AN: I've hit such a hard part to write... don't worry it's like 20 chapters in the future XD This is why NaNoWriMo is helpful, cuz it makes me battle through writer's block XD Hope you like the chapter guys :) x
Chapter 3 – Raymond - Dreams
He couldn't have been asleep very long, for his eyes opened with ease, and there was no sleep in the corners of them. Raymond frowned. Why was he awake? He blinked, turning his head to look around.
A tugging on his covers told him immediately what had woken him…
"Priscilla?" he muttered, pushing himself up into a sitting position. "What's up?"
As Raymond's eyes adjusted to the darkness, he began to see his sister. Her hair was mussed, and she was clutching her favourite toy horse close to her chest. As she became clearer, he saw the tears running from her eyes, and his own eyes widened.
"Priscilla?"
"I… I had a bad dream…" she whispered, and he could tell from her voice that she was worried he'd think her pathetic. He couldn't help the feeling of anger that bubbled in his mind at the thought that his own little sister didn't trust him. But he ignored it, budging over towards the wall and patting the warm space next to him where he had just been sleeping peacefully.
"Come on then." He said, smiling kindly. Priscilla's little face lit up a little, as she realised her brother didn't mind being disturbed. She clambered into the bed, with a little difficulty, and snuggled up to her brother, as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling the duvet over them both.
"Thank you, Ray…" she whispered, sleepily into his chest.
"Feeling better, Priscilla?" he asked, letting his hand rub gentle circles into her back. She nodded silently, and was soon asleep, her breathing calming as she burrowed her head further into her brother's chest as it too rose and fell gently. Raymond smiled, closing his eyes, comforted by the warmth emanating from his sister next to him.
He'd been disturbed by Priscilla's entrance though, and sleep seemed nigh on impossible now. So he opened his eyes again, and watched the moon-light from his un-covered window dance across the ceiling. He never shut the curtains. They stopped him from seeing the beautiful light flood into his room. The rain had stopped long ago, but the droplets still sat on the window, casting strange and beautiful shadows and highlights in the usually smooth light. Occasionally, the drops would tumble down the window pane, and the light would react with it, ending in another place.
He laid like that for the whole night, and watched as dawn broke, and the sun peeked in at his window, casting a golden light on the ceiling, no longer affected by rain-drops, which had evaporated in the night.
Raymond had no idea of the actual time, though, until his alarm began to beep, startling Priscilla out of her slumber. He felt her jump a little in his arms, and only then did he notice that he hadn't moved at all through the night, and his right arm, which was under his sister's slight frame, was numb… She moved to look at him and smiled.
"Morning." He said, a little more dully than he'd at first planned, but he was tired now, and his voice was groggy because of it.
"Morning, Ray… Are you okay?" Priscilla asked innocently.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Raymond said, with a smile, forcing his voice to be a little more steady for his sister's sake.
"You sure? You sound tired… Did I disturb you?" she asked, worried. "I'm sorry!" she started apologising before he'd even given an answer. He sighed.
"Calm down, Priscilla. I'm fine. Honestly." He lied. He was tired, his arm was numb, and he had school in an hour… He was not alright. But he had to pretend for Priscilla. She was so fragile… So breakable, and so caring. If she had an inkling that he was any less than brilliant, she'd be up and panicking. She would beg for forgiveness, when he had willingly offered her aid, and he didn't want to upset her.
"Okay…" she said, though she was still suspicious…
"How did you sleep? Any more nightmares?" Raymond changed the subject. Priscilla shook her head enthusiastically as she sat up. "Good." He said, with a genuine smile. The smile he received in return was as bright as the sun, and her emerald eyes gleamed in the morning sun. "How are you feeling? Fit enough for school?" he asked. Priscilla was anaemic, and often felt weak and generally unwell because of it. Due to her youth, she couldn't take much medication, and that which she did take often had little effect. So she was often confined to bed for days.
"I feel great!" she exclaimed, as she hopped from the bed with a grin.
Raymond laughed, happy to see his sister in such high spirits. She was rarely this active, and to see her so was uplifting for him. He rolled from the bed just as she was skipping off to her room to grab her uniform.
"Raymond?" came his mother's voice. "Are you up?"
"Yeah, Mum!" he called as he pulled his own uniform haphazardly from his wardrobe. Uh-oh… Where's my jumper? He thought. He ignored it for a minute as he threw his pyjamas at his bed, and pulled on his polo-neck shirt, and grey trousers. Oo! Socks! He ran down the stairs. "Mum, I can't find any socks, or my jumper!" he cried. His mother was making toast for them all, her hair knotted and sticking up in all directions as she stood in her dressing gown, with her fading pink slippers, which were falling to bits. She didn't turn around, too focussed on the toast, in case their toaster burnt it. It only had one setting that worked now, and it was too powerful, so you had to watch it constantly in case it burnt the breakfast.
"Try the ironing pile, sweetheart." She muttered distractedly.
Eventually, Raymond was ready. Priscilla was already sat at the table, almost done with her toast. Raymond sat down, grabbing a piece of toast and tearing chunks off at a ridiculous speed. His father was just coming down the stairs, and his mother was just sitting at the table with two mugs of steaming coffee. She was sat across from Priscilla, and next to Raymond. She gave her young son a scowl.
"Don't eat like that, Raymond." She said. "You'll give yourself indigestion!"
Raymond stopped and looked at his mother, confused.
"What's that?" he asked. The cup that his mother was raising to her mouth stopped, and was placed back down on the table.
"Well… it… it's when you end up feeling sick, and burping a lot because you eat too fast…" she explained, though she didn't seem so sure of the explanation herself, a light frown furrowing her brow.
"Ew! Ray, no burping!" Priscilla cried, putting her beaker of orange juice on the table forcefully, as though to act like her mother, who was smiling.
"Aren't you two going to be late?" their father muttered as he collapsed into his chair at the table, with all the grace of a rhinoceros. Raymond glanced at the clock, before stuffing the remains of his toast in his mouth and rushing to grab his bag. Priscilla jumped carefully down from her chair, her fiery red hair bouncing a little as she landed, and billowing behind her as she ran towards the door after her brother.
They were out like a flash, in a blur of red hair and grey clothes, and their parents were left at the table, silently drinking their coffee.
A tension had settled over them once the children had left, and the silence weighed heavily on their shoulders as they nibbled at toast that was overcooked, and sipped at coffee that was far too hot.
Finally, they spoke…
"You shouldn't have to do this, James." she said, feeling the tears welling up in her eyes.
"But I do have to, Celia. You want our children to have a good life, don't you?" he replied, refusing to look his wife in the eye. "I only want to provide for them… I'm their father, it's my duty… No matter what the risk to me." He insisted, though his heart raced in fear.
"But…" she couldn't think of any way to argue… He'd have something to say back. He always did, and she knew he couldn't be swayed…
My dearest father has also informed me that Orphanages DO technically exist, but they were renamed "children's homes" and are more focussed on foster care... For the sake of my sanity, this is just an orphanage and I am NOT changing anything (I think i'd die if I had to do that XD)