March 28, 1978
Sister Mary assigned Theo and Ethan the last task of the day, which was cleaning the dusty old library. They exchanged a knowing glance before nodding in silent agreement. Entering the library, Theo took a different path than Ethan, his gaze immediately drawn to the rows of ancient books and mysterious artifacts that lined the shelves.
"I'll catch up with you in a moment," he called to Ethan, who simply waved him off and disappeared into the center of the room.
The room was utterly cold—and the library was one of the warmest rooms in the orphanage. It was filled with a metallic scent that seemed to come out of nowhere.
Lost in the quiet solitude of the library, time seemed to slip away for Theo. But when he finally tore himself away from the shelves and approached the center of the library, he saw Ethan standing there, his back to him, reaching out towards an entrance to a dark place that was painted in red hue. Theo couldn't see where it led because Ethan was blocking his view but he stepped closer, and suddenly, the metallic scent his nose met before increased. It was coming out of the entrance.
"Ethan?" Theo called out, his voice barely above a whisper.
Ethan was observing the entrance, glancing at Theo as he heard his voice. Yet before he could respond, a sudden force pulled him into the unknown realm from behind. The thing that pulled him looked weird, from what Theo saw its figure was like a human figure but the limbs were unusually long and the whole being was like it was from another world—which was. Acting on instinct, Theo dashed after him, only to find the entrance gone as he reached it. Instead, he hit his head against the shelf. His last recollection was of his surroundings fading into a blur before he blacked out.
—
March 29, 1978
The following morning, Theo woke up in his bed with his vision slightly blurry—someone from the orphanage's staff must have found him and brought him back to his room. Glancing around the room, he realized Ethan was not there. Theo hurried to the door of his room, the memory of Ethan's disappearance weighing heavily on his mind.
Mrs. Agnes, the stern but 'caring' matron of the orphanage, was the first person he encountered.
"Good morning, Theo," she greeted him with a warm smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Good morning," Theo replied, trying to keep his voice steady despite the knot of fear in his stomach. "Have you seen Ethan?"
Her expression faltered, and for a moment, Theo thought he saw a flicker of concern in her eyes. "Ethan?" she repeated, her voice carefully neutral. "Theo, I am sorry, but he got sent to a special facility this morning, it's easier for him to find a home that way. He had left while you were still asleep. He didn't tell you earlier, because he knew you wouldn't let him go."
The words hit Theo hard. "But he would tell me," he protested, his voice rising in confusion and fear.
Mrs. Agnes sighed, her demeanor softening slightly. "Perhaps it's time to let go of him, Theo," she said gently.
"Is there any chance I could write him a letter at least?" Theo asked, his voice hopeless.
"No," Mrs. Agnes cut him off, turning away and disappearing down the hallway.
—
Ever since Ethan disappeared, Theo returned to the library every single day, searching for any clues. But he never found anything. Even the strange metallic scent and the eerie chill disappeared with the entrance. Though, there was something about this other world that was bleeding in this reality the more human fingerprints touched it.
—
April 13, 1978
About two weeks had passed since Ethan's disappearance, and Theo knew that Mrs. Agnes lied to him, at least he hoped so.
Later that evening, the sound of a car engine outside drew Theo's attention. He peeked out through the window in the upstairs narrow hall between the children's rooms to see the main gate, down this small hill leading outside the orphanage wide open.
An elderly looking, black car parked stood in front of the gate. Sister Mary and Mrs. Agnes stood in the middle of the gate, Sister Mary a few steps behind Mrs. Agnes. They were greeting a tall man in a suit who was standing next to a boy who was about fifteen.
The boy looked around nervously, his eyes wide with apprehension. He had raven curly hair, quite similar to Theo's hair color and his hair was about a little more than shoulder length, falling into his eyes. His skin was the color of an almond, he was quite tall, about 5 '7' feet—the same height as Theo. He wore a plaid shirt layered over a graphic t-shirt, along with loose-fitting gray trousers, the colors muted and earthy.
Theo watched as the man in the suit handed some papers to Mrs. Agnes before getting back into the car and driving away. The boy appeared lost and out of place as he stood there, though his lips were slightly curled upwards.
Sister Mary placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and guided him inside. Theo, feeling a knot in his stomach, turned away from the window and went back to his room.
After a while, as Theo sat on his bed, staring at the now-empty bed that used to belong to Ethan. Sister Mary entered with the new boy. Theo has spent the whole time in the orphanage sharing the same room with one person—Ethan. This felt awkward.
The bedrooms in the orphanage were all the same—a small rectangle room, 2 uncomfortable beds with almost no space between them, small arched windows and bedside tables next to the beds.
Sister Mary approached Theo, "Theo, this is Carmen," she introduced him with a warm smile. "I think you guys could get along," Carmen offered a tentative smile, and Theo managed a weak nod in return.
After Sister Mary left them alone, an awkward silence lingered between them. Carmen placed his suitcase on the bed and began unpacking. There wasn't much to unpack. Theo watched him for a moment before gazing out the window, listening to the soft tap of rain against the glass."I can tell that you don't really wanna…Uh…Get along, right?" Carmen spoke softly, breaking the silence.
Theo turned to him. "No, it's not that," he paused briefly, "It's just that the last few weeks have been tough," he added.
Carmen looked at Theo and responded with a warm smile.
Later that evening, when it almost stopped raining, Theo decided to bring Carmen to his favorite place in the orphanage—a big oak tree where he and Ethan used to sit and talk for hours. He enjoyed having Carmen there with him, but the more time he spent with him, the more Carmen reminded Theo of Ethan. They sat under the tree, staring at the walls all around the landscape of the orphanage.
"What is it like behind those walls now?" Theo asked Carmen.
"You've never left the orphanage?" Carmen was surprised.
"I did. But not recently. Ethan and I once tried to leave, though we didn't get far and it ended up with him almost dying and—" Theo stopped abruptly, his words trailing off.
"Who's Ethan?" Carmen asked gently.
"He was my roommate," Theo looked up at the oak tree, " And he was my best friend. We grew up together in the orphanage, and about half a month ago, some weird things happened," Theo said, his voice tinged with sadness. "But I don't really want to talk about it right now."
Carmen gave Theo an understanding smile, respecting his need for privacy. They sat in silence for a while.
"So I wanted to ask how did you get into this orphanage?" Theo asked, breaking the silence.
"Well," he began, "I lived in a far away poor village. Once my mother went down to our basement, and I heard her screaming. I ran there quickly, but the doors wouldn't open. So, I called the police. They didn't let me go into the basement and told me that mom had slipped on the stairs and died. Kind of hilarious thinking about it now," he paused before continuing, recalling memories. "They said they couldn't find my dad and I remember those weird guys with big guns in our village. Anyways, after that, they put me in foster care for about three years. Now they've placed me here. It all sounds so made up, like they wanted to hide something but I don't really care anymore".
Theo listened "I'm sorry, Carmen. It must've been tough,"
"The first few months were," Carmen replied softly. "But I don't deserve the 'sorry'. It wasn't bad, I love my foster parents."
"Whatever you say." Theo nodded, shifting his eyes away from Carmen. "Though I'm surprised you told me all that. No one here—not even my best friend, Ethan ever told me how he got here. And I didn't tell anyone either," he paused and took a deep breath. "It's this little thing between everyone that we just don't talk about our pasts. When you look at anyone here they look traumatized, and prove me wrong," he let out a giggle along the last words.
Carmen raised his eyebrow, glaring at him and they both went silent again. He then switched his gaze up to the tree, breaking the comfortable silence. "You know, I've always found trees like this fascinating. I like the branches."
Theo nodded, his eyes tracing the rough bark of the oak tree. "I believe that this tree has witnessed everything, because like it has been here for what? Hundred years?"
Carmen looked thoughtful. "Maybe it has."
Theo smiled a little, appreciating Carmen's insight. "Well, I hope it really hasn't because there are some things I don't want the tree to remember."
Carmen widened his eyes.
"Oh no. You pervert," Theo smirked. "I meant like some of the conversation I had under this tree. I'd appreciate it if they stay a secret, some of them are really weird."
"A bad day for you then. This tree heard it all," Carmen tased him, then he slapped that rough tree's bark. "Good job…Tree."
"You're so weird."
"Get used to it," Carmen offered a warm smile, the sun danced across his skin just as warmly.
The rain was still pouring softly and as it catched the sun, it turned into a rainbow. Theo sat right in it, at the end of the rainbow.
"When did you get so colorful?" Carmen pointed out when he noticed the rainbow wash over Theo.
"What?" He looked at himself, and realized the same thing. "Where's the treasure?" He added jokingly.
"I think you're the treasure," Carmen laughed. His laugh was like a melody, a sweet and harmonious sound that filled the air.
Theo rolled his eyes, but a smile tinged his face.
Suddenly, a distant sound of a bell reverberated through the corridors, signaling the start of dinner. "We should probably head back," Theo remarked to Carmen. "I'm not particularly hungry, but it's best not to risk getting in trouble."
"Yeah," Carmen agreed, nodding in understanding.
They made their way back to the main hall, where the aroma of freshly cooked food filled the air. Almost all the other children were already seated at the long wooden tables, chatting as they waited for dinner to be served.
Eileen's face lit up when she spotted Theo entering the hall. "Hey, Theo!" the girl with light brown hair that she always had in a braid called out, waving excitedly. Theo and Carmen approached her.
"You actually came for dinner," Eileen remarked, giving Theo a quick hug.
"Yeah," Theo replied with a shrug, his gaze flickering briefly to Carmen.
"If you miss out on meals because you miss Ethan, you could have talked to me, you know?" Eileen continued, her expression softening with sympathy. Then, she turned her attention to Carmen. "And who's this?" she asked curiously.
"This is Carmen. He just arrived at the orphanage today. Sister Mary thought we would get along," Theo introduced, gesturing towards Carmen.
Eileen raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk forming on her lips. "I don't know how you managed to get him out of bed," she teased, shooting Carmen a friendly smile.
"Alright, Lee, let's settle in and wait for dinner," Theo said with a gentle smile. Eileen nodded in agreement, and they all found places together at one of the long wooden tables.
As they waited, a line began to form as the other children queued up for their meals. They all joined the line, eventually reaching the serving area, from where they were coming back to their seats with a plate of spaghetti coated in a peculiar sauce. Back at their seats, Theo hesitated, pushing his food around on his plate as if lost in thought.
Carmen noticed his lack of appetite and leaned in, concern etched on his features. "Hey, is everything alright? You haven't even touched your food," he remarked softly.
Theo looked up, offering a small smile in response. "I'm fine, just not a fan of spaghetti," he admitted with a chuckle, grateful for Carmen's concern.
Then Theo took a deep breath, "You know what?" Carmen stared at him. "I hate spaghetti, I hate the weird long shape of them and how they weirdly stick to your mouth. Honestly, I have a strong hatred for them".
"That's a lot to say just about a type of pasta," Carmen admitted with a chuckle.
After dinner, they tidied up their eating area.
"Good night to you both," Eileen called out cheerfully as they departed.
"Good night, Lee," Theo called out softly.
"Night, Eileen," Carmen echoed, his tone quiet and subdued.
Theo back in his bed quietly snuggled under a blanket, fully clothed in the same attire he wore during the day. He pulled the blanket around him, its familiar warmth a comforting presence in the dimly lit room. It was Ethan's blanket—the one Ethan came to the orphanage with, the only thing he brought from his home, the only thing that made him feel a sense of comfort when he was little. Carmen changed into his pajamas and settled into bed. He laid there in darkness, trying to fall asleep.