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25) THE RESULTS

The door opened, and Priest O’ Brian appeared, his face creased with confusion. Matthew held out the pastry, a shy smile on his face. The priest looked down at the pastry. Matthew paused unsure what to do.

“This is for…”

O ’Brian cut him off. “Thank you.” He grabbed the pastry and took a bite .

Matthew unsure of what to do started to look back in hopes of spotting Ash and Danny. He wanted out of there as soon as possible as he realized that he might have been set up. O’ Brian finished up the pastry not noticing anything wrong with the food or Matthew. Matthew wanted to keep it that way. He said a few more words before backing away.

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In another part of the orphanage Brad returned from the farm trip. He returned to his room to change and clean up in time for some free time and fun before dinner. Greg pulled into the room as well.

“How was the farm trip?”

“Good I guess. How did you get out of it?”

“I had chores to do that couldn’t be put aside for later. Making lunch was fun. I think Priest Damon has his eyes on me. At least you had a good time.”

“What has he been up to now?” asked Brad.

“He was harsh with cleaning and mad about the quality of the food. I think some of it has gone missing. Maybe Wilson snuck out and made a late-night snack.”

“Or another kid did. It isn’t always him.”

Greg shrugged. “Probably was him. Do you know where he is today? I thought he went on the farm trip?”

“I didn’t see him. Maybe he got in trouble.”

Brad shook his head. "I don't know, but I hope he's not in too much trouble. You know how strict Priest Damon can be."

Greg nodded, a concerned look on his face. "Yeah, I just hope Wilson's okay. Maybe we should try to find him later and see if he needs any help."

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a piercing scream coming from downstairs. Brad and Greg exchanged a worried glance before rushing out of the room to investigate. As they hurried down the stairs, they could hear commotion and voices coming from the main hall. They realized that it came from someone older.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw a group of children gathered around something on the floor. Pushing their way through the crowd, Brad and Greg's eyes widened in shock as they realized it was Priest O'Brian. He was lying on the ground, coughing, and shaking violently, his face contorted in pain.

"What happened?" Brad asked, his voice trembling with fear.

Taylor stepped in and spoke up. "I don't know. He just collapsed all of a sudden and started shaking like that. I have some suspicions but…"

Greg knelt down beside O'Brian, trying to comfort him. "It's okay, Priest O'Brian. We're here to help you."

Just then, Priest Damon stormed into the room, his face red with anger. "What's going on here?" he demanded, his eyes scanning the crowd of children that had started to gather around the hallway.

No one spoke up, too afraid to say anything. Priest Damon's gaze landed on O'Brian, and his expression softened slightly. He knelt down beside him, checking his pulse and trying to assess the situation.

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"Someone go get the kitchen ladies," he ordered, his voice stern. "We need to get him to the infirmary immediately."

A few of the children ran off to find the kitchen staff while Priest Damon and Greg carefully lifted O'Brian off the ground. Brad watched helplessly as they carried him out of the room, his mind racing with questions.

Priest Damon turned to the remaining children. "I want to know who did this," he said, his voice low and threatening. "If I find out that any of you were involved, there will be severe consequences."

The children looked at each other nervously, no one daring to speak. Brad and Greg exchanged a glance, both wondering the same thing. Could this have something to do with the missing food from the kitchen?

The kitchen ladies arrived; their faces etched with worry as they saw O'Brian's condition. They quickly took over, shooing the children out of the room so they could tend to him in private. As Brad and Greg made their way back to their room, they couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong. Greg looked back to Taylor who had joined them in heading back to the rooms.

“What did you mean that you have some suspicions?” asked Greg.

Taylor paused her walking. “Not here. Not now.” She waited until they had gone inside one of the upstairs rooms. “This was probably Ash’s doing. I should have helped her. Guided her more. Whatever happened to O’ Brian was meant for Priest Damon. He just got caught in between. Now it may be harder to accomplish our goals.”

“What even are our goals?” asked Brad. “I mean we want this place to be safe but is that it?”

Taylor sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Our goals are to make this place safe, yes, but also to ensure that the orphans here are treated with respect and kindness. We can't let Priest Damon continue his reign of terror."

Greg nodded in agreement. "But how do we do that? Especially now that Priest O'Brian has been caught in the crossfire?"

"We need to be smart about this," Taylor said, her voice low. "Ash's actions, while well-intentioned, have put us in a difficult position. She should have prepared for the reality that another person would step in between and in this case take the fall for Damon. Priest Damon will be on high alert now, and we can't afford any more mistakes."

Brad leaned against the wall; his brow furrowed in thought. "Maybe we should try to find out more about what happened. Talk to Ash and see if she can give us any information that might help us figure out our next move."

Taylor nodded. "That's a good idea. We should also try to keep an eye on Priest Damon and see how he reacts to all of this. If we can anticipate his next move, we might be able to stay one step ahead of him."

Greg looked out the window, his expression troubled. "We need to gather some of the other kids we trust as well to work on this. There may be less opportunities to fail if we work together. I just hope Priest O'Brian is okay. He's always been kind to us, even if he doesn't always stand up to Priest Damon."

"I know," Taylor said softly. "But we can't let this deter us from our mission. We have to keep fighting for what's right, no matter the cost."

Brad and Greg nodded in agreement, their faces set with determination. They knew that the road ahead would be difficult, but they were ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

As they continued to discuss their plans, a thought suddenly occurred to Brad. "Hey, isn't there supposed to be a wedding happening soon? I overheard some of the kitchen staff talking about it the other day."

Taylor's eyes widened. "You're right! I completely forgot about that. Priest Damon will be distracted with the preparations, which means we might have an opportunity to make our move. He’s required to do the ceremony and will be focused on it."

Greg grinned. "And if we can get the other orphans on board, we'll have strength in numbers. Priest Damon won't be able to stop all of us if we work together."

"Exactly," Taylor said, a smile spreading across her face. "We'll need to be careful and plan everything out, but this could be our chance to finally take a stand against Priest Damon and his cruelty."

Brad and Greg exchanged a look of excitement, their hearts racing at the thought of finally being able to make a difference. They knew that the road ahead would be long and difficult, but with Taylor's leadership and the support of their fellow orphans, they felt like anything was possible. As they continued to discuss their plans, the sound of footsteps outside the door made them freeze. They held their breath, waiting to see who would enter the room. But after a few tense moments, the footsteps faded away, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

"We should probably head back to our rooms," Greg said, his voice barely above a whisper. "We don't want to draw any more attention to ourselves."

“Today’s free time will be rather boring then.”

“More time to think about a plan then,” Taylor replied.

Taylor and Brad nodded in agreement, and they quickly made their way out of the room and back to their respective quarters. Their thoughts dwelled on the days events. As they lay in their beds that night, their minds raced with thoughts of the future and the challenges that lay ahead. There was some uncertainty but they each had a part to play and work to be done.