The full moon graced the dark sky, and a terrible scream rang out in the middle of the dark forest. A silhouette of a couple was running into the forest trying to get away as far as possible from something.
"Come on, we must hurry Christine!" He signed deeply. "We were almost there." His hand wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Jack, where was the creature?" Christine looked back with a panicked look on her face. "I didn't see it." Her red lips were trembling continuously. "I'm terrified, Jack."
"Christine, calm down." Jack hugged his wife tightly. "We would get away from this place." Jack looked around him to make sure that no one was following them. "We must keep moving."
They fastened their movement, trying to escape from the dark creature which had killed all their people. This place was no longer safe for them and the only way for them to survive was to find the portal in the dark forest.
Jack knew the portal was connected to another world that was safe from all the horrible creatures that overshadowed this place.
"Christine, I didn't think it was chasing us anymore." Jack stopped his steps and leaned his body on one of the tree trunks in the forest. "How was the baby?"
"Relax, the baby was sleeping." Christine touched the cheek of her one-month-old baby in her arms. "Our baby was a good boy, Jack." Christine smiled as she looked at her baby's face.
However, a strange noise was heard which made the atmosphere tense again, and slowly the horrible creature which was chasing them appeared behind them.
"Oh my, the monster!" Christine sounded panicked and covered her baby. "What should we do?"
The creature appeared in the darkness with red eyes and sharp canines staring at them. The monster moved closer to Christine and instantly froze her body as she continued to hold her baby tightly.
"Christine!" Jack immediately picked up a nearby wooden stick and used his magic. "Flamma."
The fire sparked out from the end of the wooden stick. He pointed the stick forward and tried to create distance from the creature for a while.
"I will hold the monster." He pulled out his sword and swing it. "You must get out of this place!"
"But, Jack …."
"Hurry!"
Christine left away his husband and continued to walk to the portal. She kept running without looking back and her tears slowly drop, yet she must keep running.
"Okay honey, that's our way out." She kissed her infant and walks through the portal.
Suddenly, she arrived at the small town and a gust of night wind immediately greeted her. It was very quiet and there was no one around her, so she decided to fasten her movement, knowing the portal was still open because of her presence as a Seer.
"I think, he saved here." She walked closer to the door and put the infant there. "I'm sorry honey, but I can't let the monster out from the portal."
She knocked on the door and leave the infant alone. Christine walked away and she didn't turn her face at all. She wiped her remaining tears, took a deep breath, and ran to the portal. A few minutes later the portal closed.
Not long after, a slightly chubby man with a thin mustache slowly opened the door.
"Whose baby was this?" asked Eugene looking around."Well, I thought another young couple put this baby again, such an irresponsible person." He took a baby inside the house with a signboard "Happy Life" orphanage.
***
A few years later.
"I hate my life! Why I can't be like them?"
Bradley looks out from the window in his room and his blue sapphire eyes spot one family playing on the field. In his deepest desire, he wants to feel that moment. Yet, it's impossible for him because he is an orphan.
"I should get ready now." He shook his head and tries to face his reality.
He walks away from the window and suddenly a small spider hangs around near his old cupboard not far from him.
"Argh! It seems I have cleaned this area, but why do spiders keep popping up?" He grumbled. "Ah, never mind. I must get hurry before Madam Theresa comes and scolds me."
His hand opens the dark brown wardrobe, but it looks quite fragile for touching. His hand pulls out a dull white shirt and quickly changes his clothes. A few minutes later, someone is knocking on his door.
"Bradley, are you finished yet?"
The voice keeps repeating itself over and over again without stopping. He sighs and slowly turns the door handle and a blonde-haired guy is standing in front of him.
"Caden?"Bradley raised his eyebrows.
"Hey, why are you taking so long?" asked Caden followed by a grumbling voice. "Come on, we must hurry or Madam Theresa will be furious if we are late."
"What are you talking about?" He stretched his head repeatedly. "Cad, where are we going?"
Caden quickly grabs Bradley's hand without hesitation. Bradley asks the same question, but Caden ignores him and keeps walking without turning back at Bradley until they stop in front of the door.
"Cad, why are you acting so weird today?" The furrow in Bradley's brow was still clearly visible looking Caden peeked into the room.
"Brad, I'll explain everything inside, but right now we need to get inside, okay?"
Bradley nods at Caden's words and they slowly walk in and attempt to blend in with the other kids who are already in the room.
"Ah, good thing we're safe now." Caden sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Now we-"
However, a woman suddenly appears from behind them, grabs both of their hands, and immediately takes them to meet the white-haired woman inside the room.
"Ah, you're late again." The white-haired woman stood up from her light brown chair "I already said the wake-up time is forwarded now." The woman's brown eyes then looked sharply at Bradley and Caden. "Such a lazy kid."
"Forgive us, Madam Theresa." Bradley kept his head down without looking at her face. "But, I haven't been informed about the change in waking schedule at all."
"Madam, it's not entirely his's fault." Caden tries to explain to Madam Theresa. "I don't tell Bradley about the new schedule."
"Huh?" Bradley's eyes glanced at Caden when he heard the words come out of Caden's mouth so easily. "Wait, you know about this?"
"I'm sorry Brad, I forget to tell you about this." Caden kept his head down. "I overslept yesterday."
"Well then but you should set a good example for your younger siblings," she said followed by a grumbling tone, and walked closer to them. "I think both of you should learn a little lesson from what you have done."
"Madam, but we are only a few minutes late." Bradley widens his eyes. He furrowed his brows and tried to defend himself. "We will promise never late again."
"Urgh, why am I supposed to believe what you say?" She rolled her eyes. "Both of you must get punished for your actions, so that children who are in this room will not do the same thing. "
"Madam, but …."
Madam Theresa claps her hands and not long after, a fat woman comes with a bucket in her right hand and a few mops in the other hand. She places the bucket in front of Bradley dan Caden.
"That is your punishment." Madam Theresa's brown eyes look around and point to every room in the room. "You must clean all the rooms in this house!"
"Wait, what!" Caden widened his eyes. "Madam, but we've cleared everything!"
Madam Theresa walks to a table at the end of the room and her hand picks up a glass filled with mineral water pouring it on the floor.
"Oops, I spill something. You guys seem to have to clean it again," She said as she slowly pours the liquid onto the floor with a smiling face.
"Damn, you!"
Bradley's head feels so hot, his fist tightly clenched and his gaze fixed on Madam Theresa. It fills with anger and unsatisfied. Caden sees Bradley's weird movement and knows Bradley will do something hazardous, so he decides quickly withdrew Bradley's hand.
"Brad, you must calm down." Caden tried to calm Bradley. " We are in a bad situation right now. We don't have any choice," he said in a low voice.
"Remember! Clean up all this!" Madam Theresa walked away and everyone in the room followed her into another room.
"Damn, this woman is so annoying," said Bradley in an irritated tone as he picked up the rag which had fallen in front of him. "She is a real devil."
"Brad, we must not discuss it right now and clean this place as soon as possible." Caden took the other rag and started to clean up the spilled drink on the floor.
Bradley nods and quickly helps Caden clean up the spilled water, but suddenly his eyes catch sight of a small photograph lying on the ground that appears out of nowhere, and decides to pick it up.
"Strange, who is the woman in this picture?" He furrowed his brows at the photo of a maroon-haired woman who looked similar to someone he knew.
***