“Make your mama sad type, make your girlfriend mad tight, might seduce your dad type, I’m the bad guy, Duh.” – Billie Eilish
Bang!
A mud ball hit the back of Brayleigh’s head and she scrambled forward.
Loud laughter could be heard in the background and she instantly knew who the perpetrators were.
Frankie and her three older friends decided that anyone smaller than them should be punished.
This was a regular thing that occurred at the Orphanage. No one wanted to be there and tensions were always very high between the children and Mrs Hewey.
Fights happened frequently, and they got ugly very quickly. Brayleigh found herself in one constantly, however usually out of self-defence.
Not that it mattered to Mrs Hewey or Frankie, she was always the one who was deemed guilty.
Today was one of those days again.
Brayleigh fell on the floor and managed to protect her face and nose with her hands breaking her fall.
“Hey, Ginger weed, I saw you made a face towards us a minute ago. You got a problem with us? Wanna teach us a lesson?” Frankie said in her deep voice while her cronies continued laughing.
Brayleigh managed to get up and rubbed the back of her head.
“Come on, Frankie, just leave me alone.” She pleaded.
They all laughed again with Frankie closing in on Brayleigh.
“Hear that, guys? She is mocking us. I say we should punish her for her bad behaviour! Bring the shovel.” She commanded and ordered one of the others to get one.
“Grab her!” Frankie screamed.
The three of them stormed onto Brayleigh and tackled her down onto the muddy ground.
She shrieked and kicked trying to get loose but it was no use. She knew what was coming.
As they held her down, Frankie grabbed the shovel and started digging a small hole in the mud.
They were about to suffocate Brayleigh and force her head into the muddy ground.
This went on for a few minutes then stopped when something hard hit Frankie on the side of the head.
They looked up and saw the small frame with the same pale face as Brayleigh Connor, who was saved just in time.
It was Brona.
“Oh look! It’s Ginger weed’s lookalike. Tweedledee and Tweedledumb. Let’s get her!” Frankie yelled, indicating the others to join her.
They let go of Brayleigh and pushed her into the ground. She coughed and struggled to get up.
What just happened?
Frankie and her gang surrounded Brona and without a second to waste, closed in on her and started to beat her up badly.
Brayleigh stood afar not moving an inch. She was completely immobilised and didn’t know what to do. All she could do was observe.
It was awful, yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
Her twin made no effort to fight back. She just lay there motionless until Mrs Hewey’s voice broke through and stopped the fight.
The perpetrators stopped and pulled back immediately, leaving Brona with a broken nose and blue bruises almost everywhere.
“What is this? What happened?” Mrs Hewey demanded.
Brayleigh stood, still paralyzed.
“It was her fault, Mrs Hewey! She stole our Graham crackers and ate them right in front of us!” One of Frankie’s cronies called out.
The rest nodded their heads in agreement.
“Oh, is that so? You know what we do to thieves, come here!” The horrible woman screamed while grabbing Brona by the arm and yanking her forward.
Brayleigh knew what was going to happen.
Whenever any of them dared break a rule, Mrs Hewey would grab them and throw them into a closet and lock the door for two hours straight.
It happened to her one time, so severe that afterwards, she didn’t receive any dinner that night.
The others laughed silently while the witch forced Brona, who obeyed without a word, into the house.
******
Two aching days passed and no one expected the following events to occur.
It was a silent and normal morning in the House with the Red Chimney.
Mrs Hewey was in a bad mood as usual and the other children were running about their own business and causing trouble wherever they went.
Brayleigh was left alone in peace and was in the kitchen eating her breakfast, on time for once, with a few others including her sister.
Brona’s nose healed luckily but still had terrible bruising underneath her eyes.
However, she was quiet as always and sat eating her cereal at the far end of the old wooden table with a tablecloth with mismatched patterns.
For a moment, you could only hear the clanking of spoons against cereal bowls, when Mrs Hewey’s favourite, Dougie, came rushing in as white as a sheet.
“Frankie’s gone! She’s…she’s missing!” He exclaimed with terror.
Everybody turned their heads toward him, some dropping their spoons with a loud clank on the table.
“What do you mean, gone? Come on, spit it out, Dougie!” One girl urged.
Dougie couldn’t speak further until Mrs Hewey came in, hearing the noises.
“What is going on here, children? You’re supposed to eat your breakfast!” She bellowed angrily.
“Frankie went missing, Mrs Hewey! She is not here. I checked.” Dougie managed to say.
“The stupid child probably ran off. I’m calling the police. The rest of you stay here.” She said leaving the kitchen and grabbing the telephone.
Everyone was stunned and worried, except for Brona, who had a slight smile on her hidden face.
Later that afternoon, Frankie was still not found and disappeared without a trace.
Interesting so far? Consider giving the story a vote and comment below! Thanks for reading! Xx
YOU ARE READING
The Silver Lining - A Brayleigh Connor Story
Bí ẩn / Giật gânA young and hopeful forensic therapist, Brayleigh Connor, is convicted for a gruesome murder that she claims she didn't commit, however, all evidence is against her. Is she playing a game of deception or is she telling the truth?
