Whispers After Dark

Chapter 12

 There was nothing new about supper. There were always stories being told by children, with those around them eagerly listening, their plates not getting any less empty. Mrs. Chamberlain had to walk around to remind the children to continue to eat their food.

Emily had started talking to the children around her besides me now. The little children shared nightmares and dreams they had. Emily pitched in her stories often and the little children were keen to listen. She was a good storyteller. Raising her voice at a scary description and speaking in a low growling voice when she wanted to imitate a man, showed interest from other children around her. Her hands flailed around her as if reenacting the dream in front of her audience.

I was glad she had started making friends, but it was heartbreaking these memories weren't going to last forever. She rarely looked in my direction now. Her back was turned towards me, as she was facing the children interested in her story.

Holly had moved beside me. I had seen her looking for a seat to sit at, but the other girls had already occupied all the chairs in their area. She decided to sit beside me. Maybe I brought her comfort from our talk during our time outside. She didn't show any signs of being at ease though. Her stiff and awkward behavior carried over from earlier and her head stayed down, resting right above her meal. Her pigtails had come undone and she tucked the loose strands behind her hair frequently.

"Not a fan of small talk, eh?" I was bored and so did she. Besides, listening to Emily's story had gotten boring after she introduced two dragons falling in love.

She stuttered, unable to form an audible sentence. After numerous tries of stammering on her words, she buried her face in her food. "No."

I chuckled under my breath at her scene. She must've heard me because she let her hair cover her face, probably to stop me from seeing her reaction.

The rest of supper continued as usual. I focused on my own plate, trying my best to finish my food as soon as possible. My gaze occasionally darted around the room, observing the other orphans. I was no longer a hot topic here. I was glad things had begun to settle down and go back to normal. Some of the children had already finished eating and were chatting in hushed voices, while others quickly gulped down the last of their meals, as they had been too invested into another child's story.

Supper gave me time to think about what I had figured out in the previous days. Mrs. Chamberlain stated that my work was sloppy. Were they catching on to me? I didn't know how long I had been taking the drugs given to me, but I hadn't shown any signs of sickness. Perhaps I had a disease the orphanage was helping me cure. At least, that's what I wanted to believe. I was manipulating myself to give us hope that Emily and I could stay here.

If the drug wasn't affecting me yet, it would be unlikely that was there any long-term effects. It would be hard to find any clues while working after bed anyways. There was always a watchful eye to keep our every action under surveillance. I couldn't afford to be any more sloppier. They might need me to stitch up the fish, but I could easily be replaced by a younger child. Besides, the skinning and stitching made me feel squeamish. My best bet was to take the drug given after supper to not raise any suspicion about my nervous behavior if I had not taken it. After all, I was praised for my work subdued under the drug, so it must be a spectacle to behold.

The plates were cleared and I mentally prepared myself to be put unconscious. It was a lot scarier knowing what was going to happen to me. One of Mr. Chamberlain's often phrases rang in my head. Ignorance is bliss.

Roy's hands clasped together once at the head of the table. The children hushed themselves and focused on their teacher demanding their attention.

"There has been a slight change of plans today. We will be taking any medications today." Some children, including Emily, smiled widely, expressing their gratitude to be able to miss a day of taking the medication. Others didn't seem to care about the medication. I was somewhere in between, leaning more toward the cheerful group. Not being drugged would always be a number one choice, but something sounded fishy here. Did this "change of plans" have something to do with the fact that they didn't have much time? I recalled the conversation earlier between Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain, while I was hiding.

If I wanted to figure out the deeper truth behind the orphanage, it was going to take a lot more risks and snooping around than just getting into Mr. Chamberlain's office.

The children were sent to sleep and it didn't take long for the room full of whispering to be overwhelmed by the sound of snoring kids. I couldn't shut my eyes for the day. Mr. and Mrs. Chamberlain were going ahead with a plan of theirs, and if I wanted to figure out what the secret behind the orphanage was, this was my best shot at making sense of what was going on.