pWhen light began to fuzz red into my bleakless black. A roaring pain ran up my right arm. Searing pain, ripping pain. Pain that would make tears rush to your eyes, cause you whimper, and stomp around because it hurt so much. Boy, it burned! I bit into my lip to stifle a groan, but it came out anyways. My left hand tried to move to rub it, but heavy, cloth-like things held me down. Letting my grey eyes flutter open, I saw a quilt covering my body, and realized I didn't have a quilt at home. Especially, a rainbow-colored one with little flowers and teddy bears! I had a nice blanket that went from dark red to yellow, and it did not have flowers. I hated flowers. And teddy bears. The room I was in wasn't what you would call homey, either. Stone walls? How attractive! Maybe in medieval days, but no one I knows still has grey stone walls with wooden floors, and wooden bookshelves and dressers. Also, there were a couple more beds like mine lining the room's walls, all empty.
pRubbing my eyes with my left hand, I sat up in bed and looked wide-eyed around. My itty-bitty hands gave proof that I was still dreaming, or something like that. But that guy wasn't around, and peeking out a window, I saw a stretch of blue ocean and a lighthouse stretched from a white beach on a thin peninsula. The sun shone brightly in. It fell onto a cluster of childish toys, a pair of ratty sneakers,
and an open coloring book with crayon scratched into its surface. On bookshelves children books, decorations, and pens lay. Where bookshelves didn't line the wall, three dressers did and so did pictures and photographs. Small oval rugs were randomly spread on the floor, mainly in front of beds. I even spotted a battered rocking-dragon with chipped paint in an empty corner. A pair of pants were on its saddle, plain and stiff.
pPushing back the heavy quilt, I realized I had lost my adidas shirt and was wearing a fleece nightgown. It was white with frilly pink edges, princess sleeves, buttons on the top part, and small, pink roses spread throughout. My right arm was also wrapped in gauze, a thin line of red visible. Searching the bed, I found my stuffed Mikey at the foot. Immediatly, I grasped it and hugged it to my chest, enjoying the soft fur. Hopping from the bed, I landed barefoot on the cold, wooden floor.
p"Brrr--" I said as coldness rushed up my spine. Taking a few steps forward to a heavy, wooden door, I almost tripped over a wooden truck and ugly-faced doll with marker decorating its face.
pFor one of the first times since I was like five or six, I had to look upwards to the doorknob. Reaching upwards, I grasped the steel knob with my left hand, and pulled. With a few grunts and lots of strain, I was able to creep it open just enough to have the ability to slip out.
pA drafty hallway greeted me with plants decorating its hallways. The sound of children laughing and playing poured in from a room at the end. The smell of warm cookies and other baked treats also came. A hungry murmur - no rupture - sounded from my stomach, not avoidable. A caring voice, but strict sounded as something smashed, and a children cried. As I walked closer to the door, feet silent, the cries stopped. A thick and heavy masculine voice said something, and a familiar, but unfamiliar laugh sounded. Chairs scraped, someone snorted, and gleeful shouts sounded when I was right by the door. Reaching up, I placed my fingers on the doorknob, took a deep breath and twisted it open to a small crack.
pPeeking inside, I saw a young lady with long black hair and wearing a plain, black dress, walked around a rectangular table passing out treats to noisy and hyper children. The kids ranged from five to ten, in different shapes and sizes. They seemed happy as they munched on their cookies and sipped milk. A girl with her back to me and long golden-brown curls chirped on how the cookies tasted as good as her Mom's. Smiling, the lady patted her head. With a quick thanks, she went to sit in a lone chiar, and gave all the children warm looks.
pI closed the door and shivered. That lady was hauntingly familiar. Hearing feet pattering on the ground behind me, I turned sharply on my heel.
pComing my way with a green shirt on and plain jeans a young boy was walking, eyes an empty blue. He had shaggy brown hair that came to his chin in thick, heavy layers. With his sharp face, he almost reminded me of a younger version of the man with the machine gun. The boy looked four or barely five, at least four inches taller than I was at the time. With hands caved deep in his pockets, his solemn look, and droopy walk, he reminded of those sad children you always saw on World Vision or Sponser A child programs. When he was withing three feet of me, he stopped, and just looked at him blankly.
pI stared right back at him. "Oh! Sorry!" I scooted out of the door's way. "Go in if you want."
pNibbling on his bottom lip, he shook his head. "No. . ." Turning around, he headed back down the hall, and disappeared into an unknown.
p"Strange kid who denies the call of cookies," I said to myself. Clutching Mikey even more firmly, I cocked my head. He had been familiar, just like that woman I had saw in the kitchen.
pWith hunger gnawing at my stomach, I finally decided to enter. This time, more noisily, I yanked open the door. To my dismay the torturous smell of chocolate chip assaulted me as did the eyes of the people surrounding the table.
pFriendly brown eyes fell on me, ones I was used to see everyday at school. Looking to the girl with dark golden curls, I looked into a face I new so well, but younger. She had on a mischief smile I knew well and a glimmer in her eyes. With her ever present freckles and young face, she reminded me of a picture I had seen of her while flipping through her photo albums, but without bangs.
pIt was Dominique!!! Here in my strange dream!
pBefore I could jump up and down excited, or run up to her and give her a big hug, the lady with black hair stood up. Walking over, she placed her hands on her knees. "So you're Aimee, huh? I'm Matron. It's nice to meet you when you are awake."
pMy jaw must of hit the floor and bounced back up that second. With eyes like a doe caught in the headlights, I looked over Matron's shoulders to meet Dom's eyes. She gave a nod to my suspicions.
pMatron gave a smile. "Your cousin Dominique is sitting at the table if you want to join her."
pCousin!? Well, it was a good allaby for why Dom knew me.
p"So, you feeling better?" she asked gently.
pI gave a weak laugh. This was all too much to take. "Much better," I squeaked.
p"Well, how would you like some lunch. The others already finished theirs, but I have some soup waiting for you." Taking my hand, she led me over to a chair beside grinning Dominique and a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and green suspenders. She actually helped me up, something I could do myself even if I was the size of a four year old. Then she walked to the counter.
pI leaned towards Dom. "What the hell is going on?" I asked in a hushed whisper.
pHer grin fell. "Let's just say, my wish came true!"
pWith fear in my eyes, I looked at her. Pursing my lips, I clamped my hands into fists to prevent myself from screaming. "How nice," I said through gritted teeth.
pBefore Dominique could answer, the girl beside me turned to me with a wide smile. "Hi! I'm Selphie!" Her voice was slurred and her "l" didn't come out too well.
p"Nice to meet you," I said throwing my head in her direction. My eyed were still wide and the horrified look was still on my face.
pDom tried to throw in more words toward me, but someone yelled "meanie" and another "cry-baby zell" and someone cried. My eyes shot from all the other faces at the table. Many I couldn't recognize, but a sorted few were to be permanently haunting me for a long time: Quistis Trepe, Irvine Keannis, Zell Dincht, along with Selphie Tilmitt, and unscarred Seifer Almasy who seemed to be enjoying taunting whiny Zell. The whole gang there, but Squall. Oh, wait! He was that creepy kid in the hall! And when I turned my head to the right, I spotted Cid Kramer lecturing a young boy beside him. That boy looked oddly familiar, and when I put two and two together I realized it was Raijin. Beside him was Fuijin, but without the eyepatch. I never knew they were at the orphanage, but go figure. All I was waiting for was Rinoa to pop up or Ultimecia even! Still, without them, I was petrified.
p"Scary, isn't it?" Dom whispered into my ear. "And to believe I have been living with them through the last two days or so...you should see Squall. He's so fricken' tiny!"
pI gritted my teeth. "Already saw him. Depressing child, if I do say so myself."
p"Here you go," Edea Kramer said placing a steamy bowl of soup in front of me. It reeked of unknown substances and was an odd brown. "Grat soup is good for you, eat up."
pIn horror, I looked up to her. "But wouldn't that be unhealthy since grats are poisonous?"
pShe smiled. "Don't worry; when cooked they aren't harmful." She strolled back to her chair.
pI stared at in fear. "How, lovely."
P"It's ucky!" Selphie said towards me with a cupped hand. She lifted up a crumbly cookie. "This good!"
pI looked around the kitchen. Nothing would give me the guts to try it, not even a gun to the head. "Where's Nanook when you need him?"
pEventually, after a few minutes of staring at it, I ate the soup. It wasn't that bad. Mainly, it reminded me of bile that sometimes builds up in your throat when you burp. Let's just say, chocolate cookies never tasted so heavenly after that.
pcenter*****/center
p"Colorin' fun," Selphie said with a lisp as she streaked red crayon across a page.
pAll the kids were in the playroom, an hour later, scattered around. Dom and I colored with blabby Selphie who could not understand the concept of between the lines or touch your own work. Seated with short-haired Irvine, Zell attempted to make some type of building out of blocks. Quistis seemed to enjoy trying to decipher books to Raijin, who enjoyed every moment and staring at the pictures. Fuijin played dolls with some unknown dolls - very violent dolls. Seifer sat down with random kids, bored, moved on, and tried to bug people. He finally settled playing army men with a kid called Rad. And as for Squall, he sat alone in a corner, invisible and staring at a book. I had tried to converse with Squall, but he walked away. Dom later told me she had tried to become friends with him, but his depressing attitude was too much for her and she stopped.
pI lightly colored in a cartoon child with red crayon. To my dismay, they only had eight or nine colors, so I had to layer to get the right effect. It was kind of boring and unchallenging and I would of preferred to do something else, like draw! But the fricking pencils were too bulky, hard to grip, and seemed to like breaking. ARGGGHHH!!!!
p"Hey!" cried a kid. It was Irvine. "We should play war!"
pAnd so we were thrown into an exciting game of war. Actually, it wasn't that exciting. Dom and I quickly slaughtered them all, even the cheaters, within ten minutes flat. Accidentally, I swear, I bumped into Zell and he fell, cried, and ran off to Matron. Even with Seifer's boasting of being the smartest, Dom was able to corner him early in the game, and put him out of his misery. Selphie went down with a bang, struggling to the very end, and killed by running into Mikey who had been designated as a monster. Frankly, that designation offended me, but it helped us win the game. Dominique also had a monster, a stuffed mannequin that could supposedly kill you with its ice blast. I think Dom was just getting overboard. Ice blast? Come on!
pQuistis refused to play, but we tagged her dead anyways. And as for Irvine, the last of all the kids to be defeated, Dom took him out with her jumping-out-of-the-closet-onto-victims trick. In the end, after ten gruelling minutes, we came out as victors who had won nothing.
p"Good night, Dom" I said that night crawling into bed. Snuggling under my covers, I closed my eyes as she responded. My arm was still sore, a little numb, but did nothing to prevent me from sleeping.
pWith the sounds of the ocean pounding against a shore, stars twinkling, and the soft breathing of children, I fell asleep in the Stone Orphanage for the first night. By then, I knew it wasn't a dream, but reality
pbrbrbrcenter______--------______/centerbrWow, second part is done! Let's just say many parts left, too. Read and Review and win a prize! Not!/br/p
pRubbing my eyes with my left hand, I sat up in bed and looked wide-eyed around. My itty-bitty hands gave proof that I was still dreaming, or something like that. But that guy wasn't around, and peeking out a window, I saw a stretch of blue ocean and a lighthouse stretched from a white beach on a thin peninsula. The sun shone brightly in. It fell onto a cluster of childish toys, a pair of ratty sneakers,
and an open coloring book with crayon scratched into its surface. On bookshelves children books, decorations, and pens lay. Where bookshelves didn't line the wall, three dressers did and so did pictures and photographs. Small oval rugs were randomly spread on the floor, mainly in front of beds. I even spotted a battered rocking-dragon with chipped paint in an empty corner. A pair of pants were on its saddle, plain and stiff.
pPushing back the heavy quilt, I realized I had lost my adidas shirt and was wearing a fleece nightgown. It was white with frilly pink edges, princess sleeves, buttons on the top part, and small, pink roses spread throughout. My right arm was also wrapped in gauze, a thin line of red visible. Searching the bed, I found my stuffed Mikey at the foot. Immediatly, I grasped it and hugged it to my chest, enjoying the soft fur. Hopping from the bed, I landed barefoot on the cold, wooden floor.
p"Brrr--" I said as coldness rushed up my spine. Taking a few steps forward to a heavy, wooden door, I almost tripped over a wooden truck and ugly-faced doll with marker decorating its face.
pFor one of the first times since I was like five or six, I had to look upwards to the doorknob. Reaching upwards, I grasped the steel knob with my left hand, and pulled. With a few grunts and lots of strain, I was able to creep it open just enough to have the ability to slip out.
pA drafty hallway greeted me with plants decorating its hallways. The sound of children laughing and playing poured in from a room at the end. The smell of warm cookies and other baked treats also came. A hungry murmur - no rupture - sounded from my stomach, not avoidable. A caring voice, but strict sounded as something smashed, and a children cried. As I walked closer to the door, feet silent, the cries stopped. A thick and heavy masculine voice said something, and a familiar, but unfamiliar laugh sounded. Chairs scraped, someone snorted, and gleeful shouts sounded when I was right by the door. Reaching up, I placed my fingers on the doorknob, took a deep breath and twisted it open to a small crack.
pPeeking inside, I saw a young lady with long black hair and wearing a plain, black dress, walked around a rectangular table passing out treats to noisy and hyper children. The kids ranged from five to ten, in different shapes and sizes. They seemed happy as they munched on their cookies and sipped milk. A girl with her back to me and long golden-brown curls chirped on how the cookies tasted as good as her Mom's. Smiling, the lady patted her head. With a quick thanks, she went to sit in a lone chiar, and gave all the children warm looks.
pI closed the door and shivered. That lady was hauntingly familiar. Hearing feet pattering on the ground behind me, I turned sharply on my heel.
pComing my way with a green shirt on and plain jeans a young boy was walking, eyes an empty blue. He had shaggy brown hair that came to his chin in thick, heavy layers. With his sharp face, he almost reminded me of a younger version of the man with the machine gun. The boy looked four or barely five, at least four inches taller than I was at the time. With hands caved deep in his pockets, his solemn look, and droopy walk, he reminded of those sad children you always saw on World Vision or Sponser A child programs. When he was withing three feet of me, he stopped, and just looked at him blankly.
pI stared right back at him. "Oh! Sorry!" I scooted out of the door's way. "Go in if you want."
pNibbling on his bottom lip, he shook his head. "No. . ." Turning around, he headed back down the hall, and disappeared into an unknown.
p"Strange kid who denies the call of cookies," I said to myself. Clutching Mikey even more firmly, I cocked my head. He had been familiar, just like that woman I had saw in the kitchen.
pWith hunger gnawing at my stomach, I finally decided to enter. This time, more noisily, I yanked open the door. To my dismay the torturous smell of chocolate chip assaulted me as did the eyes of the people surrounding the table.
pFriendly brown eyes fell on me, ones I was used to see everyday at school. Looking to the girl with dark golden curls, I looked into a face I new so well, but younger. She had on a mischief smile I knew well and a glimmer in her eyes. With her ever present freckles and young face, she reminded me of a picture I had seen of her while flipping through her photo albums, but without bangs.
pIt was Dominique!!! Here in my strange dream!
pBefore I could jump up and down excited, or run up to her and give her a big hug, the lady with black hair stood up. Walking over, she placed her hands on her knees. "So you're Aimee, huh? I'm Matron. It's nice to meet you when you are awake."
pMy jaw must of hit the floor and bounced back up that second. With eyes like a doe caught in the headlights, I looked over Matron's shoulders to meet Dom's eyes. She gave a nod to my suspicions.
pMatron gave a smile. "Your cousin Dominique is sitting at the table if you want to join her."
pCousin!? Well, it was a good allaby for why Dom knew me.
p"So, you feeling better?" she asked gently.
pI gave a weak laugh. This was all too much to take. "Much better," I squeaked.
p"Well, how would you like some lunch. The others already finished theirs, but I have some soup waiting for you." Taking my hand, she led me over to a chair beside grinning Dominique and a girl with shoulder-length brown hair and green suspenders. She actually helped me up, something I could do myself even if I was the size of a four year old. Then she walked to the counter.
pI leaned towards Dom. "What the hell is going on?" I asked in a hushed whisper.
pHer grin fell. "Let's just say, my wish came true!"
pWith fear in my eyes, I looked at her. Pursing my lips, I clamped my hands into fists to prevent myself from screaming. "How nice," I said through gritted teeth.
pBefore Dominique could answer, the girl beside me turned to me with a wide smile. "Hi! I'm Selphie!" Her voice was slurred and her "l" didn't come out too well.
p"Nice to meet you," I said throwing my head in her direction. My eyed were still wide and the horrified look was still on my face.
pDom tried to throw in more words toward me, but someone yelled "meanie" and another "cry-baby zell" and someone cried. My eyes shot from all the other faces at the table. Many I couldn't recognize, but a sorted few were to be permanently haunting me for a long time: Quistis Trepe, Irvine Keannis, Zell Dincht, along with Selphie Tilmitt, and unscarred Seifer Almasy who seemed to be enjoying taunting whiny Zell. The whole gang there, but Squall. Oh, wait! He was that creepy kid in the hall! And when I turned my head to the right, I spotted Cid Kramer lecturing a young boy beside him. That boy looked oddly familiar, and when I put two and two together I realized it was Raijin. Beside him was Fuijin, but without the eyepatch. I never knew they were at the orphanage, but go figure. All I was waiting for was Rinoa to pop up or Ultimecia even! Still, without them, I was petrified.
p"Scary, isn't it?" Dom whispered into my ear. "And to believe I have been living with them through the last two days or so...you should see Squall. He's so fricken' tiny!"
pI gritted my teeth. "Already saw him. Depressing child, if I do say so myself."
p"Here you go," Edea Kramer said placing a steamy bowl of soup in front of me. It reeked of unknown substances and was an odd brown. "Grat soup is good for you, eat up."
pIn horror, I looked up to her. "But wouldn't that be unhealthy since grats are poisonous?"
pShe smiled. "Don't worry; when cooked they aren't harmful." She strolled back to her chair.
pI stared at in fear. "How, lovely."
P"It's ucky!" Selphie said towards me with a cupped hand. She lifted up a crumbly cookie. "This good!"
pI looked around the kitchen. Nothing would give me the guts to try it, not even a gun to the head. "Where's Nanook when you need him?"
pEventually, after a few minutes of staring at it, I ate the soup. It wasn't that bad. Mainly, it reminded me of bile that sometimes builds up in your throat when you burp. Let's just say, chocolate cookies never tasted so heavenly after that.
pcenter*****/center
p"Colorin' fun," Selphie said with a lisp as she streaked red crayon across a page.
pAll the kids were in the playroom, an hour later, scattered around. Dom and I colored with blabby Selphie who could not understand the concept of between the lines or touch your own work. Seated with short-haired Irvine, Zell attempted to make some type of building out of blocks. Quistis seemed to enjoy trying to decipher books to Raijin, who enjoyed every moment and staring at the pictures. Fuijin played dolls with some unknown dolls - very violent dolls. Seifer sat down with random kids, bored, moved on, and tried to bug people. He finally settled playing army men with a kid called Rad. And as for Squall, he sat alone in a corner, invisible and staring at a book. I had tried to converse with Squall, but he walked away. Dom later told me she had tried to become friends with him, but his depressing attitude was too much for her and she stopped.
pI lightly colored in a cartoon child with red crayon. To my dismay, they only had eight or nine colors, so I had to layer to get the right effect. It was kind of boring and unchallenging and I would of preferred to do something else, like draw! But the fricking pencils were too bulky, hard to grip, and seemed to like breaking. ARGGGHHH!!!!
p"Hey!" cried a kid. It was Irvine. "We should play war!"
pAnd so we were thrown into an exciting game of war. Actually, it wasn't that exciting. Dom and I quickly slaughtered them all, even the cheaters, within ten minutes flat. Accidentally, I swear, I bumped into Zell and he fell, cried, and ran off to Matron. Even with Seifer's boasting of being the smartest, Dom was able to corner him early in the game, and put him out of his misery. Selphie went down with a bang, struggling to the very end, and killed by running into Mikey who had been designated as a monster. Frankly, that designation offended me, but it helped us win the game. Dominique also had a monster, a stuffed mannequin that could supposedly kill you with its ice blast. I think Dom was just getting overboard. Ice blast? Come on!
pQuistis refused to play, but we tagged her dead anyways. And as for Irvine, the last of all the kids to be defeated, Dom took him out with her jumping-out-of-the-closet-onto-victims trick. In the end, after ten gruelling minutes, we came out as victors who had won nothing.
p"Good night, Dom" I said that night crawling into bed. Snuggling under my covers, I closed my eyes as she responded. My arm was still sore, a little numb, but did nothing to prevent me from sleeping.
pWith the sounds of the ocean pounding against a shore, stars twinkling, and the soft breathing of children, I fell asleep in the Stone Orphanage for the first night. By then, I knew it wasn't a dream, but reality
pbrbrbrcenter______--------______/centerbrWow, second part is done! Let's just say many parts left, too. Read and Review and win a prize! Not!/br/p