Choice

Red

I get up as miss Quinn rings the bell for chores. Aileen just rolls over and I pull her out of her cot.

"Come on Aileen, miss Quinn's gonna kill us if we don't get to the foyer in time!" I shout as I pull on an overly large t shirt and my shorts. Aileen gets up and is getting dressed when I run down to the foyer.

Miss Quinn pulls out a list of all our names and calls us foward one by one to give us chores.

"Red!" She snaps. I step forward and get the job of collecting firewood. I leave the rundown orphanage and slip into the woods, free at last. I gather the firewood quickly, and then go to the far edge of the woods. On the beach, a lighthouse sits forgotten. I open the door to the forlorn structure's interior, and clean it up a bit.

When it's about noon, I run the firewood to the orphanage and grab a broom. Returning to the lighthouse, I sweep everything that would come up off the floor, and blow the dust off of everything. This isn't really to shabby, I think as I run back to the orphanage.

I put the broom away and walk towards the kitchen. I throw on an old and patched apron and pull my black curls into a ponytail. Miss Quinn demands chicken and fried dough, and us orphans can only have the usual cold porridge. I put the chicken in the pan, the dough in the fryer, and the porridge in the bowls we use.

"Is it done, insolent child!" Miss Quinn screeches from the door.

"Yes, miss Quinn." I say as I give her plate to her.

That evening

"Night Red." Aileen says as she crawls into her cot.

I don't say anything. Because she is already snoring.