𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘 || 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳

✿ CHAPTER ONE ✿

I woke up from my dream drenched in sweat. I could feel my heart thundering in my chest like a set of drums in a rock band. I tried to hold on to the nightmare, but it quickly slipped away from me the same way it had every night since I could remember. I was able to grasp snippets of the dream; a dark, cloaked figure, a blood curdling scream, and a blinding green light. However, anything beyond that trickled away as if I was trying to hold water in my cupped hands.

I tiptoed down the blue carpeted hallways of Sofswick East Orphanage, the aged floorboards groaning in protest with each step I took.

I reached the washroom, my bare feet padding on  the cool tiles. The small window had been cracked open and the cold air blew in, nipping at my sweaty cheeks. I wash my hands before splashing the cool water onto my face.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, my pale, freckled skin dripping with water, cheeks flushed and rosy. My long, fiery red hair was braided down my back, though it had come loose since Sister Katherine did it prior to bed. I removed the elastic and gently undid the intricately woven braid, leaving my hair slightly wavy.

I gently patted my face dry before leaving the washroom. I retraced my steps back to my room, tucking myself into bed and pulling the thin duvet all the way up to my chin. As I closed my eyes, I fought to keep my mind off the nightmare until sleep found me once more.

⍟⍟⍟⍟⍟

"Ruby Charleston?" The taunting voice rang from outside my room, accompanied by footsteps. I leapt out from bed and dove under it before curling up as small as possible. No part of me wanted to face the person to whom the voice belonged.

"Ruby..." the same sing-song voice rang through the room. "Ruby Charleston..."
My hair fell around me, clinging to my forehead with sweat. The bed frame gave a loud groan as someone jumped on top of it. I drew a loud breath.

"Where are you?" The voice of Alice-Anne Tivendale taunted, getting louder as she yanked open cupboards and threw sheets off my bed in search of me. I held my breath, curling up even tighter, but accidentally hit my head against the underside of my bed.
"Ow!" I gasped uncontrollably, giving myself away. Alice's face peeked under the bed before she grabbed my arm and pulled without compassion, yanking on my wrist so tight I could have sworn my arm was about to rip right out of the socket.

"What do you want?" I said in a shaky voice.
"You weren't at breakfast," she stated, looking me up and down.
"I slept through," I said dismissively, "anything else?" I was in no mood to deal with her dramatics this morning.
"Yes. Why were you hiding?" she asked.
"Hiding? What do you mean?" I did my best to sound clueless, as if by some miracle she would completely forget that I had just shoved myself under my bed.
"Just now, I came in. You were under your bed." The girl pressed on, "Why?"
"I accidentally dropped my hair tie and it slid under there," I yawned, "now, can you please go? It's a Saturday morning and as we don't have lectures until eleven o'clock, I would much rather be sleeping in than talking to you."