Orphan

-Gwen-

      Dad ruffled my hair as he tucked me in, flipping the light off and closing the door. I waited a few more moments after I heard his footsteps get quieter, making sure he was gone before reaching over and turning on my bedside lamp. I quietly grabbed my book and opened it up, my eyes greedily eating up the words. I read until my eyelids were starting to feel heavy, and reluctantly I closed my book. I glanced at my alarm clock, yawning. 9:30. That was pretty late for a nine-year-old. Turning off the light, I pulled my covers up to my chin and closed my eyes, asleep before anyone could even wish me a good night.
      I was having the strangest dream. My family was camping, and I was inside the tent with my older sister, Cassie. We were having a pillow fight, and the dream itself was starting out okay. But somehow I could feel that it was going to turn into a nightmare. Cassie was winning, and I laughed as she pinned me down and hit me with the pillow. I tried to push her away, but she kept hitting me, faster and faster until I barely had enough time to breathe between her swings. She was still laughing, but my breathing was becoming short and ragged as I tried to tell her to stop.
      Finally I woke up, coughing and gagging with tears trickling down my face. My eyes were still stinging, and suddenly I realized that smoke was filling my bedroom. Columns of flame were racing up the walls, and thick, black smoke was dancing through the air, weaving its way into my lungs. My eyes streamed as I climbed out of bed, wide awake now. I dropped to the floor, trying to stay under the smoke as I crawled, coughing, towards the door. I pryed the door open, only to be greeted by another thick haze of smoke and flames. Coughing and gagging, I started crawling towards Cassie's room, pulling my shirt up over my mouth and nose. I pounded weakly on the door before collapsing, the immense heat from the flames making me woozy. Just then the door opened, causing me to tumble into my sister. She hauled me up off the floor and dragged me into her room, which wasn't completely engulfed in flames yet. She used her lamp to smash a good-sized hole in the window, the jagged edges of intact glass piercing the night. She gripped my arm and pointed to the window. I hesitated for a minute, and she seized the opportunity to wrap her arms around me for a quick second before pushing me towards the window.
      "Go!" She shouted over the roaring flames. "And get away from the house! I'll be right behind you, just don't stop running!" she yelled, her voice hoarse from the smoke. I nodded, taking one last look at my sister before leaping out the window to the ground below.
      I landed on the grass, but a jarring pain still shot through my legs, causing me to stumble. I glanced behind me only for a moment, but I couldn't see if Cassie jumped or not. Picking myself off the ground, I sprinted towards the front of the house, adrenaline coursing through my veins. I ran across the street like a frightened deer, making a beeline for my neighbor's house. I pounded on the door, screaming for help. I didn't have to wait very long at all before the door swung open and I was ushered inside. A young couple lived there, and the man was just hanging up the phone when I came in. I collapsed into the woman's arms, and she half carried me to the couch as I sobbed hysterically into her shirt.
      "Shh, shh. It's alright now, baby. You're okay," the woman said in a soothing voice. "We just called 911, they're on their way," she said. I nodded weakly to show that I'd heard her. The adrenaline rush must've blinded me from the pain for a little while, but now it was returning all at once. I whimpered, tears trickling down my cheeks as my skin tingled and my throat burned from the intake of smoke. Suddenly the noise of sirens penetrated the darkness, and I managed to stumble outside. Only then did I realize that my head was bleeding, and not just a little trickle, either. I saw the firefighters spring into action, some rushing inside while others started to spray down the house, trying to control the flames. The EMTs gently helped me onto a rolling gurney, placing a wet cloth on my forehead to try and stop the bleeding. Right before they closed the ambulance doors, I caught a glimpse of my neighbors. The woman was standing off to the side, wringing her hands nervously while her husband talked to some other people at the scene. Then the doors closed, the sirens started, and I sped away from my devastated home.
      When we arrived at the hospital, nurses swarmed around me, wheeling me into a stark white room and transferring me to a soft bed. Only a few moments later I was rushed off to the ER for emergency surgery, almost immediately put under anesthesia.
      When I woke, I was back in my bed and wrapped in bandages. I felt dizzy and a little nauseous, but I managed to push myself up into a sitting position, looking around my room. There was a little table and chair next to my bed, and the table had a little vase of wilted flowers placed on top of it. The chair was empty, and I forced myself to look away before I could dream up every awful scenario about exactly why the chair was empty. Suddenly one of the nurses came bustling into my room, balancing a tray of bland hospital food while she tried to open the door. She asked me the usual questions while I ate: how are you feeling, are you hungry at all, any changes in your current state of misery, etc. etc. Okay, she might've used a little different wording, but you get the point. I was too busy eating to answer most of them using two or more words, and she finally just sat next to my bed quietly. When I had finished eating, she took my tray and set it on the table, moving the sad flowers to the side.
      "Well, I have some very exiting news for you, Gwendolyn. We've found a place for you to stay! Isn't that wonderful?" the nurse said, looking happy for me. I stared at her blankly, a confused look plastered across my face.
      "A place for me to... Stay? Did my parents buy a new house?" I asked softly, frowning just slightly. The nurse paled.
      "Oh, dear. Ohhh my... I don't- haven't you- they didn't- Oh..." she said, her voice trailing off. She looked down at me, her eyes filled with pity. When she spoke again, her voice was barely a whisper, and I had to strain to hear her. "Gwendolyn... I don't know how to tell you. Your- your parents... They didn't make it out in time. They were found after the fire was put out, and your sister..." she said quietly, her voice getting softer and softer before she burst into tears and covered her face with her hands. "I'm- I'm sorry, dear, I just can't- I can't do this," she said, sniffing. Then she pulled me into a gentle hug, being careful not to irritate my burns even further. I stared over her shoulder at the blank wall, trying to comprehend what I'd just been told.
      I spent the rest of that day in shock, my stomach churning and my head reeling at the news. The realization finally struck me later that night, and tears soaked my pillow. I cried long and hard, but I knew it wouldn't fix anything. I didn't remember falling asleep, but I must've because I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache. It lasted the whole day, and I thrashed about restlessly, drifting in and out of sleep. Finally the pain subsided to the familiar dull ache that seeped through my bones, and I let myself sleep.
      The next few days passed by in a blur, filled with paperwork and strange people in suits. Finally, it was all settled. I would be sent off to a "home" as they call it, in two days. I don't know why people don't just say orphanage. It would be much simpler. Blunt, yes, but simpler.
      The two days felt like two hours. My remaining belongings were packed up and ready to go, and I had one final checkup before I left the hospital. The cut on my head had healed nicely, but most of my arms and legs had suffered from horrible 3rd-degree burns, and angry red splotches still covered them. The day of my departure came all too quickly, and the hospital staff waved goodbye as I stepped into the car and started pulling away. I was being accompanied by a woman who was dealing with all the legal matters, and she was nice enough. We drove and drove, talking occasionally, but mostly I just stared numbly out the window.
      Finally we pulled to a stop, and I glanced up. We'd arrived at a huge, gorgeous house, and my mouth dropped open slightly as I gazed at it. A young woman came out to meet us, her face solemn as she spoke to the woman who had come with me. I slowly gathered my luggage, allowing the new woman to usher me inside. I heard the car pull away as she closed the door, and I silently looked around. The house was beautiful. For a few minutes I simply stared. When I broke my gaze away, the woman began talking to me. I learned that her name was Ms. Pattinson, and there was one other girl here about my age. I changed the subject, asking about my room. I didn't really want to meet anyone else right now.
      "Oh, that's right! Let me just make sure everything's in order, and I'll be right back. Have a seat if you like," she said, hurrying up the winding oak staircase, her footsteps clicking softly against the wood. I eased myself down on the couch, wincing at my burns. The pain soon went away, and I stared down at my feet while I waited. Suddenly I heard a barely audible creak, like when you step on a squeaky floorboard. I turned around, trying to find the source of the noise. My eyes drifted to the stairs, and I thought I saw a glimpse of blond hair. But then it was gone.

~A/N~
Sorry about the late post! I'll be introducing more characters soon.
~L~