"No, please. I don't want to go. Please!" The pathetic whimpers of a man were lost in a sea of darkness. Although he struggled to keep himself from being enveloped completely, the energy was draining from his body. He watched helplessly as his life flashed before his eyes. From his first memory as a toddler to him graduating college and starting a family, right up until the bullet ripped through his midsection, he saw the consequence of every choice he made as it led to this moment. "Please," he whispered once more with his final breath
Alexander jerked awake, sweat dripping from his forehead. Despite this, he was chilled to the bone with fear. "Another bad dream?" Someone from above him asked. The bed shifted until the person hung their head over the side.
Even with the room being pitch black, Alex was able to make out the features of the person's face. The boy, who was slightly older than Alex, had curly blond hair that tickled his face as he hung upside down and blue eyes that shone with the reflection of the moon. "It was nothing, Zeke. Go back to sleep." It was often that Alex found himself shaking off his trepidation as nothing.
Zeke scoffed in apparent disbelief but laid back on his bed. "This is the fourth one this week. I really think you should talk to someone about it."
Alex stared up at the bed above him. Despite not being able to see Zeke, he was comforted by the other boy's presence. From the first moment those blond curls waltzed through the front doors of the orphanage with such confidence, the two had been fast friends. It was around the time he had turned ten, and a having a friend was a relief from the constant ridicule of the other children.
The orphanage consisted of around fifteen kids, all ranging from the ages of two to seventeen. Its small size because it was run by a group of nuns that had nothing else in mind other than helping kids that had nowhere else to go. The sisters were outnumbered three to one, but that never seemed to bother them. They were well respected by the kids.
Like many of the others there, Alex had no clue the circumstances of which he had arrived at the orphanage. The nuns kept those secrets until the kids reached eighteen and were legally allowed to leave. When asked about it, each of them gave the same response: "It is to keep you safe. The more you learn, the more you will want to know. We want to make sure you are mature enough before you go snooping about."
What frustrations were aroused in the older children from being so close to knowing, yet still so far away, were taken out on those younger than them. Alex was a constant target as he was always seen as an outcast, more so than the rest. It wasn't until Zeke arrived that somebody finally stood up for him. Stood was a strong word, as Zeke was unable to walk without the use of his crutches. Despite this impediment, he was fiercely protective of Alex and had soon made it so hardly anybody bothered him. He was never freed from the nasty looks and occasional tripping, but it was better than having his body be their punching bag.
It wasn't long before Alex heard Zeke's breathing even out, signaling that he fell back to sleep. No matter how long he kept his eyes closed and tried to clear his mind, Alex found himself quite restless and unable to keep his eyes shut. His dream was still too fresh on his mind and filled him with confusion the more he thought about it. Who was that man and why was he dreaming about his death?
The sound of wooden crutches clacking against the metal ladder that connected the top and bottom bunks pulled Alex from a fitful sleep he didn't remember falling into. No matter how many times he had heard it, the sound of Zeke descending from his bed woke him every morning. Many times he had begged Zeke to let him take the top bunk, as he was obviously crippled, but the other boy was as stubborn as he was protective. "I can do it," he'd snap irritably. "And I would appreciate it if you showed at least a little faith in me." After that, Alex dropped the subject entirely.
Although the sun was barely shining through the curtains, the orphanage was buzzing with excitement. Today was Saturday, which meant that they had no lessons and a field trip to the nearby park the nuns had promised them a month in advance. It wasn't very often that the younger kids got to leave, so this was an exciting opportunity.
Alex had to remind himself that he wouldn't be stuck in the orphanage much longer, as his birthday in July (which was only four months away), would mean he'd turn thirteen and be given "teenager privileges." This meant he could leave and explore the outside world for at least two hours every day. He had heard stories from the older kids about all of the things they did when they first got their privileges. Justin, a boy who was slightly less scrawny than Alex with scraggly brown hair, had turned thirteen the previous December, and later boasted about spending all of his chore money at the nearby ice cream shop. All of the other kids, especially Alex, were jealous. Ice cream was about as rare to them as going on field trips.
Nothing ever seemed to bother Zeke, though. It seemed like he couldn't care less about exploring the city. He also had privileges, but he never utilized them. When the nuns approached him about it, each time he would give them some excuse as to why he couldn't go out. They never spoke about it, but Alex was sure it was for him. He felt guilty for being the reason that Zeke stayed back, but a selfish part of him was always glad his friend stayed.
"Good, you're awake." Zeke looked down at Alex with his curious blue eyes. "You'd better hurry and get dressed. The nuns already have breakfast made." With that, he left the room in an excited shuffle. Alex quickly dressed and followed behind his friend. When he reached the dining room, the pleasant smell of bacon and eggs reached his nose.
The food, as it always was, had been set up buffet style. Alex got as much food as his plate could handle before settling himself next to Zeke. "They always get extravagant on special occasions," the blond murmured through a mouthful of buttered toast. Alex agreed; he wasn't about to complain about it, though.
It didn't take long before the children's bellies were full and they were talking excitedly with one another about how the day's events might unfold. "We might get to see other kids there!" An excited redheaded girl with a pudgy face full of freckles exclaimed.
"As if they'd want to play with a bunch of orphans," said an older boy that was passing by. His sharp nose was upturned in a snobby fashion, and his eyes stared coldly down at them. Their table grew quiet in his presence.
"Come off it, Randall." Zeke met the boy's eyes with a fierce stare. It was rare that anyone but Zeke challenged the older kids, as no one else was able to get away with it. After one nasty fight that involved his crutches, the other kids tried to keep their distance.
Randall's face reddened with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. Every eye at the table was now on him to see how he would respond. Sadly, he was unable to retort before Sister Minnie, the nun who was taking them on their excursion, appeared in the doorway.
"Okay children, those of you going to the park today, please come line up outside the front door." Almost immediately after she had spoken, bodies flew out of their chairs and rushed toward the door. They pushed and shoved each other, trying to take their place at the front of the line. It was normal for a few to stay behind and wait until the chaos was settled down. Alex, Zeke, and the red-haired girl, whose name was Brielle, were among those few.
Alex took notice as they left that the line wasn't filled like it usually was. Almost like he could read Alex's mind, Zeke spoke up. "Most of them got their privileges after Christmas, so they don't see the point in coming," he said with a backwards glance at those still sitting in the kitchen. What hadn't ever really occurred to Alex was the number of kids that were close to their age.
He didn't spend too much time dwelling on the thought; his face was soon met with the brisk air that signaled the beginning of spring. Despite the chilliness, the sun shone brilliantly down on them, bringing warmth to their shivering bodies.
While Sister Minnie led the group, another sister by the name of Ida brought up the rear. In stark contrast to Minnie's short and plump figure, Ida was tall and youthful. Her body was slim, and she carried herself in a way that made her appear stiff. Despite this, she had a beautiful face and a warm personality that drew many of the kids to her.
Alex had only seen her get angry once, and that was when she caught Randall attempting to steal money from a safe they kept behind a locked door (the other kids later learned that he picked the lock). Her yelling brought the attention of many children, who gathered behind the corner to watch her tear into him. All the while, Randall stared at her with a blank expression on his face. One of the other sisters intervened before Ida could lash out at the boy, but nobody would have blamed her if she had. It was no secret that the sisters were always low on money, kept afloat only by an anonymous donation made at the same time every month.
Nobody knew where Randall came from, just that he arrived when he was fifteen and never spoke a word of his past. Rules were hardly followed when he was around, and trouble tailed him like a hawk. He caused a lot of grief with Alex when he first arrived, but after his first and only bout with Zeke, he kept his distance.
"I was thinking," Brielle's squeaky voice pierced the silence that hung between the three of them while they walked, "that we could play tag with the other kids this time." Alex gave her an incredulous look, wondering how she could be so daft with the constant clacking of the crutches next to her, but her words didn't seem to phase Zeke.
"You two can play if you'd like," he said simply. "I'll be in the shade enjoying my book." If at all possible, Brielle's already pink face reddened when the realization hit her.
"I'm sorry- I didn't mean to-" she stammered but was stopped by a shrug from Zeke. The rest of their trip was shrouded in an awkward silence that none of them wanted to break. It wasn't until they reached the gate of the park that Brielle spoke. "Alex, would you like to join me?"
Not a fat chance, he thought immediately but kept it to himself. Instead, he thought of how Zeke regularly stayed behind to keep him company and figured it wouldn't hurt him to do the same once in a while. "No, thanks. I'm not a very good runner." His lie was blatant, but that didn't phase Brielle. In fact, she seemed rather pleased to have gotten herself rid of them both.
After she scurried off in the opposite direction, Alex followed Zeke to the tree with the largest canopy. At first, they just sat and watched the other children chasing each other in a game of tag, squealing with delight when they got tagged or tagged somebody else. It didn't take long for Zeke to grow bored and pull out a book with a dark green cover. Alex wasn't able to accurately read the title; the letters seemed to switch with each other every time he attempted. This happened to him often; the nuns had explained that he had dyslexia and did everything in their power to help him, but nothing they ever did helped him improve. This piece of information he kept to himself, not wanting his only friend to think that he was a bigger loser than probably he already did.
Alex took this time of peace and mostly quiet to lay back into the soft grass. He stared up into the canopy and wondered what it would be like to climb to the very top. You'd be able to see the whole city from up there, he thought.
Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, a funny sensation made his skin prickle. He quickly sat up and whipped his head around to find the source. The only thing he noticed out of place was the strange man sitting next to Sister Minnie.
The man was unlike anything Alex had ever seen. His jet-black hair had been combed back half-heartedly, and he sported a matte gray suit that radiated wealth. His dark leather shoes reflected the light of the sun that would have been blinding, had Alex been closer.
He and Sister Minnie had their heads hanging near each other, trying to keep their conversation as private as possible. Not that it would have mattered, As Alex seemed to be the only one watching them with curiosity. Almost as if they realized this, both of their eyes turned on him at once.
His face flushed a deep scarlet as he averted his eyes to the children now climbing on the play-set. Although he wouldn't realize until later that night, he felt a strange familiarity with the man. The same feeling had come when he first saw Zeke.
They stayed at the park through most of the day, stopping to rest only when it was lunchtime. By that time the man was gone. Alex wanted to bring it up to Sister Minnie but felt it inappropriate when so many kids surrounded them. Even when the others went back to their new game of hide-and-seek, the sisters seemed to evade him at every opportunity possible.
Frustrated with trying to get their attention - and failing - he flopped down next to Zeke with an indignant sigh. "That man must be the person who donates every month," his friend said without looking up from his book. Alex was surprised. He hadn't realized that Zeke ever noticed the man, let alone Alex's interest in him.
"I-" he started to say that he had no idea what his friend was talking about, but decided there was no point. "He must be." They shared the rest of their time at the park in a comfortable blanket of silence. It was nice to get a break from the thin walls of St. Bayard's Home for Orphans. None of them had a clue who St. Bayard was, or if he played any significant role in starting the orphanage. Perhaps it was a name that meant something to one of the sisters.
Their time at the park was slowly coming to an end. Unlike when they went to the park on a previous excursion, this time there were no snide remarks made by groups of children that had homes of their own. It was quite a relief not to be judged for something none of them could control.
Before too long, the Sisters called the children to come line up. Once they got a headcount to make sure all of them were there, they led them back to the orphanage in a similar fashion to how they arrived. This time, however, there was a noticeable lack of red hair following closely to Alex and Zeke. It seemed that she finally found her place among a group of rather plain girls. It remained unsaid between the boys, but they were thankful for the lack of her squeaky voice.
They reached the front steps just as the sun faded below the horizon. After dinner, Alex decided to shower. The boy's bathroom was surprisingly empty for the start of nightfall. Almost every time he attempted to shower after dinner, it was packed full of guys trying to use the hot water before the girls did.
Although the building was small, the bathrooms were accommodating. There were three, one for the boys, one for the girls, and one for the sisters. Alex had never seen the inside of the latter two, but the boy's bathroom had three toilet stalls, three urinals that hung at descending heights (or ascending, depending on which direction you were looking at it) on the wall, and an equal three shower stalls. Those children that were too young to bathe themselves in a shower washed in the sisters' bathroom.
Alex sat his clean clothes in a neatly folded pile on the bench outside the shower stall farthest from the door. It wasn't he who folded his clothes, but the sisters. If it had been up to him, he would never even have them washed. They had done it for him all his life, and he never gave it a second thought.
For the first time in ages, he allowed himself to take a long, hot shower. The warm water caused his pale skin to flush red, and he relished the feeling. He hadn't realized how much time he allotted himself until he was brought back to reality by the sound of the bathroom door opening. This wasn't something abnormal, but it did make him feel uneasy.
He quickly finished up and grabbed one of the towels the sisters left on a shelf just outside of each stall. When his body was mostly dry, he reached out to grab his clothes but found his hand grasping empty air. A sickening feeling made his heart drop to his stomach. Somebody had stolen his clothes. With a surge of realization, he remembered that he hadn't heard the bathroom door open again after the person entered. They must still be in there with him.
Feeling cross, Alex wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out to view the bathroom. As he had suspected, he saw somebody standing near the sinks. They were holding something that was so wet it dripped a steady stream of water on the floor.
"Randall," he said in his bravest voice. "What are you doing with my clothes?" It would have fooled nobody to think that Alex wasn't terrified of Randall, especially since Zeke was not around. His stomach lurched at the maniacal grin that spread on the other boy's face.
"I thought your clothes needed washing too. So I dipped them in the toilet." The clothes in question fell to the floor with a SPLAT that echoed loudly through the mostly empty bathroom. Randall absentmindedly wiped his hand dry on his jeans. "I figured I'd pay you a visit for your behavior this morning at breakfast."
If Alex remembered correctly, he hadn't said a thing to Randall. Not wanting to throw Zeke under the bus to defend himself, he apologized. "I'm sorry if I offended you in any way…"
A sharp laugh escaped the other boy's laugh. He stepped over the wet clothes and came closer to Alex, who slowly backed away from him. "You've done more than offend me, and if you think I'm going to accept an apology from filth such as yourself, you're deeply mistaken."
Alex's heart was hammering in his chest. Fear constricted his throat, causing him to squeak when he tried to speak. This wasn't the first time he had been cornered and threatened with somebody else's fists.
He continued backing away as Randall drew nearer until he felt cold tiles against his skin. This is it, he thought, I'm going to die. The last thing he remembered before darkness enveloped his vision was Randall raising his fist, then backing away with a horrified look on his face.