Melora - A Christian Young Adult Fiction

Chapter 2 - Not An Orphan

Melora's first car ride ever turned out to be her greatest nightmare.

Every inch of her was trembling; not from the cold, but fear.

No one asked or spoke to her anything for the rest of the ride, nor did she. Though, the man in the passenger seat, Jim, and the driver were muttering something to each other. Melora tried to catch their conversation but failed. The bald guy on her right, whose name she learned as Timos, was giving her sidelong glances every often, making it even more uncomfortable for her. At first, she had turned and glared, but he kept glancing at her with his narrowed grave eyes. The other guy on the other side didn't even glance at her as though she was invisible, which she found relieving.

The car eventually pulled into the courtyard of a luxurious multistory building, and Melora's jaw dropped as she realized this was their destination; she had never been anywhere like that before, nor had any hope to be, even in the future. She composed herself and took in the surroundings; and to her slightest relief, she found some people around the place in normal attires.

This place wasn't a lion's den, after all, she thought. Though, she partially wondered how this cruel squad-they seemed like one-belonged here.

The car stopped in front of the building and Jim got out. The man sitting next to Melora, whose name she didn't know, got out as well, holding the door open for her. Jim told her to step outside, and she obeyed him, thinking hard if she could escape from their clutches by any chance. She looked around with hope. But a sudden thought made her stop; what if all these people here were theirs and would get her immediately? That would be very embarrassing and more dangerous.

"Walk with me, Melora, and act cool," Jim instructed her in a quiet voice. "Don't act like a frightened kitten to make people suspicious."

Melora blinked in surprise, so these weren't their people! She glanced around her anxiously, toward the main gate, at the security guard and the people, calculating how she should make her first move. Perhaps she could scream? Or perhaps-

"Don't even think about it," Jim's warning voice murmured close to her ear, snapping her out of her thoughts.

Disappointment sank her stomach as she realized he practically read her thoughts and turned to see him narrowing his eyes at her warningly. "Come on, follow me." He then gestured her in, while the others drove off, out of the courtyard.

Since it was the first time Melora had ever been inside such a building, the frightful look on her face was replaced with awe as she began examining her surroundings.

"I see... you've never been to any place like this before, huh?" Jim mused, planting his hands into his pockets, acting cool with himself as they walked in. "Tell me, how's your home, Twickenham? How does it feel to be there... as an orphan?" his voice was balanced with amusement and dramatic pity.

Melora pursed her lips, swallowing a lump in her throat, and grasped the hem of her red hoodie. He was mocking her; she knew it without a doubt. A man like him can mock easily, but only a girl like her knew the pain of being an orphan.

"I'm asking you a question, Melora." Jim reminded her in a grim voice, shooting her a sidelong glance.

"Which is none of your concern," she replied bitterly, glaring at the path.

"Watch your tone, Miss Fribelle," Jim warned her in a murmur, making her eyes snap up to him in shock and confusion.

Miss Fribelle? Her eyes widened. She had no clue why he called her by such a name. "I'm sorry, but what did you just call me?" she blinked at him.