Even in the depths of the forest, the booming of cannons could be heard from the nearby city. All members of the orphanage trembled with every crash. My pseudo-sister Lilis tried to comfort me, while the caretaker shut himself in his office.
Somewhere out there, our pseudo-brother was fighting, that’s what we believed. At some point, hope of seeing him again faded, and the city of Garusa stopped being a part of the Kingdom of Garland. We were citizens of the Nation of Arundal, and our brother never came back.
The orphanage grew cold. Winter creeped in, causing the barren trees to impose an eerie scene whenever Lilis and I had to work outside. Without our big brother Leonas, everything became harder. Suddenly, the tasks he did without complaint were shoved onto me.
Any time I felt lost, sister Lilis reminded me, “Right now, we’re the only people we have as family, we’ll keep each other safe.”
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A few months passed before a newcomer came to our orphanage. I still remember the elaborate decorations from the fancy carriage she came in, painted in a shining white color. Some servant dressed in an expensive suit held the hand of the new girl, as he walked her to the orphanage.
She had soft skin, well-groomed hair, a yellow, silk dress made for a princess...I already didn’t like her. How could someone so noble descend upon our home while we were still grieving the loss of my brother?
“H-hi,” the fancily dressed girl greeted us, “My name is Octavia. Octavia Endruler.”
“Welcome,” our caretaker approached her, “I am Marius, and we will be welcoming you into the Jainus Orphanage.”
“How come I’m here?” she asked in a small voice, “And why’s everything here so dirty?”
“This is your new home now,” Marius explained, “and we’ll be your new family.”
“What! No!” the Octavia girl rejected, “It’s so filthy here!”
I noticed a small twitch in Marius’s form, but he kept his appearance up when in front of the new girl’s attendant.
“Octavia, mind your manners,” her attendant reprimanded, “cause a ruckus, and you will be punished.”
“...Yes sir,” Octavia sulked.
“Mister Marius, would you be able to handle this one?” the attendant turned his attention to our caretaker, “If you wish to back out now, you may.”
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“I’ll continue the transaction,” Marius answered, “bring the money into my office, and we’ll take this child off your hands.”
My attention drifted from the adult’s talking to Octavia keeping static. She made sure to stand upright, but also to not make herself present to the adult’s attention. As she did that, she also gazed at Lilis and me.
“Why don’t you come here?” Lilis whispered to her, going against my silent wishes for her to be gone, “Let’s do something together while our elders are distracted.”
A dorky smile spread across Octavia’s face as she hurried over to us, “What will we do?” she whispered in wonder.
“We have some fun games to play,” Lilis told her, “Do you know how to write?”
“Uh-huh,” Octavia nodded, “my tutor taught me!”
“That’s good then,” Lilis commented, “then you can easily play with us. Will you come, Killean?”
“No,” I responded, puffing my cheeks and crossing my arms in defiance.
“What? Why?” Lilis asked, clearly not expecting my reaction.
“I don’t want to play with her.” I answered, “How come we have to play with her?”
“Hey, that’s not nice,” Lilis scolded, as Octavia backed away a bit, no longer feeling welcome between us.
“Am I not allowed to play…?” she turned her pity-inducing eyes towards Lilis and me.
“No, no, you’re allowed to play,” Lilis comforted her, “Killean there is just being a bit stubborn, is all.” She turned and gave me a secret glare, but I refused to comply with playing with the ignorant, new kid.
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Her tears flooded down her cheeks, the moment she couldn’t get what she wanted. Octavia bawled, as I ignored her attempts to bother me. Even as she cried, she looked directly into my eyes, as if expecting me to have a change of heart.
“Stop making her cry, Killean,” Lilis scolded me, “you should know better by now!”
I couldn’t fight Lilis, so I backed off. Octavia clung to Lilis, filling her ears with all her woes. When Octavia acted like that, Lilis never paid any attention to me anymore. Not wanting to dwell on her anymore, I stepped outside to keep my mind off them.
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The winter hit harder this year. Lilis died. Just like Leonas, I lost her too. Looking at her vacant bed that night, I could almost make out the impressions on the sheets she made just the night before. The dim light of the stars sparkled through the window which she once gazed through. Watching through that same window, I wondered what it was she saw out there.
“Um,” spoke the figure of Octavia standing over my bed, “can I sleep here tonight?”
Her voice wavered, as she spoke quietly. I remembered a scene like this, back when Leonas left us. I came to Lilis, just as Octavia was doing now. And she let me rest with her without hesitation.
“...Fine,” I rolled to make space, “but just for tonight, okay?”
Consider this repayment, Lilis.
Octavia crawled into the bed, as she sniffled. She trembled as she sobbed, and I could feel every movement. Our backs were against each other that night, but I woke up with her in my arms.