Breeder

Meeting (1)

Third Pov

All thirty-eight children sat in their spots in the dining hall, hands clasped and ready to offer their prayers of thanks before eating breakfast.

"Where's Mama?" One child asked, looking around.

"She said that we're having someone new join us today!!" Emma exclaimed, excited.

"Do you think they'll be a girl or a boy?" Emma questioned to no one in particular, facing Ray.

"Who knows," Ray replied, shrugging.

"I'm going to guess that it'll be a boy." Norman chimed in, smiling at Emma.

"I hope that it'll be a cute girl!!" Conny said, clutching Little Bunny close to her chest.

CREAK

The sound of the door opening attracted everyone's attention to the source of the sound- which was Isabella with a suitcase in her hand. Placing the suitcase on the wooden floors, the woman gave the children a pleasant smile.

"Children, as you may know, we have a new addition to our house today. Everyone, say hello." Isabella spoke, stepping sideways to reveal a stunning young girl.

Dressed in a red blouse and a black skirt that accented her tiny waist, the new girl had snow-white hair and vibrant blue eyes. Her pale skin contrasted beautifully with her plump red lips, making the children's jaws drop in awe.

However, the girl herself had a stoic expression on her face. She obviously didn't care about the kids' reactions.

Ray and Norman's eyes widened with surprise. The new girl wasn't a newborn. She looked to be their age, if not older. Such an old newcomer was unprecedented- and why was her uniform different?

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Isabella said, crouching down to the girl's level.

".....My name is Erica Minerva. I look forward to my time here."

Erica's voice was frigid. Her words were as sharp as a knife, and her pretty blue eyes were filled with nothing but uninterest. She took one look around the room, before fixing her gaze on Norman. Without another word, she walked towards the silver-haired boy.

Utter silence took over the room as everyone watched the scene unfold.

Isabella took a sharp intake of breath when Erica held out a small bouquet of Sheep's Sorrel for Norman to take. Norman stared at the bouquet in Erica's hands, then glanced back at the expressionless girl standing in front of him. ...Is she giving it to me? He wondered.

"Psst-! Norman!! Take it!! C'mon, she's waiting!!" Emma whisper-yelled.

Norman tentatively received the bouquet, a series of squeals and happy screaming erupting around the room.

But he could hear it clearly.

The words of the pretty girl in front of him- who now had a chilling smirk adorning her face.

"Congratulations. You've now become my Partner."

.

.

.

After breakfast, Ray sat beneath the tree that he usually sat at, a book on his lap. But he couldn't find himself able to focus on the words written on the pages. He flipped to the very back of the book where upon Norman's request, a few of the Sheep's Sorrel from the bouquet earlier were being pressed.

Many questioned flitted through his mind. How come Erica wore different uniforms from the others? What did she mean by "Partner"? Why did she give Norman of all people a bouquet of weeds?

And why was he keeping it?

"I wonder where the new girl is... it's her first day here!! She should play tag with us!!" Emma whined, having been unable to find the white-haired girl.

"Ray, have you seen Erica?" Emma asked, approaching the male.

"Wait, isn't that the flower that she gave you this morning? You're keeping it?" She asked once again, noticing the strands of Sheep's sorrel held in between Ray's fingers.

"I asked him to press them for me. It was a gift, and I didn't want to throw them away." Norman answered, smiling good-naturedly.

"Oooh~ Maybe it's looove~" Emma teased, making Ray huff in disapproval.

"She may be pretty, but we literally know nothing about her other than her name." Ray retorted.

"Come on!! We gotta get the two of you together!!" Emma stated, eager to get the two together.

"Who knows? Maybe she's going to be a perfect match for you, Norman." Ray agreed, grinning evilly.

A small chuckle catches the trio of eight-year-olds' attention, making them all look up. On one of the higher branches of the tree they were standing under, the trio could see the silhouette of a girl. The said girl jumped off of the branch she had been sitting on, landing almost silently on the grass below.

Long snow-white hair, tied into a single ponytail, swayed in the wind.

Erica turned around to face the trio, a condescending smile on her lips. She was now wearing a white blouse, red high-rise shorts, and red suspenders that kept her shorts from sliding down.

"I believe that we haven't officially met. As you may know already, my name is Erica Minerva- age nine."

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Erica Minerva, nine years old.

Occupation: Breeder.

2.6 pages, 843 words