A now 10 year old Ariel sat at the edge of the lake she had found while wandering through the woods. The sun had long been set and the stars and moon had come up. Ariel sat smiling, her legs dipped into the cold water of the lake as the blood on her feet washed off.
Ariel's best friend after her mom had died had been the moon and the stars , she would spend hours talking to them . She didn't get a reply from them, but they were good listeners. The stars didn't complain even after Ariel ranted for hours and hours.Though , Ariel particularly hated one of those stars - The star that shone the brightest in the night sky - Sirius.
Ariel didn't have many memories of her childhood .She only remembered a few things about her childhood until she was brought to the Orphanage. She remembered her parents's names - Selena Fawley-Black and Sirius Black. She also remembered her birthday ( 24th June, 1978 ) . She remembered that unfortunate night, though only in bits and pieces - She remembered her and her mother finding her Papa with another women, an argument, Ariel accidentally using her powers, her mother's scream, being brought to Mrs. Jonathan and Ariel falling asleep. When Ariel had woken up she was in the Orphanage and not with Mrs. Jonathan. She also remembered crying for hours after not finding her mum or aunt . These memories haunted her till date . Every time she thought about them , they seemed to get more clearer and more darker .
There were not many people in the orphanage. Only Ariel, a boy her age named Jacob - whom she loathed and another young girl,named Riya who was hardly six years old.
The Matron would rarely give the children food and would usually leave them be. She was also abusive when angry. Ariel - being the eldest out of the three children ( and not to mention, the most rebellious) would usually be the Matron's target.
When Ariel was five years old, she for the first time had managed to sneak out of the orphanage building. The first place she spotted was a small bookstore at the edge of the village . Ariel decided to explore it . The shopkeeper of the bookstore was a kind man and he secretly lent Ariel books so that she could learn to read and write in return Ariel had to take care of his dog in the evening. He sometimes also helped Ariel sneak in some food for Jacob and her.
The Matron would not care if the children were absent for an hour, two or the whole day. But if she spotted one of the kids talking to other people she would punish them .
The reason why Ariel hated Jacob was rather simple. He snitched. Even though she sneaked in food and treats for him and herself , he secretly told the matter about Ariel going to the bookstore . And since last year , the Matron had more unforgiving towards her . How heartless could one be ?
The Matron rarely gave food to the kids, so many times Ariel wandered into the forest, alone, and get some berries and fruits for herself and Riya. Jacob had become some sort of favourite boy for The matron and she made sure he was treated properly .
Ariel had found the lake she was currently sitting at the shore of when she ran into the woods, crying, after the Matron had punished her for asking more food. The punishment ended up Ariel being beaten up for an hour and insults being thrown at her like . Filthy child........ Worthless...... Waste of space........ Waste of time........ Freak!
The Matron also disliked Ariel because of her magical abilities. The next day after Ariel had been brought to the orphanage, she asked the Matron if she was a witch, long story short, it ended up badly. After Ariel had shown the Matron magic,to prove her point a few days later, that is from where the abuse started.
Ariel's innocent mind thought that being a witch is bad. She tried to think that all that her mother told her about magic was just fake. She tried to convince herself that magic didn't exist , but she just just couldn't.
Sometime, Ariel found herself thinking that probably she was mad. She sometimes thought that all these memories were made up by her. She sometimes found herself thinking that maybe her parents didn't like her, that's why they left her and not because of some attack. She sometimes thought that magic was just a fantasy. She sometime thought that the proper way to treat children is to give them no food and beat them, just like the Matron said.
But a part of Ariel's mind told her that this all was false. Something told her that one day someone will come to take her, just like her mother said. Something told her that she will be with her kind some time later. Something told her that it was a matter of time before she would be out of this hell. These thoughts kept her going. These thoughts encouraged her to fight for a happy future.
Oh , only if she knew that fate would never make it easy for her .
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Edited on-16/01/2022
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Bruises ( Ariel Celeste Black)
FanfictionThe world often forgets that Sirius Black had a daughter. A daughter not quite many knew about, and a daughter quite many looked down at. But as she travels through her years, alone, she finds it all. Friends, family, happiness. But what she doesn't...
