Flames

Flames - Part 2

Inside Mayfield there is a large staircase that leads up to a balcony with doors along the sides-the dorms, I assume. A boy who looks to be about ten is standing in the doorway to the dining room. He rushes over to Ruth.

"Ms. Walker, who is this?"

Ruth-Ms. Walker-tells the boy to gather all of the children and meet us in the living room. He does as he is told immediately, and runs up the staircase.

Ms. Walker glances at a watch on her wrist. "Right now it's free period. All of the children have until dinner to do as they please, whether it be read, sleep, or play outside."

"Okay." I can hear the boy knocking on the doors upstairs, gathering up his friends.

Ms. Walker shows me several rooms around the orphanage, all of them with a Victorian style. It's very old and elegant, unlike my old house, which was always very modern. It's unusual, but I figure the less it resembles my past, the better. She shows me my room on the second story. It's a Victorian room, way more delicate than I would like, but it looks cozy enough for me. Much better than a hospital bed.

We come to a door tucked away behind a bookshelf in the library, and Ms. Walker puts her hand out in front of me to stop me.

"It's very important that you never go in here." Her hazel eyes gain a sudden seriousness that takes me by surprise. "This room is part of the house that the was never finished, so it's not safe. You can go anywhere else on the grounds, but no one is ever allowed to go inside for safety reasons, do you understand?"

I look at the clean wooden door. "Yes."

"Good. I'm glad we have a mutual understanding of the subject." She leads me away from the door and into the living room, where a group of seven children sit, either on one of the beige couches, or the flowery rug. Ms. Walker sits down in a matching chair that sort of resembles a throne, and motions for me to have a seat on the couch next to the boy we had seen earlier.

Ms. Walker clears her throat. "Alright," She places her hands in her lap. "as you know, we have a new enrollee. I want her to begin, and we will travel around the room, each of you saying your name and age."

There's a second of silence before I process the fact that she wants me to start. "Oh," I pause, looking at the expectant faces of all the other kids. All except one, a boy who looks older than me sitting on the opposite side of the room with a bored expression. He makes me nervous, but I continue. "my name is Juliet and I'm sixteen."

The boy beside me jumps in. "I'm Jack and I'm seven!"

A young, red-haired girl curls up nervously in a ball, a small grin on her face that I return. "My name is Linley. I'm seven."

We go through siblings Isaiah and Kiara, thirteen and eleven, respectively. Then there is Grady, an eight year old boy with brown hair that makes me think of gravy. Beside him is a pretty, twelve year old blonde girl named Lydia. Next comes the unhappy boy whose piercing gray eyes I just noticed. He clears his throat dramatically and lifts his nose up into the air.

"The name I was given upon my glorious arrival into this world precisely sixteen years ago," He stops for effect, sneaking a glance at me. "is Ben."

I notice Ms. Walker shift uncomfortably in her seat. "Thank you, Ben, for your incredibly sincere answer."

Ben nods, trying to hide a smirk. "You're welcome, ma'am. As you know, I try my best."

Ms. Walker stands up and claps her hands twice, obviously becoming irritated. "Well that's all for now, children. I want you all to help Juliet feel welcome." She turns to me. "Juliet, I feel that you will quickly become accustomed to our schedule, so I won't waste any more time explaining things to you. The children will help you familiarize yourself with our schedule, right?"