I stare at the humongous metal gate as Emma walks towards it and puts her hands on the bars like what prisoners would do in those books that I read.
"What is this?" I hear Emma say, I walk forwards to get a closer look to see a long stone brick hallway with gears near the top, what could this be?
"It's a gate. It connects the inside and outside." Ray said, I turned around to see him standing behind me, I backed away from the gate and stand next to him.
"Outside, huh? We've never been outside." Emma acknowledged Ray's statement, I stand a little shorter than Ray since I'm younger than them by one year.
"That's because we've never been outside, we've been here ever since we have been born," Norman responds to Emma.
"I've always wondered what's outside of here," I said, still looking at the gate, then Emma turned to me.
"Mom always tells us, doesn't she? 'Don't go near the gate or the fence in the back of the forest because it's dangerous.'" I was about to talk before Ray butts in.
"That's obviously a lie," Ray said to no one in particular, why would that be a lie? Mom has never lied to us before.
"Really?" Emma said, confused I hear some footsteps in the forest but I ignore them to hear Emma talk.
"Hey, Ray. What do you want to do if you go outside?" I mean we are all in an orphanage, we will all find a family and see the outside world.
"I don't know. What about you?" Ray deflected Emma's question.
"I want to ride a giraffe!" Emma yells with enthusiasm, how are you gonna ride a giraffe are they not too tall?
"Good luck." Ray then puts his back to the gate, leaning on it.
"I want to see a large forest with rivers, and actual animals like in the books we read," I said my answer out loud.
"See what Kenton said. That's way more reasonable than riding a giraffe." Ray said to Emma.
"Hey! Riding a giraffe is reasonable!" Emma said to Ray, I was about to laugh but then Norman cuts in out of nowhere.
"I wonder what this gate is protecting us from," Norman said and everyone went silent. Staring at the Exit. The footsteps I heard earlier are going closer and I turn and everyone turns around also and we see Aki, a 10-year-old.
"Aki!" I run-up to the older girl and higher, she is like a big sister to me.
"Hey Kenton, what is everyone doing here," Aki said to us, with a beaming smile, I look at her neck and see an amulet, I wonder what is in it?
"We ran a little too far in our game of tag," Ray responds fast, but that didn't happen? We searched for the gate.
"Well, come on now, It's almost lunchtime." She said to us while jumping into the trees, I've always liked the trees, she is the one who taught me how to tree jump.
*Time Skip to Aki being Shipped off*
Today is the night before Aki's birthday before she gets sent to her new family. Two years have passed since Emma, Normal, Ray, and I had our conversation at the gate. I wish Aki could stay here with us, but she is her own person and she will grow up with her family. The door suddenly creeks and in the dark I see Aki coming inside. We are the only ones up at this time of night. She tip-toes over to my bed and sits on it.
"Hey, Kenton." SHe said to me in a sad voice, why is she sad? She is going to her new family.
"Hey Aki, are you ready to see your new family?" I said to her and she visibly tenses up, why is she tense?
"Listen, Kenton, have my amulet, and when you learn the truth and escape this nightmare then can you open it." She explained to me, and then she took her amulet off and put it around my neck. What does that even mean? We are safe here with Mom.
"Kenton, please figure out, please. For my sake and your own." She then hugs me like it's her last time seeing me. I have no clue what is happening or what she said but I hug her back. A couple of seconds pass and she breaks the hug and goes down to her bed with a slight limp, what had happened.
The next day rolls around and Aki acts like she didn't say anything to me, I am so confused, but I best leave it be for now. At breakfast I pick at my food and try to understand what she said, I look up and also see Aki picking at her food. Before I can get up and talk to her I feel a hand on my shoulder, I turn around to see Emma, who is now 8 years old.
"Kenton, what's wrong, you seem sad? Oh right, Aki goes off to her new family today. It's ok, you will always have us!" Emma said to me, I stared at her smile and I have energy that I didn't know I had.
"Yea, your right, I should be down about something like this," I said to Emma, Emma then walks away and I actually start eating my food. Once I finish I look at Aki again and see her staring at me, I make nothing of it.
Evening rolled around and I'm sticking close to Aki, we haven't said a word to each other since yesterday night but I can just glance at her and I know how she is feeling, overwhelming guilt and a feeling of sadness and defeat, like she lost at a game. We walk down the hallway to the main area and she suddenly hugs me and said in my ear.
"I'm so sorry Kenton, I failed to protect you, since I can't protect myself, please learn the truth." She then runs off to the main and just leaves me. I made it to the main area just in time to hear all the orphans yelling bye to Aki, I stood behind the wall and peek my head just to see Aki staring at me before turning around and leaving the orphanage, supposedly forever. I ran back off into our bedrooms with tears in my eyes, confused, and sad at the same time. I sit on my bed for a second and then get in bed and fall asleep.