The boy grabbed the arm Laura was holding the axe, catching her off guard. She struggled, pulling hard to get away- but he was too strong.
He twisted her arm as the axe dangled helplessly from her fingertips. She chocked out a strangled yelp, dropp...
"Just stop! Stop- go away!" They didn't stop. They continued to bang on the door, each pounding knock growing more restless.
"Laura', come on out, don't you want to see him?" cooed a sickly sweet voice. "Leave me alone, fuck off!" she screamed back.
Laura sobbed and slumped against the wall, folding her arms over her knees. A mere week ago Laura had received a new goldfish and named it Plim in honor of that one stupid book, "The Secret Garden." Plimpy was the main character's pet; the joyful, loving, over exited dog that always bounced around with his tongue out and never seemed to feel anything other than happy.
Laura always wanted a pet like that, to remind her of what it felt like to be happy, but her den mother wouldn't allow pets. According to her they were vile, dirty creatures that didn't belong in a home full of little girls.
Eventually, however, she grew restless of Laura's constant begging and got her a fish to ease the girl's loneliness. Laura was happy with the simple gift, but her orphan sisters where not.
"Laura don't worry, we did him a favor. Don't act like he liked you just cause he couldn't talk and say for himself," called a different but equally haunting voice.
Immature fools, Laura thought, why is it they couldn't go outside and climb over roofs and twist there arm three times around till the screams makes birds fly off power lines, anything to get these girls away from Laura. Julia was the first voice to speak, always antagonizing Laura, and with her passion for it, it seemed like she had reason, Laura never understood. Then Sofie, Julia's pet, always following her around trying to impress her.
"If you don't come out where gonna tell Mrs. Taylor!" Mona yelled. God in heaven, Laura imaged a child stomping its foot on the ground, throwing its fists in the air, with Mona's voice.
Mona wasn't all out to impress Julia. She knew if she ever wanted to get out of this orphanage one day she had to find a family- she was the snitch. She reported everything to there den mother, Mrs. Taylor. As a result, Mrs. Taylor put in a good word with any families that came by. Mona hated it here, but not nearly as much as Laura.
"Guys we have to clean in there so we have to get her out like, real soon."
"Oh shut up, Jessamine," Sophie snarled. Jessamine whimpered. She knew Sophie only called her by her full name when she was being annoying. It was Sophia's way of saying, your not one of us and Jessamine hated it. She wished she'd just told the girls her nickname, Jess, from the start.
Jess wasn't quite like them though. She never joined in on bullying Laura, but she never stood up for her either and didn't pay tribute to their little games at all.
Laura stayed silent, refusing to answer any of their taunts. She knew from years of enduring their abuse that this was the only thing that could calm Julia's eagerness. She said nothing.
"Laura, you can't hide forever. We know you're in there. Come out now and we won't tell Mrs. Taylor," Julia chided. She didn't mean it, but she would try anything to get Laura out just to see her cry.
"Guys maybe we should leave her alone, she seems pretty upset," Jess muttered. Even from inside the room, Laura could feel Sophie giving her a dirty look. "I...just kidding," Jess neglected.
Still, Laura stayed silent, but only on the outside. She curled up into a ball on the bathroom floor, rocking back and forth with her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Hot tears poured down her face onto her knees and shirt. She could hear the girls yelling through the door but she no longer payed them any attention. She blocked her brain from taking in a single cruel word they said and retreated to a place in the back of her mind, where she went when she had nowhere else to go. The only part that was part of the real world now was the skin on the surface of her body, but inside, her soul, made her own little place in her mind, but not to mope. The Laura on the inside could fantasize being back where she was before the orphanage. Back with her brother.
Laura didn't have parents, she didn't remember them, she doesn't know how she came to be, one day she just became something, all she remembered was her older brother, the only one who loved and needed her with all his heart. And Laura returned every feeling, she loved him. Laura lost herself in thought and focused on a memory to calm down.
It was another day with her brother, she was about four. She was inside by the fireplace playing with her toys avoiding the snow storm outside. Laura's brother sat on a couch behind her reading. Laura suddenly dropped her dolls and looked at a big piece of wood layered with paper with holes at the top center, as if it had been taken down from hanging somewhere. Laura got up to investigate, her brother not seeming to notice, or maybe just not caring. She went up to the board and noticed a bit of color reflecting on the wall from the other side of the board. She flipped it over to reveal a painted portrait of a family of four. She observed the family.
A woman with black hair tied back in a bun with a slender face and sharp nose with the eyes scratched out. To the left of her was a girl with long black hair and a red dress, the eyes were also scratched out. But looking below her eyes she could see her smile, the only smile out of the other 3 people in the painting. In the center of the painting was a man with Reddish hair with his eyes also crossed out, but Laura felt a discomfort from the man, something about his posture maybe. Next to him was a boy about 10 years old with his face untouched, he had light blonde hair and green eyes with a gloomy looking face, And she knew it anywhere.
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She turned around to see her brother looking at her and she pointed to the boy. "You?" She tilted her head. He sighed. "Yes Laura, thats me, and your sister, and your parents, its your family." He said waiting for the question. "What happened to them?" Laura's brother just looked at the painting and then back at her. "They have.. gone away." Laura felt fear spread inside and with that she ran to her brother and threw her arms around him "you stay here here with me though, forever, ok." Laura's brother had tears in his eye. "I wont ever leave you, I promise" Laura was half into a smile when she heard her den mother yelling. bang bang bang Through the door "LAURA COME OUT NOW, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR FISH" Mrs. Taylor had come back.
---------------------------------------------------------Hey guys thanks for reading chapter one, this is my first story and it was kinda relaxing to write. Anyway please write a comment saying how I did ( mostly so I can see how many people actually read this far ) thanks. <3
