Changing

Exploring - 2

I yawned and was very careful to be quiet as I dragged myself out of bed (my mind might be awake, but that doesn't mean my body is), and got dressed. The owner of the orphanage wasn't very strict, but one of the few things she was about was uniform. It was extremely impractical, especially for the girls, so I always pack jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie, and sneakers in a backpack I have, although currently I ditched the uniform all together.

I keep other things in there, including food I've nicked from meals, a flashlight I stole when Ms. McMary's back was turned, rope and scissors from the crafts station, and other such things for doing the thing I love most...that and puzzles...I like to adventure a lot, and even though I get in trouble for not coming back to the orphanage in time (Ms. McMary only cares if someone tattles) but overall it's worth it.

From my tiny room, I have a perfect view of something I have always dreamed of exploring, but every time something drives me back. No, not physically, but something always tugs at my brain telling me hundreds of reasons why I shouldn't be having a look around around the ruins of this magnificent castle with maybe thousands of ginormous rooms. (A.N. I'm pretending Hogwarts has a muggle repelling charm so you get this part :/) But sometimes, a small voice, so small, barely audible, sometimes not at all, is there. The curious part of me. The true part of me. But today, I don't care what, I am going. All the way to those huge doors. I will. Even further if I can. But that is my goal. Nothing, and I mean nothing, will hold me back.

I silently tiptoe down the many flights of stairs (I get such a good view of the castle because my room is on one of the top floors) and into the kitchen. I nab a muffin, gulp down a small glass of orange juice, and slide an apple into my bag for later. Just as I am finishing cleaning up, little Thalia is dragged in by Jewel.

Jewel is the main tattle tale in all of the orphanage, not just the one who loves to tattle on me when I come back in after dusk. She is scrawny (though nimble) so she isn't usually the one to bully physically. Gertrude is usually the one to do those kind of things. But considering the size of Thalia, (even compared to Jewel) it makes sense that the older can drag her around.

I quickly slipped around a corner and listened to the conversation between them. I am clumsy when I'm nervous, it's an unfortunate side effect of anxiety, but for the rest of the time I am agile. It helps a lot when I am climbing around while exploring. Or, in one of my few talents, ease dropping. Poor Thalia. Not only is she the only one that is the right size for Jewel to physically abuse, but Jewel has a horrible sting with her words.

Jewel was rambling on and on about if Thalia tattled to Ms. McMary about Jewel knowing the code to the orphanage owner's safe, then Jewel would personally kill her. Ha. Hypocrite. But really, they were empty threats. As evil as Jewel was, she had no guts what so ever. Usually she got Gertrude to do her dirty work. But Ms. McMary is a maniac when it comes to money, so if she were to find out that Jewel was the one stealing from her safe, that prissy tattle tale would be packed and gone in the blink of an eye. And everybody knows that Gertrude won't do a thing for anybody if there isn't something in it for her.

Anyway, it was stupid, because Thalia is most definitely not a tattle tale. She wouldn't tattle on her life. I took a peek around the corner to see Thalia nodding "fearfully" as Jewel continued on with her gruesome promises. Thalia is much braver than she comes across. Next to nobody knows that Thalia doesn't give a damn about what Jewel or Gertrude or anybody else says they're going to do to her. She only plays along that she's scared because she knows it would only be worse if she stood up for herself. I would have stepped back into the kitchen and helped Thalia out, but this was the perfect thing to keep Jewel busy and I know Thalia can fend for her own if she has to. Oh, don't get me wrong, she can turn pretty nasty pretty quick, but she'd much rather keep her decoy attitude up.

So I slid away, noiselessly leaving the building and once outside in the crisp morning air, I broke into a run.