Where The Mind Is With Fear

Part 1

PROLOGUE:-

"Courtney, do you mind coming here once?", asked my sister in her usual squeaky voice. I was packing up my things, but had to leave them halfway, thanks to Aarya for calling me. With a sigh, I went to her and with an air of defiance she said, "Do you think I should tell Abigail about this?".

"No!", I coudln't help shrieking. "Of course not, you dodo. Do not even mention about this to ANYONE. And I mean it.",I ordered.

"Fine", Aarya said with a sneer on her face. I ignored her and went back to my work.

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It was ten past midnight, the air outside our little orphanage was chilly, and the clouds overshadowed the moon resulting in a gloomy, moonless night. I muttered a silent inside prayer as we stepped out into the darkness.

"Ready?", I asked Aarya. She gave me a slight, unsure nod. I gave her a reassuring look, which i was sure she needed constantly.

We walked in the darkness and Aarya asked,"Can we please use a torch?".

I had to be firm. This was the third time she had asked me the same question. "No. We will use it only when we are safely out of this place. Plus, we don't have many batteries."

We walked on in the darkness, Aarya clutching my hands tightly. Inspite of the irritation I got that she kept firing her questions at me, I was proud to be the one who she needed most now. Yes, it was me, her elder sister.

Aarya and me, Courtney, are two orphans, whose one aim in life was to get rid of the filthy orphanage, which was more like hell. We were given meals three times a day, each time, a dry loaf of bread and a glass of milk. On Sundays, we received a biscuit each and overall were treated miserably. When my father had died, Aarya was only two. He worked in the army, and it was quite obvious that it was difficult to see him much. After the shock my mother received, she too, closed her eyes forever. That is how we ended up in Sister Amanda's Orphanage.

Outsiders were put to the light that this was one such orphanage that treated children with care. Little did anyone know that inside was worse than hell. For 8 months Aarya and me had suffered and beared the torture But now, I had had enough, and thus, me and Aarya decided to run. Where we were to go, none of knew. We had no particular plan in mind.

Aarya was nine years old, three years younger to me. She got her hazel eyes from me, although her hair was a light brown and mine was just matching those hazel eyes. Aarya's best friend, Abigail from the orphanage too, shared the same feelings but no way was I taking her along with us. Aarya was pale and skinny, and I would've not been like that, if not for the horrible orphanage. But, alas, we had to deal with these circumstances.

As we walked, two things swept across my mind. One, where were we going? Two, what would happen if we were caught? The former, I did not know. But I knew that if we were caught, we would be buried in some grave. SUddenly, Aarya tugged at my sleeve. I came out of my delusions and came face to face with the darkness again. "What now?", I asked her, irritated.

"I'm scared.", she replied.

"Trust me, I have everything planned." This was a lie, put to good use. Aarya relaxed a little and I knew I was breaking her trust.

I sighed and just walked on with her by my side. That's when I realized why Aarya said she was scared. Because, just behind me, the not-so-lush bush moved.

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This ain't the end. Courtney and Aarya are yet to face more difficulties. To read more, just suggest if I should continue writing. Also, read my story, The War Of The Sorcerer.