The sun is shining, the birds are singing, people are happily greeting others on the streets. But Tom hears none of this. If he did he would tell them to shut the fuck up. And they would listen. Tom was currently sound asleep on silk sheets and goose-feather pillows inside the largest room of the orphanage. It had been a few years since he had convinced Mr. Lawrence, the head of the orphanage, that it would be in his best interests to not question Tom. Oh no, Tom Riddle was not someone you wanted to cross. Billy Stubbs found that out the hard way. It was quite delightful to hear him sob every now and then when he thought no one was looking.
Flashback"So, Tommy, you're too cool to play with us? I bet you think you're cool, sitting there reading all the time. What's so cool about a book with no pictures anyway?" sneered Billy.
"It's called being literate, you fool. Now leave before you manage to irritate me even more," Tom snapped curtly, not even taking his eyes off is book.
"You know what I think? I think you're just a big loser who's afraid that he'll be an outcast-" SLAM! Went Tom's book as he stood up and glared at Billy.
"Stubbs, unless you wish to sustain a serious injury, I suggest you walk away and never speak to me again," Tom hissed.
"Yeah, right! You're just a freak that no one wants, you never even get presents!" Billy taunted, the other children guffawing stupidly in the background.
Tom's eyes flashed red and Billy Stubb's most precious gift from his rich aunt who spoiled him like crazy (God knows why) appeared in his hand. That's right, Mr. Wubbles, Billy's pet rabbit, was about to meet his end thanks to his owner's stupidity. With Mr. Wubbles frozen stiff from fear (and maybe something else) Tom began to walk up the never used stairs to the attic.
"WHERE ARE YOU GOING WITH MR. WUBBLES!?! BRING HIM BACK YOU FREAK!" Billy screamed, not even thinking to get the useless animal himself. Idiot.
"Come and get him, Stubbs," Tom replied coolly, running up the stairs in order to get there first.
As soon as Billy got into the attic, he found that it was empty. Thinking Riddle might be in the closet at the end of the room he went and looked in. It was actually larger than it appeared, like a small dark room with no lights, and just as he was about back out, he felt hands shove him from behind, and as he was somehow bound to the wall, he heard someone whisper, "Looking for me, Billy?"
Billy was too scared to say anything. He looked down and to his horror realized that the wall was wrapped around him. He began struggling, but the wall only seemed to hold on tighter.
Tom smirked, his red eyes glowing dangerously. The lights turned on just barely enough to make out shapes as the door to the closet closed.
"G-give me b-back m-m-my rabbit and let me go!" Billy cried, shaking in way that must have been bad for his health.
Tom laughed maliciously, "I did warn you, and now you have to pay the consequences. You should have listened, Stubbs. Why don't we let Mr. Wubbles have some fun?" Tom said, eyes glinting sadistically.
As Mr. Wubbles came into his line of view, it suddenly jumped and began tearing off the skin on Billy's neck. After it was done shaming the vampire bunnies of the world, the oddly unfocused bunny went for the limbs with his recently acquired pointy teeth. They weren't taken all the way off, but they were quite a bit slimmer. Tom suddenly pointed at Billy. "Crucio," he said, not knowing where the word came from but not really caring since it felt hella good. (I don't think anyone really wants to read yet another version of how the particular spell works, so I'll get on with it) Billy screamed bloody murder as his once-dear bunny ran off with a mouth full of flesh (Ewww Gross!!! Sorry just had to put that there ur not the only one grossed out by what I wrote) and a noose appeared from nowhere and the rabbit jumped into it and was hanged.
Hours later Mr. Lawrence found Billy unconscious on his bed. Once he was revived he began to tell his chilling tale. None of the staff believed him. After all, how could they when there were no marks on Billy's neck, or indeed anywhere else on his body? Also there were the minor details of Tom reading all day according to the other children, and the closet Billy described as a room was tiny cleaning supply closet. Though they did find Billy's rabbit hung from the rafters.
End Flashback
'Good times, good times,' thought Tom, smiling sleepily as he awoke from his slumber.
"Mr. Riddle! Mr. Riddle!" came a cry accompanied with extremely loud knocks.
Tom sighed in irritation. The second that knock came he knew it was going to be a troublesome day. He got up and opened the door and growled, "This had better be more important than Smith stealing your shoes again, Leslie." Leslie paused and stared openly at Tom. He remembered what he was wearing and cursed mentally. All he had on was a pair of silk black boxers and Tom was already quite developed (for an eleven-year old muscle-wise) and Leslie was a 14 year old girl who had hardly just started getting into sex ed was almost drooling at the thought of what he would be like when he was older. "Well?" he snapped impatiently.
She partially came out of her daydream and said, "Oh, yes. Mr. Lawrence was fired last night at the inspection and they've put Mrs. Cole in charge."
"WHAT?!? Tell me, what has she changed, has she spoken of more trying to 'put me in my place'?" he hissed. Oh no, Tom was not happy at all with this new development in his life. Mrs. Cole had hated him from day one, older children had told him. He knew this because she constantly vied for kicking him out on the streets or at least a whipping or two, done by herself of course. She had even made him go get checked at a mental institute. All they found there was a confused little five-year old who was wondering why people were asking him to play with the mommy and daddy dolls.
"She's moved all of us around with our own age groups, kicked the Selective out of their rooms and put us all in the small rooms. She is coming here in one hour to take you and your things and put you in the basement and 'teach you a lesson'," she said hastily, praying to every god she'd ever heard of that the explosion wouldn't be directed at her since she was already supposed to be in 'lock down' for disturbing Mr. Riddle earlier that week. She herself was one of the Selective, a group of children who weren't quite as stupid as the others and were able to perform tasks without usually mucking them up. The Selective were given rooms of their own and had slightly more upgraded furniture than the rest of the orphans. The rest of the children were placed in the rooms on the second floor (Selective on the third) where they were fairly cramped and had sometimes as many as 8 to a room, depending on how much Mr. Riddle detested them. The staff was on the fourth floor with average sized rooms each. On the bottom floor was the kitchen and play area, which was converted to a sad excuse for a dining room at meal times. On the fifth and last floor before the attic, was the master bedroom as well as a hallway full of rooms that made up the long forgotten library. It was actually quite impressive for an orphanage. The master bedroom was enormous compared to anything else in the orphanage. Most of the furniture was donated to the previous owner of the orphanage from a nearby church, not that the owner actually used the money on the orphans. No one was to disturb 'Mr. Riddle' for anything less than an absolute emergency, including the staff and older children.
"Attention, children! Today we will be taking our annual trip to the sea! Make sure you are on your best behavior or you will regret it. Thank you!" Mrs. Cole's voice crackled out of the loudspeaker.
Tom's eyes narrowed dangerously and said, "Good work, Leslie. You are out of lockdown. Make sure everyone is prepared to move back either tonight or tomorrow morning, and inform me if she of anything else she does," he said in a would-be calm voice if it weren't for his storming eyes. Leslie shuddered, knowing that he was saving his rage for a more appropriate time and the longer it was kept hidden the more it would build up.
Exactly one hour later, just before Cole came to throw Tom out of his room and move in herself, he walked downstairs in just average, everyday clothes. He didn't have any other kind, because as good as his boxers and bedroom were, the orphanage was still poor; so he was in the gray, drab uniform. He walked coolly to the pathetic breakfast table and ate the same radioactive mush that was supposed to be Oatmeal as always. Cole eyed him strangely, suddenly beginning to lose her nerve as he stared her down from across the room. Well, she could always move into the room after the trip. Yes, she wasn't scared of him, night was just a more convenient time, she told herself. Yeah right.
Cole herded the children to the subway, which was a few blocks away. They were surprisingly not acting up, but only because Tom told them to save it for the right time. After they stopped, they walked a short distance to a beach that a donator had left to the orphanage in their will. Once they reached the spot, Tom went over to the only shaded area, as it was summer and there were few trees. No one objected when he gave everyone a look that clearly said not to disturb him. Except little Amy and Dennis.
Tom was just contemplating what might be in those caves before he was interrupted by the new kids. "I wanna sit there!" came Dennis's oh so intelligent request.
"Too bad. I'm here, now leave." I really hope you can guess who said that.
"But you always get the best stuff. It's my turn now!" stomped whiny little Amy.
The other children were looking at the poor idiots with shock and disbelief that someone would actually stand up to Mr. Riddle. Instead of blowing up at them like they were certain he would, he smiled charmingly at them and said, "That's right. You'd better remember that. Why don't I show you an even better spot," he said, voice deceivingly charming. Amy and Dennis were completely thrown by this 'new side' of him, so they followed him like the half-wits they are. He led them into the trees and on the woods that Cole had forbidden anyone to go into.
"Ummm...didn't Mrs. Cole say to not go in here?" squeaked Dennis, getting scared by all the shadows dancing in the dense foliage.
"She just meant that for the younger kids," Tom assured him. "We're almost there now."
Soon enough they were out of the forest and onto a rocky sort of beach with mist covering it and making it slightly eerie unlike the sunny sand that they had left. "I don't like this place! I'm leaving!" Amy whined and turned to run for the trees.
"I don't think so," Tom said calmly, eyes taking on the sadistic gleam they had had when dealing with Billy Stubbs. He hissed something and snakes came out of his hands and wrapped their way around the two idiot children. He smirked at them and somehow levitated them up to the cave hidden up on the cliffs. For himself he walked up on invisible stairs, enjoying the terrified screams that graced the air. When he reached the cave he continued levitating them inside.
"It is time you learn the lesson that you have ignored ever since you got here. I get the best things. I control the actions of everyone here. I run the orphanage. You are nothing. Unless I say so, you get nothing. You have no control whatsoever. I will even let you go now if you submit," he said in a taunting voice that said that they obviously wouldn't. And he was right.
"MRS. COLE! HELP!"
"NO! YOU'RE JUST A BIG MEANIE!"
Tom smirked, "Have it your way, then." And with that the cave allowed a little sunlight in, just enough to see that there was a small river running through it. It was so deep and murky that you couldn't see the bottom. All of the sudden a something that looked suspiciously like a hand graze the surface just before a whole body jumped out, seemingly of its own accord. Amy screamed and Dennis was rapidly paling. The body that had come up was fuckin' mutilated with deep gashes all around the body, a clear knife wound in the heart and just white for eyes. Of course, this was all illusion, but Amy and Dennis didn't have to know that, seeing as Tom was rather pleased with their reactions. "Just give in and they won't attack."
"No! S-stop it! I'll tell on you!"
"You're not invited to my birthday party!"
"As if I wanted to come, you stupid girl," Tom said, rolling his eyes at their stupidity. He then disappeared into the shadows of the cave.
"Tom? Come back, please? WE WON'T STEAL YOUR SPOT AGAIN!" Dennis screamed as two bodies crawled out of the water and started advancing towards them. All that answered him was high, cold-pitched laughter. Then the bodies began to play. In Dennis's mind, they resembled his dead parents. He began to feel ill as they came near, memories of the fire that had destroyed his life overwhelming him. He felt four pairs of cold hands grip him, and he began to scream in harmony along with Amy.
"Hello, son," the bodies hissed, "You've been a bad boy. And now we have to punish you."
Dennis quieted down, wondering what he'd done. Then came pain. He gasped, determined not to be weak in front of his parents (or what he thought were). "Stop, please! I'll do anything, just make it stop!" he whimpered, through tightly clenched teeth.
"Will you be a good boy?" Tom's voice whispered in his ear.
Dennis nodded, anything to make this end.
"Then scream." And scream he did, under the pain of 'Crucio'.
2 hours later
"Where were you? You stupid child, you are going to make us late for the train!" snarled Cole, worried that the inspectors would take away her job if she showed anything less than perfection in public.
"No, I'm not. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to tell the children to get ready to leave," he smoothly injected, interrupting what was sure to have been an extremely long and unnecessary tirade. He strode off to do just that as a shaky Amy and Dennis came out of the forest not long after him, though no one noticed. If they had, then they would have seen that they were shaking from almost going insane, post-Cruciatus effect if you want to be technical. But they didn't.
As everyone went through the door to the orphanage some time later, Mrs. Cole tried to work up her courage and look intimidating. "Thomas Riddle, I must insist that you move out of that room and cease this uncontrollable nonsense. If you do not, I will personally see to it that you are dropped off in the middle of nowhere, with nothing," she said imperiously, obviously thinking it an impressive speech.
"Boys," Tom said quietly, scaring Cole out of her wits with that piercing gaze before walking up to his room. A group of about five humongous, muscled, older boys ganged up on Cole as the rest of the children moved back to their original rooms. Tom walked into his room and prepared for bed, all the while listening to that bitch's screams. So satisfying, even if he couldn't do it himself. Oh, well. Knowing her, she would do something sooner or later that would cause him to blow up. He frowned as he found a letter on top of his pillow.
Mr. T. Riddle
Largest Bedroom
'We Make You Nuns' Orphanage, Vauxhall Road