Dark Lady|| Venus Potter

Chapter I

Six years have passed. Six long, pathetic years, full of pain, ups and downs, since she came to the orphanage. Six years, during which everything changed.

Her eyes stared blankly at the frosted window, on which the frost painted subtle patterns, for which younger orphans played, trying to make a snowman from too loose snow.

Every year she experienced the same nightmare on the anniversary of her arrival at the orphanage, once crying, today sitting in a gloomy reverie. Her mind was attacked by unwanted memories, visions; day after day she prayed that she would not wake up the next morning, what humiliation and harm she suffered at the hands of the tortures. And, although she didn't know what was worse, when something finally burst inside her, like a forged balloon. A particle of her died irretrievably, firing an avalanche of emotions that fell, destroying everything in its path. Like every spark of child innocence contained in it, it was brutally extinguished by a sea of cruelty.

She smiled wanly at her comparisons and memories, allowing herself a moment of triumph, which was one of the few positive things she encountered in her undoubtedly short life.

She rested her forehead against the glaciated glass that unpleasantly cooled the warm skin, and her breath left steamed marks on the glass. She felt the cold winter air squeezing through the cracks of the old room, which further recalled one of the clearer memories of her childhood. Wandering the snowy streets of Privet Drive, a merciless car splashing on it with a mixture of mud and snow on Magnolia Crescent, then another noisy street whose names blurred in a snowstorm, finally a park, this bench... The cold penetrating her all the time, unpleasant pinching on the cheeks, icy snowflakes falling on her hair. Finally, waking up in the sterile hospital room with frostbitten limbs, then going to Wool's orphanage - her new home.

An annoying knock broke into her consciousness, getting a little angry.

- Come in - she said dispassionately, squeezing her eyes tightly without changing position. Who dared to disturb her? They usually didn't knock on her, and everyone knew not to look at the "scary girl-freak from seven". The door, with a loud moan of unwashed hinges, opened and a low blonde with a curl of curls peered through.

- V - Venus, M- Mrs. C- cole is a- asking y- you t- to g- go d- downstairs. W- we're g - going o- on at-trip - he squealed like a mouse, then quickly fled on his thin legs, slamming the door with all his might.

Venus frowned thinly, searching back a memory. Yes, indeed, today they were supposed to go to some sea - isn't it ironic that it was just in the middle of winter? Probably in the season, it was too expensive for such poor orphans like them. Besides, today; why not yesterday, why not tomorrow? If Mrs. Cole, the director of the orphanage, probably a hundred years old, was not so interested in Venus, she would have thought that the trip had been organized despite her.

The girl reluctantly moved away from the glass, walking to the age-old wardrobe crammed into the corner of the room and pulled out a dirty pink coat from the other hand. Was any of her clothes second hand? Sometimes she even suspected that underwear...

- Venus! - she heard Mrs. Cole screech, muffled by the walls of the orphanage, so she didn't even bother packing anything. She left, dressing her coat in a hurry and started down the creaking stairs down, where a whole bunch of children and teenagers were already crowding at the door.

- You as usual at the end - the director croaked, shuffling at her. Was Venus the only impression that this woman could turn to dust or die every second? Hunched in half, with a face wrinkled like plum and white-gray hair tied in an old-fashioned braid, she was more suitable for the role of a grumpy great-grandmother than the director of a poor orphanage. - Do you see yourself? Where's your scarf or gloves? If you catch a cold, you'll fire others, and I've had enough of those sleepless nights by teasing shit!