Something so Familiar

~6~

I put the book down on the dresser next to my bed and sunk down further into the duvet trying to obtain all the warmth I could. I could feel my heavy eyes slowly closing as I thought about mum. A few minutes later I again heard Harry laughing but it was closer this time. He must be coming to bed now I thought to myself. I heard the door squeak as he opened it but he didn't say anything when he entered. He probably thought I was asleep as I didn't bother to open my eyes. He was quick and quiet whilst getting ready for bed. He too must have felt the chill in the room as I opened an eye to see him putting on a jumper over his pyjamas. I didn't say anything to him as to be honest I didn't know what to say. I thought about asking him if he felt the place as being familiar too but I decided not to as he seemed happy at the moment.

I was woken by a draft coming through the window as well as the sound of tweeting birds and Harry snoring. It was a Sunday which meant that we would have school the next day as the holiday was now over. I quietly got out of bed and got dressed whilst trying not to wake Harry as he always likes to sleep in whenever he can. Once again I parted the damp bathroom curtain from the wall and walked in. Whilst I was looking in the mirror at the bags under my eyes I noticed a loose tile on the wall. It looked as though someone had taken it off and tried to glue it back on with what looked like a dried sticky paste. I looked around the room to see if there were any others like it and to my surprise there were. One of the tiles was smashed into a few pieces and then had been carefully placed together. I managed to pick off one of the small pieces of tile to reveal a piece of paper that had been folded very small. I unfolded it to reveal a drawing. The paintbrush seemed to have been fingers and the paint was grainy as if it wasn't actually paint instead a substance that had been crushed and had water added to it. It was difficult to tell what it was of and due to the finger marks I guessed it had been done by a previous child in this room. I slipped it inside my mothers book anyway to show the others later.
After everyone had woken up and had eaten breakfast, it was time to start the chores however Poppy had convinced Mr Bachieliordet to let Noah and Eliana give Harry and I a tour of the surrounding area. They had also been given chores to collect a few things from the town anyway so they weren't wasting that much time.
The first stop was the bakery where they collected a few loafs of brown bread and we also each got a hot pastry. Next stop was the library but no one needed to go in so we just walked past. There were various cafés and sweet shops dotted around as well as a pharmacy as well as various people advertising different goods and services on offer.
By the time we had finished the tour of the town and all the chores that needed to be done it was lunchtime so we headed back to the orphanage. Back at the house there was a wide selection of cold meats, fruit and bread to snack on for our lunch. Once again you had to be quick when serving yourself as hungry children would eat whatever they could get their hands on.