𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐄 [ 𝐭.𝐫 ]

01: AN ANGEL AND A BOY

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On an artic morning of some day in December, three pairs of footsteps dented the thick layer of snow as they walked tentatively towards their destination. Small flakes of snow fell on their heads but some dainty white flakes  could not get in their way. A young girl held her parents' hands and skipped towards the direction they led her.

Little had she known where to...

Dark smoke exited the tall sooty chimneys of the old buildings hurriedly — indicating that the people of London used gas or coal keep warm. The lights of the buildings were bright and workers continued their work like hardworking ants.

The mother's poise faltered. She broke into a painful sob. The daughter looked up at her mother and worry downed her doe eyes. Earlier today, she played with her friend Lily, she missed Lily already. All she wished was to go back to her room and play with her dolls.

The father embraced his wife, he mumbled into her hair, "He must not know about our little angel, he will destroy her if he finds out. For her sake, we must not let us expose ourselves. It's for the best, my dear."

The two parents exchanged a knowing look and started to move towards a specific grey building. This had to be done. For their sake. For her sake.

'Owl's Orphanage', it read on a weathered sign that was perched up by the iron bars of the high gate.

The girl, Angelina carried a fistful of snow into the building with her. She looked around and frowned at her surroundings. It was so... dull. Considering her whole room was a light shade of lilac. It felt out of element — black and white. The saturation had been vacuumed out of the whole building.

"Angelina honey, sit down on the chair please," the mother asked her daughter who kept on fidgeting around with her coat.

At least it was fairly warm inside.

A grey haired woman appeared from behind the high counter, she looked at Angelina, she shrank into her seat. The woman had started to converse with her parents, Angelina couldn't help but wonder what her parents were talking about to the strange lady who obviously had a foul taste in fashion.

"Come, Angelina dear."

The little girl shot up from her spot and hugged her mother's legs, "Mummy!" she smiled up at her. But mother looked sad, tears fell from her bright blue eyes.

"Mummy?" Angelina asked, her tiny voice was a mere whisper in the air. The little girl was confused greatly. Why was her mother crying? Had something bad happened?
"Yes dear?" the mother mustered, she tried not to cry in front of her young but she failed.

Her parents crouched down to her level. It worried the little girl.

"Baby, you are going to live here from now on. This is your new home."

But how much could a small heart take?

"No, daddy— She looked blue," I want to stay with you and mummy."

Mrs. Cole extended her hand to her but little Angelina just further clung to her father's shoulder

"No," she cried.

"Mummy, daddy, please don't leave me here."

"Mummy?"

Albeit, it hurt them that they had to leave their daughter in a place where everything seemed black and white but they were being selfish. They sired a child on choice and were now leaving her to be fed like a donkey.

Life was cruel.

Angelina Arlo cried, threw her arms in the air crying 'please', she pleaded but her parents didn't listen. Her parents took their time hugging their daughter and telling her that they loved her forever and they shall meet soon but the little girl continued her pleading.

Charlotte took her daughter in her arms, she stroked her hair lovingly. She sobbed as it might be the last time she could ever hold her daughter again. She had lost a great deal in life but loosing her daughter was yet to be the greatest heartbreak.

"Confundus," the mother mumbled the charm. Angelina m stopped crying and she eyed her parents in confusion. She took Mrs. Cole's extended hand and turned her back on her parents.
It broke her parents' heart.

Mrs. Cole and Angelina walked hand in hand up a flight of stairs, the little girl felt numb — something emotion a five year old should never feel.
The passed by doors and multiple flights of stairs. It seemed that her room was furthest away from everything.

"Angelina dear, you are very brave. You will fit in well with a boy I know, he's just your age and he needs some friends. He doesn't talk very much so he won't bother you." Mrs. Cole went on,
"When you are slightly older, you will be given a separate room — but for now, here's your room, you can decorate it however you like. If you need something dear just come to me-
Ah, here we are. In you go dear."

Mrs. Cole and Angelina stopped in front of a plain door that was much taller than Angelina. Mrs. Cole opened the door to welcome an empty room with two twin beds. The room was way too plain. It had absolutely no color to it. It was unlike the luxury Angelina woke up in this morning.
She awkwardly stepped into the room, her head shifted to the side to take in the muted room. 

Angelina's bags were sat on the floor, next to a bed. Instinctively, Angel walked towards the bed and sat on it, Mrs. Cole let out a sigh and muttered with almost disgust," I will send that boy upstairs, befriend him please Angelina." She smiled before leaving.

Angel nodded as she was still processing her surroundings.

A few minutes later a boy with dark hair, ocean blue eyes and ghostly pale skin walked through the door. "Who are you?"

"Hello, I am Angelina. You?"

"Tom Riddle."

"Arlo."

"What?"

"That's my last name."

Tom nodded, "You should take your shoes off, you're getting the room muddy."

"Oh, yes." Angelina mumbled.

Tom was a weird child. It had occurred to Angelina sooner than expected. Some boys at the orphanage hurt Tom, his nose bled but he never cried. He talked to snakes. He stared at empty ceilings for hours and would go without eating for an unhealthy time period. And he collected rocks. He had a collection of seven precisely chosen rocks placed on the window sill.

Warming up to him was the hardest task ever, considered the fact he didn't talk much. But soon when Tom realized he was stuck with a doe eyed girl for longer than he had initially expected.

Soon he started to converse with her. It started from the bare minimum. There were times he asked her about her day but there were also times he'd ask her to shut up and stop humming. And he did that quite rudely and often.

"Why did your parents leave you here?"

"Are you talking to me?"

"Yes."

Tom helped Angelina get over her parents abandoning her, telling her that they never deserved her, and after a while she realized that he was right. It seemed factly that the friendship that Tom Riddle and Angelina Arlo had established was here for the long run. They were a pair —  you could say they were soulmates but they never seemed to accept that. They shared wordless words. Similar hopes and dreams. Nobody seemed to understand the poor orphans other than each other.

But life had its good karma and once a peculiar man set foot in Wool's Orphanage — Angelina and Tom's lives were changed, forever. 

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a/n

kindly vote and comment if enjoyed or intrigued !!

Much love,
Luna 🤍