A New Killer's Diary

Chapter 3 - The Orphanage

   There are rare things in this world... But that depends on what your definition of "rare" is. For example, for my old Science Teacher, it is finding a man that doesn't cheat on her. For some people, it might be winning the lottery. For some students, it can be getting an A+ without studying. But for the children of the orphanages, it is finding someone that wants them, while watching their best friends go away... Far away...

   - Hello! My name is Alicia! What's yours? - Asked one of the girls from the Orphanage. She was probably around my age. - I heard you'll be staying in our room!!! Lucky you!
   - Oh! Is that so? - I said, with a sad look on my face.
   - Listen, it is normal to feel like this when you first join our house! And trust me, I've been here since I can remember and everyone that enters here makes that face... You'll get used to it. So what happened? Did your parents abandon you? Did they die? Did you-
   - Don't mind her. Sometimes, she acts like she doesn't have feelings. - Said Leonard, one of Alicia's best friends (every person on the orphanage was one of her best friends).
   - Hey! Don't make me dirty like that! I have enough freedom to decide who my best friends are and who aren't!
   Those two were in the Orphanage since the beginning of their lives. Leonard was dropped in the trash. There are rumors that his parents were poor and they didn't want their child to live their lives. Alicia was brought to the Orphanage by her mother. Some people say that her father died before her mother knew she was pregnant. Alicia's mother was looking for a boy. When she discovered that her baby was a girl, she tried abortion, but it didn't work well... Alicia was determined to live. When her mother left the hospital she left Alicia on the Orphanage's front door.
   - CHILDREN!!! - Screamed mother. - GET READY FOR YOUR CLASSES! YOU HAVE LESS THAN 5 MINUTES!
   - Come on! We gotta go faster! - Said Alicia with a scared look on her face.
   - Why are you so scared? - I asked.
   - Because it's mother Gabby! - She puts you with the dirty pigs when you don't obey her!
   - AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYBODY RUNNING IN THE HALLWAY!!! - She said.
   At that moment, I had a different perspective of the Orphanage. I thought it was like a lair but for children so they could be fun all day, but not! It was a cage where you have to survive.

DAY 1:

   Everybody sat on their chairs and waited for mother Gabby. The room was filled with silence. A large amount of silence.
   - Good Morning, Everyone! - She said.
   - Good Morning, mother Gabby! - Everybody said with a fake smile on their face but me (I was glad she didn't notice).
   - Oh! You must be the new kid!
   - I indeed am, mother Gabby!
   - I'm glad your friends already explained to you the rules of the house. I hope you enjoy your life here.
Mother Gabby started to teach us about plants:
   - This tree is a palm. It is more usual in the tropical areas. Does anybody know what the palm gives us?
   - Coconuts. - I said.
   - And who gave you the permission to speak? - Asked mother Gabby. - I guess you already used your "forgiveness pass". The next time you disrespect me, I'm going to show you how I treat brats... Do you understand?
   - Yes, Mother Gabby!
   - I'm glad you do! So, just like Oliver said, palm gives us coconuts. Does anybody know what's the name of the process that plants do?
   Nobody moved.
   - I asked if anybody knows the name of that process.
   I reached my arm.
   - Mr. Oliver, what is it?
   - Photosynthesis?
   - Terrific! Congratulations, Mr. Oliver! Looks like you're learning.
   The class ended. Everybody was happy with the break. I came to Alicia and Leonard:
   - What did she mean with the "forgiveness pass"? - I asked.
   - Every new kid has a chance to do something bad, without getting punished. That's the number 2 rule of the house. - Explained Leonard.
   - What's the number 1 rule? - I asked.
   - Obey your mother! - They said.
   - Does the forgiveness pass apply to everything bad? - I asked.
   - Yes, for example, do you see Julian right there? - Said Alicia, pointing to him. - He wasted his forgiveness pass trying to escape the Orphanage. That one girl on his left is Gloria. She wasted her forgiveness pass taking someone from the farm, where the dirty pigs live. And the other guy that is with them is Bradley. He used it for trying to call 911 on the Orphanage. However, mother Gabby always makes good impressions with the outsiders. No one really knows her real face...
   The day ended faster than I thought. And another one started.

Day 2:

   The first class of the day was English.
   - I want everyone to write a poem where you tell how much you love the Orphanage.
   No one really could tell what they really feel about the Orphanage. My poem was something like this:

"Your colours make me happy,
Just like I'm feeling right now!
They make me remember animals,
Like a chicken, a pig and a cow."

"Here, the sun shines brighter,
I can't even see the dark.
This place is relaxing and calm,
I can't hear those noisy dogs bark."

"Mother Gabby is the best.
She is really cool and funny!
Her classes make me happy,
Make me jump like a bunny."

   After some time, mother Gabby announced the results and I got an A.     The best poem was Gloria's one. She was the only person with an A+. I looked at mother Gabby to see her around face, but instead of that she was looking at me, really suspicious... Really suspicious...
   - Oliver, I gotta talk to you.
   I swallowed my happiness while everybody was preparing to leave the classroom. Mother Gabby came to me, really close to me, and said:
   - What do you mean, the house makes you remember chickens, pigs and cows?
   - Those are friendly animals! - I asked.
   - STOP LYING TO ME! - She screamed. - You went to see the farm, didn't you?
   - No, I didn't!
   - Oh! So you know about the farm? If you said that you didn't want to see it, then who told you? - She asked.
I couldn't believe she used bluff to ambush me. I froze, and said:
   - It was...