Two white marble rectangular box designed with golden rose are now being carried by four white horses on their carriage are walking in front of me. Two horse in one carriage and it is guided by two man with unknown faces. While carrying a bunch of white roses and wearing a white dress with a purple lace tied on my waist, I follow it along with unknown people on my back.
I don't know why I am here. I don't know what I'm doing here in the woods with this people I don't know about. The only thing that I know is that there were dead people inside those marbles.
The horses are fast but not too fast like flash. We arrive at the middle of the woods and they put down the marbles and lay it on the rectangular pit. I put down the roses in my hands around the marbles and to my surprise. A tear drop on my cheeks.
The priest pray for them. I just notice that the way he utter the words were too fast while the horses are whining consecutively. I hear some rusting sounds around us on the back of the tall woods. It became louder and louder with a loud whined of a wolf. I suddenly feel nervous, mostly when I found out that it's getting dark. I don't know how to get out of here if something bad will happen since I don't even know how do I get here in the first place!
They immediately put soil on the pit and finish it neatly. The air is cold and I could feel it on my body. Ugh! This dress is thick but it's not helpful to block the coldness of the wind! The purple lace tied on my hair is carried by the wind, I didn't get the chance to get it because if the unexplainable fear I feel inside of me.
"My lady! We need to get out of here! Their coming to get you!", a woman on her mid-30s exclaimed in fear from my back. I didn't look back at her because of the loud whined of a wolf nearby that fully get my attention.
I look at the full moon that could be seen on my position. It's too big as if it will fall on the ocean or looks like it was above the ocean. It's shining like the sun, too bright that I feel like enchanted and pushing me to look at it closer. Out of the blue, I walk closer and closer. The moon is too enchanting as if it was inviting me with her on her world above.
"Lina...."
*kling! kling! kling!
I fastly open my eyes because of the loud sound of the bell of the church tower. Ugh! It's too early! What are they thinking? Are they nuts? I wanna sleep more and continue the dream!
"Rechell! Wake Lina up! We have so much works to do today!", I hear Sister Mikaela shouted on my bestfriend's room outside. I glared on the wind. Is she not thinking? Who will not wake up on that sound of that bell? It's so big that the sound could be heard all over the town of St. David and for mother's sake! They put my room beside the bell tower!
I aggresively put out the drawer that I laid on my door to block it yesterday evening and open the door with a fake smile on my face.
"What's the noise about?", I ask innocently.
Sister Mikaela glared at my fake smile and start to approach me with a mad face while talking. I move backwards because of her.
"You michievous young lady! Why do you always block your door? How many times do I have to warn you, you and Rechell," she look at Rechell who entered my room, "that every monday, the royal families on our town arrives here to choose children they want to adopt! You need to fix yourselves and wear these dresses," she said and open my closet where my t-shirts, pants, boots, rubber shoes, and long sleeves are aligned. She give me a disappointed face. I fake a smile.
She sigh and look back at Rechell who is also shock on the sight she seen inside my closet.
"Give Lina a dress!", she muttered and Rechell immediately run towards her room. Sister Mikaela look at me. I'm pretty sure she will scold me again about the things, mostly morals, I always hear here everday.
Tsk. Why did you use all those dress to paint anyway self? Your busted now!
"Tell me Ms. Wisteria, you don't really want to get out on this orphanage that's why you're doing this?",she ask. I grab one pillow, put it on my lap and rest my head on it.
"What's the purpose of wearing those fancy vintage dresses if no one want's to adopt me right?", her face become sad on what I said, but's it's the truth, "look, I am already 19 years old but I'm still here in this orphanage, Rechell and I is still here. We grow up here and you witness it because you're the one who took care of us ever since we got here. Those kids who got here the same time as we does are how adopted and happily living with their new families, but us? Were still here," Rechell approach and sit beside me on the bed. She handed me a white dress, the same dress I wore on the dream last night.
"Lina is right, Sister Mika, even me, I'm also losing hope that someone will adopt us this days with this age," she sadly muttered. Sister Mikaela sigh and stare at us.
"You young ladies, why are you loosing hope? I didn't teach you that right? The two of you are the most intelligent students here in town! You even beat those royal children intelligent wannabe outside!" ,she exclaimed and sit between us, "just always remember my words," we smiled and said the words in chorus, "always smile and be kind and respect everyone," we said.
I sigh and start to fix myself. Sister Mikaela pat our hair and leave us on my room. I turn to Rechell and ask, "On your opinion, why is no one ever adopt us?",she sigh and answered, "I don't know," she stand and fix herself.
Minutes pass and the bell rang again, a sign that we need to get out of our room and walk down the hall. We intertwined our hands while walking. We are near the stairs down the hall when I feel something off.
"The nature is calling me," I muttered. Rechell look at me with—seriously? This time?—face. I nod.
"Accompany me to the comfort room. Please," I whispered while doing puppy eyes. She glared at me and we both headed towards the comfort room which is in the opposite direction down the hall.
I glance at the other kids who's in line. I saw the royalties standing in front of them. I really don't like their presence. The news from the town people arrive at me saying that those royalties only adopt the kids to become a maid and mistreat them. That's one of my reason why I don't want to be adopted. It's much better here than to face the cruel world outside.
We change direction, NOT toward the comfort room that made Rechell look at me in shock. Her jaw drops when she realized I trick her and she fall for it.
"How many times did you did this Lina?",she ask with a hint of warning on her voice. I give her a michievous smile, "A hundred times to be exact and correction, WE", I said and pull off the fancy flat shoes on my feet. We headed towards the dressing room for maids and I wear a caramel color maid dress with white boots. I handed her the gray boots and clothes for maids.
"Lina Wisteria, you're breaking the rules again," she warned. I just shrugged and get a caramel cloak to cover the maid dress. She didn't wear the clothes I gave even when I finish fixing my self.
"If I were you, I will wear that," I said. She sigh and enter the dressing area.
She takes long time on fixing herself that's why I grab the chance to went outside and take a look on the adoption thing on the hall. I get a pail and a broom to pretend that I am a maid who just arrive from outside. I look down when I saw two nun passing the hall. They look so serious whike talking to each other.
"The kids here really needs to be adopted as soon as possible. They will look pathetic if they closed the orphanage," I stop because of that. They will closed this orphanage? Why?
"I came from the mayor's office yesterday and mayor gave us one month to pay the bill fully for the land. If not, he will force us to close the orphanage with violence," the nun said.
I bite my lower lip and held the broom tight. They will closed this orphanage? I thought mayor already gave this land to us? Tsk. That old man, he trick the nuns just to gain vote on the last election to win his damn position!
I walk back on the dressing room for the maids. When I arrive, I found Mother Angelica with Sister Mikaela glaring at me while Rechell is sitting quietly on the side. Tsk. I know where this is going.
***
"Give me an acceptable reasonable reason why you two are not on the hall earlier!", Mother Angelica shouted in anger. I sigh. I can't take her pitch voice anymore.
"Then give me a good reason why you choose to be a fool in front of that damn Mayor!", I burst in frustration. Sister Mikaela's eyes become wide because of my sudden outburst and mostly, because I curse, in front of Mother Angelica.
Confusion is written all over Mother Angelica's face, their face, actually.
"Mayor didn't actually give you this land, am I right? You let that damn man to fool you! Right?", she averted my gaze and that disappointed me a lot. I can't believe she is that kind of nun that will let herself be fooled. I look up at her so much because she's so intelligent! I almost dream of becoming a nun for pete's sake!
"Was that true Mother Angelica?", Sister Mikaela ask while Rechell is in shock on what she heared. Mother didn't response. "Yes, Sister. It's all true, and Mayor give us a month to pay the land. How could we paid this land worth a million of peso bill?", I exclaimed. Mother Angelica look at me this time. I suddenly feel nervous.
We watch her get a file under her desk. She handed it to Sister Mikaela. Sister gasp when she read the document. I can't wait to read it so I snatch it from her. Rechell and I look at the document.
"That's Mayor's decision. You need to do a job as a maid under a royal family in the province as exchange tor the title of this land," we look at Mother, shock is written all over our face.
"What!", Rechell burst out. I immediately read the contract and then look at her.
"Mayor sold us to a royal family as a maid! How could you let this happen?", I muttered full of disappointment. I feel my whole world fall apart as I read the word 'sold' in the contract.
Sister Mikaela divert her eyes when I look at her. Don't tell me she knows about this? Rechell's eyes become watered, so do I.
"There are so many things I've done wrong and so many rukes I've break here in the orphanage, but this is too much! We are not an animal you can sold to anyone you like!", I exclaimed, tears running down my cheeks. Mother Angelica's face turn cold and that made me mad at her more.
"We don't have a choice Lina. Mayor threatened us that if we didn't agreed with him, he will kill all of the kids here and we couldn't let that happen on those innocent children's!", I turn my gaze on Sister's Mikaela when she said that.
"And you think we are not innocents? Both of you are nuns! Both of you knows what is right! And then here you are, you become scared like kittens just becomw someone threatened you! You're a big disappointment!", Rechell mumbled and run fast outside. I glared at them and throws the contract on their faces. I don't care if I'm being disrespectful on that. I can't believe they let the Mayor sold us like an animal!
I immediately run outside to follow Rechell. I found her in the garden, sitting under a tree, crying while looking at the sunset. My heart aches at the scene. This is the first time I saw her cry like this. And I hate it.
I approach her and slowly sit beside her.
"I'm sorry," I whispered and lean my head on her shoulder, "if I didn't do all those things to break the the rules and be a hard headed kid, this things will never happen to us," I continued. The tears begun to fall on my cheeks and her shoulder start to become wet because of it.
She look at me and chuckle.
"I'm not blaming you for what happened to us. We're just too unlucky as an orphan," she said and cares my head. We both look at the sunset.
"I wonder what happen to our parents that made them abandoned us here. What are the reasons why they let us live alone here," she ask.
I stop and remembered Sister Mikaela's story on how we become an orphan. They say they found us on a light purple box crying in the middle of a snow storm. I have a folded paper on my hand and a full blue moon necklace on my neck while Rechell have a locket and a red moon as a necklace. They saw our names on the clothes we are wearing.
I am Aedlin Dearalina Wisteria, the girl with golden brown eyes, black velvet hair and white skin as snow. The other one is Rechellaine Celestin Roces, the girl with electric blue eyes and red hair. No one knows who we aee and no one dares to try to know our identity. Some of the town people fear us because during that time, a war is happening on our country. They thought we are child of the rival country but it's not. Maybe that's why no one dared to adopt us.
"I hate them for living us on the middle of the snow storm," I mumbled, Rechell stop and sigh, "and I will never forgive them for doing that," I continued.
We stayed a little longer under the tree and then we headed back on our dorms. We found a maid waiting on our dorm. She said that the royal guard of the family who bought us will fetch us tomorrow morning, 4:00 am. Kinda' early but it's their way so be it.
We fix our things and pack it on a bag. I look at the book I usually read, it's about supernatural creatures like vampires, mages, amazon hunters, werewolves, and hybrids. It's just fantasy but I like this genre and it makes me feel alive so I decided to bring it.
I look at my necklace in the mirror. Blue full moon with some wisteria flower design on it's side. I keep it and decide to wear it tomorrow. I hope whoever that family is, they willnot like the royal families here in St. David City.
Goodluck self.