May 6, 1977
Theo woke up shortly after the middle of the night, a cold wind slipping through the slightly open window, chilling the room. He rubbed his eyes and glanced over to Ethan's bed, finding it empty. A pang of worry hit him, but he quickly realized where Ethan must be. Carefully, Theo climbed onto the windowsill and began his ascent to the roof. The night air was biting, and the tiles were slick and treacherous from the day's rain. Each step felt precarious, and he could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to maintain his balance. Just as his foot slipped on a particularly wet tile, a hand gripped his arm, steadying him. It was Ethan.
"Thank you," Theo said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and relief.
Ethan responded with a reassuring smile, pulling him up to sit beside him.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night? What if someone came to check on us?" Theo asked, wrapping his arms around himself to fend off the chill.
Ethan's gaze was fixed on the forest surrounding the orphanage "I don't know," he replied softly. "Just wanted to clear my mind". He paused. "We should escape soon, Theo. We've been here practically our whole lives. We're like prisoners in this place." His words hung in the cold night air, heavy with truth.
It took Theo a moment to find the right response. "You're right," he admitted. "I am surprised people even know this place exists," he paused before continuing. "When you think about it a lot of children get adopted but we've never seen any grown ups coming here to choose, like it's done anywhere else. The forest surrounds us, isolating us. The nearest lights we can see… Well I wish we could see any".
"In case we escape, far, I have something to tell you. But just in case," Etham said out of the blue after a quiet moment.
"Why can't you tell me now?".
Ethan didn't respond.
They sat in silence for a while after that, gazing at the constellations, or the stars dancing around them. When Theo glanced over at Ethan, his freckles reminded him of those constellations.
The wind rustled the leaves of the trees below. Despite the isolation and the sense of entrapment, there was a strange comfort in sharing this moment with Ethan.
They made their way back inside the room, both in their own beds. But when Theo woke up in the morning too early. He found himself in Ethan's bed instead. He didn't recall how he got there, but perhaps he had sleepwalked. And apart from being in the same bed as Ethan, he was also sleeping on his chest.
—
May 7, 1977
"Hm," Theo murmured. "How did I get here?" He rolled over from Ethan's chest.
Ethan woke up at the sound of his voice. "You had a nightmare, you were literally shaking," his voice carried less weariness than Theo's, instead, he kept it regularly calm.
"I don't remember that."
"I think you have nightmares so often that you don't recall them anymore. You really don't remember?"
"No," he laid on Ethan's again because he realized how comfortable it actually was before. "But I dreamed about us."
"Yeah? And what were we doing?"
"We were running around in the mountains, I remember them vividly. They were interesting, I guess. Anyways, then we came across this lake."
"Mhm," Ethan said as Theo spoke.
"And then I shoved you in it."
"Oh you made that up."
"No really. You got mad and started chasing me around."
"Yeah, that's something I'd do," Ethan claimed proudly.
"But I felt kinda free, you know. The dream was what I imagined as free."
"Well, I have to break it to you but if I'm getting shoved in a lake in what free is, then I don't want it to become reality."
Theo smirked and then, without even realizing, he drifted off to sleep again because it was still too early for them to start the day—the sun had barely arose.
—
Later, still in the morning, they woke up quite late. Children usually go to the library to study, or outside for a while before breakfast.
Theo opened his eyes and glanced over at Ethan Before closing them again, shifting under the blanket they both slept under. Suddenly, with a swift movement, he tumbled off the bed, the blanket tangled around him.
Ethan couldn't help but giggle at the sight. He extended his hand to help Theo up, still chuckling.
"That's for stealing my blanket," Ethan asked, amusement clear in his voice.
Theo grinned as he took Ethan's hand and sat up. "Thanks," he said, his own laughter bubbling up. "That reminded me of when you fell from the chair in the dining hall because you were swinging on it, and the room was almost completely silent."
Ethan groaned playfully, rolling his eyes. "Oh, come on, we agreed we wouldn't talk about that."
They exchanged a look and then Theo sat down next to Ethan with a serious expression.
"So, I was thinking… Before we make our escape, we should gather some supplies. We don't know how far the nearest town could be," he suggested.
"It's not that far," Ethan realized he shouldn't have said that only after the words left his mouth. But luckily, for his fortune, just as Theo wanted to say something, the sound of a bell echoed through the orphanage, signaling breakfast time.
"I'm still in my pajamas," Ethan remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"Yeah, me too," Theo agreed, forgetting what Ethan had said before. "But we don't have time to change right now. You know how they hate when we're late."
Ethan grabbed at least a hoodie from the floor and draped it over his shoulders.
Theo raised an eyebrow as he recognized it. "Isn't that my hoodie?" he asked, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
Ethan simply nodded, a nonchalant expression on his face. "Yeah, it is," he replied casually, eliciting an eye roll from Theo. "But in my defense, it's not my fault that someone accidentally caused my hoodie to fall out the window. Straight into mud," he added.
"Die," Theo said as they made their way downstairs.
Ethan responded with a warm smile. Like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.
The dining hall was a cacophony of noise, with children chatting and laughing, the clatter of plates and utensils filling the air. Theo and Ethan joined the line for food. As they moved along, Sister Mary handed out bowls of blueberry flavored yogurt.
"Good morning, boys," she greeted them with a warm smile.
"Morning, Sister," they chimed in unison.
They found seats at a long wooden table next to Eileen and her roommate, Eleanor.
"Hey, you two! Managed to get out of bed, I see," Eileen teased, a twinkle in her eye.
"Barely," Theo replied, sitting on his chair.
"Attention, everyone," Mrs. Agnes clapped her hands, and the room fell silent. "Today will be a bit different. We had a lot of learning yesterday, so this morning will be a free period for most of you. However, those of you older than six need to head to the study room for the daily study session until lunch. After that, you're free to do as you please. Understood?"
"Yes, Mrs. Agnes," the children responded almost in unison.
Theo turned to Ethan. "Hey, I think it's best for us to escape today," he whispered.
Ethan responded with a nod. They both stood up and went to stack their trays.
Sister Mary approached them.
"Today, you two will skip most of the studying because you've been assigned to clean the dishes," she informed them.
Theo and Ethan exchanged a quick glance and nodded in agreement.
As Sister Mary walked away, Ethan sighed.
"Great," Ethan said to Theo, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
"Yeah, but at least we get to talk more about our plans," Theo replied. "I thought we could climb the big oak tree and jump onto the wall from there."
"I agree," Ethan said, nodding. "But we should probably do it before lunch. No one will be around then, and escaping at night would be too difficult."
"Where are we even going?" Theo asked, a note of uncertainty in his voice.
Ethan didn't answer immediately because, truthfully, they didn't know. They just wanted to leave this place. Finally, he shrugged. "We'll figure it out. Let's do the dishes first."
They made their way to the kitchen, where piles of dirty dishes awaited them. The clinking of cutlery and the sound of running water filled the room as they worked side by side, their minds racing with thoughts of their impending escape.
As they scrubbed and rinsed, Theo asked, "What about Lily, should we tell her?"
Ethan dried his hands. "We don't have time to tell her in person. She's in the study room. We can write her a letter."
Before Theo could respond, Sister Mary approached them. "I see you two are done. You should join the others in the study room."
Ethan quickly thought of an excuse. "Can we get dressed first? We're still in our pajamas."
Sister Mary sighed but nodded. "Only this time. You should have been dressed already."
They nodded and hurried to their room.
As they dressed, Theo said, "We should pack a few things now. We won't have time later."
"Yeah," Ethan agreed.
They quickly packed a flashlight and a water bottle. There wasn't anything else to pack though. Suddenly, Ethan pulled out a rope from under his hoodie.
"Where did you get that?" Theo asked, surprised.
"I took it while we were cleaning the dishes. It was lying in the room with the cleaning supplies," Ethan replied with a mischievous grin.
They both giggled and finished packing. They left the room and joined the others in the study room. Theo didn't pay attention during the lesson. Instead, he scribbled a quick note to Eileen. When the teacher wasn't looking, he slipped the letter to her and whispered, "Read it later".
Eileen glanced at the note and then nodded, a look of understanding in her eyes. After class, instead of heading to lunch with the other children, they made their way to the oak tree, the chilly wind trailing behind them.
"Are we really doing this?" Ethan hesitated, his voice laced with uncertainty. "We still haven't figured out where we're going," he added, casting a glance at Theo.
Theo turned to him, the wind tousling his long hair. "I know, but let's give it a try. What's the worst that could happen if they catch us?" he reasoned, a determined glint in his eyes.
"Don't act like you don't know".
Ethan knelt down to retrieve the rope from their bag. Ethan tossed the rope up to wrap around the highest branch of the tree. "After you," he offered, gesturing for Theo to go first. Taking hold of the rope, Theo began to ascend the tree, his movements slow and deliberate. Ethan followed closely behind, securing the rope back in their bag as he climbed.
Once they reached the top, Theo surveyed the distance to the wall below. "Now we'll have to jump," he said, his gaze fixed on the obstacle ahead. The jump appeared daunting, but not insurmountable. Without further hesitation, Theo leaped, his hands grasping for the edge of the wall. Ethan watched with bated breath, relief flooding him as Theo successfully made the jump.
"I don't think I can do it, Theo," Ethan confessed, his fear evident in his voice.
"I'll catch you," Theo reassured him, his tone calm and steady. With a deep breath, Ethan summoned his courage and ran, Theo's outstretched hand waiting to pull him to safety. Ethan barely made it, his fingers slipping just as Theo's strong grip cathed him.
"Thank you," Ethan breathed, relief flooding his features as he returned Theo's smile. As they rose to their feet, surveying their surroundings, they were greeted by the sight of endless forests stretching out before them.
"How do we get down?" Ethan asked, his voice tinged with apprehension.
Theo's gaze shifted, and his expression turned grave. "I don't want to alarm you, but I see Mrs. Agnes in the field, approaching us," he replied, his tone urgent.
Ethan followed Theo's gaze, his heart sinking as he saw Mrs. Agnes drawing nearer. "What do we do?" he asked, panic edging into his voice.
Theo scanned their surroundings quickly, his eyes landing on a river on the other side of the wall. "We have to jump into the river," he said decisively. "It looks deep enough. We don't have any other choice."
"But neither of us can swim," Ethan protested, his fear palpable.
"We have to try," Theo insisted, his voice resolute.
With Mrs. Agnes's angry shouts growing louder behind them, Theo seized Ethan's hand, and without another word, they leaped from the wall, plunging into the cold water below. As they hit the water with a splash, the shock of the cold engulfed them, stealing their breath for a moment. Instinct kicked in, and Theo kicked his legs, propelling them towards. Breaking through, they gasped for air, their hearts pounding in their chests. Ethan's panicked eyes met Theo's, but there was no time for words as they were carried downstream by the swift current.
They struggled to stay afloat, the icy water threatening to pull them under. Suddenly, Theo's foot brushed against something solid beneath the water. With renewed hope, he kicked towards it, pulling Ethan along with him. Gasping for breath, they reached a shallow bank and dragged themselves onto solid ground, panting and shivering from the cold