On The Run

Part 3 ~ On Inspection

Finally, I make it back to my room, my feet dragging behind me as I enter. Although I practically ran to the hall earlier my delayed arrival had unfortunately not gone unnoticed, and so as you can probably guess I was given the lovely duty of washing the dishes - note the sarcasm. But oh no it wasn't just my dish I had to wash but everyone else's as well. That included all the children here at the orphanage, the sisters and all the cutlery and pots and pans.

So as predicted it took me a lot longer to leave the hall than previously expected. The only foreseeable good thing being that I didn't have to dry them all as well. However even after having done all that, I still couldn't get rid of my afternoon chores. And so after having started them all late I was working all the way up till dinner and by that time I defiantly was hungry.

But that doesn't matter now, although it took me forever to do, I have finally found myself some spare time. Although I'm pretty sure it won't last long as someone somewhere will find a reason to disturb me again before lights out, but I will take what I can get.

I closed the door behind me, waiting for the soft click of the catch to slide in place signalling the full closure of my door and effectively the start of my privacy. It was fairly dark now, the evening light starting to disappear behind the shallow hill in the distance. I kicked off my well worn shoes and padded softly over towards my window, taking the time to check the courtyard in my view.

I don't know why I do it, I guess its just habit really, scanning the area checking for... checking for anything suspicious or out of place, waiting for the well known paranoid sensation of being watched to overcome me. I always blamed my over active imagination for that one. Fortunately nothing struck me as 'odd' today, even the trees to the right-hand side behind the wall seemed calm and undisturbed, the slight rustle of leaves seemingly natural in the breeze.

I shook the thoughts from my head and pulled the curtains closed before moving to the other side of the room and switching on the small wall light. From there I was quick to take up a spot on my bed and pull the locket back over my head, leaving it to rest in my palm. Everything seemed to still, the air suddenly freezing around me again, energy dancing in the air and off my palms. However I left little time to contemplate the foreign sensation and wasted no time in pulling apart the two silver halves, yet this time no piece of paper dropped out like expected.

I ran my finger over its edges and across the inside, hoping to dislodge it like before, but I felt nothing other than the cool, solid ivory encasing it. And just like that I felt the sudden disappointment clutch at my chest, sadness washing over me for having lost something I had never truly had chance to see, the emotion a lighter version of that I receive when I think about my mother having abandoned me. The fact that I never got the chance to know what having a mother was like tore at my heart; but after all, I guess to some degree you can't miss what you never had. Although, I do know you can miss the things you wish you had.

And with those thoughts I sprang from my bed, determined to find what I had lost. The locket was left sprawled across my duvet as I instantly dropped to the ground with my hands outstretched, scrambling around on the floor in search for it.

My frustration started to rise as I drew a blank, only increasing further as stubbed my toe against the bed post. The lights started to flicker as my frustration increased, one moment they would be almost off and the other, they would be brighter than thought possible with such a low standard bulb inside them. Nevertheless it was in those moments that I saw it, the small mottled piece of paper tucked under the bed towards the back.

I lay on the ground and stretched out an arm to reach for it. As my fingers graced the material I was quick to grasp hold of it, and at once I noticed the lights dim back down to its usual constant beam. I retreated back off the cool wooden floor, pulling my jacket tighter around me as I sat back on the bed, retrieving the locket and placing it in front of me along with the scrap of still neatly folded paper.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to figure out what had just happened and whether I had just imagined the previous light show or not. I scrunched closed my eyes and rubbed a hand over my forehead before allowing my gaze to land back on the paper, my thoughts now concentrated solely on that. I reached out and enclosed it in my hand, opening my fingers slowly to peer at it; most of it was already unfolded from my previous attempt, the last flap tentatively hovering above its other half, my finger easily slipping under the last fold and pulling it open. As before the black ink graced the delicate material, the intricate curled lines forming letters and words. I could tell they were written hastily, the letters short and the words closely packed together, yet every syllable was still easily legible. Its layout being in the simple form of a letter. I smoothed out the creases and moved closer to the light to read it:

To my dear Rosaline,  

So many things I wish to explain, and yet so little time to write them all.  

You must listen though my dear, as I cannot tell you it all in this one little letter.  

You must find the book before the seventh day. And you must prepare to leave before your 17th birthday.  

Use what you will acquire to help you, be safe, be strong. 

I know you will have questions and I am only sorry I cannot be there to answer them. 

But trust me my dear one, everything will be alright