An Agreement with Fate

Wool's Orphanage

" . . . Benjamin Magnus Adelwen."

I hear a final breath and then . . .

A woman had died, I can feel it. My new mother is no more.

I open my eyes but couldn't see anything except blurry shapes. I remembered that newborn babies couldn't see anything properly since their eye muscles weren't strong but I liked to see. To see the world was beautiful and to live like this, I couldn't even imagine.

I hear a voice but I couldn't identify if it was young or old, my hearing wasn't perfect either, it seems, though I could identify that it was a woman. She was saying, "Unbelievable, the boy was born at the same time as the other one."

I heard a sharp noise that scared me, not being able to see was really messing with me. I opened my mouth to let out a soft gasp and it made people turn to me. Hey, I may be only seeing blurs but I could see a bit at least.

I heard a voice say, this one was male, "He has such beautiful eyes. Wouldn't you agree, Emily?"

A soft chuckle and then the woman I had heard before responded, "Yes, he does. It's almost magical how cute he looks."

I let out a small chuckle, which could only be a baby's giggle and then heard some laughter at my actions.

This sucks.

Suddenly, I had a thought.

My birth had killed a woman and . . .

I shook my head.

This may be my choice but clearly, this woman was going to die giving birth, since I couldn't have changed the birth of this body. So clearly, I am innocent.

I tried to think that.

My eyes were watering.

I tried to suppress my feelings.
_

So, the other baby that was born at the same time as me, remember him?

Yeah, as soon as I was cleared to be sent away to my nursery by the doctor, the man took me to that baby. His mother had died too, I heard from his mutterings.

This baby was too silent.

I hate you, baby body.

I tried to look at the baby with me. He looked like a baby, from his shape at least. He had green eyes, that's all I could tell. He had no hair and I cannot see anything else.

I blinked furiously.

I could make out more suddenly.

That's it, I can do it.

I want to see the child.
_

The boy had wisps of black hair on his head and his expression could only be described as bewildered as if he still couldn't believe he was born.

Why does he have this expression?

I wanted to say something and a sound escaped my mouth, "Ba!"

Shit.

The baby giggled suddenly, his expression one that I expected from a snickering monkey. The baby continued giggling until he almost fell.

I giggled at him, no shame.

"Aw, look at that, Harry and Benny are playing together." I heard a female voice.

It was a woman in her late thirties who had already greying brown hair. She looked like an average British woman, to me at least, but I had never gone to the UK in my previous life, so I wasn't sure.