The Boy Who Made Flowers Sing

46 | The Orphanage

In the morning when Elena awoke, she looked outside the circular window and was astonished by how beautiful the city was. Since the school was on a hill, Elena had an amazing view of the kaleidoscopic city below. Picturesque domes on tall buildings highlighted the city's ubiquitous architecture.

As Elena unpacked more of her belongings, she came across the photo frame of her and Andreas. Every time she looked at it, she was reminded that Andreas wasn't just a dream. He was a beautiful part of her reality - someone who had been so unique, so sure of themself, and so generous.

Where are you, Andreas? Elena thought.

She looked at the photo and tried to imagine what he was up to. Was he still a tour guide? Or had he found something else? She couldn't believe it had been eleven years since she met him and sometimes, she could hear his voice in the winter breeze or his whisper in the trees when she went hiking. He always lingered in her thoughts and made her yearn for his company once again. The ache for him to be right beside her was fresh as the minute she left him on the island.

Elena yawned, got out of bed, and looked at her reflection in the washroom mirror.

She was now 27 years old. Her skin was getting thinner and darker due to her exposure to the constant sun but it held a healthy glow. In fact, she looked younger now than eleven years ago when she was abusing drugs. Intoxicants had aged her by a decade.

When she told people she was 27, they looked at her in surprise. She was surprised as well because, for a long time, Elena thought she'd never live past 18. But, she had made it. She was one of the lucky ones.

She got ready for the day, tossing a grey scarf on her head in a similar style to Aziza's to respect the culture of the country. She liked the way the chiffon fabric draped over her head and onto her shoulder. It made her look regal.

"Ready Elena?" Aziza beamed at her after they arrived at the school.

"Yes! I'm excited to meet the kids."

"I'm going to let you settle and get ready. I'll be in the main office."

"Sounds good."

Elena went through her lesson plans mentally and organized some things in the classroom. Then, she sat in the leather chair and tapped her fingers against the desk waiting for the children.

She soon heard the sound of young voices and bubbly laughter getting louder as the kids made their way inside the school. Elena immediately stood up and readied herself. Her excitement and nervousness rose with her.

The children filed in, some running, some walking, and some skipping into the class. Elena smiled widely as they approached her and Aziza stood at the doorway, making sure the students were respectful.

There were only 10 children in total; five boys and five girls. Aziza told them to line up in a single file and greet Elena, their new teacher.

First, two nearly identical boys came up to her. The twins had wispy, dark hair that covered half of their large foreheads paired with big ears sticking through. They excitedly introduced themselves as Faizan and Faisal. It was hard to tell them apart, however, Faizan had a distinct crescent-shaped birthmark on his left temple which helped. He also seemed a bit more talkative than Faisal.

A girl named Zainab walked along with two other girls, Mariam and Fatima.  Zainab was a sweet, confident girl while Mariam and Fatima were shy and timid. The three of them looked up at Elena. Zainab had straight, brown hair and narrow, olive-coloured eyes. Mariam and Fatima were sisters, Elena learned. The older one, Mariam, had dark, golden coloured hair, a sharp chin, and dark brown eyes. The younger one Fatima, was pale-skinned, had curly, raven black hair with bangs that went down to her large, almost black eyes. They all politely smiled at her.