That Which is Hidden
Kay had taken care of many children since she first starting working at Granite Orphanage, but few were as well behaved as young Edward.
He was polite and unusually thoughtful for a child his age, he always did what he was told without complaint, and he never caused any trouble. He rarely spoke unless prompted to, and what little he said was always short and to the point. His quiet manner and crisp way of speaking made him seem curt and aloof, but Kay knew he acted that way because he was shy. Shy and afraid.
He never admitted it, but she knew he had to be afraid; the traumatizing ordeal he had been through would have left most adults she knew petrified.
The other children had avoided him since he first came to the orphanage. No one was sure exactly how, but the reason behind Edward's arrival had reached their sensitive ears. Most were afraid to go near him, thanks to wild stories created from their own imaginations concerning the terrors the young boy had escaped from, which some of the other orphans believed would eventually come looking for him, and they would be endangering themselves if they didn't keep a safe distance. And some of the children claimed that it was Edward himself that was worrisome. Something about him frightened them, though none were sure exactly why.
Because of the way he was treated by his peers, Kay made sure to give him special attention. Only it was important to maintain a careful balance between him and the others, or else someone might accuse her of favoritism.
But there was no need to worry about all that now; Granite Orphanage was far away, and with no one but the two of them in their hotel room, she could dote on him all she pleased.
The sun had already crawled into bed for the night, and Kay began switching out the lights as she made her way over to Edward's portion of the room. The slender youth was coming out of the bathroom, dressed in clean pajamas and looking rosy from his hot bath. His blonde hair shone like thistledown in the lamp light as he climbed into bed. Kay leaned over and drew the blanket over him.
"Did you remember to clean your ears?"
"Yes, Kay."
"And your teeth?"
"Of course."
"What about--"
"Yes, I drained the tub after I was finished, and I turned the lights off before I left."
There was a touch of impatience in the young boy's voice, and Kay was fairly certain she was wasting her time, but making sure he finished his nightly duties was part of her job. Plus the sound of someone else's voice was a better companion than her own thoughts.
Kay absently smoothed the edge of the blanket. "You're not scared about tomorrow, are you?" she asked, at length.
Edward shook his head. "Not at all. I'm kind of excited, actually."
Excited. That wasn't the word Kay would use to describe the mixture of emotions she felt about their sudden trip. There were plenty of things she wanted to do during her lifetime, and traveling to an old, rundown castle so they could sift through the messy history of a murderous family wasn't one of them. On top that, she had the lingering worry that the so-called Scissorman was going to follow them there...but she was trying not to think about that.
Kay smiled faintly, and as she spoke again, she wondered who she was talking to more; the small boy, or to herself. "It's okay to be a little scared, you know."
"I'm not," Edward assured her. "I'm just looking forward to finally putting an end to all this. Besides, you'll be with me, and everyone else will be there too, right?"
Kay smiled again and nodded slightly. Sometimes she envied the ignorance of youth. That firm trust children had in adults when they were still young enough to think people older than them had all the answers. She remembered how disappointed she had been when she grew up and found that she didn't know anything more about life than she did when she was a child.
If the look of calmness in his bright eyes meant anything, Edward's confidence in the adults in his life was still intact. It was only an illusion, but it was a comforting one, like a warm blanket on a cold night. Kay missed that comfort sometimes.
"If you ever need anything, feel free to tell me right away, all right?"
Kay reached over and smoothed Edward's downy hair away from his cherubic face before straightening and turning away.
"Will you read to me?" Edward suddenly asked.
Kay paused, her hand on the lamp sitting on the night stand. Edward had never asked for anything like that before, so the sudden request caught her by surprise.
"All right," she said, smiling. "Is there anything in particular you would like me to read?"
Edward wordlessly pointed at the floor near her feet. Kay looked down and saw a thick book lying on the carpet, pushed halfway under the bed. As she bent to retrieve it, Kay wondered where he had picked it up at; it didn't look like something he would have found in the hotel.
"Did you borrow this from the..."
Kay trailed off as she looked at the book's cover. It was old and worn, and the leather cover was rough and uneven. At first glance there wasn't anything unusual about it, but as she gazed at the dark surface she was struck with the feeling that something was looking back at her. As she stared at it, she thought she saw what looked like a pair of slanted eyes peeking out from the wrinkled lines of the cover, and below them was a row of sinister teeth.
Kay gave herself a shake and quickly opened the book; all her worrying about what they would find in Barrow's Castle was making her imagination run rampant.
The page she opened to was a picture of a drooling werewolf. Kay nearly dropped the book as she hastily turned to another page. She turned another, and then another, but the images didn't improve. The book was filled with ghoulish sketches of undead monsters, execution of witches, even depictions of ritual sacrifice.
Kay slammed the book shut; what kind of thing was this for a little boy to read?
The boy in question was watching her from the bed, eyes expectant. There was something else there, too, something in those dark eyes that studied her face. It looked like he was trying to read how badly the images had upset her.
Kay managed to withhold the shiver that threatened to ripple through her as she slowly set the book down on the nigh stand.
It's not that unusual, she told herself. Lots of children in the orphanage, particularly the boys, enjoyed scary things. They liked to test how much the other boys could take, and they liked scaring themselves just as much. And things in books and on TV were a safe form of fear; if it became too much, all they had to do was close the book or turn the TV off. Scares like that couldn't follow you.
Still...
"I don't think that's something you need to be filling your head with right before our trip," said Kay, as evenly as she could.
Edward shrugged and lay down. "I suppose. Good night, Kay."
Kay reached over and switched off the lamp. "Good night, Edward."
Enough light from outside shone through the window for Kay to safely make her way over to the bathroom. She doubted there were any working facilities where they were going, so she wanted to take a long bath before they left. As she reached for the doorknob, she glanced over her shoulder at the small boy curled up in the bed.
He looked like he was almost asleep already, leaving Kay amazed by how relaxed he was. She was so jittery she doubted she would be getting any sleep that night.
"Don't be scared, Kay," came Edward's sleepy voice from the darkness. "There isn't anything to fear in an empty old castle."
Kay felt a little ashamed of herself. She had been trying to hide her nerves, but she obviously wasn't doing a very good job. Now the child was trying to assure her, instead of the other way around. "I suppose not," she agreed quickly. "I just worry about getting lost in a place that big. Or separated from the others."
"No need to worry about that," said Edward with a yawn. "No matter what happens, I'll find you, Kay. Even if you run, I'll still find you."
Edward rolled over, putting his back to her. Kay went inside the bathroom and locked the door.
She disliked admitting it, but she was beginning to understand why the other children felt uncomfortable around the young boy. His tone was pleasant, but his words were strange and full of hidden meaning. It wasn't the first time he said something like that, either, and like the other times, Kay didn't want to think about what the meaning might be.
All she wanted now was a long soak in a hot tub, and for their unpleasant trip to be over. The sooner she returned to Granite Orphanage, the better; she had about had her fill of being alone with Edward.