Penelope held her daemon close, relishing in all the warmth his cat-form provided. His sliky coat gave her more comfort than any blanket could, and his soft purrs often lulled her to sleep.
But not tonight.
Tonight she did not have her back to the cold, wet, stones of the dark alleyways. Tonight her eyes did not dart nervously side to side in fear of some person taking her away. What she did have was an unusually plump quilt, so unfamiliar to her bare legs, enveloping her body along with several well-fluffed pillows cushioning her head. Her hair was soaked with bathwater and her skin smelled strangely of lavender, or some other heavenly scent she could not identify. She was in complete and utter comfort, yet she could not fall asleep. Her daemon Karrow, though comfortable as well, showed signs of distress, auburn fur standing on end and his usually dull golden eyes were wide and alert.
Around her, in many other beds, there were other children about her age--around eleven. Some were asleep, some were merely dozing. But others leaned up in their beds to catch sight of the newcomer, their daemons showing the same curiosity in their various faces. Penelope felt awkward under their eyes, both human and daemon.
The shadow of a woman flickered outside the door, creeping gracefully along the wall. In a few moments the actual women appeared, holding a tray of steaming tea. The woman--aged yet oddly elegant in movement--approached confidently and set the tray at the foot of the girl's bed. Then she procceded to sit, legs crossed, in a chair that she had offered herself earlier. The woman's daemon, a white rabbit, padded clumsily around the perimeter of the room, seemingly curious about everything. The woman looked to the young girl and spoke, words forming around a smile, "Dear child, is there anything else I can get you?"
Penelope shook her head, trying to imitate the woman's upturned lips in a meek smile. Karrow, however, had not taken his eyes off the white rabbit since he came into the room. At Penelope's negative response, the woment sat up in her chair, brushed off some unseen imperfection from her blouse, and went on her way out the door, seemingly losing interest in Penelope altogether.
Once they were sure she was gone, some of the other children scrambled out of their beds to approach her. Karrow immedeatly changed into a badger and hissed softly, though they all knew that he could never touch them. Penelope put a hand on his head, then cautiosly made her way to the foot of the bed where four other children awaited her, ignoring the tea offered to her.
"So?" peeped one of them, the youngest, "Is it true? Are you really an angel?"
"What?" Penelope lowered her eyebrows and let her feet hang over the edge of the bed.
"Dun' play dumb," said another, "Mrs. Harrison said so herself! We heard her!"
Penelope merely stared back with an impassive expression, thinking it was just another silly rumor that children her age tend to spread around. They would naturally chose her because she was new to the orphanage.
"Yeah!" piped the third, "She say when she find you, that you was all shiny-like. Or at least being shone on."
"Nuh uh!" shoved the last, a girl slightly older than Penelope with a frog daemon on her shoulder, "I heard it was just anbaric light from the streetlights!"
"Who you hear that from?" the third shoved back, "None us of was there!"
"Mrs. Harrison told me! I was first to see her come back!" And the children continued to argue amonst themselves, that is until mastiff-shaped Karrow broke them with a loud bark.
Penelope looked into each of their faces meekly, "Look, I don't know what you talkin about. I 'ent an angel. I'm just a kid like all of you." But the children were unsatisfied with the answer and continued to bombard her with questions. She shut her eyes tight and covered her ears, "La la la la! I 'ent listening!" This only provoked them more and they began to poke and prod at her hanging legs, to prove to each other whether or not she was made out of light. So Penelope decided she would merely go along with what the older girl said, desperate to disprove this rumor, "I just fell 'sleep beneath a streetlight." she said, "That's were that light came from.. Next thing I know, I wake up here. That's how it went."
The children stared back into her eyes all at once, making something inside of her cower against her breast. Nonetheless, she tried to stare back just as fiercly. Karrow hung over the bed, his mastiff eyes glowering. It ended in a stalemate, children and daemons alike locking eyes, none of them moving. Then there was a sudden bang coming from the bottom floor, as if someone had taken a broom and stomped it against the ceiling.
"What's all that commotion!" came the voice of a man, "Better be sleepin' when I come up there!"
At once, the children scurried to their beds and feinged sleep, leaving Penelope the only one sitting upright. Sure enough, heavy footstep approached the doorway and a burly man treaded through the doorway. His eyes scanned the room, at each of the laying children. Then he caught sight of Penelope, the only one out of place, and scowled. He pointed a thick finger in her direction, "You better sleep now before I get the lady up here." Even though he was halfway across the room, Penelope could smell the thick scent of alcohol eminating from him. Karrow's sharp nose picked it up even more. The man did not wait for an answer and exited the room.
Penelope immeadeatly scampered back under the quilt of her bed, which now seemed too good for her. Karrow huffed and changed back into the silky auburn cat, nesteled in the girl's arms. As she layed on the pillow, she could hear the snickering of the other children around her, and she instantly felt embarrassed. Karrow pawed at the sleeve of her nightgown and payed no mind; soon both girl and daemon fell simultaniously into sleep. And while the slept, visions of shining figures played at their minds,