❝Aren't you scared at all doing this?❞
❝No, I love taking pictures of them dead.❞
[WARNING: may contain graphic contents, and dark and mild sexual themes.]
|ON-HOLD|
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Two days later, my father wanted me again to visit his newly funded orphanage and check the condition of those unfortunate children. It was a pleasant, peaceful day as I walked along the path to the orphanage with Nora at my side. I can already see a huge house at the end and hear the harmonious laughter of children—happily running around the front yard.
"Ms. Lee is here!" A girl exclaimed in glee and pointed me. She ran up to me, following the other children as well and encircled around me with excitement across their faces.
"Didn't I tell you all before to just call me Claire?" I reminded and sighed. "Never mind, I have presents with me for all of you." The children cheered with joy and then we all went inside their orphanage home.
A woman in her 50's across the hallway approached me with a thin smile and hugged me in the process. "Good to see you again Ms. Lee!" She greeted.
We break our hug and informed the mistress of the orphanage about our sudden visit. She understood our intention and guided us into a spacious living room respectively.
"Now children behave and don't give troubles to her understand?" The mistress said in authoritative tone. The children then responded in chorus before she left us in the room.
I called Nora from the doorway to get the trunk and place it at the table next to me. After that, I asked the children to line up before I handed them the presents from the trunk. The presents were just mostly new clothes—dresses and bonnets for girls while shirts and baggy pants for boys. I clasped my hands against my lower abdomen and smiled widely at them; overjoyed at the clothes given by me. Nora then excused herself to go to the kitchen and brew a tea for me.
"Are you going to tell us another story again?" A girl with a blonde hair asked.
The other children ceased from checking their clothes and looked at me, anticipating my response. "Of course," I replied.
They cheered again as I took a seat on a chair beside the doorway; facing the children as they seated cross-legged on the floor and looking up to me. My story telling is just simply about a girl finds her prince charming and so on. Sounds cliché but most of them liked it somehow although some of them snorting of derision.
"And then the prince came to the scene, finally meeting his fated girl." I said. As my story telling ended, I was expecting applauds or comments from them but no words even an ounce came out from their mouth.
My eyebrows furrowed at their odd reaction—gaping in surprise and staring past my shoulder. I turned my head around and saw him again for the umpteenth time. He is standing at the doorway next to me and utterly stunned.
"Hoseokie!" The girl with the blonde hair exclaimed in delight and went to him as she hugged his waist. The others followed and happily welcomed him.
I stood up in surprised and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm visiting." He answered with a sheepish smile. A tug on his sleeve drew his attention to the girl down beside him.
"Let's go to the field again please." She begged. Hoseok smiled broadly; showing both dimples on his cheeks.
Thereafter, we all went to the field of green pasture and a small lake nearby. The children just played around while we are sitting on the grassy ground, watching them.
"Sorry if I interrupted your story telling." He said.
I shook my head and chuckled. "No it's fine. I'm actually quite surprised they very well know you."
He laid his body down with arms against the back of his head, gentle breeze brushing through his smooth hair. "I was once in this orphanage that's why," He paused and closed his eyes at once. "And then, someone adopted me and moved to another country with him. That man is a post-mortem photographer, the reason why I became like him too,"
His past made me feel sad and guilty at the same time. Suspecting this hapless photographer the serial killer when he had a tough life and beloved by the children; ironic for a killer indeed. Maybe I was wrong all along and just my imagination to see that bloody thumb and heard his voice from my kidnapper before.
"So, telling stories about prince charming huh?" His voice snapped my thoughts as I looked at him. Hoseok was staring at me; grinning and propping up his cheek with his elbow on the ground.
Heat crept up my cheeks, blushing to his comment and said, "Well that's what children wants, especially girls."
Not long, the children suddenly approached us; carrying sly grins on their faces.
"Claire?" The same girl with the blonde hair stepped out with hands behind her back.
"Will you stay for the night with us, pretty please?" I was surprised for a moment but then I nodded in the end.
"Sure." I replied gladly.
"And could we also call you our mum?" The children then giggled to my appalled reaction including Hoseok but he was laughing instead.
"Hoseokie would be our dad then!" A boy declared causing him to cease from laughing and sat up straight.
"Hold up! Don't drag me into this." He protested but the children stuck their tongue out to him and ran away from us.
Hoseok abruptly stood up and chased them, leaving me stunned and the flutter in my chest. As I thought, they were trying to pair us by these silly children. Meanwhile, the same girl stayed behind and seated beside me then something on her hands caught my attention.
"What happened to your hands?" I asked worriedly when I held her hands with visible scars. Hoseok came back shortly to us and also noticed the scars. His face turned grim with a seethed stare like he knew well behind her scars.
When the night came, I went out of my room and decided to drink a glass of water before I go to my slumber. My long nightgown sweeping against my feet while I walk down the stairs just then, I heard a soft wail coming from the kitchen. I peeked beside the doorway and witnessed the mistress and several children including the girl from before have terrified faces.
"Didn't I remind you all already to address her properly? Where are your manners?" She scolded and harshly lashed their opened palms by a leather whip.
"Stop!" I hollered. I cannot contain my anger anymore so I charged in between them; shielding the children from her oppressive grasp.
"I'm terribly sorry did they interrupt your sleep?"
"No, but you did interrupted my sleep, I guess you should shut your mouth and go to sleep too." I taunted.
The mistress scoffed at me and left the kitchen eventually. I faced the children with wet faces and comforted them to alleviate their frightened state. Moreover, I sent them to their respective rooms and reminded them to lock their doors.
An hour later, I stirred on my bed awake and couldn't sleep. Not until a woman's piercing scream reached my ears causing me to remove the sheet over me and briskly out of the bed. I hastened my pace down the stairs and darted my eyes around to search the origin of that scream. Even the entire area are dimly lit, I bravely trudged through the hallway until I felt something warm and watery substance beneath my feet. My eyes widen in horror when I found out my feet stepping on a pool of blood.
