Dying Willows

Chapter 1

"Lauren you little twit! Get over here and clean the floors again!" Screams Ms. Mcgumerry, one of our 'loving' leaders. She has her frizzy, white hair tied in a bun, the black frame of her glasses shine in the light, like there is much light, hmph.

Sorry. My name is Lauren. I'm an orphan, obviously. This place is complete hell. I can still recall when I arrived at this place. I remember it like it just happened yesterday.

I feel so dizzy, I feel so cold. My parents abandoned me, at one, they just left, I tried to stay at homes, tranferring from one to another, and when the owners would find out, they would drive me out of their homes. Kind of like a unsettled home type. Well now I'm running out of places to go. I'm walking around alone. I roam through the woods, hoping I can find a place to stay, or someone who could help me. I twitch at every sound, for I feel like someone is watching me.

I suddenly see a figure, not human, but a figure. It looks like a gate.

It is a gate.

I slowly push forward the gate, it creaks loudly the birds on it fly away. I see a sign that says, 'WELCOME TO WILLOW WOODS'. Willow Woods? For some reason I have heard of that place, but I'm not sure where. I walk up, man this is a high hill.

As I arrive to the top, I see a mansion looking building. It looks grand and beautiful, like the houses of the rich people that live in the main city. I knock on the door, with slight hesitaion. Should I be doing this?

A girl opens the door, she is young, she looks about my age, seven. There is fear in her eyes, I do not know why, but it is evident that she tries to fight the look.

"G-good evening." She stutters.

"Hello." I reply. Why is she stuttering? Is she nervous? Hm.

From inside the manor, I hear a woman scream, "Minerva, who is at the door?"

"Its a girl, she looks weak." Minerva says.

The woman goes to the door, and her face turns from stern to soft. "Oh, you poor thing, come inside."

I shake the water of myself and. I enter, I somehow feel ashamed for two reasons:

One, I'm leaving marks of wet feet on the carpet.

Two, the girls inside, some young and some look like teenagers, start to stare at me with concern and fear. Some are whispering to each other. I continue to walk with the old lady beside me.

"My name is Ms. Mcgumerry, what is yours?" She asks.

"L-l-lauren."

"Why, hello Lauren."

I can hear one of the whispers coming from the people.

"Poor her, she has no idea."

One of the people mouthed to me, her eyes have a hint of insanity.

"Help me."

I just look away, ignoring everyone else.

Then one girl, she looks older than me, grabs my arm pleading. "Get me out of here! Get me out of here! Please! Please!" She pulls on my arm, tears streaming down her eyes, she looks tired and weak, weaker than me.

"PLEASE! PLEASE! Get me away from that bastard!" She points at the lady that invited me inside. Bastard? What?

The old woman who invited me in stared at her.

"Ms. Benile! Ms. Smithers! Kindly bring Caroline to The Chamber." She screams, I notice when she says 'The Chamber', her lips curls and it turns into a smirk.

Two people, probably Ms. Benile and Ms. Smithers, grab Caroline's arms, and drag her away. Caroline, the girl who asked for help, screamed even louder, her legs kicking in all directions, everyone else in the room looks at her blankly, or have their heads down. Why? Shouldn't they be suprised?

"PUT ME DOWN YOU BASTARDS! SATAN DWELLS IN YOUR SOUL!" I can hear Caroline scream. I'm now scared, is this a manor, or an asylum?

"Come on, Lauren, lets go." Ms. Mcgumerry says as if nothing happened.

If the people here take things like this as nothing, then they must be used to it. Is that why? Does this always happen?

I'm starting to get creeped out by this place. Maybe I can make a run for it now.

I look back, the door is far away, and girls are walking around.

Okay. Never mind.

***

Ms. Mcgumerry leads me to a dining hall, the table is long and made of wood. She offers me a seat and I sit. She sits down beside me, and offers me food.

As I chew my bread she starts to ask me questions.

"First of all, where are your parents?" She removes her glasses and sets them on the table.

"I'm an orphan." I reply.

"Oh, is that so?" Well then.

She continues. "Why were you out in the cold rain?"

"Well, you see, I was abandoned at a young age, one, to be exact. Then this man, he never told me his name, found me and raised me, I did not know his personal information, all I know he was a blacksmith. When I was five, he died, a woman stabbed him. Before he became comepletely...lifless, he told me to escape. So. I did, I ran everywhere, I was tired, so I deceided to hide out in a cottage, no one was home though. The owner came back and drove me out of his house, I slept from one house to another, until I ran out of places to hide, I ran up this hill, and founf this place, Willow Woods." I reply, wait, I have just met this woman today, why am I telling her my entire life? Oh, I see, she just seems so inviting and kind. Welcoming me. She makes me feel like I've known her forever.

Though, something inside me makes me feel like I can't trust her, for she is hiding something.

But I just swat that idea away.

"Oh. In that case, would you like to stay here? Willow Woods is a home for orphaned girls, we are one of the best." She smiles.

I want to say no, for this place has a weird aura. But I need a place to stay, and this place is for orphaned girls.

Should I?

Maybe.

"Yes. I would like that." I smile.

For once I smiled.

But little did I know, the freedom I thought I received, was just captivity.