I was twelve the day I first met Eleri. A day that was just another boring gray sky and blanket of snow covering the ground. The orphanage had been my home for five long years. Five years since my parents died, and the life I knew dissolved into a blur of grief and confusion. The Kingdom of Orphic was supposed to be our fresh start- a place where there was always a winter wonderland, giving us the chance to build something new. But I never expected to begin again without them.
It happened when I was seven, on a normal cold, but especially icy day. The roads outside the Capital had frozen over, and my parents car skidded out of control. They died instantly, or… at least that's what they told me. To this day I still don't know if they told me that to soften the blow or if it was just the truth. Either way, it didn't matter to me. One moment I had a family, then bam, I was alone. The memories of them- my mothers laugh, the warmth of my fathers arms around me- faded a little more with each passing day. It left a hole inside me that I didn't know how to fill.
The orphanage isn't as terrible as I thought it might be. I'd heard stories about the foster care system back in the United states- horror stories of kids shuffled between abusive homes, forgotten in overcrowded shelters. But here, things were different. The orphanages in the kingdom were run by people who actually cared, who wanted to see us thrive, even if we don't have families of our own.
My orphanage is a pretty large, old house with creaky floors and windows that tat tat tat, but it was warm enough I have my own small room overlooking the snow-dusted streets below and the sharp, white peaks of the mountain range beyond. From the little perch, I watched life move on without me, like an outsider peering in.
I was different from other kids, being from a warmer climate and all. My skin is a deep ebony, that stands too far out against the pale faces of others, and my hair- ohhh, a tight mess of curls that absolutely refuse to lie flat no matter what I do. I don't blend in physically either, being too tall and lanky as well as being the oldest one here.. I keep to myself mostly, partly because I'd forgotten how to talk to people after everything that happened. I learned early on how to survive alone, how to stay quiet and unnoticed. I thought maybe that was how my life would be forever- quiet and isolated, trying to get through each day. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to live like a zombie or anything, I just want to coast by.
But then Eleri came along.
She showed up at the orphanage a few days after her eleventh birthday, with her short choppy hair and these large, piercing gray eyes that seemed to look right through you. She didn't wait for an invitation- she just attached herself to me. From the moment she arrived, it was like we were a set, to peas in a pod and two pieces of a puzzle that fit together without any explanation. Wherever I go, she goes. Wherever I went, she was there, trailing after me. Even waiting outside the bathroom at one point. Her presence was constant.
At first I didn't mind. It was nice to have someone, even if she was always there, like a shadow. Eleri made it impossible to feel lonely, and sometimes, I wondered if that's why she clings to me- because she was just as scared as I was at being alone.
She had a way of always knowing where I was, always making sure we sat together during meals, played the same games and even studied side by side in the library. It's a little annoying sometimes, but in a weird way, it's comforting and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Eleri isn't like anyone I'd ever known, at least past the orphanage and a few trips we managed in this constant cold. She never talked much about her past- she never said why she was here or what happened to her family. But she always always wanted to know about me."What was it like before?" she'd ask, her big, doe eyes watching me like my answers held all the secrets she needed. And everytime, I'd tell her what little I could remember.
I'd tell her about my parents- the way my mom used to hum while she cooked or the way my dad;s eyes lit up when he talked about moving to Orphic. Eleri listened to everything, soaking it in like it was the most important story in the world. She never asked for details, never pushed me to say more than I wanted to. She just listened. And somehow, that made it easier to talk about them.
We spent hours together, just sitting in my room watching the snowfall, lost in our own thoughts. She was always close by, always right there. Sometimes it felt like I couldn;t breathe without her noticing, without her asking if i was okay, but I love that about her. We both care for each other in our own way, and she's someone I could never turn my back on.
One afternoon while we were sitting in my room, she asked me a question that had been hanging in the air between us for a while. "Do you think we'll ever leave here?"
I glanced over at her, surprised by the question. Eleri was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling like she was waiting for it to give her answers."I don't know," I said honestly, "I mean, I hope so. But… It's not so bad here, right? Even when we do get out of here, we'll always be by each other's side."
She turned her head to look at me, her eyes widening in hope, looking at the pinky i held out in front of her. "It's not so bad." she said while interlocking our pinkies."As long as we stay together."
It was comforting in a way, even when it felt like she needed me more than I needed her. But maybe that's why we worked. We balanced each other, filled in the gaps where the other one fell short.
And as much as I longed for a future of my own beyond the orphanage, I knew wherever I went, Eleri would be there too. She's a part of me now, whether I like it or not.
"Hey, Eleri." I said, glancing up. "You don't have to stick by me all the time you know. There are other kids here too."
She blinked, as if surprised I'd notice her presence, then offered a shy smile." I know. But I like being with you. You're… different."
I raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
She shrugged, but her eyes never left mine. "You're quiet. But not in a bad way. You're calm. Safe."
The word hit me in a way I didn't expect. No one had ever called me 'safe' before. I wasn't sure how to respond to that. After all, I didn't feel safe, not really. Just surviving this cold, cold world.
"Well," I murmured, unsure of what else to say, "you can stay, but maybe give me a little bit more space?"
"Okay," she said quickly, though she barely moved an inch.
I just sighed. Eleri was sweet, but there was something about her that made me uneasy. Like eating way too many snow cones. She has a way of latching onto me, showing up at my door every morning, waiting for me after meals, always making sure she was sitting next to me during each activity. The other kids teased her too, but she didn't seem to care. I do feel bad sometimes for her too, even if she doesn't seem to mind it. It was like her entire world revolved around me, and I didn't know how to feel about that, other than wanting to protect her more because more often than not she was my world too.
A few days later, the house was buzzing with excitement- another story was going around. On days like these i just wish things were a little more quiet. I spent a lot of time thinking, maybe way more than I should be, but who cares at this point. Lately, those thoughts have been drifting towards Sirens.
The sirens were a mystery, a legend to outsiders, but in our kingdom they are real. Very, very real. There were stories about them- whispers of creatures who lived near the Antarctic Ocean, who could control the tides and swim through the icy waters as if they belonged there. Some said they were protectors, while others believed they were dangerous, not human anymore. I didn't know what to believe, but the idea always fascinated me. What would it be like to live as a Siren, to be feared, admired, powerful? To not feel the cold that seemed to seep into my bones every day.
But that was a far-off thought, something I shouldn't dwell on for too long. I have more immediate concerns. Like Eleri, who was currently sitting next to me on the couch, staring at me with her adorable, too wide eyes again.
"Are you okay?" she asked. Her voice is soft, but piercing in the quiet of the room.
"Yea I'm fine." I said, giving her a small smile. "Just thinking"
"About what?" she pressed.
I hesitated, "The future I guess."
Her eyes lit up, like the sparks before the light posts turned on."Well, I hope we stay together, like you promised. Forever."
And there it was again- her need to be close to me, to make sure we were inseparable, but I don't mind one bit. Maybe, just maybe, I was the one thing she could count on and maybe that's why I didn't push her away.