Chapter Twelve
Galatea walked into one of the bedrooms of the orphanage. It had a single bed and a dresser near a small window. She walked over and gazed at the rain, making her remember how she came to the Stella. Galatea fumbled with the locket and sat down on the bed.
"Here Galatea, I've brought you a nightgown to sleep in." Sister Antonella gave her a plain, white nightgown with lace trim.
"Thank you." She looked down, "Sister?"
"Yes?"
"Is it true what they say about Venice? That the magic here can really make dreams come true."
"My family has lived in Venice ever since the Renaissance. I've heard stories of magic and fantasy, and if you believe hard enough, you'll soon find the answer to your question."
"It's just that I have this question in my head that desires an answer."
"And what is that, dear?"
Galatea twirled the locket and sighed.
"I see, it's none of my business. Well, good night, Galatea." Sister Antonella closed the door behind her.
Galatea changed into the nightgown and crawled into bed. The sound of rain carried a lullaby for Galatea as she slowly drifted into her sleep.
--
The next morning, Galatea was awakened by a little girl at the age of six with ruby red hair and freckles was pouncing on her bed, "Wake up, wake up!" She squealed.
Galatea sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Huh?"
"Wake up, sleepyhead! Come on, breakfast is ready in the hall!" The little girl pulled Galatea's hand to get her out of bed. "Here, Sister Antonella told me to give these to you." She gave her a pile of clothes.
"Thank you. I'm Galatea."
"I'm Gia. I'll see you at breakfast, bye!" She ran out of the room.
Galatea was dressed in a black jumper dress over a white polo. She looked like a schoolgirl with her knee high socks and Mary Jane shoes. Galatea fixed her hair into two low ponytails to finish her look. "I look ridiculous. Worse than Scipio in his getup."
Inside the dining hall, thousands of children were conversing as they ate their oatmeal. Gia ran over to Galatea and smiled, "There you are! Come sit with me!" She pulled her over to one of the tables. Gia sat down and swallowed a spoonful of oatmeal, "Come on, you starve to death."
Galatea sat down and looked at the oatmeal in front of her. She a few bites and sighed, "I wish my friends were here. They would bust me out of here."
"Your friends?"
"Yeah."
"Like the Thief Lord?" Gia leaned in with interest.
"What?"
"I've heard the rumors. Sister Antonella was talking to the other nuns and said you were living with the Thief Lord and his bandits. Was it spooky? Dangerous? Were there skeletons?"
"The Thief Lord doesn't live with me or his cohorts. There weren't skeletons there, just rats. Although, it great living with them, they were my family. They took care of each other and they tried to make their lives better without stealing."
"Did they brainwash you?"
Galatea looked at Gia and returned to eating her oatmeal, "Never mind. You have to see it to believe it."
"Oh." Gia shrugged. "Is it true that the Thief Lord can fly?"
Galatea groaned and buried her head in her hands. "No."
"Does he have a girlfriend?"
Galatea suddenly remembered what happened last night. She touched the locket and looked at the child, "No."
"Galatea, could you come up here, please?" Sister Antonella beckoned from the head table.
Galatea got up and walked towards Sister Antonella, hearing the gossip of the children behind her, "Yes, ma'am?"
"How did you sleep?"
"Very well, ma'am."
"That's good, Galatea. Galatea, do you mind reading to the children at the playground later today? The orphanage is expecting a very important guest and we have to seem that we keep things in order here, and I don't want the children to worry."
"Of course, Sister."
"Bless you, child." Sister Antonella kissed Galatea's forehead.
--
After breakfast and morning prayer, Galatea walked out to the playground and sat down on a stone bench. She watched the children play tag, jump rope, and hopscotch.
"Galatea, here's the book." A nun handed Galatea a book binded in velvet and gold letters.
Gia and several children ran up to Galatea and flipped to one of the pages, "We were starting on this chapter." Gia pointed.
Inside the orphanage, the Mother Superior opened the door and smiled, "Oh, Dottore Massimo, welcome."
Dottore Massimo walked in with Scipio right behind him, "Thank you, Mother Superior. If this tour pleases me, I'll reconsider on closing down the orphanage." He cleared his throat.
"Of course, I see you brought your son. Scipio, is it?"
"Yes, it is." The Dottore had disappointment in his voice.
"Your son could go out into the playground and listen to one of the orphans reading."
Scipio looked at his father. He didn't want to be here, he was only concentrated on finding Galatea.
"Well, go." Dottore Massimo said to him as he walked off with Mother Superior.
Scipio walked out onto the playground, it was completely deserted. He looked over and saw everyone surrounding the stone bench, where a girl was reading to them.
"'When the moon had risen above the city rooftops, and a few lone stars began to appear in the bridge. Sorrel was up on his back in an instant, but Ben didn't find it quite so easy.'" The orphan read.
Scipio had heard that voice before. He quickly ran over to the group of children sitting on the grass and looked at the girl on the stone bench, "Galatea?" He asked.
Galatea stopped reading and looked up. Her smile grew bright as she saw Scipio, "Scipio." She whispered.
"Do you know him, Galatea?" Gia asked.
"He just a friend I know." She replied, "'Sorrel watched with a scornful grin as he laboriously clambered up Firedrake's tail. When he finally reached the dragon's back he looked as proud as if he had climbed the highest mountain on earth. Sorrel took his backpack, buckled it to her own, and hung them like saddlebags over Firedrake's back.' I think that's enough for today." Galatea closed the book.
Children groaned and whined. "Go on." The nun said. Children ran back over to the playground and started playing.
Galatea got up and brushed the dirt off her skirt. She looked at Scipio all clean in his suit, "What are you doing in costume? I thought Carnavale was last night." She giggled.
Scipio hugged Galatea close and shed a tear, "I thought I lost you. How did you end up here?"
Galatea walked over to the swings and sat down, "I put myself in your shoes. I lied."
"What?"
"I told the police I didn't know the man, which is true. But Victor asked me for my father's phone number, so I told him that my father died in a cave in while excavating an old tomb in Peru."
"How did you come up with a lie like that?"
"I learned from the best, you. So Victor called one of the nuns here, and here I am."
"You have to leave this place, Tea."
"You're telling me. People believe that I can't be trusted because I lived with the Thief Lord. That you can fly, or steal from fifteen houses in one night." Galatea ranted.
"Tea, calm down." He smiled.
"I don't want to calm down, I want to go home. I miss Bo's laughter, the arguments that Mosca and Riccio have, and how Hornet braided my hair. I especially missed your stories. I miss swinging in the Stella." Galatea kicked off the ground and started swinging. She gazed at the seagulls flying across the sky, "Oh, how I envy them."
"Who?" Scipio pushed the swing.
"The seagulls. They can just spread their wings and fly, leave all their troubles behind. No worries, that's the life. People secretly carry burdens and expect everything to be better, when you know it will never be."
Scipio looked down and felt like he didn't have enough time left. It wasn't going to be long that Galatea would cause mass destruction of Venice. Could there be anyway to save her? "Yeah, I feel the same way."
"It seems like birds have the perfect life. They can just have whatever they want in one fell swoop, except me. Freedom is what I want." She sighed, "It's like trying to touch a star, you'll never get it, but you have to keep trying. Right, Scipio?"
"Scipio!" Dottore Massimo yelled.
Scipio and Galatea stopped and watched Dottore Massimo walk up to them.
"What did I tell you about playing with orphans?"
"I'm sorry, sir." Scipio looked down.
Dottore Massimo turned his gaze on Galatea, his eyes widened as he looked at the locket, "Where did you get that, locket?"
"A friend gave it to me." Galatea looked at him straight in the eye.
"That's my wife's locket."
"There could have been other lockets like this."
"Have you opened it?"
"No." Galatea opened the locket and read the engraved message, To my wife, Orsina. "I'm very sorry."
"How did you manage to get this locket?"
"Like I said, my friend got it for me."
"Well, you friend seems to be a petty little thief." Dottore Massimo scoffed.
"He's better than that. He's the Thief Lord."
"Preposterous! He doesn't even exist. The Thief Lord is just a story for the tourists."
"You shouldn't believe what you hear, sir. I thought adults taught that to children, apparently I'm wrong."
Dottore Massimo looked furious, "How dare you disrespect me. What is your name, girl?"
Don't tell him your name, Scipio thought.
"Galatea."
Dottore Massimo stepped back, "Well you should learn better, Galatea." He walked back towards Mother Superior and talked to her.
"You shouldn't have told him your name."
"Why not?"
"That's my father, Galatea, you don't know what you're getting yourself into."
"I'll be fine, Scipio. Don't worry, I'll try to run back to the Stella tonight."
"No, not the Stella!"
"Why?"
"That'll be the first place the police will look for you. Please, just leave Venice!"
"Why should you expect me to believe you after you told me that you didn't steal this locket when you did? Your own mother's locket, Scipio, how furious do you think she'll be?"
"She won't be. She's dead. I can't lie about that."
"Then this locket is not mine to keep." She placed the locket in Scipio's hand.
Sister Antonella walked up to Galatea, "Galatea, it's time to go."
"Go? Where?"
"You're being adopted."
"By who?"
"Dottore Massimo." Sister Antonella looked at Scipio, "You must be very lucky to have sister like her."
"Yes."
Galatea left the orphanage with no goodbyes to everyone. Dottore Massimo said it would a waste of time.
--
Inside the mansion, Galatea gazed at the ceiling. It was no Sistine Chapel, but the paintings were beautiful.
"Galatea, I try to be a father and a businessman at the same time. Although, I had no effort to connect with Scipio, let's try it with you. How old are you?" Dottore Massimo said
Galatea couldn't find an answer to that question, "Almost fifteen." She shrugged.
"Hmm, did you have any brothers or sisters?"
"No."
"Where were you before you went to the Merciful Sisters?" He said.
"In a church. I enjoyed listening to the choir at the masses from the balconies." She lied.
"Really?"
"Yes." Galatea said, "May I leave now?"
"Let the maid show you to your room." Dottore Massimo gazed out the window and watched boats sail along the canal.
"Thank you, Father." She hesitated to say. The maid escorted her out of the Dottore's office and up the stairs. Galatea watched Scipio come out of his room.
Scipio stopped and watched Galatea enter one of the bedrooms. He walked over to an old family portrait and pulled out the locket from his pocket. He stared at picture of his mother. Her raven hair all straight and clean. The way how she held Scipio as a child in the portrait made seem protective. Scipio wished that he could see her again, but that could never happen. He looked at the locket and placed it on the wooden table beneath the portrait, "Happy Birthday, Mother." He walked off.
(AN) Okay, the book excerpt is from Cornelia Funke's book, Dragon Rider, which I don't own. (I own the book, you know what I mean.) But this chapter made me feel kind of sad in a way. I wanted to cry. R&R!
