A month had come and passed since the day the couple had arrived. The strange woman, who Ms. Martin has introduced as Head Sister, had decided to stay at the orphanage permanently to keep a watchful eye on Kiara. She and Ms. Martin had done all they could seclude the young girl from the others. Kiara was forced to eat outside if it wasn't raining or snowing, to sit in the back of the classrooms and not to speak to the other children, to remain inside a classroom and study alone during playtime, and finally to only bathe once everyone else had gone to bed. Luckily she hadn't been moved to a different bedroom, so Wolf could still see his friend in the night and morning despite these new regulations against her.
However, today, Wolf finally had enough. He hated seeing her being treated in such a manner, like she had some contagious disease, or even worse, like a rabid animal that needed to be trained in isolation. It was infuriating to watch. At breakfast, just as Head Sister was escorting Kiara to the door, Wolf blocked their path. "Kiara isn't going out there today. I won't let you take her," he said sternly, a grim expression on his face.
Much to Wolf's surprise, Head Sister wasn't at all upset and simply sighed sympathetically. "Go on outside without me," she ordered Kiara and when the young girl hesitated, Head Sister whacked her in the back with the ruler she held in her hand.
Casting a swift glance at Wolf, Kiara stumbled away with her tray quietly.
"Come with me," was all Head Sister said once she was sure Kiara had done as she was told.
Wolf reluctantly followed, disappointed that not only did Kiara still have to eat outside but now he probably got himself in trouble in vain.
The two didn't say a word as Head Sister led the way to the back courtyard where the children could go and play in the afternoon provided the weather was decent. Wolf recalled how not too long ago he and Kiara would play out there without a care in the world. Kiara hadn't been able to have that pleasure for a month, making Wolf certain he did the right thing by stopping them earlier. Drawing his attention back to his surroundings, he stepped through the door as Head Sister opened it for them. He turned around to face the building, seeing the elder shut the door behind them.
Head Sister simply sighed yet again as she gazed at their surroundings. "Beautiful day, isn't it? The Lord has certainly blessed us," the old woman smiled casually, lifting her wrinkly palm up to catch a stray dandelion and release it back into the cool breeze ruffling past them.
Wolf watched her silently, not responding to her attempt at casual conversation. In fact, it only made his fury grow that she thought she could attempt to be friendly. He would never be kind to her after all he'd seen her do to his only friend in this orphanage.
There was silence between the two once again several moments after that. Finally after what felt like ages, Head Sister finally spoke up in a more serious tone. "I understand it must be hard, having to share a room with it. Unfortunately there are no other spare rooms currently, so you're just going to have to resist its devilish tricks to make you think it's kind and human."
"'It' is a she, and her name's Kiara. She doesn't trick me or anyone; in fact she's the nicest person I've met here! It isn't right for you to treat her like she's so different! She's just a little girl!" Wolf snapped in obvious fury, unable to contain his true feelings any longer.
"You poor thing, I see it's already manipulated your heart," Head Sister shook her head in pity. "You're young, so it's easy for you to believe anything you hear. However, what I am about to tell you is the correct belief. Being who I am, I have a strong connection with our Lord. He loves all his children and wants nothing more than to protect them from the evil around them," Head Sister started, but was immediately interrupted.
"If that were true you wouldn't be treating Kiara that way! She's just as much a child as the rest of us and deserves to be loved too," Wolf countered.
"You don't understand; it is not one of us. He has sent me an omen, a dead violet in my garden caused the other beautiful flowers to wilt as well. It is a sign dear boy," Head Sister suddenly looked desperately urgent and distant at the same time. Her pale eyes were wide and had a ghostly look to them.
"That's the stupidest thing I ever heard! Some imaginary figure you think exists made some flowers die and it means we should treat Kiara differently? Flowers die—big deal! It happens all the time. You're just crazy! That stupid 'Lord' of yours doesn't exist, because if he did, he would love us all, despite the many differences or faults!" Wolf had started crying in his frustration as he snapped at Head Sister, not caring a bit that she was older and, according to Ms. Martin, should be spoken to with respect. "I hate you!"
"Oh dear boy…There is nothing I can do to sway your beliefs…I shall only hope the Lord will spare you from too much pain as a result of staying with that demon…" Head Sister kept shaking her head in defeat, her eyes full of sorrow and pity.
"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Wolf wailed, covering his ears and shaking his head vigorously. He sprinted back to the door and slammed it behind him as he reentered the building. His vision was blurred by his tears, so he wiped them away, trying to find the main entrance. Kiara was out there and he had to see her. Stumbling over, he made his way towards the two large doors. He was still sniffling as he reached them and opened them slowly, thankful that the door was still unlocked.
As he walked outside, he noticed Kiara wasn't around. It didn't surprise him much. Why would they want to make it obvious they're making one of their children eat outside alone? Wolf sniffed, rubbing the tears from his cheek onto his sleeve. He didn't dare call out his friend's name; in case someone noticed he was outside and ordered him back in. Wolf simply gazed around, thinking of the possible locations Kiara could be. He went with his gut and decided to go west of the entrance, hoping Kiara would be somewhere along the side eating her breakfast. "Kiara?" he called out quietly so no one inside could hear him. Suddenly he heard a rustle in the bushes against the orphanage and froze. Turning, he blinked with relief as he saw Kiara push through the foliage.
The young girl was staring at Wolf with a stunned expression. "Are you okay?" she asked after a moment, sounding concerned.
Wolf realized at that moment how he must appear to his friend. His eyes were most likely red from crying and his cheeks were probably stained with tears. Seeing Kiara look so concerned for him despite her current situation made Wolf lose it. A little girl with such a kind heart was being treated so poorly and he hated it down to his very core. He dashed up to her and embraced her tightly, sobbing. He buried his face in her shoulder, not caring about anything else going on around him anymore.
Kiara was confused as she was embraced by her friend. She slowly wrapped her arms around his torso in return after a moment. Hearing Wolf cry seemed to have made her upset as well as she also began crying quietly, burying her face in Wolf's shoulder just as he had done to her.
Time seemed to stop as the two remained outside, holding each other for comfort. They eventually ended up kneeling on the grass as their legs buckled underneath them simultaneously. No one came looking for them as they remained out there for who knows how long, becoming closer than they ever had before.
"What types are strong against Psychic?" Kiara asked Wolf, gazing down at one of the many textbooks scattered around her where she sat on the floor of their bedroom.
"Ghost, Dark, and Bug," Wolf answered almost instantly.
Over the past few days Wolf and Kiara had made the decision to stay away from the others. They had gone to their classrooms during the night and collected their supplies so they could continue to study together. They would bathe in the morning instead of the evening to avoid any confrontations in the bathrooms. However, at first they had no idea what they would do for food, but the lunch lady began bringing them both meals once all the other children were done eating. Finally, during play time, Kiara and Wolf had taken some of the toys from the toy box and kept them in their room. In that time they would pretend to have Pokémon battles with the toys. Not only did it help them remember their studies but it was fun for the two to pretend to battle.
"Good job," Kiara praised as she nodded, indicating that Wolf had answered correctly.
Wolf smiled happily. Now everything was even simpler than before, but at least they were both in good moods and feeling peaceful. He hoped more than anything else though that he didn't get bored of this routine too quickly. Shoving the thought to the back of his head, he continued his study session with Kiara. "Alright, my turn…" he trailed off as he scanned his textbook for a question to ask his friend.
At that moment a quiet knock at the door interrupted them. It was followed by the sound of something being placed on the ground, and soon after that, fading footsteps.
"Oh, it must be two o'clock already. Today went by fast," Kiara murmured, placing her textbook to the side and rising to her feet, heading over to the door.
Wolf copied her actions and followed after her. It still surprised him that the lunch lady went out of her way to feed them both, coming back later to retrieve their garbage as well. I bet Head Sister and Ms. Martin would've let us starve, he thought scornfully.
By now Kiara had opened the door and was waiting patiently for Wolf to grab one of the trays before getting her own.
Wolf bent down and picked up one of the trays, rushing back carefully and putting it down where he was sitting. He then went back to close the door behind Kiara since her hands were busy carrying her own tray.
Together the two went back to their spots on the floor. Wolf was about to dig into his meal when Kiara stopped him.
"Hey, wait. I have something for you," Kiara said suddenly, dashing over to the ladder that led to her bunk and climbing up it. She began digging inside her pillow case upon reaching her bunk. She then paused and gazed down at Wolf, her eyes sparkling. "Close your eyes!"
Wolf blinked in confusion but obeyed his friend's request. He could hear her climbing back down and landing on the floor. The sound of her footsteps got louder as she hurried towards him. He didn't know where exactly Kiara was, but he predicted she was somewhere behind him. Suddenly he felt something then wrap around his neck, causing him to flinch.
"Okay…Open!" Kiara permitted, excitement in her tone.
Wolf blinked his eyes open, turning to see Kiara standing behind him smiling widely. He noticed a piece of silver jewelry around her neck now. In the center seemed to be two hearts intertwined. This made him remember the feeling on his own neck. Gazing down, he spotted an identical necklace around his own neck. He hadn't seen anything like it since he had lived with his father. "Wow…Where did you get these?" he asked in awe.
Kiara looked down at her own necklace, playing with the chain with her fingertips. "Well…About a week back, when I was outside eating breakfast, I didn't pick up my garbage fast enough so Head Sister locked me out. While I was out there, I looked around and found these buried in some dirt. When she finally let me back in, I went to the bathroom and cleaned them up. At first I didn't know if I should show them to you, but now I know for sure. That's because you're my very best friend Wolf," she explained, wrapping her arms around his shoulders once finishing.
Wolf listened intently, blinking in surprise at Kiara's last sentence. Placing a hand on one of hers, he didn't hesitate in responding. "And you're mine too, Kiara," he said sincerely.
"And we'll always be friends forever, won't we?" the girl inquired hopefully.
"Yeah, forever," Wolf agreed certainly. No matter what happened, he'd always be there for Kiara, and he hoped she would do the same for him.