Sister Abby continued to comfort Laura as her tears wouldn't stop falling off her eyes. She was confused about why Laura was crying and asked herself whether she had gotten a nightmare. Laura loved the fact that sister Abby treated her as her own child despite knowing that she'll be adopted into a better family.
"Is this real?"
Laura's tears wouldn't stop falling from her eyes. She couldn't help but feel overwhelmed as she had really returned to the past. It was not a dream, it was reality. She believed that God had given her another chance to live.
"What's wrong Laura?"
Sister Abby touched Laura's face while sipping her tears. Her touch felt gentle and it comforted Laura so much that she didn't want to ever leave that place.
"I had a nightmare. A very bad one."
Laura shoved it off with a smile trying not to worry sister Abby any further. She looked around the kitchen and nothing had changed. The plates are stored neatly, and the floor had not a single speck of dust.
'I've really gone back to the past'
She never thought that she would really be given another chance to live.
"You better change your clothes."
"I will. Do you need any help?"
"Not really but it would really help if you could wake the kids up."
Laura laughed softly and walked back to her room and changed her clothes. She stood in front of the mirror remembering how prestigious the Alvarado family was. The dresses that she had always worn, were all colorful and all made from silk.
But for Laura, she loved how comfortable the dress she was wearing right now and she thought that it fits her more to be a commoner than a noble. She tied her hair up into a bun and was ready to start her day.
She stood in front of the other children's room, took a deep breath, and opened the door. She carried the youngest child inside the orphanage who was just five years old.
"Micky I'll ask Luke to wash up, so you better wake up or else the tickle monster going to come."
Micky was still half asleep and hung his arms around her neck as if not wanting to let go of his mother's neck. Laura giggled and can't be any happier to be back in this place. After those two long years she never once visited the orphanage.
"Where is sister Abby?"
Lisa held a stuffed toy bunny while rubbing her eyes.
"Stop rubbing your eyes, Lisa. Sister Abby is downstairs making breakfast for us."
"Laura your eyes are red. What happened to you?"
Luke walked inside the room and placed a hand on Laura's forehead to check whether she had a fever or not. He grumbled softly and placed a hand on his chin and was in deep thought. The orphanage had six children in total.
Making Laura and Luke the eldest who was fifteen years old at that time. While the other kids ranged from ages five to eleven.
"Did you rub your eyes?"
"I didn't."
"Then why are your eyes red?"
"It's none of your business."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it isn't"
"Yes, it is."
"No, it isn't"
"Ugh stop arguing it's making my ears bleed."
Joan got out of his bed, scratching his stomach. As he walked to the bathroom, Laura and Luke couldn't help but laugh at his bed hair which has always been awful early in the morning.
"Luke, please help Micky change. I'll help sister downstairs."
"Okay, come here Micky."
Laura removed Micky's arms off her neck and went down to help sister Abby in setting up the table. The children went down the stairs one by one and all were ready to eat breakfast.
While the other kids had started eating she couldn't help but feel very happy that she had gotten another chance to see them again. When Laura was adopted into the Alvarado family, she was never allowed to visit the orphanage and it made her worry every day.
She wanted to see how everyone was doing, however, the count never permitted her to do so. At the same time, the treatment that she had received from the maids was very bad. No one in the high society knew the real Tine except for the maids.
But in the past, Laura had always been a kind and gentle person. She never once complained about how bad Tine treated her and that was because she was already grateful for the things she had.
Laura was lucky to be adopted into a count's family but because she wasn't blood-related with the count, the maids inside the estate treated her coldly. Only one maid truly became her good friend and it was Mary.
Mary was the same age as her and didn't once care about her being not blood-related with the count. She treated everyone equally. And she was the only person who stood up for Laura.
'I used to be naive but, now I know that she was that evil, I'll take my revenge on her.'
"Laura?"
Sister Abby worriedly looked at Laura as she hasn't touched her plate yet. She thought that she was still feeling down after the bad dream and in fact, she was correct. Laura felt scared about what would happen in the future. She didn't want to repeat the same mistakes again.
"Yes?"
"You haven't touched your plate. Are you still feeling down?"
"No... I was just trying to recall what I was supposed to do after eating."
"Is that so? You better eat now or else Joan's going to finish the food."
"Oh right, I forgot about that."
=====
Laura hung the white sheets to dry as she admired looking at the wheat field that surrounds the orphanage. This was her favorite place to go to whenever she felt down. It helps her feel calm and happy.
A young man wearing a black hood slowly approached Laura who was clearly enjoying the view at the wheat field. He laughed softly as he watched her expression and it was the first time he had seen anyone admire a wheat farm.
He looked at the girl's hair which was black and thought that it was an unusual color. However, what he doesn't know was she had always been scared and uncomfortable if someone had said something about her hair.
"Excuse me?"
Laura got startled as she only felt the young man's presence now, she turned around and was scared because she was talking to someone who was wearing a black hood. She pushed herself to talk to him because he didn't seem like a bad person.
"Yes? Is there anything I can help you with?"
"I was wondering if you know a place where I could buy leather."
Laura wondered why he had approached her when he could have just stayed in town and ordered from there. It was unusual for people to directly buy from the warehouse and he could have just asked someone other than her.
"If you continue walking down that path you will see the warehouse."
"Is that so? thank you for telling me."
"You're welcome."
"You... have unusual hair and eye color."
Laura flinched and looked at him with fear in her eyes. She didn't want to hear those words from other people as this made her scared. This was also another reason why no took her side as she was 'unusual'.
"...I know that and so?"
The young man felt amused by how she responded and wanted to tease her more. But for him, he didn't see her hair and eye colors to be frightful but instead he found it beautiful.
Knowing how the girl felt he chuckled and removed his hood making Laura stunned. Laura looked at his unusual hair color which was silver and what she liked the best was his eye color. She had never seen such comely color that reassembled like the sky.
She touched his face and continued looking into his eyes. The young man blushed, making him scoff as a sign to ask the girl to retreat. Laura only then realized that her face was too close with his and quickly retreated.
"I-I'm so sorry. Your eyes are just pretty."
"Is that so?"
He laughed and touched her black hair and brought it to his lips. He then looked up at Laura and gave her a smile. This made Laura cautious about the guy as he made her blush a bit. It was the first time that a guy had done this to her.
That's because in the past everyone knew her as the 'demon'.
"May I ask for your name?" Laura hesitated for a while as she didn't what the young man's intentions were and she had never seen or heard about a man who had silver hair and light blue eyes in the past.
'I think it won't hurt to tell my name.'
"Laura."