All Henry could think about was the pain in his stomach. It was, as it seemed, a hot topic since he had been put into this place. Some around him had called it an orphanage. Some had called it hell. Although neither word made much sense to the young boy, the second one seemed more accurate.
He hadn't eaten in days. He'd been locked in a dark, musty corner of the basement where the sharp-faced woman had said naughty children go. The few words he heard through the heavy door were in the firm of angry shouts, followed by loud slams identical to the one he heard as the people had shut the door on him.
He was so hungry, but that pain wasn't even the worst. The agony of losing his one and only friend, the proud wolf, still remained, though it was different from the way it started. Before, it had been sharp, all consuming. Now it was dull, making him feel numb and lifeless. No... That would've been better. Better than living with the pain, with the hunger, with the hatred surrounding hi--
"Hey, Henry."
Henry snapped back to the present with a start. Becca was leaning over, looking into his eyes with a concerned look. "Are you okay?" Henry tried to make his eternal smile look more convincing.
"Yeah! Why? Did I look weird?" She shook her head, her expression an odd mix of sad, happy, reassuring, and concerned.
"You just... I want you to have a good time. It's your birthday, after all." Henry saluted, grinning.
"Okie dokie, boss! Nya ha ha!"
Becca nodded, the blended expression still on her face as she turned around. She looked back one last time, then went off to tend to the others.
He had lots of friends here.
But none could replace his wolf.
~~~
A/N: I am a horrible person.
