Vapor (A Warden of Ghosts Story)

Chapter Two

That night, I tossed and turned, trying to sleep. But I couldn't get the images of those grotesque faces out of my head. They haunted me all night, and I woke up feeling terrible.

A firm knock sounded on my door, and with an exhausted breath I called the person in. It was Maria Aundive, or Madame Aundive as she preferred. She was the house mother, and I'd had the displeasure of being shown around the crummy place by her and that man when I was first brought there by my social worker. When I'd first come to this house, I had an awful feeling about it. But I felt bad because I could've chosen other places but had turned down every other boarding house that my social worker Diane presented to me. I was ready to settle down, and Maria had been just so darn nice when I'd visited that I was won over.

But the moment Diane had walked out of the front door, it was like a light switch had been flipped. Maria had turned into this bitter, cold wench of a woman. Now I utterly dreaded the thought of living with this nasty person.

Maria hovered in my doorway; her dark brown hair was slicked back into bun so tight that it pulled her brows into higher arches than they were already in. Her features were tired and sunken, which I thought was a horrible combination with her pale, almost grey skin.

Her thin chapped lips cracked and peeled as they curved up into a forced grin. "Breakfast is now served. This will be the first and last time that you will receive a personal wake-up call from me. From now on, please note that breakfast is served at eight o'clock sharp, as is lunch at noon and dinner at five. You are now solely responsible for your being present at the appropriate time and receiving your meals." With those icy words, she turned and exited my room. I could practically feel the chill leave with her.

I shuddered, debating whether or not I even wanted to partake in this meal or any other. But my stomach growled fiercely in protest, and I could hear the hungry girls chatting as they padded down the hallway toward the dining room. So I sighed wearily, slid on my old white tennis shoes, and headed into the hallway.

Everything seemed uninviting and dark about this place, from the ugly grey sweaters these girls wore to the cold grey light that drifted in through the windows and poorly illuminated the dining room. Everyone was quiet, and I could feel curious eyes on me as I desperately searched for a place to sit. There were two long rows of tables, and every seat was taken. All except for one, next to this girl who couldn't have been older than thirteen. I bit my lip and quickly made my way down the narrow aisle between the tables.

The girl glanced up over the rim of her oval-shaped glasses as I walked up. I cleared my throat, "Hey, um, is this seat taken?"

She looked me up and down, and then shook her head. I smiled graciously and slid into my seat. The girls around me stared for a moment longer before going back to what they were doing, which was staring blankly at the empty tables in front of them. I didn't understand this and decided to try and engage in conversation with the girl next to me, "Thanks, my name is—"

"Shh!" she hissed in a hushed tone. "No talking in the dining room."

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat.

I heard wheels across the floor from a short distance, and a moment later, the porter named Geoffrey rolled in a cart with tons of small white bowls and a large steaming pot. As he went down the aisle, I noticed all of the girls staring at the cart hungrily, some licking their lips, others wiping the drool from them. I frowned and watched as he removed the lid and began filling the bowls. As he did this, Maria walked into the room wheeling another cart with the same items. She stationed herself at the end of the opposite table and began doing the same thing.

As she filled each bowl with gloppy oatmeal, she began to call names in a loud, booming voice. "Jane Dougherty, Lana Paulson, Cara Smith...."

Geoffrey did the exact same thing, and once they were done I had counted ten names altogether. This was so strange to me; I didn't understand what that was about. But as Geoffrey and Maria handed down the bowls and each girl passed it on to the next, I instantly knew. Some girls were being skipped and not receiving their bowl of mush. Some looked utterly upset; others tried to play it off like they didn't care. I gasped and leaned back over to the girl next to me, who was already spooning down her meal like it was her last.

"Those girls didn't get any food!" I hissed in a quiet voice, "They can't do that!"

"Unless you want your rations taken, I suggest you eat your food and shut up," the girl whispered back and continued shoveling her gunk. My cheeks burned at this injustice. It wasn't fair that these girls weren't getting anything to eat, and I couldn't bear to eat in front of them. So despite my growling stomach, I pushed away my bowl and stared down into my palms.

Once we were all excused, I hurried out of the room before Maria could scold me for not eating my food. Just as I was headed up the stairs, I heard a voice calling out to me. "Hey, new girl! Wait up!"

I glanced over my shoulder and noticed the rude red-head with the glasses coming my way. I sneered and debated blowing her off, but she got to me too quickly.

The girl walked up to me and smiled. "Hey, look, I'm sorry about the way I acted back there. We just have rules in this house, and I didn't want you to get in trouble." she extended a hand. "My name is Molly. Molly Woodrow. What's yours?"

"Melanie Camden," I said in a bitter tone and then continued up the stairs. She kept pace beside me.

"I really am sorry. But some of those girls got their rations taken just for talking in the dining room. Madame Aundive forbids that, and we do not cross her. We already get next to nothing to eat; I don't want to lose a meal."

I stopped in the hallway and turned to face Molly. I decided not to hold a grudge, because I now knew her reason for being so rude to me. But that still didn't douse my anger. "It's not right for them to just take meals from those girls. Why doesn't anyone say anything?"

Molly shrugged. "It doesn't do any good. We've tried telling our social workers, but it's our word against Madame Aundive's, and she has a great reputation in this town."

I shook my head. "Yeah, well, we'll see what mine has to say about it."

"Good luck with that," Molly said half-heartedly.

We stood there silently for a moment before I felt the sting of eyes staring like daggers into me. I looked to my left, and just at the end of the hallway was Ruby. She was standing next to her door with her arms folded, and she looked completely pissed off.

"What a jerk," I muttered.

"Sorry?" Molly said.

I glanced up and her and quickly shook my head. "Oh, sorry, not you. That girl there, she's been acting really weird toward me."

"Really? What girl?" Molly asked.

I nodded my head in Ruby's direction, trying not to be shaken by her evil glare. "Her right there. Ruby."

Molly looked over and then took a step away from me. "Are you trying to play some kind of sick game or something?"

Her words smacked me in the face. "Um, no? Molly, what's wrong with you?"

"I should be asking you the same thing!" she growled, eyeing me angrily.

"What? Do you not like Ruby either?"

She frowned. "Ruby Aundive... I knew of her. She was the Madame's daughter. But Melanie, she died last year." She pointed toward the end of the hallway. "That was her room. Madame Aundive hasn't placed anyone in that room ever since."

My stomach twisted, and sickness burned in mythroat. My shaking hand shot up to my mouth, and I stared at Molly through horrifiedeyes. When I glanced back down to the end of the hallway, my heart dropped,because Ruby was gone.