OUR SPOT // SkepHalo

Chapter 11

Warning: Orphans

     Zak hadn't seen Darryl in three weeks, and he was starting to get annoyed. His days went by as they usually did, but when he went to the tree after work, there was no one there to greet him. For the first week, he sat under the grand oak, hoping that it had all been a dream, and Darryl would come running up to him with a big grin on his face.

     But of course that never happened. Zak eventually stopped going, figuring it was a waste of his free time to sit there waiting for no one. He sighed, wetting his cloth and continuing to wipe the table. The cafe was quiet, thankfully, as he didn't feel like dealing with people. The whole day had felt off to him. Like something was wrong, but he couldn't quite place it.

     The sun was covered by clouds and there was an unpleasant chill to the air. No one wanted to be out in that weather, which wasn't the best for business. Who in their right mind would want to be outside when it was so dreary and miserable?! Zak knew he would've been at home in front of the fireplace if it weren't for his job.

     " Alright, Zak," his boss started as he walked out of the kitchen. " I can handle it from here, you can head on out."

     Zak nodded and went to the back to change into his normal clothes. When he was done, he turned down a street that was usually crowded. On an average day, the raven-haired boy would've headed home, but today he'd been asked to pick up a shift at the orphanage.

     The orphanage wasn't too far down the street from the cafe, which was part of the reason he chose to work there. It was a little brick building with three floors and a spacious backyard. There weren't many orphans, thankfully, so the job wasn't too overbearing for anyone. Not that the boy minded, really, he loved every minute of it.

     When he walked in, he was greeted by the scent of freshly-baked cookies. The door clicked shut behind him and a little head peaked out of a doorway down the hall. A little girl, only six years old, beamed at Zak as he walked towards her.

     The girl turned on her heel and ran into the room, and Zak followed close behind. As he entered, four more heads turned to him. He recognized one of the full-time nannies standing over by the counter, where the source of the smell was cooling. The nanny smiled softly at Zak as he approached her. " Sorry for bothering you on this dreadful day."

     " It's no worries, Ms. Abby," Zak dismissed. She huffed as a little hand reached for a cookie, smacking it away. The younger boy laughed. " I guess they're riled up because they can't go outside?"

     " Aye, that's exactly it," she sighed, her foreign accent making itself known for a brief second. Ms. Abby had moved to Trimid with her mother when she was in her early twenties, which was nearly thirty years ago, from a little island village in the southern seas. " I thought bakin' cookies would shut 'em up for a little while."

     She slapped a hand away again and shook her head. " I was wrong, they don't seem to realize this'll burn their tiny fingers!"

     The door creaked and the two looked over in time to see an older girl walk in reading a book. She was in her teens, not much younger than Zak. Once upon a time, there had been other kids her age around, but they were adopted out until she was the last one remaining. The rest of the children in the orphanage were much younger.

     The girl looked up and waved at Zak, before seating herself on a chair and continuing her book. " Alice," Ms. Abby said softly. " I never know what to do with her."

     " I thought you said she had a job, now?" The raven-haired young man hummed, his attention focused on a pair of little boys running around by Alice's feet. " That's good, at least. She'll be able to take care of herself when she's out of here."

     " Mhm, she's got a lil job at the library." Ms. Abby smiled sadly at the girl she'd looked after for so long. " She's got a lovely personality and she's simply brilliant. Shame folks can't see that nowadays."

     A little girl ran up to Zak, maybe three years old, and extended her arms upward. He caught the hint and lifted her up. " Hey, Lanie, how's it going?"

     The girl didn't respond, instead just wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. Lanie was a fascinating child. She was placed at the doorstep of the orphanage when she was a baby, and she'd been one of the first Zak had a pleasure of raising from a infancy. She was a cute kid, with a lovely personality and exactly the right age for any couple looking to adopt.

     Except, Lanie didn't speak.

     Ever since she was a baby, she'd never made any noise. Ms. Abby suspected she was deaf. But, as she grew older, it became clear that she could hear everything just fine. They didn't know for sure, but the doctor thought she might have something wrong with her vocal chords, rather than her ears.

     She clung to Zak like her life depended on it, and the older male smiled triumphantly at Ms. Abby. " I told you! She adores me!"

     " No doubting that," the nanny tutted. She handed Zak a little coin pouch and said, " Why don't you take her to the market and buy some potatoes for supper tonight?"

     " Alright," Zak agreed. He set the child down and took her hand. She skipped along side him as they left the orphanage and walked down the street. There weren't many people in the market, but it was still fairly busy.

     The older boy found it harder to keep track of Lanie in the crowd, so he scooped her up again and told her to hang on tight. " And keep an eye out for any potatoes."

     They stalked around the stands for a bit, until Lanie finally pointed to a stand near the edge of the crowd. They bought a sack of potatoes with the money they'd been given, even having a few extra coins leftover.

     Zak felt a tap on his shoulder and the little girl's grip on him tightened. He whirled around, only to be greeted by the face of Darryl's friend, the one who'd come to get him under the tree three weeks ago. If he remembered correctly, his name was Zelk.

     " You're Zak, correct?" The man spoke, his voice monotone. Zak nodded, observing the man closer now. His chest heaved like he'd just lost a lot of breath, and his cheeks were tinted pink from the cold, yet his voice was unwavering. The boy figured Zelk had ran to him.

     He held out a letter, which Zak took, careful to maneuver around Lanie. " As soon as you're done babysitting, Darryl wants to see you by the tree."

     Zak's eyes widened and a strange feeling of happiness welled up inside his chest. Finally! After three long weeks, he would finally get to see his friend!

     Finally, they could go back to normal!