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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Elaborate designs decorated the white carriage which dropped her off. In our shabby, run-down orphanage, the image of her yellow, silk dress clashed with the old wood of our home. She was a bright light in the dark winter of the forest.
“This is our new member,” our caretaker introduced, “Octavia Jainus.”
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I didn’t like her.
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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.