𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐞𝐫 || 𝘛𝘰𝘮 𝘙𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦

Into the past (New Home) | 34

Nyx stared at the aged woman pacing before her, watching as she mumbled words she couldn't hear to herself, whilst walking back and forth, almost as if she forgot about another person's presence there.

Suddenly, the woman stopped pacing and snapped at the smaller girl, causing her to jump in her seat from the sudden noise.

"Stop staring at me you crazy freak!" She bellowed, pointing an accusing finger at the child in front of her.

Nyx only stared at the finger pointed at her, then she moved her eyes towards the other's, staring back. Giving her the don't-mess-with-me look, before a sudden sound behind her caused her to abruptly turn around to face the person who had entered the room. The head caretaker in front of her turned to face the newcomer as well, quickly replacing her harsh glare with a kind smile once setting her gaze on the young man who entered the room.

Narrowing her eyes at the man, Nyx watched distrustfully and cautiously, whilst the head caretaker greeted the man who had just set his briefcase on the ground before straightening his back up to face the woman.

"Why, you must be Mr. Austin," the woman greeted with enthusiasm, earning a polite chuckle in return from the man, whilst earning a scowl from Nyx, luckily unnoticed by any of the adults.

"That would be me, ma'am," he started off charmingly with a big grin on his face, making Nyx want to wipe that grin off. "Anyways, back to business Ms. Grubby," he cleared his throat in a business-like manner before his tone turned serious.

"So, you asked me to pick up a child from your orphanage to be sent to a foster home?" He asked rather curiously. And for the first time since arriving, his gaze settled on Nyx's tiny form seated on the wooden chair before letting his gaze back onto Ms. Grubby's figure.

"Yes, Mr. Austin. The girl— how do I put this? The girl is rather strange," the older woman's eyes trailed to the child's form, whose eyes were already fixated on the woman she so desperately despised.

"This-" the man pointed at Nyx, "-girl is strange? In what way may I ask?" He raised a questioning brow, unbelieving that the seemingly innocent child before him was strange. Yes, he admitted that she seemed somewhat too pale for his liking, and her eyes were too dark as if filled with darkness, he couldn't help but think she was, after all, a child.

"Don't let her looks deceive you," the woman sent a nasty scowl at Nyx, Nyx sending one back. "Besides," she continued, "The girl has been seen doing odd stuff. Like befriending a crow!"

"It's a raven," Nyx seethed, earning surprised looks from the adults, not suspecting her to participate in their conversation.

Mr. Austin cleared his throat after a short moment of silence, whilst Ms. Grubby regained her composure before continuing.

"A raven or a crow I don't care! It's still a bloody bird!" She raged. Nyx held back a smug smirk from the way she was fuming and instead, covered the reaction with an awkward cough.

"She can make objects levitate!"

Mr. Austin's eyes glimmered in curiosity.

"She once even set a room on fire! And not just any ordinary fire. Black-colored fire!"

"See how freakish and weird she is?" She quickly added when she noticed Mr. Austin's dazed expression.

"I heard about a case similar to hers," he stated, causing Nyx to perk up in interest while Ms. Grubby narrowed her eyes in suspicion but she too, felt a surge of curiosity. Upon seeing their sudden intrigued expressions, Mr. Austin let out a small chuckle and pulled out a chair to sit beside Nyx, before explaining about the case.

"Well, there was this orphanage named 'Wool's Orphanage' or something along those lines," he started, before scratching his nose then continuing, "They so happened to have a boy who could do weird things no ordinary person could. He was someone that made the other children there tremble before him I believe," seeing as no one spoke up to question anything, he continued, "Can't remember his name but pretty sure it was a common name. Jack? Tim? Timmy? Tom? Probably Tim or Tom," he gave a small smile before sitting in silence, leaving the room in complete utter silence.

After realizing the man had nothing else to share, the head caretaker asked, "And what did they do to the boy? They got rid of him, right?"

"Dunno. Never wanted to find out of what they could've done to the poor boy,"

With each passing minute, Nyx began to feel comfortable with the man she had just been introduced to today. He seemed to genuinely care about a child's health. And from how he looked at her, she couldn't find a trace of distrust or judgement on his features or in his eyes. Like all he saw in the child before him was child innocence.

As Ms. Grubby began to speak, Mr. Austin cut her off by saying, "It was nice getting to talk, but I've got a busy day ahead of me so if you don't mind," he gestured to you while looking at the head caretaker. She sighed, then looked back at her, the woman's eyes full of unsaid hatred towards the smaller girl.

"Very well. Nyx," she uttered the name firmly, looking down at the raven-haired girl.

"Yes, Ms. Grubby?" She asked innocently, keeping up the act while in the presence of a stranger. Yet, she somehow managed to reveal a bit of annoyance laced in her voice.

"Your belongings are packed and now in the trunk of Mr. Austin's car. It's time for you to leave,"

"Do you want to say goodbye to anyone before we leave?" Mr. Austin asked kindly, kneeling to eye level with Nyx.

Well, she didn't have any human friends to wish goodbye to, but she did have an animal friend she wished to meet up with before they left. But knowing how Ravenous was a wild bird and untamed, she had no access to communicating with her furry friend in any way. The latter was usually the one to show up to her when he wanted to bask in her attention.

She sighed, shaking her head.

The man gave her a sympathetic look before patting her head adoringly. He suddenly stood up and grabbed his briefcase he had settled down earlier before opening the door, holding it open for her. They made their way outside of the building, the head caretaker following behind until the three reached the grey car parked in front of the main entrance, its engine already started.

Nyx turned away from the car and instead turned to look at the place where she had called 'home' for the past ten years.

Sure, it was a place she wished she had never even laid foot on, but she smiled at the thought of unforgettable memories she knew she would cherish later on. Like how she met her raven friend, or how satisfied she was when she gave the bullies a good beating, or the time when she finally got to meet her father.

Letting her eyes drift back to the cold and narrowed eyes belonging to the head caretaker, she smirked at the sight. Finally, doing something she had never thought she'd ever do, she flipped the older woman off, causing the woman's eyes to widen in surprise before she rushed towards the girl.

But fortunately for Nyx, at once as she got in the car, Mr. Austin drove away, unaware of the furious woman he left behind, only to leave dust trailing behind them, causing the said woman to cough earnestly whilst swiping away at the pollution.

And just like that, she left her old life behind, embracing her new one.

And by some miracle, the woman who took you in loved you unconditionally, allowing her to fully experience the feeling of being loved. Something she never knew she could find in this cruel world.

But unbeknownst to her, some people were just not as fortunate as her. Like a certain Tom. Who had never even once, been able to cherish the feeling. As he lived a life knowing only of manipulation and hate.