Storyteller

Chapter Three

Heron was already waiting outside, under the shade of an oak tree.

He did not expect the girls to be this slow. Margaret had assured him that they were only going to take a few minutes, maybe ten minutes. But twenty minutes have passed, and there was still no sign of them. The horses had started to get impatient and were tugging at the ropes and whinnying softly.

"Hang on for a bit more," he said as he stroked each of the horses' manes, "they're coming soon."

But he does not blame either of them, for he understands how hard it is for Lumina to say goodbye to the place she has spent her whole life in. That orphanage had become her home, and the people in it had become her family.

"They sure are taking their time..." Heron mumbled to himself after a couple more minutes of waiting. In the end, he decided to take a short stroll around the orphanage grounds.

Just as he was about to go, he caught sight of two familiar figures walking towards him. One was even frantically waving at him.

"Sorry for taking so long, Heron!" He heard one of them call out. It was Margaret. And next to her was Lumina, carrying a duffel bag and a knapsack. He smiled.

"It's alright." He answered when they both reached him. "I haven't waited for that long."

He then nodded towards the horses. "But they have. So are you all ready to go?" Though he asked both the girls, the question was aimed particularly at Lumina. The girl was quiet and her eyes were downcast, and although they were outside under the sun, the golden speckles in her eyes have lost their usual sparkle. She had her back to them as she faced the orphanage.

"I'm ready, that's for sure. And you, Lumi?"

No reply came from the girl.

"Lumi? Lumi?"

Lumina suddenly turned around to face Margaret.

"O-oh? You ca- oh. Yes, I'm ready." She was mildly surprised when she heard her voice crack, but the sudden warm tears that rolled down her cheeks really did catch her by surprise.

Shocked, she quickly wiped them away with the sleeve of her dress. She thought her friends did not see them - her tears, but they did. To her, crying was a sign of weakness, and having people witness that weakness is more than an embarrassment - it's humiliating.

And Margaret's sudden gentle hug made her cry even more.

"To be honest, I've been waiting to see how long you could last. I mean, you pulled off the stoic and serious look at the orphanage pretty well." She said as she pressed her face into Lumina's shoulder. "But really... was all the acting necessary?"

When both the girls pulled away, Margaret patted Lumina on her shoulder. "Don't worry about them too much. They'll be fine. Cheer up!" Her encouraging smile made Lumina feel a whole lot better.

"Thank you, Margie..." Her gratefulness towards her friend was so great that words cannot properly describe it. In fact, "thank you" is an understatement.

She then felt another hand on her shoulder.

"Margie's right, Lumi." Heron comforted her as he, too, gave her a pat on her shoulder. "Don't be too sad about it."

She turned to her friend with a grateful smile. "Thank you too, Heron."

And the trio just stood there comfortably in the silence, as a gentle breeze began to blow, rustling the leaves of the tall oak tree they were standing under. Lumina had never felt more thankful to have such good friends by her side.

"Now that we've settled that, we're ready to go. Right?" Margaret asked with a happy sigh. "Lumi?"

A new chapter of Lumina's life was about to begin, and she knew that with every new chapter, new possibilities and problems arise. She is unsure of her future beyond the walls of the orphanage, yet she will stand up and face it bravely.

Because she knows, that with her friends by her side, she can make it through.

She took one last glance at the orphanage, taking in the whitewashed walls dotted with glass windows and the navy blue tiled roof. The oak trees along the dirt path leading to the orphanage that were swaying in the wind seemed to be waving her goodbye.

With a determined look in her eyes, she turned to her friends.

"Let's go."

___

So Lumina was finally able to leave the orphanage, phew. It was tough trying to write this chapter (I had to rewrite a few scenes dozens of times... darn it what a headache), so I hope you guys like it!

Also, don't be shy to leave a comment if you've spotted some grammatical errors or mistakes! I'm a clumsy person so I tend to accidentally overlook such errors...

Thanks so much for reading! And I wonder what's gonna happen in the next chapter...