It was a very bright day in the ever sunny Seattle, Washington. Yeah right, it wasn't raining but still gloomy and I was stuck in the attic of an orphanage in the cold of the non-heated room. Let's just say I'm not the most liked orphan here by the staff, and I'm proud of that- though, I have no clue why I am. Everything turned out just like it would on a normal day when a new family came to look for a child to adopt. I looked out my window into the world that I knew I wouldn't be allowed to be seen in until the family left. Of course, I recognized two people from previous visits, but I'm guessing this is the visit where the entire family that will be living in the house gets a say on which child or children they get.
Stupid visit, because the two people looked so set on getting Tommy out of this place before more bruises appeared on his body today. Yeah, those bruises all accidents that he would admit to, but no one wanted him to tell. The staff wanted Tommy adopted and fast, so they let people think that he was getting picked on by the other kids when actually he was the one picking on the others. I'm the one that deserves that look of pity, because I'm the one that does actually get beat by the staff. They just won't tell any of the other children why they hear screaming at night when new kids arrive.
Well, Tommy came running out of the house in a new set of clothes and a new pair of shoes that the family had brought him on the last visit. When suddenly one of the boys looked up at my window, but I didn't acknowledge this because I was watching with a look of want at the way Tommy was being treated by the family. Tommy was acting very well behaved, probably being told that he was already being adopted before the papers were signed and sealed. That was when I noticed that the head-mistress for the orphanage noticed my presence in the window of my now below freezing room. I turned to where I had my back to the wall beside the window and heard her say something I knew meant something bad was coming.
"Why don't you all take a walk on the grounds? I need to go check on a few things really quickly" said the head-mistress.
Oh no, I would be running if I didn't know that that would just get me in more trouble than I already was in. That was when I noticed that it was the woman who spoke saying that it was a great idea for a walk. I looked back out the window for a moment to see that the older man and the boy who looked at me where talking in a very hushed tone and were looking at my window. I caught their eyes as I turned to look out the window to find the head-mistress walking my way fuming mad, and then zoomed out of the window's view. It was then that one of the other girls gasped and I heard my door slam open.
I didn't understand why it was me who was beaten, but I took it without a sound just as I had learned to while growing up.
"You worthless little wretch; never ever look out that window again. You are nothing more than some piece of trash that no person cares about. That's why your parents died, trying to protect this worthless piece of trash that the world has no need to make room for. I would be doing the world a favor by taking your life and saving precious air for the rest of the population."
She was, of course, beating me by hand and also with her trusty, unforgiving, thing of a crop. She pushed into the post of my bed, as I heard something snap from behind me and also in my leg. Then came a pain that I couldn't possibly keep inside, so I did something I never did before.
I screamed.
Edward's POV
It was then that Carlisle and I got to the top of the steps and to that girls doorway that she finally screamed. When everything came into view as Carlisle moved to go to the girl on the floor in the corner. Not only was she screaming at what seemed to be the loudest she could go, she was covered in blood from head to toe. Huge gashes covered her and bruises and scars were everywhere on her. The head-mistress was standing in front of the wall beside the window with a short whip in her hands that was dripping in blood.
That stupid man, let the girl die. It would be saving the world a lot space if she would just disappear from this place. She deserves to die for all the things she has done in the past.
I scanned her mind as images of the girl looking out the window same as today and then doing other things that seemed so innocent that I felt like shouldn't even be in the same room as her. All of the them being followed by images of her being covered, sometimes even soaked and dripping, with her blood and lying on the floor in another room that was on this floor. No wonder that this building had caused our sense to heighten on just the feel of it. Everyone outside wanted to know what was happening inside.
"Excuse me, but, Miss, what happened here? Why is this girl covered in blood?" asked Carlisle switching to doctor-mode.
She was beaten within an inch of death. If Alice hadn't seen that vision and if she didn't finally give up and scream, she would have died with another gash like the ones here. Edward, the head-mistress beat her, didn't she?
I moved my head fast enough for the head-mistress not to see, but Carlisle caught it. He picked up the girl and placed her lying flat on her back as he scanned her.
Everything looks okay, and it doesn't look like anything on her upper body is broken. The lower body is a different story though, she has a broken leg, and it looks as though she took a pretty good hit to the back as seeing that the bedpost was completely broken off and she has a bruise already appearing. How could any living being, even a vampire, do this to such an innocent girl as this one?
It looked as though Carlisle knew a little bit about her, but not too much. Luckily, the entire family, even Jasper, was able to keep our thirst in check as they all rushed up the steps to the room we were in.
Edward, what happen… Oh my god, the poor girl.
Dang, what happened to her?
No, why couldn't I have seen that vision sooner?
Can't breathe, but the hatred is too over-whelming.
Oh no, please don't tell me another human did this to her.
All it took was one look in the head-mistresses direction for them to understand what happened.
"Alice, please call the police quickly" Esme said in a very serious, but motherly tone.
Alice got her phone out and called the police along with an ambulance to the orphanage. Emmett and Jasper were holding the head-mistress in a tight grasp for a human, and Rosalie was at the window watching as all the other people of the staff were taking children into the other building. Carlisle and Esme were at the girl doing everything they could for her as she lay there dying. I just couldn't move out of that spot in the doorway.
I'm still here, and I can hear all of you.
"Carlisle, she is still conscious" I said, as I finally heard a whisper of one thought that made it seem as though she wanted me to hear it.
Tell him to ask his questions out loud and I will answer them with your help, if you would please help me by voicing my answers.
The voice rang as if it was an angel's last dying breathe, but I decided to help her. So, I nodded to her, wondering if she would see me.
Thank you, please tell him to ask the first question.
"She said for you to question her, she will tell me the answers and I'm supposed to give them to you" I said, looking towards my parents.
"Who did this to you?" asked Carlisle.
"The head-mistress."
"Why did she do this?"
"I was looking out the window, and I got caught."
Edward, she is truly conscious, isn't she?
"Yes, she is Alice. Also, Carlisle, she said that this isn't something new to her. She's learned to remain conscious through the beatings, because it allows for a quicker heal" I said, answering a few unspoken questions.
Everyone looked shockingly at the girl lying on the floor. Her eyes began to open and then she just closed them in pain and curled her hands into fist. No matter how you looked at it, you could tell she was in pain, and that she was trying not to let it out. That was when everything started speeding by as the ambulance and the police arrived. The police took the head-mistress straight away for abuse and also on a few other counts that I didn't hear.
We all watched as the girl finally slipped into unconsciousness and she was being placed on a stretcher and an oxygen mask was put on her face.
It's nice to meet you Edward and thank you for helping me. My name is Tori; please tell your family I am in debt to you all. Also, tell them my name so the police will know what to do after everything runs its course.
What did she mean by 'after everything runs its course'?
Please don't think about anything I've asked you to do in depth. Just do it please.
I nodded as she was rolled past my family and I. She looked me in the eyes for the first time, and it looked as though she had been broken so many times that…. That she had finally been broken for the last time.
