Forever lost

2

December 1st

"Lilly, not so fast, come here." What seemed like it was going to be a quiet afternoon was abruptly interrupted when Lilly entered to the building and found herself face to face with one of the directors of the orphanage.

"Why, what's going on?" she asked, and to her dismay, the director didn't respond, only gesturing for Lilly to follow. The woman led her to her office, where they found another girl sitting in one of the chairs in front of her desk. The girl had her knees pulled up to her chest, and her face was marked with a few tears, displaying sadness. Her eyes reflected suffering, and her gaze, now fixed on Lilly, seemed like the one from an adult, not that of a child who appeared to be the same age as Lilly. It seemed that the young girl had experienced a lot and had seen things that no one should ever have to witness.

"This is Adella; from now on, she will live here. I want you to be her mentor, explain how things work here, and where she'll be staying," the director said before leaving the room, leaving the two girls alone.

"Why are you crying?" Lilly asked, clearly uncomfortable with the situation.

Adella shrugged and wiped away a solitary tear.

[Flashback]

"Here we are!" The social worker smiled at a young Lilly, who was five years old at the time. Lilly ignored her and focused on what she saw through the window: a small brick building surrounded by much taller structures. Through the windows, she could see movement and curious children trying to guess who their new companion would be.

"Lilly, are you listening to me?" The woman's voice brought Lilly out of her reverie.

"I'm scared," Lilly whispered, almost too softly to be heard.

"Scared of what?" the woman asked, without losing her smile. Without waiting for an answer, she got out of the car and extended her hand to help Lilly get out. "Being afraid won't change anything. So, grit your teeth and..." she placed her hand under Lilly's chin, "lift your head."

[End of flashback. Present time]

Seeing that  Adella didn't respond, Lilly cleared her throat, visibly uncomfortable, and gestured for her to follow. "Come on, I'll show you around."

Without waiting to see if Adella would follow, Lilly left the room, heading for the first area she planned to show her.

The two girls walked down the hallway, passing various offices and administrative rooms, until they reached a spacious area with windows overlooking the street, old armchairs, and rugs, where some young children were playing.

"This is the common area," Lilly explained as she pointed with her hand. "Here you'll find books, board games, and more. You can spend as much time here as you want."

Adella didn't respond; she just stood next to Lilly, surveying the room. Her face now seemed calmer, as if she had resigned herself to her new situation.

"Let's continue," Lilly said, and both girls continued their tour, entering the dining area. It was a spacious room with worn-out tables and mildew stains on the walls.

"This is the dining room. They now serve only breakfast and dinner, so you'll have to fend for yourself if you want to eat," Lilly explained.

"It smells really bad," commented Adella.

Lilly was taken aback by Adella's voice, which came out as a whisper but was clearly audible. Lilly turned to respond. "It's probably the dinner. I'm sorry if you were expecting a grand welcome dinner, but we're not used to such things here," Lilly replied.