphanage, setting up plates for breakfast.
"... all night... Don't you think we should wake her up?" I heard Elaine saying.
"She'll wake up soon enough, with the others," I heard Miss saying. I assumed they were talking about me.
Elaine was quiet again. "So, how much longer does she have?" She then asked.
Miss sighed. "I don't really know," she said back. "I had registered her with them about a month ago. That's usually the waiting period for enrollment."
Panic began to overtake me at the word “registered.” They had registered me for something? What could it have been? I would be shocked to find out it was school. School was expensive and they definitely didn’t take in orphans like me. If anyone would be enrolled in school, anyways, it would be Elaine. So what could it possibly be? Why was I left in the dark about this? It was of my concern, after all.
I contained my welling distress and strained myself to listen again, but they didn't say any more.
There were three quick raps on the door and I saw Miss pause in her morning duties, probably wondering who it could be so early in the morning. “I’ll get that,” she said to Elaine, who had now moved to the sink to wash the dirty cookware, “keep washing dear.”
She headed through the archway and into the hallway where I stood. I quickly hid behind the wall and pressed myself to it as to not be caught eavesdropping. She headed the opposite way from me, not giving my way a glance, and towards the doorway. When she opened the door, an older woman stood there, her face hard and annoyed. She gripped one of our young boys, Marcus by the shoulder, and shoved him towards the Miss. He stumbled into her and Miss caught him and eased him inside. He hid behind her.
“I caught him outside playing with my Teenie again this morning,” she pointed a finger at Miss. I realized she was the woman who lived a couple of houses down from the Orphanage. Her pet poodle was named Teenie. “I told you I don’t want any of your little brats loitering outside of my house! How do you think that makes me look?” She chided while waving her finger.
Miss frowned, her eyes drooped and her shoulders slumped, “Yes, yes, Mrs. Wayde,” she solemnly said, tired of having to repeat the same things. She sighed and shook her head slowly from side to side as she talked. “I’ll remind them that —”
“Reminding them is not enough!” She interjected. “When I was younger my father used to —“
“I understand Mrs. Wayde,” Miss quickly replied, trying to keep the conversation short. “I’ll be sure he isn’t let off lightly.”
Marcus gripped Miss’s dress at her side and Miss absently ruffled his hair.
With a humph at her story being interrupted, Mrs. Wayde turned her nose up, spun on her heels, and slowly strolled back down the Orphanage steps and onto the sidewalk. Miss closed the door behind her.
“Oh,” Miss sucked air through her teeth and then lightly slapped Marcus on the back of his head with the palm of her hand. He reached up and put his hand on the spot she hit. “Again Marcus?” She hissed. “You know how Mrs. Wayde is. I wouldn’t put it past her to do something ridiculous next time she sees you playing outside of her house.”
“I’m sorry,” Marcus looked down, his bottom lip pouty.
“Don’t do it again!” She warned him, and he lowered his head more at her voice. Miss’s voice softened as she continued to speak. “Well… since you’re already awake, go with Elaine and wake up the others, it’s time for breakfast.”
Now that she mentioned it, I was too caught up with listening to them earlier to notice the sweet smell of homemade crumble muffins and bacon coming from the kitchen.
I inhaled the scent, only to almost choke on the air as Miss said, “And you too Hero!” I gasped and quickly snapped my gaping, drooling mouth closed. “Don’t think I don’t see you hiding there.” She looked over her shoulder, her eyes meeting mine. The corners of her mouth dipped down a little. Was that look in her eyes pity? “You two get to it,” she requested.
