Forsakened: Crisis Of Lust

Chapter 2: Reminiscence

[Flashback]
[Kindred Spirits Orphanage,
Rockville, Maryland]
[October 13, 2010]
[Phoebe's Shared Bedchamber]
[Phoebe's POV]

Surrendering to my homey bed coverings in my conspicuously untidy, princess designed camp bed, I couldn't help but keep to myself; and trace each word to a line in the book I had snuck from the library.

I believed the time had currently been ticking around that of ten o'clock and eleven o'clock, what I considered the middle of the night.

Inside the room, the walls had been marked up by colorful child-friendly murals painted on them which oftentimes was a distraction for us girls for how boring it really felt being locked up in here for a considerable amount of hours.

There were also mini sections of furniture that were bright and vibrant with child-sized shelves, tables, and chairs surrounding them.

And the so-called 'entertaining toys' placed in here were stated to encourage exploration and development, such as trucks and blocks and ride on vehicles.

Rarely were we given any dolls or fake make-up sets because they didn't want us to become 'too perky, too strait-laced, or too desirable to leave out into the real world.'

Moonlight would shine through our windows every now and then, but it wasn't like we could open the curtain to watch it ... the unbreakable prison bars made that impossible. The directors claimed it was for our 'safety' so children wouldn't fall through them, but we all knew what purpose they were set to candidly serve.

There were at least five to six girls who shared the room with me. Three of them being close, the other two staying to themselves. Most of them had ended up in this place due to losses, so although things were inadequately appalling for me, they must have been going through even greater grief. Truth being... This place wasn't some sort of heaven's keep for children like me, it was just a daily circumstance that reminded you of how you've been casted off from your loved ones and the world as you all may know it.

[5 Minutes Later]

From a far distance, we could hear creaks in the wooden floors, usually from footsteps, which enlightened us that someone was approaching.

This usually struck fear in us girls' hearts, for we weren't allowed to stay up past curfew or we'd be facing some serious consequences.

Our wooden door which set a passage into our temperate room had flung open with an intent to catch us in our act of disobedience.

"Girls? Are any of you awake?" The lead director, Ms. Haslow whispered as she looked around for any signs of late-night entertainment.

Before she ever could reach the doorstep leading into the room, we girls practically made it known to immediately shut down anything and everything the moment we heard an adult strolling up towards our room.

I'm talking about toys thrown into their bins in a span of seconds ... girls hopping into bed soundlessly, books being hidden under pillows-we had everything under wraps.

"Girls?" Haslow stood there for a second, fishing for a slight cough or anything she could use against us. She was extremely petty when it came to things like this and loved making examples out of children to keep those who'd watch fearing her and her unknown punishments.

Continuing on, the maximum amount of children totaled to about seventy three last year and before that it totaled to about sixty five (completely overshadowing their average of thirty two.)

Now don't get me wrong, although it was great for their business, I found it inordinately disturbing to watch as kids were dragged into this place, dozens at a time, and oftentimes even more.