On a humid August morning, Ororo strode with purpose from her palatial home on the edge of a Kenyan village and walked to the rose garden in her walled and heavily guarded grounds. Her fortieth birthday approached, and she felt shame course through her fatigued body. She had welcomed the year 1899 with trepidation and rightfully so. "Priestess," she greeted an elderly woman in colorful dress. "I hope you come bearing news of prosperity."
The priestess sat on a stone bench and glanced at her serene ruler's clothing. "You continue to westernize yourself, Ororo," she said with great disappointment.
"You chided my mother with the same words," Ororo replied with a warm smile and sat beside her. "Do you like the roses? They were a gift from the Warnock family of Manhattan, New York City."
"Mr Warnock is a persistent man," she commented with lines crinkled across her aged brow.
"I won't allow him to use our land for his own deviant purposes," Ororo responded calmly,
The priestess gazed at the proud African princess who had recently regained her noble right to rule. "If you accept a gift from a man with impure thoughts, he will become more cunning than the hungriest of leopards stalking their prey."
Ororo smiled at the woman's peculiar phrase. "Priestess, while I appreciate my mother respected you, you must understand, as soon-to-be Queen, I have intimate knowledge of diplomacy. The Warnocks are a family of tradition with connections to Royalty in their native Britain. He recognizes the word 'no' when he hears it."
"Men with money despise the word," the Priestess warned and gazed at the roses. "When do you leave for America?"
"Tomorrow morning," Ororo responded and abandoned the bench to admire the flowers. "It will only be a short trip of two weeks."
"Your true destiny awaits you when you arrive on the shore of the bustling city," she replied with a knowing smile.
Ororo glanced at her with slight intrigue. "Did you have another premonition?"
The Priestess stood, resting her wrinkled hand on her walking stick. She approached Ororo. "Your time as Queen will be of great importance but will become second to that of a mother."
With her eyes a sudden shade of white, Ororo admonished the priestess. "You know I'm unable to have children naturally," she replied in a hurt tone. "Why would you promise motherhood to me?"
She gazed at Ororo. "A child awaits you in New York City, without a home or parents to care for her," she replied in a soothing tone, relying on her walking stick to keep her upright. "She steals, begs and borrows without any intention of returning the objects. Pawning them for money to purchase food, she is moving closer each hour to an orphanage run by a tyrant. One day she will become a powerful mutant force in our ever-changing world. If you greet your destiny and adopt the child, she will save civilization in the future."
Ororo returned her gaze to the roses. She respected the Priestess' powers but could never imagine it as her reality. "When did you have this premonition?"
The Priestess turned to retreat to her room. "It occurs every night, Ororo. The girl is orphaned and alone, much like you were when your parents were tragically taken from us."
Those words penetrated her past trauma and Ororo gazed at the Priestess. "How will I recognize her?"
"Your brave one has two distinctive white stripes in her hair and talks with a peculiar accent," she replied and left Ororo alone in the garden.
Ororo gently removed a dead leaf from the tallest rose and contemplated her destiny. She understood life as an orphan and felt troubled when she walked toward her sprawling home. Her thoughts were in uncharted territory and the disarray in her mind continued when she paused to speak to the housemaid. "Make sure the third bedroom overlooking the garden is furnished appropriately in time for my return," she said, walking to the staircase.
"Yes, Ma'am," the housemaid replied, respectfully curtsying.
She paused on the eighth step and glanced at the maid. "On second thoughts, dress the room that connects to mine. I have the sneaking suspicion my guest will be troublesome."
#
The journey through the rough, swollen ocean toward New York City left Ororo untroubled. She had brought along extra security detail who positioned themselves outside her luxurious cabin throughout the many days and nights. She engrossed herself in books that detailed parenting and by day five she had read enough. She snapped the book closed when she read the author's clumsy attempt to outlaw corporal punishment. "It's absurd to even think of raising a child without chastisement," she complained and continued to be appalled while she reached for her cabin window. She opened it and dropped the book into the ocean.
By the time she arrived in New York City, a thunderstorm greeted her ashore. She smiled at the weather with a graceful climb into a waiting carriage. Her security busied themselves with countless safety measures while she held meetings with a prominent family attorney and an African ambassador. She ordered the ambassador to contact his American counterparts because she wished to visit every orphanage in the city. As the day grew to a close, she sat at her dressing table and brushed her hair. She gazed at her reflection and felt trepidation for the days ahead and hoped to fulfill her destiny.
#
Three days of active searches had provided Ororo with feet that ached and a migraine that often sent her to bed early. On day four, she entered the ninth orphanage flanked by two men from her security team. The family attorney and two delegates from the local government followed her. She walked toward a door and overheard the crack of a paddle against bare flesh. It landed with great force, and she could hear a child's cries. She waited patiently for the punishment to end.
After many minutes had passed, Ororo started to frown as the sounds of the harsh punishment continued. She walked to the door and pushed it with great force. It swung open and thudded against the wall.
The woman who ran the orphanage scowled with a paddle in one hand and the other holding the hem of a girl's dress. "Who the hell are you?"
Over the cries of the blonde-haired orphan, Ororo's gaze hardened. "I'm here to relieve you of your duties," she replied steadily and crossed the room. With a show of disregard for the woman's authority, she snatched the paddle from her and dropped it in the trash can. She glanced at the two government officials. "You need to hire a new governess for this orphanage."
They nodded in agreement, afraid of Ororo. "Yes, of course," one of them replied, taking a pen and a set of papers from his briefcase.
The irate woman pushed the girl away from her and watched as she fled the room. "I'm not having a couple of darkies come in here and fire me from my job."
Ororo glanced at the government officials and the attorney. "Will you vacate the room for a moment, I need a private word with the recently unemployed governess." She waited for the men to leave and smiled with reassurance at her security detail who waited outside.
Her eyes clouded white, and a deafening rumble of thunder loomed over the roof of the orphanage. A sudden bolt of lightning slammed against the desk and left charred wood in its wake. The room smelled of burned embers and she approached the woman with deliberate calmness. As soon as she picked the woman's nameplate up, the desk cracked in half and crashed to the floor. She read the name and watched the panicked woman. "Ms Salter, I think you owe me an apology for the vile rudeness you displayed when you decided to use racism as a means to comfort your unemployed and immensely incompetent behind."
At the second brutal rumble of thunder overhead, the terrified Ms Salter issued an apology. "I apologize for my slip of the tongue," she stuttered.
"You knew perfectly well what you were saying, Ms Salter. You aren't the first racist I have encountered," Ororo replied with narrowed eyes. "Before I have you evicted from the premises, do you have a girl here with an unusual hairstyle?"
Ms Salter gave a single nod and edged closer toward the exit. She almost tripped over her feet in the rush to reach the doorknob.
"Where is she?" Ororo asked while her eyes faded to their normal shade.
"Upstairs in room two," she answered and rushed into the secure arms of the security detail.
"After you have apologized to my men, you have five minutes to pack your belongings before they escort you to the exit," Ororo warned serenely and climbed the staircase.
#
Ororo discovered room two with little assistance and stepped inside the cluttered space. It was littered with dozens of beds and noisy and disheveled children playing games. They all turned to face her, and she smiled. "Do you have a girl with an unusual hairstyle and peculiar accent in this room?"
Five of the girls instantly pointed to the bed furthest from the door. Ororo thanked them and watched as they ran from the room to play in the small yard. She approached the bed with a frown and noticed two bare and dirty feet poking out from under the bed. She glanced down at the filthy carpet and sighed as she crouched on her knees to peer under the bed. "Are you alright?"
The girl looked at her, wild-eyed and scared. She shook her head and continued to stare.
Ororo noticed the two distinctive white stripes in the girl's hair. She smiled to herself because she had finally found her destiny. "Would you consider sharing your worries with me?"
"Ah heard thunder," the girl whispered, terrified and wide-eyed.
"It won't hurt you," she promised the girl and held out her hand.
The girl looked at the hand and considered whether to trust the woman. "Is Ms Salter gonna come?"
"'Gonna' isn't a word, you mean going to," Ororo corrected with a slight smile. "And you don't have to worry about Ms Salter any longer, she is going to be replaced by a more efficient and less wicked governess."
When she learned the news, she reached for the hand and held it. "Is she really gonna leave?"
Ororo gently pulled her from under the bed and stood. She gazed at the small girl's stained and tatty appearance. "Yes, she's going to leave," she replied, emphasizing the correct words. "What's your name and how old are you, Brave One?"
"Ah'm Anna, Ah ain't brave and Ah'm only six," she complained with a comical scowl.
After Ororo glanced at what consisted of several other clothes that were soiled with mud beside the bedside, she walked the girl toward the door. "It's nice to meet you, Anna who's only six," she said gently. "And I think you're brave for surviving on the streets. Did you do it alone?"
Anna shook her head and jumped down each step when they reached the staircase. "Ah had older friends and they got taken by the state."
"Be careful you don't fall," Ororo warned and held the girl's hand with a tighter grip. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she noticed the girl shrink back when Ms Salter passed them. When Anna attempted to hide behind her dress, Ororo frowned and guided her to stand in front with a straight posture. "Ms Salter?" she called.
The woman stopped and looked between the guards on either side of her before she glared at Ororo and the brat. "What do you want now?"
"You owe this child an apology for any mistreatment she suffered," Ororo stated and returned the gaze.
Ms Salter's grip tightened on the handle of her battered suitcase. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings, Anna-Marie," she said in a sickly-sweet voice.
Ororo sighed and gazed at the local officials. "I think Ms Salter deserves to be investigated for every child she failed, mistreated and tormented under her care," she told them and received nods of compliance. Satisfied her wishes would be followed, she smiled down at the girl. "Come along, you have a warm bubble bath and fresh clothes waiting for you at the hotel."
"You can't just take her!" Ms Salter exclaimed as she was forced from the steps of the orphanage.
"If I wanted to hear your opinion, I would have asked for it," Ororo replied as she helped Anna into the waiting carriage. She glanced over her shoulder and shot a small lightning bolt at the woman's suitcase. Singed clothes spilled from the hole she had created in the leather. With a smile, she entered the carriage and sat beside the girl.
A scared Ms Salter dropped her destroyed suitcase and watched the horse-drawn carriage travel down the street until it was out of sight.
#
Ororo waited in the hotel suite and ordered the maid to fetch smaller sets of clothes for the child. She had failed to realize how slight the girl appeared to be and if she had her way, she would have Ms Salter jailed for child cruelty. She crossed the room and sat opposite the attorney at the table. "Are these the necessary forms?"
"Necessary and forged," he told her quietly. "In this country going through the official channels takes time, Mrs Munroe. If you want to leave with the child in the next week or two, we have to file the paperwork this way."
"I'm unmarried and aware of the proper channels," she replied as she picked up the pen. "I'm not a heathen, I'm a strong-minded woman with a child I wish to adopt." She read the paperwork closely and had a sudden thought. "Is it too late for me to make several improvements to her name?"
He took a set of fresh forms from his briefcase. "I had a feeling you would want to make last-minute changes," he replied and slid the papers to her.
"Thank you," she said, putting pen to paper as she completed the fake birth registration form again. She wrote her name under mother, drew a double line in the box under father, then completed the rest of the form. "Anna Jasiri D'Nare Munroe is a more suitable name for the girl."
He looked at her with merriment in his tone because he thought the name sounded ludicrous. "That's certainly a mouthful," he told her. "What do the 'D' and the 'J' words mean?"
D'Nare had been Ororo's mother's name. She stared at the attorney until he stopped smiling. "Jasiri means brave in Swahili," she replied with impatience at his amusement evident as she signed her name and handed him the form. "Now, file these forms tonight. I've decided to return home as soon as possible."
"I'll try my best," he replied and placed the forms in his briefcase. He took the pen back, bid her goodnight and left the hotel suite.
#
Ororo glanced at the grandfather clocked and wondered why it had taken forty minutes to bath the girl. She went to the bathroom and heard a commotion inside.
Anna scooted across the bathtub and ducked the water jug again. She shoved it and it almost toppled and soaked the maid.
The maid grew tired of the naughty girl's behavior and looked relieved when Ororo strolled into the room. "I'm having trouble with her, Ma'am," she complained and wished she had been assigned to care for other hotel guests.
"I understand," Ororo replied in a kind tone, then gave the child a stern glance. She took Anna's hands and pulled her to her feet in the bathtub. She sharply swatted the girl's behind six times to match her age before she sat her in the bathtub. "Please try again," she told the maid.
Anna sniffled sadly and let the maid pour the water over her soapy hair. She snapped her eyes closed when the water washed the soap away. When she opened her eyes again only the maid remained in the room.
#
Anna wandered around her bedroom and stood on her tiptoes to reach a green paperweight on the mantlepiece. She held it close because she liked the color of it. Her short attention span sent her in another direction, and she picked up a book. She looked through it and wondered what the words said. It looked like a real smart book to her.
When Ororo entered the room, she gasped. "Anna, where are your clothes?!" She quickly gathered the nightgown and a pair of ruffled panties from the nearby armchair and shooed the girl to the bed. "It's unladylike not to dress after your bath."
"Are ya gonna swat meh again?" she asked with a worried look and moved to the bed.
"No, I'm not going to swat you," an exasperated Ororo replied, taking the paperweight and book from the girl. She returned them to their rightful places and dressed the girl in the nightclothes. "It's very late and you should be asleep."
"Am Ah stayin' here now?" Anna said, curious about why she was still at the hotel.
Ororo pulled the sheets back and patted the bed. "In you get," she ordered, a thankful smile on her face when she obeyed. "Good girl," she said, tucking her in. She perched on the edge of the bed and held the girl's hand. "Do you know what adoption means?"
Anna nodded and looked at her. "Ah'm six," she said. "That means Ah know everythin'."
"Children don't know everything," she informed the girl gently. "I adopted you today. It means you never have to return to the orphanage again."
She stared intently at the woman for a long time. "Ya skin is different to mine," she finally pointed out.
"Is that going to be a problem?" Ororo asked her, still holding the girl's hand.
Anna shook her head. "Ah like it, it makes ya special."
Ororo smiled at the response and squeezed her hand softly. "Did you like the name Anna-Marie?"
"Ah hate it," she scowled, standing up to show how much she despised the name. She stamped her foot. "Ah really hate it."
Amused by the girl's antics, Ororo stood too. "I hope you don't mind me changing your name, then."
She thought about it and gave a shrug. "What's mah name?"
"Anna Jasiri D'Nare Munroe," a proud Ororo announced, taken aback when the girl frowned. "Don't you like it? Jasiri means brave."
"Can't ya just call meh Brave?" she said, thinking it through. "It sounds real good to meh. Ah could be called Brave everywhere Ah go."
"It's time for you to sleep, Brave Munroe," Ororo replied with a smile and settled her in bed. She once again tucked Anna in and then patted her hand. "Good, brave girls go to sleep when they're told, or they are spanked. Did you know that?"
She shook her head because it was the first time she had heard about it. "Is that one of those things grownups call rules?"
"Yes, it's a very important rule," she replied as she smoothed the wrinkles from the bedsheets. "And whoever pressed these sheets needs to be spanked too." She walked to the door and glanced at the girl. "Goodnight, Anna."
Anna waved at her and settled in bed. It was the first time she had clean sheets and proper clothes since she could remember. She smiled to herself and rested her head on the pillow. "Mah name's Brave Munroe," she whispered. "Ah'm Brave Munroe, nice to meet ya."
#
When Ororo left the bedroom, a butler informed her she had a guest seated in the lounge. She walked in to find a huge man with wild hair and a smirk sat in a plump and dainty chair. "You look ridiculous sitting there," she told him.
He gave a shrug and picked up his glass of whisky. "You gave any more thought to Warnock's offer?"
"How many times do I have to decline it?" she questioned and continued to watch him.
"You have plenty of land, let him put it to use," he said roughly. "It ain't like you Kenyans care about the jewels. You wouldn't know a diamond if it bit you on that shapely ass of yours."
Ororo walked over to him and snatched the glass from his hand. "I've heard enough from you tonight, Victor," she replied and drank his whisky in one shot. She handed him the empty glass and looked at him. "The answer is still no, so leave before I open the window and evict you with a gale-force wind."
He stood to his feet and growled. "You listen here," he told her and jabbed a finger in her face.
Their squabble was interrupted by a curious Anna. She wandered to the lounge and looked between them. "Are ya fightin'?"
A gruff Victor looked down at Ororo, then eyed the kid. He growled. "What the hell's that?"
Anna was happy to introduce herself even as Ororo walked over to her. "Ah'm Brave Munroe, nice to meet ya," she said and held out her hand for Victor to shake.
"She's the soon-to-be spanked Brave Munroe," Ororo corrected the girl and pulled her away from Victor's reach. She glanced at him and sighed. "Just leave. I'm exhausted tonight and I don't have time for another one of our quarrels."
Victor set the glass down on the tabletop and grunted. He grabbed his hat and wondered what the hell she would want with a kid. "I'll be back soon enough," he warned her and stalked to the exit.
"What did I tell you about going to sleep, Anna?" Ororo asked the girl and walked her back to the bedroom.
Anna paid no attention to the question because she had plenty of her own. "Who was he? He looked real angry at ya. Is he gonna spank ya when Ah go to bed?"
Ororo looked shocked. "Of course not, I would never let a man mistreat me." She led Anna straight to the bed, and she sat down. "It's time for me to spank you."
"Why do ya want to mistreat meh?" Anna said, using Ororo's logic against her.
As she lowered the girl's underwear, she paused for thought. "When adults are naughty they go to jail," she explained and patted her lap.
Anna laid herself over the lap and Ororo gathered the hem of the nightdress and guided it to the middle of her back. She landed a swat. "When young children like you are naughty, they get a spanking." She landed another sharp swat, followed by another.
The girl squirmed when the smacks continued to land. She soon kicked her feet hard enough for her underwear to take flight and land on the carpet. The swats landed with a crack and a smack, and she whimpered and balled her fists. The smacking continued and there seemed no end in sight to the punishment. Eventually, she started to cry and then sob.
Ororo slowed the pace of the swats and focused on the girl's thighs. She smacked her palm almost a dozen times on the sit spots. "You will stay in bed and go to sleep when I tell you to, young lady. I will not tolerate disobedience and you won't interrupt my meetings without an invitation." She landed one more stinging smack and stopped the punishment, and slowly helped Anna to her feet. "Go pick your panties up."
The sobbing Anna fetched her underwear from the floor and carried them over to Ororo. "Good girl," Ororo said and helped her put them back on. She stood up and patted the bed. "In you get and no more naughtiness."
Anna climbed into bed and continued to sob. Ororo tucked her in and kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, Brave Munroe," she whispered softly and left the room.
In between sobs, Anna still thought a spanked butt was better than the orphanage because nobody had paddled her or locked her in the closest. She soothed herself to sleep and whispered as she closed her eyes, "Mah name's Brave Munroe."