It was really awkward in the car.
I had just been taken from the orphanage I'd grown up in, into this black, expensive looking car, with an old man I had never seen before. You can imagine the tension.
I didn't speak at all and kept my eyes on my feet, untill he spoke to me.
'Delilah' he said from the front seat.
I looked up, and saw him starting at me from the review mirror.
'I am Quillish Wammy, and I am the head of this orphanage you are going to. You do look very confused.' he said to me, looking back onto the road. I nodded, and went back to staring at my tatted black converse shoes. I didn't want to talk.
'You are a very special case. Most of the children who live here are here from a young age, and have never known their parents. You're 15, correct?'
I nodded again.
'You should fit in fine. I run an orphanage for gifted children, like yourself, and hearing what the Warden spoke of you like, you do seem like a very bright child.'
I didn't answer at all this time, he just called me a child twice in the one sentence. Last time I checked, I was a teenager. Then, just as if he was reading my mind, Quillish said with a smirk, 'Oh sorry, I mean gifted children and young adults, like yourself'. I smiled at him.
After about 20 minutes, we had stopped and pulled up at a very large building, similar to my old orphanage, but this one looked better taken care of and more expensive. It looked very familliar, and then it hit me. My parents and I used to ride past in all the time. This place was around the corner from the house I lived in before the orphanage. My heart nearly stopped as I looked at the street sign on the corner. It read 'Calamvale Court' and I could feel myself going paler by the minute. I don't remember the last time I took a breath. I told myself to open my mouth and suck in some oxygen, but my body wouldn't comprehend. I was frozen.
'Welcome to your new home, Delilah. I'm sure you'll do fine,' I heard Quillish distantly say to me. I tried to reply, but I couldn't. I then saw him take a few steps towards the gate out of the corner of my eye. My eyes were transfixed on the street sign. Quillish then said to me 'Delilah, are you okay? We can go in now, your stuff will be taken to your room...' before noticing something was wrong, and walking over to me.
'Delilah? Are you alright?' he said to me. I tried to answer with a simple 'Yes, I'm fine,' but the words just stopped halfway in my throught. My vision was becoming hazy, and I could feel my face turning paler and paler by the second. My body was shaking, and I could feel tears welling in my eyes, before, finally, I could see nothing.
The next thing I remember is waking up with a jump and one hell of a headache in a very unfamilliar room. From what I saw, there were four beds in this room, and I was in the one closest to the door. On the other side of the room, there was a window that took up the whole wall, with vertical blinds half open, and a chair in front of it. There was a child who looked about seven years old on the chair, playing absent mindly with her long brown hair tied into a plait, coming down the side. The other three beds were vacant, and looked as though they have just been freshly made. There was a glass of water on the table beside me, and a vase of flowers. This room reminded me a lot of a hostpital.
The girl looked up from the floor which she was staring at, and her bright blue eyes stared right into mine. She quickly looked away, and, getting up from her seat and passing my bed, mumbled something to me. I didn't quite hear it.
'Sorry, I didn't hear you, could you speak up?' I said to her.
'Mister Wammy said for me to show you to his office, my name is Sandra, so if you'll follow me..' she spoke in a very adult manner. I quickly got up out of bed, found myself in tracksuits and a t-shirt and put on a jacket to follow her, and before all the blood had rushed from my head, I followed her down the hallway. The halls looked ancient. There were carvings lining the ceiling. The whole hallway was gorgeous. Sandra was small, but walked very quick. In no time at all, we reached two large maple doors, one of them with a gold plaque saying 'Head Office - Qullish Wammy'. Sandra knocked, and a faint voice from inside said 'Enter.'
Sandra opened the doors and gestured for me to go in, but after I had entered, she closed them and I could hear her footsteps descending down the hallway. The man who I was in the car with was sitting behind a large, wooden desk. The desk was messy- filled with pieces of paper, pens and folders. Quillish gestured for me to sit at the large chair in front of him, and I did so.
'So, Delilah, welcome to Wammy's house. I haven't had a chance to properly welcome you since the car ride, and then you fainted when you saw the house. Could you explain why that was?'
I didn't want to. I felt like I was being questioned at a police station or something.
'Uh, just the shock of coming here, I guess..' I said. I'd never really been good at lying, and I think he could tell.
'However, you were fine in the car. I need you to tell me what went through your mind, Delilah.' he said calmly.
He assured me that whatever was said in here, was kept with him and never repeated. I explained to him that I had grown up on Calamvale Court, and that I remembered this place vividly. It brung back horrible memories. Quillish sat in silence for a bit, staring into my eyes, then finally said two words; 'I see..'
It was an uncomfortable silence. I don't know how long we sat for, but Quillish then told me that 'Linda' was to show me to my room. Sure enough, there was a knock at the door, and a girl who looked about my age but with short brown hair, tied into a loose ponytail, walked in. Our eyes met, and I smiled at her. But she looked at me up and down expressionless, and turned to the old man.
'Is this her, Mister Wammy?' she said, in quite a demanding voice.
Quillish did nothing but nod. Linda then turned to me, and gestured for me to follow her with her head, and sped out the door. I gave an unsure look to Quillish.
'Go on, or you'll loose her,' he said to me.
I didn't think twice. I stood up and walked out the door, listening for the footsteps Linda would be leaving behind. I caught up with her and walked afew paces behind. We didn't walk for long, and we finally reached a door that had the number '6' engraved. Linda then held out a key, and spoke as if she were reading from a script.
'This is your room key. You are not to make copies. You are not to lend it to anyone at all. Your roomate has their own key, if they loose it do not lend them yours. If you loose it, you are to consult Mister Wammy. You each have your own bedrooms, and the living area, kitchen and bathroom is shared. Your belongings, you will find, have already been moved into your bedroom. There is a room expection every week, but they don't,tell you when, so keep your area tidy so you do not let your roomate down. Your roomates name is Chiara. Across the hall are two boys who like to be refered to as Matt and Mello, although they are alias's. You can choose to have an alias here, but consult Mister Wammy first. The left side of the hall is girls dormitories, the right side is boys dormitories. There should be no reason for boys to enter the girls dormitories at night, however during the day is acceptable. If you get lost, there are maps near the enterance of the dormitory hallway. I am head girl, if there are any other questions, you can come and consult me. Henrie is head boy, and you can also ask him. Any questions before I let you go?'
I think I might've been staring strangely, because she raised her eyebrows at me.
'No, but thankyou,' I said, taking the key.
'Then I shall see you at dinner, which is at seven o'clock sharp. Don't be late.' she said quickly while turning around and walking away. I looked at the key in my hand, before realising what to do with it. I turned towards the door, and put the key into the keyhole above the golden doorhandle, and turned it. Before I even started to push on it, another force pulled it open and I was pulled into the room, untill I was caught by a pair of arms.
'Are you my new roomate?' I heard an excited female voice ask. 'Oh my gosh, you're like so pretty! I'm so excited, I've never had a roomate before! Oh sorry, am I choking you?' it said, letting go of me and allowing me to breathe.
I looked up into the green eyes of who I expected was Chiara. She looked magnificent. Her long, wavy light blonde hair trailed right down to her waist, and she was quite tall. Her eyes were an emerald green, and they were huge. She was quite pale, but that suited her hair perfectly. She looked like a model. She smiled at me, before she spoke again.
'I'm Chiara, spelt with a CH. What's your name?' she said.
I thought about what Linda had said about the alias's. What if I wanted one? If I told Chiara my name, then the point of an alias would be useless.
'Uhh, my friends call me Dee.' I said. If I wanted an alias, I could make it Dee, and if not, I could still get called Dee by some of the people here.
'Coolios!' she said excitedly. 'Well, its 5:45pm now, so we have an hour and fifteen untill dinner. If you want, I could show you around a bit?'
'Definatley,' I said, 'just let me settle in a bit first.'
And I walked into my room.
