Steel Flight [Completed]

Chapter 3: Flight

-Jack

The orphanage did look stately. Tall and regal with dark gray walls and the city's signature darkened glass doors. We pulled to a stop in front of it and the driver opened our door. Madame P. Noire stepped out first, ridiculously high heels clacking loudly on the black street. Before I could move to follow, the driver grabbed my arm roughly and yanked me toward the building's doors. I dug in my heels and wrenched my arm free, but he just grabbed me again. This time his grip was merciless. It was only halfway to the doors that I realized what I was missing.

"Hey! Wait! My stuff!"

"It will be taken care of," Madame Noire responded dismissively.

The injustice of it all sent blood rushing to my face. "Look lady," I started angrily.

She snapped around so fast, I was surprised she didn't break her heel. "That's Madame to you, Farmer Boy."

I winced at that. Not because it was an insult- no, I had once taken on that title with a certain amount of pride- but because of the memories seared into those words.

"And while we're at it, I am your only hope for a home. Look around you! Do you think anyone around here would so much as look at a pest like you? Either you follow my rules and treat me with respect," She stood mere inches away, looking down on me, so close I could smell her minty breath. "Or," She let that word hang. Then she smiled.

"Or I'll run away," I muttered.

The driver cocked back a hand as if he was about to hit me, but Madame P. Noire held up her palm, and he lowered it.

"Fine." Her eyebrow was arched, and she seemed to have regained her composure. "Let's test that theory, shall we?" She turned smugly to the driver. "Let him go."

"What?"

"Let him go."

The driver looked at her incredulously, but did as he was told. I rubbed the angry red marks and threw him a dirty look.

"You have exactly five minutes to decide." Her smile was wide and her head tilted. She was enjoying this.

"Decide what?" I asked slowly, still massaging my arm.

"Why, whether you will have a home or not!" she exclaimed as if shocked. "In exactly five minutes those doors," she pointed to the darkened glass in front of us, "-will be locked. If you are not inside with a full apology and some respect, then you will have just lost your one shot at having a home." With that, she turned on her heel and continued toward the doors, and the driver took that as his cue to head back to the Car.

The anger slowly drained from my system as I realized how completely and utterly on my own I was. I no longer cared about her. I just felt. . . small. Glittering buildings towered over me. Dark looks were shot at me from every direction by more people than I had seen in my whole life. Light was on in every window, the sky was bright, every surface gleamed, but the place still felt dark, and somehow dirty. As I watched, Cars zoomed in and out and around and smoke wafted into the air from some far-off building. Even where I stood, the air was wrong and hard to choke down.This wasn't my world. All I knew about it I had learned from my dad. And from the little he told me, I knew I didn't belong here.

Then the realization shuddered through me for a second time. "My stuff!" I whirled around in time for the sleek black Car to rumble back to life. I threw myself at it, but the door was locked. "Hey!" I curled my fists, ready to start pounding the window, but then I heard a scuffle and turned, momentarily distracted.

A girl who looked to be about my age was being dragged forward by a whole circle of uniformed men. I would have felt sorry for her, but she gave me the same impression as Raja's sleek black horse during a run- that she was in complete control. Madame Noire had stopped to watch too. I couldn't quite read her expression; she somehow managed to look infuriated and delighted at the same time. The driver seemed interested too, which was very good for me.