Ines winced in pain as the store owner grabbed her by the back of her neck, and dragged her away from his stall.
"Ow ow ow! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I won't do it again! Please, let me go!"
The store owner shoved her to the ground. She hit the cobblestone sidewalk with a thud, and let out a groan of agony.
"You rotten thief!" The store owner ignored her pleas. "You're gonna pay if you come back here again!" The man walked off back to his stall. Ines silently berated herself for trying that stall. That man had always had a fiery temper and little patience for the local street children. The others had warned her away from his stall, but she couldn't help it. She was starving, and his apples were by far the most enticing option available out of the local farmers who came to the market, especially his apples; it had been so long since she had gotten to eat any fruit. She had hoped that today, she'd finally be able to eat something other than stale bread fished out of the garbage. She cursed the man for his cruelty; he had more than enough to go around, he wouldn't notice a single apple missing! Now he got to go home at the end of the day to a warm bed and a hot meal, and no doubt a much richer man, rewarded for his cruelty.
Ines's stomach grumbled loudly, and she felt a massive pang of hunger. It had been two days since she had last eaten, and she didn't know how long she could go without something to eat. She was used to going without food for long periods of time, but it seemed two years of malnourishment was starting to take its toll. If she were lucky, maybe she could get a sympathetic passerby to give her something. Unfortunately, she was rather well known around town, and not in a good way. She was a mischievous sort, and often amused herself by playing tricks on passerby. More and more people avoided her now, and she tended to get more dirty looks than ones of sympathy. She doubted she'd get any pity now.
Ines began to cry. She was starving, cold and alone. It had been two years since her parents died of tuberculosis, and she'd been forced out of the cramped, filthy tenement she'd grown up in. The orphanage had no room to spare, and few could afford to take care of a random street urchin in addition to the kids they likely already had. She didn't know what to do anymore. She was tired of sleeping in alleys and gutters. She was tired of living off of spoiled leftovers and scraps. But there was nothing she could do. No escape from this endless cycle of misery. She was lucky if she lived to see the next day, let alone live long enough to escape this life.
"Poor thing…"
Ines glanced up in shock. A man was kneeling next to her, looking down with a sympathetic expression. The man was tall, even when kneeling, and had short brown hair. He wore a black overcoat, a white dress shirt, white dress pants, a black tie, and leather dress shoes. On his face were a pair of glasses that seemed to reflect a large amount of sunlight, as Ines struggled to see his eyes. Who is this guy? Ines wondered. This man was clearly fairly well off, a lawyer, or perhaps an accountant? What would someone like this want with her?
The man stuck out his hand, and she took it; he helped her too her feet. She wiped the tears from her eyes. The man looked over her, up and down. She was skinny, unhealthily so. Her skin clung to her bones like a wet cotton shirt, and had a rather sickly pallor. She was covered in scrapes and bruises from her fall. Her hair was a tangled mess of knots and filth from sleeping on the streets. She war an old, ratty dress that was stained with dirt and torn in many places.
Ines spoke, breaking the somewhat uncomfortable silence. "H-hello. Thank you, for uh- for helping me."
"No trouble at all, dear!" The man said warmly. "I imagine you must be hungry, yes?"
"Yes, sir" she said, with a twinge of desperation in her voice. She hung her head as she spoke. "It's been a couple days, actually. You wouldn't happen to have some bread or well, anything would you?"
The man smiled warmly. "Come to my home. We'll get you some good food."
"Really!?" Ines could barely believe she was hearing. She'd hardly expected him to even consider her request, let alone offer food and a place to stay.
The man nodded. "Of course. my wife, Monika, is a fantastic cook! While we're at it, we should get you cleaned up, and get you some clean clothes while we're at it."
Ines began to tear up again. She thought for a second that she was dreaming. She never actually believed that she'd actually have a shot at getting out of this life. She nodded her head vigorously.
"Wonderful! Come, it's just this way." The man headed off towards his home, and Ines followed along, still having trouble processing all of this. "By the way" the man spoke "I don't believe I got your name."
"Oh, it's Ines, sir." She spoke nervously.
"That's a lovely name." The man spoke, never seeming to drop the perpetual smile on his face.
"What's yours?"
"Oh! Silly me, I nearly forgot! My name is Doctor Alfred Drevis. I run a clinic out of my estate. Sorry, I suppose I'm used to people recognizing me. Most of the townsfolk use my services, but I suppose you never had the luxury."
Ines shook her head.
"I see, then you may need a checkup as well. It wouldn't do to have you getting sick on us."
Ines was nervous about that, she remembered hating checkups as a kid. Still, she remembered her parents, and how miserable their final days were. It would probably do her good to make sure she wasn't sick with something.
It was evening by the time they arrived at the Doctor's estate. It was massive, bigger than Ines imagined. She'd never seen such a large house in person. The Doctor opened the large wooden doors that lead into the manor, and beckoned her inside. Ines followed with a little hesitation.
"First, we should get you a clean set of clothes. There should be a clean gown in one of the guest bedrooms. Follow me, please." The Doctor walked down the hallway; Ines followed, taking in the scenery. The house looked even bigger on the inside. The foyer alone was more impressive than anything Ines had ever seen. The walls were stone-brick, a fairly simple, but elegant design choice. The floor was marble, large square grey tiles with tiny black diamond ones on the corners. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, illuminating the area. A large marble staircase led to the upper floor where the family bedrooms presumably were, while two inlets with stone passageways leading to other parts of the house. There was a hallway under the stairs, leading to parts unknown.
Ines entered one of the small guest rooms, which doubled as hospital suits. The room was small, only containing a small wooden bed and a wardrobe, which contained several sets of plain white clothes of various sized for either sex. Ines selected a small white gown, and quickly changed into it. Her stomach growled.
"Let me show you to the dining room, I'll have Monika cook something up for you." Ines followed the Doctor through the maze-like structure of the house. Ines wondered how anyone could navigate such a large building daily. Eventually they came to the dining room, which was more of a cafeteria. Most likely, this was where patients ate. The room was occupied by a large wooden table lined with wooden stools.
"Go ahead and take a seat. I'll be back soon with dinner." The Doctor walked off, towards the kitchen.
Ines sat down at one of the stools and waited patiently for the promised food. Eventually, the Doctor returned with a cart containing rather delicious looking food. He set a steak down in front of her, and a bowl of soup and a breadbasket behind it. He reached under the cart and fetched a plate of vegetables and a plate with a slice of strawberry cake, which he put behind the other food.
Ines eyed the meal longingly, mouth watering. She was nervous though. She had never been offered a full meal before; she didn't know how to respond.
"Don't be shy. As of today, you're part of the family." The Doctor spoke warmly, encouraging the girl to eat.
Ines looked at him in shock. Had she just been offered a family? A home? She could barely believe what was happening, or even process it. If she was dreaming, she didn't feel like waking up any time soon. Her eyes began watering once again, as she nodded and dug into the meal. She ate so fast that her stomach started to ache a little. She couldn't help it; she hadn't had this much to eat for as long as she could remember.
The Doctor gave a warm chuckle. "I'm glad to see that you're enjoying the food! I'll be right back, there's someone I'd like you to meet."
Ines eyed him curiously, as she hadn't seen anyone else in the house. At first, she assumed it was Monika, his wife who cooked the food, but why be so vague about it if that were the case?
As Ines finished up her dinner, she heard footsteps down the hall. She stood up, wiping her face with a napkin.
In walked the Doctor, carrying a baby wrapped in a blanket. Ines's eyes widened as the Doctor knelt down and offered her the child. "This is Aya. Your little sister."
"I'm gonna be a big sister?" Ines took the baby and cradled her in her arms. "Hi Aya, it's me! Your big sister!"
After dinner, Ines was taken to the bathroom. it was the first time she'd been able to brush her teeth or bathe in two years. She changed into her pajamas and made her way to the bedroom where she found her dress. As she lay in bed, she thought of all that had happened that day. She'd gone from being thrown out on the streets by a greedy merchant, to being adopted by a kind, loving family, in only a few hours. She couldn't help but smile as she stared at the ceiling. For the first time in two years, she was able to drift off to sleep in a warm bed with a full stomach.
Ines had been living at the house for a few months, learning the layout of the house, helping with chores, and playing with the young Aya in her cradle. The Doctor had surprisingly not found anything wrong with her aside from the symptoms of malnutrition, which were quickly resolving themselves thanks to Monika. Her scrapes and bruises healed, and she gradually became more fit and healthy. The Doctor was pleased at her progress.
One day, the doctor had Ines come down to the operating room. She was confused as to why, as her yearly checkup had only been a few months prior, and she wasn't feeling sick. She waited patiently, sitting on one of the operating tables and kicking her feet back and forth with anticipation.
Soon the doctor arrived. Ines casually turned her head to see the Doctor, his usual warm, gentle smile replace with a manic grin. In his hands was a large chainsaw, one Ines had seen him operating before. She's always been told to stay away from the operating room unless told otherwise, and she'd been too afraid to question these instructions. Afraid to lose her new family, afraid to be cast out on the streets again for failing to obey such a simple rule. Now it seemed she had another reason to be afraid. A far more immediate, primal fear.
Ines was frozen with fear. She wanted to ask why. Why was the Doctor doing this? Why had he invited her here, only to betray her like this? But the words wouldn't form. Her arms and legs wouldn't move either, she was completely paralyzed with fear.
The Doctor walked up to her and revved up the chainsaw. He spoke loudly, maniacally over the sound of the motor. "DON'T WORRY INES! I KNOW IT'S SCARRY NOW BUT IT'S OK! I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU INTO A BEAUTIFUL DOOL! YOU'LL BE PRESERVED IN YOUR YOUTHFUL, INNOCENT STATE FOREVER! ISN'T THAT JUST WONDERFULL!?" He burst out into mad laughter, and as he brought the chainsaw down, Ines let out a petrified shriek.