Delanna

10

Delanna suffered another four hours of whipping before being released out of the headmistresses office. When she was let out the other students had already gotten changed into matching yellow t-shirts and shorts. 

P.E. thinks Delanna. I can't do P.E. 

¨Ah! Miss Delanna there you are.¨ Sings a plump lady named Mrs. Dumbridge. Delanna saw her skipping down the hallways yesterday, looking too happy for this type of orphanage. Dumbridge looks Delanna up and down. ¨Where is your uniform Miss Hays?¨ She asks finally.

Delanna takes her time to answer.

¨Um,¨ She starts. ¨I had a meeting with Miss Hecklar.¨

¨Oh alright, that's okay come and join the group.¨ Mrs. Dumbridge says.

Delanna shuffles forward to join the group of about fifty students and stands next to Lily. Her friend's mustard t-shirt stained with dirt and grass skidmarks.

Dozens of thoughts race through Delanna's head; I can't stay here any longer. Delanna eyes up the rusted metal gate demonstrating some sort of entrance to the dreadful orphanage. But is it an exit?

¨Excuse me Miss Hays?!¨

Maybe if I make a run for it I could slip through the bars and get past the village before the Headmistress comes after me...

¨Delanna!¨

Shoot! Mrs. Dumbridge was talking to her, who knows how long she'd been calling her name.

¨Yes Ma'am? ¨ Delanna hesitantly asks. It's the fanciest name she could think of off the top of her head.

¨Have you ever played tortura Miss Hays?¨ The P.E. teacher asked the orphan, an inquisitive smile spreading across her face. Immediately all of the other young orphan faces snapped their heads towards Delanna, cocking their small heads to the side to see what her reaction would be.

¨No I haven't.¨ Delanna didn't know much Italian if she was being blatantly honest, but she knew enough to decipher that tortura meant torture. Maybe that's just a fun name for a cool game. But this orphanage is horrific; who knows how this game was even invented, or how it's going to play out.