P.O.V. of Director Kasandra

While I was walking down the dimly lit hallway I paused, listening to the sound of heavy breathing coming from the room nearest to me. I leaned closer to the door, was that someone talking? “Twenty five! Twenty six! Twenty seven!” I hear the voice, gasping out between slight pauses, I check the room number on the door and then I slightly relax, he was at it again.

I continue walking with a slight frown on my face, down the hall and into the kitchen. I take a mug out of the drawer above the coffee machine and carefully set the ceramic below the nozzle and press the buttons, setting the machine to my favorite setting. Leaning against the counter with a sigh, thinking about what I have come to…

The creak of wood announced the arrival of someone through the staff door. I look over, rolling my head towards the person who walked in, seeing Rose standing and looking at me concerned. Rose stepped over to me and put her arm around my shoulder “Hey, what's wrong?” she asked me, concerned. I let out another sigh thinking about my response to Rose, after a second of silence I answered “Am I a failure Rose? Answer me honestly now, you have known me for my entire life… I just don't know…” Rose looked at me surprised.

“What happened?” She asked me, sounding worried now, “Is it that new boy?” “Ardika.” I tell her, “At least that is what he tells everyone” “You think he is lying about his name?” Rose commented dryly. “I don't know! That's the problem! I can't find anything about him, where he came from, who he is, who his parents are… Hell, it's like he just appeared in an alley with his chest practically missing and still somehow able to stagger out and get help!”

Rose paused, I could practically hear her thoughts as if they were my own ‘Kasandra doesn't know something?’ her surprised face betrayed her.

“Hey…” Rose spoke up once again, “you can't help everyone you know, at least you tried. That boy confuses me too, you know.” she finished, at her words I felt a rush of… defeat. No, I can't fail! I won't! But what can I do?

“I have tried everything to find out about this kid, tried every trick I know, I asked every single one of my contacts and you want to know what I found? Absolutely nothing! And then he tries to get me to send him to some random boarding school, trying to trick me into believing that he remembers someone there, which I saw through immediately, and says he wants to go! I just can't figure out anything! It's like he was a ghost!” I rant to Rose.

“He seems to enjoy school quite a lot.” Rose commented surprised. “What? What did he do to make you say that?” I asked her quizzically. At my question she started a little, apparently she was lost in thoughts for a second, and she started her story.

“Well, a few days ago he found me coming back from helping Billy, and he asked me ‘Is there a public library close to the orphanage?’ to which I told him that there was. He then asked if I ‘could tell him the way there’ to which I asked him why he wanted to know. He then told me that he wanted to ‘go to the library to take some books out.’ I then told him that I could show him the way, and that we could bring the other kids who want to come along too. He seemed like he wanted to go alone, which is ridiculous, but he said yes.” She told me earnestly.

“What did he do at the library?” I asked her curiously, she took a moment to think about it and then said “Well… I was pretty busy with the other kids I brought, but I saw him go up to the counter and talk with the librarian for a few minutes, after which it looked like she gave him something, before wandering off somewhere.” She told me hesitantly.

Did he make a library account? Why would he need… “Huh, I wonder what he’s been getting out…” I said out loud, surprised, to be answered by Rose who said “Well, he brought a bunch of books back with him. I asked him what he got out and he told me that he got a few basic, history, science and math textbooks out. I was confused as heck when he showed me, he must be very dedicated to doing well in school. Way more than I was at his age, sort of reminded me of you used to act at your age.” She told me reminiscing.

I giggle out loud, it was true. I used to spend every waking moment reading something when I was younger, before I found my favorite hobby.

Also, I could see it a little now. The similarities between us, that is. Albeit, he was very different at the same time. Working out almost all day, when he wasn't, he was reading or when he vanished throughout the day, when even I couldn't find him. He even seemed to have a schedule he made up, that I found sitting on his desk. The schedule went like this:

Get up and do warm up exercise/training.

6:00-8:30

Breakfast.

8:30-9:00

Study/Research.

9:00-12:00

Lunch.

12:00-12:30

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Defense and attack training.

12:30-3:00

Blacksmithing.

3:00-7:00

Supper.

7:00-7:30

Study/Research.

7:30-8:00

Shower.

8:00-8:30

Get in bed.

8:30

I had found it a few days ago at about five in the afternoon and it bothered me ever since. There were several concerning points in the schedule, the first was ‘Defense and attack training.’ Why would any eleven year old boy need to do defense and attack training? Was someone after him? Was it because of what happened in the alley?

The other concerning point was ‘Blacksmithing.’ How was he blacksmithing? Where was he disappearing too, to practice blacksmithing of all things? Was someone helping him learn to make weapons?

Both of the points of concern made me think that Ardika was involved in something dangerous. Was he part of a gang? Was his injury in the ally involved with the gang if he was? I had too many questions and no answers. In an act of desperation I had even tried to follow him to wherever he was ‘Blacksmithing’ but I never even saw him leave!

I was watching his window for an hour before I went back inside and found that he had still managed to disappear! His room was completely empty. He had either managed to, without being seen, slip out through the window, which I was watching, or walk out the front door which I was standing in front of.

He was either very skilled at not being seen, or he knew another way out of the orphanage that I did not. The last option was very unlikely as I had designed the building myself.

Well, I would probably find out sooner or later. He seems to be a good kid and he always comes back perfectly fine, and with all the time he devotes to training his body and mind, I think he will be ok. At least I can be sure of that much. I just wish I knew who Ardika Ekia really is… I just wish I could help…

“What do you think of him?” I suddenly ask Rose after a moment of thought. “I think that he is a very polite and smart young man who has a promising future.” “Good, I had the same impression.” I respond and then “But, what else… What do you think of his personality? How does he interact with the other children? Has he ever done anything out of character?” I ask, extenuating my questions with wild hand movements.

Rose seemed surprised but answered my questions despite her surprise saying, “Well… He seems to be quite kind, if introverted, and he seems to get along with the other kids well enough when they talk with him. He has never gone to talk with any of them though. And sometimes…”

She trailed off, seeming to be trying to put something into words. “Sometimes, when he thinks no one is looking, I can see that he occasionally stares off into nothing. Not that I am doubting his sanity, he is as sane as could be, more sensible than any other kid his age. But when he looks off into the distance, I can see a sadness in him. A deep sadness, one of someone who has known loss.” She concluded her speech solemnly.

“And yet, he claims to not remember anything…” I say, pondering quietly to myself, thinking hard. So, a boy shows up in an alley, almost dead with his chest caved in. He somehow manages to stumble out to get help and goes to a hospital, where he somehow completely heals over the course of weeks. He then wakes up, claiming to not remember what happened to him or anything that has ever happened to him.

He then gets sent to my orphanage and one of the first things he does is try to manipulate me into sending him to a boarding school, Yancy academy. Then during the month he stayed here he created a schedule involving extensive amounts of exercise, defense and attack training, and blacksmithing for some reason. And while the time specified for blacksmithing he has consistently managed to disappear from the orphanage, despite specifically trying to catch him leaving!

Then there is the boy himself. He acts polite and kind to others, is introverted, very smart (Or at least spends a lot of time learning) he knows how to manipulate others in positions of power to get what he wants and he also seems to have experienced a deep and personal loss sometime in his past, pointing to the idea that he might have lied about losing his memories… Yet, why would he lie about losing his memories?

As I lean against the counter a picture forms in my mind, one of a scared boy.

“I have an idea!” I say out loud, my theory forming in my mind. “Of course you did.” Rose told me amusedly, “What if, our young Ardika was an illegal immigrant from another country, he then got involved in some sort of gang, and at some point a very close friend was killed or his parents were killed somehow during this time.”

“Then the gang got into a fight with another gang, and he got involved and that is how he got injured in the fight, which is when he stumbled out of the alley and fainted before being brought to the hospital. And when he woke up, he decided to start over or run away from the gang he got involved with, so he faked losing his memory so they won't think that he will sell the gang out!” I say, proposing my theory “A boy trying to start a better life and leave his old one behind.” I finish solemnly with a slight excitement detectible.

Rose looked at me surprised “I think that fits but… That is a lot of guessing.” she told me, giving her opinion. “Well, whether or not it is true, we should give him a good time here.” I say passionately, “So, does that mean that you will send him to that school?” Rose questioningly asks me. I think about it for all of three seconds before deciding “Yes, I think I will. That school is the only thing that still confuses me, why would he want to go to a boarding school? Why this specific one? I think the best way for us to find out, is to let him go and get the teachers to monitor him for us.” I told her.

“Good.” she tells me, “Though, I wonder why he wants to be sent to Yancy Academy, a school for troubled kids?” she wonders and then continues “You would think that, with how much he loves learning, he would choose a more challenging school.”

“Who knows? Well, he does, but that's not the point. We don't know, and I doubt he would tell us if we asked him.” I said to Rose “There are a lot of questions I want to ask, that I know I wont get the truth about from him right now, but I believe that he knows what he is doing.”