PH1RE'S P.OV
The early morning rays filtered through the cracks in the shutters, painting the wooden floor with soft golden light. I stretched lazily, feeling the now-familiar ache in my back from the ever-shrinking bed. It was getting smaller, or maybe I was getting bigger—either way, falling asleep was becoming increasingly difficult and uncomfortable.
"Wake up, sleepyhead!" Aiden's voice broke through my thoughts as he barged into the room. Ever since Ethan left, I hadn't felt pressured to lock the door; it only took five years, but I finally regretted it.
'It's too early for this,' I complained internally, turning away from him and burying my face into the thin pillow.
"Hey, wake up. We've got to get ready for tomorrow," Aiden continued, his enthusiasm painfully evident.
"We're heading to the capital tomorrow, idiot," he said, making me slowly sit up from the bed with a yawn.
"Right… the capital," I muttered, the realization slowly sinking in.
"Mind leaving the room? I can't exactly change with you in here," I asked, referring to the fact that I was still in my nightclothes.
"You're talking like we've taken baths together; there's nothing I haven't se—"
"Out," I said, throwing my pillow at him, which he dodged.
Rolling his eyes, Aiden finally left the room, allowing me to change into fresh clothes. As I finished getting dressed, I caught a glimpse of myself in the now cracked mirror—Aiden had been way too energetic one day and had collided into it. My orange hair was getting longer; I looked older. It was still strange seeing this face in the mirror, still not entirely mine, but becoming more familiar by the day. After all, I had spent more days without this face than with.
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"Morning Rupert, Elly," Aiden greeted cheerfully as we entered the dining hall.
"Morning, Aiden," said a small girl with blonde hair, holding onto a bear plushie.
"Morning," I said, making my presence known.
"Morning, Loid. You look terrible," said Rupert, a boy about Elly's age, with messy brown hair and a perpetually sleepy expression.
"Perfectly describes how I feel too," I replied with a half-smile.
"Nervous about tomorrow?" Rupert asked, concern evident in his tone.
"No, not really. What's happening tomorrow?" I asked, feigning confusion.
"Huh! Are your memories out of order again?" he remarked worriedly.
"Rupert, he's messing with you," Aiden interjected, rolling his eyes.
"Huh! Really?" Rupert said, sounding both relieved and annoyed.
I stuck my tongue out at him, enjoying the moment. Teasing the younger kids was more fun than I expected.
"Anyway, where's Maya?" I asked, shifting gears.
"Oh! She's getting ready for hide and seek," said Elly, a bright smile spreading across her face.
"Already? Does she have something against breakfast?" Aiden asked, incredulous.
"Believe it or not, other people have different priorities besides stuffing themselves," I said, giving him a pointed look.
"Anyway, let's hurry so we can go meet her," I suggested as we both waved goodbye to the brother and sister duo.
It had been an eventful five years, but honestly, I was looking forward to seeing the outside world. The orphanage didn't really allow the children to leave except for occasionally exploring the adjacent forest or accompanying the sisters to buy supplies once in a while—which you had to be really lucky to be chosen for.
I still haven't gotten any reason as to why I'm here, but after all this time, I've decided it's better to stop asking. If there's a reason to it, I'll find out eventually. But honestly, I'm more curious about how things are going in my previous life. 'Do they miss me?'
"Loid, you there?" said Maya, snapping her fingers in front of my face.
"Yeah! Sorry about that."
"All right, let's get started," she said, turning to face the rest of us fifteen-year-olds.
We were all currently outside at the edge of the forest. The younger kids were all hiding there, and it was a competition to see who would find them first, although some were being more competitive than most.
"Rules are simple," Maya began, her tone authoritative. "You find someone, and then you collect their ribbon to signify you caught them. First to collect the most ribbons wins. Got it?"
We all nodded, and I couldn't help but notice the glint of excitement in her eyes. She was taking this far more seriously than just a simple game. Maya always had this way of turning everything into a challenge or a game with higher stakes than necessary.
"Ready... Set... Go!" Maya shouted, and we all scattered into the forest.
"Anyone got any idea why she's so excited"
"She's got a bet with Gideon" said Diana sitting beside a tree, the wind causing her blood red hair to cover the book she was reading several times.
"Of course she does" I remarked after a while.
"Although, someone might want to wake him up" she continued and then looked to her side where the boy appeared to be sleeping.
I chuckled, "I should've known. Are you coming?" I asked her turning to the forest.
"After this chapter" she answered as I registered it as a 'No', she never liked physical activities anyway.
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We all decided to split up so there wouldn't be any problems with who found who. I had already found a few kids, hence the ribbons I was currently holding in my hand.
The forest was dense, and the smell of wet grass filled the air, the undergrowth thick with shrubs and fallen leaves that crunched underfoot. The morning sun filtered through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground. I moved quietly, scanning the area for any sign of movement.
'I wonder if I can find them quickly and get back some breakfast,' I thought, my stomach growling slightly.
It's not like Aiden to skip breakfast, so he wasn't participating, although, surprisingly, food is to Aiden what money is to Maya. Why did I just describe the behavior of a fictional character with a straw hat and his crewmate? Well, it's not like the people in this world are normal anyway. I feel boring in comparison.
After a few minutes of walking, my ears caught the sound of footsteps moving in a particular direction. Running as fast as I could towards the sound, I saw a figure and proceeded to jump as far as I could, which resulted in me landing on top of him.
"All right, Rupert! Ribbon no—" I started but couldn't finish when I saw tears in his eyes.
"Hey, I didn't land on you that hard. You know what, I never saw you. You can just ke—"
"Elly, Elly. She's—" he said between his sobs.
"Rupert! What happened?"
He eventually brought me to a clearing with a ravine next to a slope. Inside the ravine was Elly, sprawled at the bottom, bleeding from her head, which was currently resting on a rock, at least from what I could see.
"We were trying to find a good place to hide. I told her it was dangerous, but she was too stubborn," he stammered out in fear.
"It's okay, everything's going to be fine," I said, placing my hand on his head to calm him down.
"Is she...?"
"No, she's still breathing. I can see that much; however, she's losing a lot of blood, and it's probably best we take care of that."
"How do we—Loid!" he shouted as I jumped down. I landed awkwardly on my left leg, which hurt like a bitch.
"Guess that's broken," I shouted, inhaling deeply.
"Why did you do that?" he shouted at me.
Walking up to Elly I tore off my shirt and tied it around the places she was bleeding from, I then moved her over to a more comfortable postion.
"Rupert! You're going to have to hurry and get someone to pull us out of here, tell them to bring some rope"
"Didn't you hear me, why did you jump in?"
"I told you time is of the essence, your sister was bleeding out. Wasting time to get her out of here was too risky, it's for the best" I answered with a thumbs up.
"Just hurry up and get someone, okay?"
"You're crazy?" he shouted running into the distance.
As I sat there next to Elly, the adrenaline from the jump began to wear off, and the pain in my leg intensified. I bit down hard, trying to focus on the task at hand. I needed to keep her stable until Rupert returned with help. The makeshift bandages I'd tied around her head and other wounds were holding for now, but I could see the blood slowly seeping through.
"Just hang in there, Elly," I whispered, though it felt like I was reassuring myself as much as her. Her small chest rose and fell shallowly, each breath a reminder that she was still fighting, it felt eerily familiar to me.
"Help's on the way. Rupert will be back soon, and then we'll get you out of here."
I glanced up at the slope I had jumped down from. The height seemed more daunting now than it did when I impulsively leapt down. But there was no time for second-guessing, I had already jumped down. It sounder braver in my head to be honest.
Time passed slowly. The forest around us was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. Every minute that passed felt like an hour, and with each one, my anxiety and fear grew.
A sudden movement in the trees snapped me back to reality. My heart raced, thinking it might be a wild animal, but I soon heard the faint sound of voices. I strained to listen, and soon enough, I recognized Rupert's frantic shouting.
"Over here! They're down here!" he yelled, and soon I saw a group of figures approaching the edge of the ravine.
"Loid! Elly!" Maya's voice called out. She was the first to reach us, her eyes wide with worry as she looked at the scene. "Are you okay?"
"My leg's busted, but I'm fine. Elly needs more help than I do," I replied, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Rope's coming!" Aiden shouted from above as he and a few others arrived with Sister Claire. Aiden threw down a thick rope, and a couple of older boys from the orphanage began securing it to a nearby tree.
"Hang on, Loid, we're going to get you both out," Sister Claire said reassuringly as she crouched at the edge of the ravine. Her calm demeanor helped ease the tension I felt.
I watched as they carefully lowered the rope down to me. "Tie it around Elly first," one of the boys instructed. I did as I was told, making sure it was secure around her small frame.
"Okay, pull her up!" I called out once she was ready.
The boys and Sister Claire slowly lifted Elly out of the ravine, the rope straining as they worked to keep her as stable as possible. I held my breath as she was hoisted up, not wanting to look away until she was safely in their hands. Finally, they managed to pull her to the top, and I saw Maya gently cradle her as they laid her on the ground.
"Your turn, Loid," Aiden called down, tossing the rope back down to me.
I grabbed the rope and tied it around my waist, giving them a thumbs-up to signal I was ready. My leg throbbed painfully as I was pulled up, each tug sending sharp jolts through my body. By the time I reached the top, I was sweating and nearly out of breath.
"Got you," Aiden said, pulling me up the last bit and helping me onto solid ground.
"You're crazy, you know that?"
"Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot today," I replied with a weak grin.
"You did good, Loid," Sister Claire said, patting me on the shoulder. She then crouched down and placed a hand on my leg. Her hand began to glow green, and I felt a warm sensation spread through my leg as the pain began to slowly recede.
"Is that better?" she asked as I nodded.
"Yeah, all better."
She then proceeded to do the same to Elly, the green glow healing her wounds. Although, since Restoration couldn't fix blood loss, she would still be unconscious for a while.
The trip back to the orphanage was a blur. Maya and Aiden took turns helping me walk, with Sister Claire leading the way. I kept looking back at Elly, who was being carried by one of the older boys. She was still unconscious, but at least she was stable.
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"You know, it's okay if you leave now," said Sister Claire.
"I promised Rupert his sister would be fine. I can't confirm that until she's awake, can I?" I responded.
"Are you doubting my healing?" she asked, eyes narrowing.
"Yes," I answered sincerely.
"Pray to the gods you don't get injured again, boy," said Sister Claire, her mouth twitching in a barely suppressed smile.
I was currently sitting on a bed in the infirmary, and opposite the bed was where Elly had been placed.
At that moment, someone came into the room. "Is he still here?" asked Maya.
"Unfortunately, it would appear he has nothing better to do," Sister Claire replied.
"So, like usual," said Aiden, walking into the room as well.
"Can I not get insulted after performing such heroic feats today?" I said with an air of aloofness.
"Forgive us, we didn't realize we should congratulate people for stupid decisions," Maya retorted.
"That's not fair, he saved Elly" said Rupert rushing into the room.
"Anyway, someone wanted to say thank you" said Aiden gesturing Rupert to come forward.
Rupert approached me with a serious expression, his eyes still red from crying earlier. He seemed hesitant, but after a small nudge from Aiden, he finally spoke up.
"Thank you, Loid," Rupert said quietly. "You saved my sister... I-I don't know what I would have done if... if something had happened to her."
I smiled at him, trying to ease his worry. "Hey, it's no big deal. We're all family here, right? Just doing what anyone else would've done."
Rupert shook his head vigorously. "No, it was brave! You jumped down without thinking twice. I couldn't... I couldn't move, I couldn't even stop her."
"Fear does that to people," I replied gently. "But the important thing is that you did move eventually. You ran to get help, and that's what saved her. We both played a part."
Rupert looked down, clearly still hesitant that it was his fault.
"Change is the the best apology"
"Huh!" he exclaimed.
"If you want to make it up to yourself, then become the kind of person that wouldn't end up hopeless in that situation again" I said pointing at him.
His mind recoiled for a while before his eyes eventually brightened and a smile appeared on his face.
"Yes. I will" he said happily.
'That seemed to work better than I expected'
"Hey, where did that come from. Get it from a book" asked Maya referring to the quote.
"Oh! I don't know really, guess it just came to me" I lied.