Chapter 5

12:15 PM December 11th 1996, Church of St. Erentrude

I scan the cafeteria, seeing if Jasmine is here yet. When I spot her, I notice she is with a trio of girls her age. The four are standing in a long line, which I presume to be for food. The unknown girls are chatting away at Jasmine as she stands there with a deer in the headlights look.

Her expression softens a bit when Jasmine sees me walking towards her, obviously relieved. I feel Steven following me, his curiosity spiking again. I ignore him and make my way over to Jasmine.

"Hey Cole" she greets. The three girls she is with stop chatting and turn to see who she is talking to. Their eyes widen, looking between me and Steven, who comments to me

"Cole? I thought your name was Daniel."

Crap. Thinking on my feet I sloppily explain "It is…my middle name is Daniel. Cole is my first name…Some people call me Daniel, some Cole."

Steven raises an eyebrow, probably sensing my lie. Jasmine is doing the same, except there is also a hint of disapproval. She rolls her eyes and says to Steven "I'm Kelly. Who are you?"

"This is my roommate Steven" I tell her then turn my attention to Steven. "This is my sister and what I assume to be her roommates."

The three girls giggle. Jasmine does another eye roll before introducing them. She points to a blonde first "This is Johanna my roommate. Elena and Maja are in the room next door to ours."

"Nice to meet you all" I nod, only to receive another chorus of giggles. I ask Jasmine "Can I talk to you?"

She nods. I grab Jasmine's hand and begin leading her out of the cafeteria. I feel Steven's curiosity grow and he begins following us. "Alone" I hiss at him." Steven stops, but I can feel his curiosity heighten even more. Great. I know he already plans on interrogating me later. He has been since I told him I ran away from home.

Jasmine and I slip through a door, into an empty hallway. Before I can get a word out, Jasmine snickers

"Daniel? You have the chance to change your name completely, and you choose Daniel?"

"Shut up!" I snarl. "I couldn't remember what name we decided on, so I said the first one to pop into my head."

Still lightly laughing, Jasmine asks "So how's the roommate?"

"Fine. Nosy though. I'm going to have to be careful about what I say around him. How about you?"

"Johanna's nice. All three of the girls are. They're just…giggly. Which is annoying."

"Well you'll only have to deal with them for a while."

Jasmine frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Well we aren't staying here for long" I remark. "As soon as someone suitable adopts James, we are out of here. It shouldn't take long, apparently people are always trying to adopt babies."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I'm not a parent."

"No! I mean, why are we leaving so soon?"

"Because what if Daniel finds us?"

"How would Padre…?"

"Don't!" I hiss. "From now on you have to call him Daniel. Got it!? We don't want any nuns overhearing you call him that and begin asking questions. They are already suspicious of us."

Jasmine nods, "Well then how would Daniel find us here?"

Not quite knowing an answer, I take a while to think before admitting "I don't know."

"Exactly. I'm not saying we have to stay here forever, but…how about for a while. Just until we get our feet on the ground. Get used to living outside the villa, interacting with people who aren't guards. You know…learn how to be normal."

I bite my lip. The plan doesn't sound very appealing to me, but Jasmine does have a good point. So far we haven't had any troubles, but I know Jasmine and I are not used to living in the real world. We could both benefit from living here for a while.

Behind me a door creeks open. I whisper to Jasmine "Fine, but only for a couple months" before turning around to face the person entering the hall.

It is a bigger nun who I recognize from our arrival that walks through the door. I remember she is pretty nice, I believe her name is Sister Genevieve. She smiles at us "There you two are, we've been searching for you since lunch began. Not hungry?"

"We just wanted to catch up a bit in private" I tell her.

"I see. It has been a big day for you two. How do you like your rooms?"

"It's fine" I state. Jasmine doesn't say anything, but nods shyly in agreement. I nudge her to the cafeteria door, "If you don't mind Sister, we were going to join everybody for lunch after talking."

"Oh, yes. Of course. But first" she stops me as Jasmine and I are about to pass her. Jasmine pauses in the doorway to the cafeteria. "I would like to have a quick word with you Cole" she says gently while eyeing for Jasmine to leave.

Turning to my sister, I tell her "Go on. I'll be there in a bit." Jasmine hesitates before nodding and entering the cafeteria. When the door closes, I turn my attention back to the nun. "What do want to speak to me about?" I ask while desperately trying to remember the backstory Jasmine and I came up with.

"It is about your brother James…"

"What about him?"

"Well, as you know he is still an infant. Remember how we told you that children of his age are easier to find families for than when they are older."

"Yeah…"

"It is also easier when it is only the baby being adopted into a family, not multiple children."

"You want to adopt him out as an only child" I cut to the point.

"Not necessarily" the nun stumbles over my directness. "Our first objective would be to find you three a home together instead of splitting you up. We would only like to know if an opportunity for James to be adopted alone came up if you would be…"

"Do it" I cut her off.

"What?"

"Do it."

"Well first we will try and find you three a home together…"

"Don't bother. If a couple comes looking for a baby, give them James. No big deal" I mumble. As I'm saying this, a part of me clenches. I choose to ignore it.

"Are you sure?" Sister Genevieve asks with a concerned frown. "He is your brother. You do realize that if he is adopted, you may never see him again."

"Yeah, whatever" I mumble my gut twisting. The nun's frown to deepen, so I try to cover with "If James can be adopted and have a better life. Don't make me or Kelly be the ones holding him back."

"Well if a couple does want to adopt your brother, of course we would inform them about you and your sister."

"Don't!" I say quickly, catching her off-guard. "I mean…that would probably just hurt his chances. Like you said, it's easier to adopt out single babies. The parents might hesitate if they knew about me and Kelly. Just…don't tell them about us."

"You don't even want to meet the people who would raise your brother?"

I waver, thinking that over. "No, just make sure they check out okay."

"What do you think your sister's views on this will be? She is still very young, so we wanted to ask you first. I know it isn't fair; you shouldn't be making this decision at your age."

"Yeah well life's not fair" I mutter, half to myself. "I'll talk to Kelly about it, but she'll probably agree with me."

Sister Genevieve nods and asks again "Are you sure about this. If James is adopted, there is no going back afterwards. You may never see him again."

"I'm sure. Now can I go eat?" Even though I am really hungry, I'm really only asking so I can get this conversation over with.

"Yes, yes" Sister Genevieve says. I open the door, but stop when she adds "Cole. You know you can talk to anyone here. We know you and your sister want to keep your past private, but know that if there is ever anything bothering you, come talk to one of us."

"About what?" I try not to snap.

"How about what is affecting you so harshly."

"Nothing is...!"

She gives me a knowing look, making me avert my eyes and turn away. I don't owe this woman anything, especially information. The nun places a hand on my shoulder and says gently "It's not healthy keeping all your problems locked up inside you. Whatever troubles you have with you from your past, you need to face or let go."

Not quite knowing how to respond, I say "I'm hungry" then walk away. I rush back to the line and join Steven in his spot. Turning my head, I see Sister Genevieve watching me with a sad expression. Ignoring her, I turn to Steven who is giving me a weird look.

"What did she want?" he asks.

I shrug him off and say "Just being welcoming."

Steven frowns at me. For a long time he doesn't make a sound, then he says "Does she know you don't plan on staying around long?"

"No" I shake my head. "I'm not exactly sure when Kelly and I will leave. She wants to stick around for a while. I guess we will see how things go…you know, play it by ear."

A small smile appears on Steven's face. "Oh really?"

"Yeah."

"Good. It's about time someone interesting came along."

Jasmine's POV

10:15 AM February 20th 1996, Sister Jana's Classroom

3

2

1

Splat.

Another spitball hits the chalkboard. I estimate about ninety seconds until the next one; if Abel and Freddie keep up the rate they are going at least. The outline of Sister Jana is almost complete on the board. I have to give the two boys credit, they have great aim and it's only getting better. This outline is much neater than the one they made last week. Poor Sister Jana. She has no idea about the hidden chaos of her classroom. Well it's only two students, it actually isn't that big of a deal. Abel and Freddie don't cause too much trouble…if you don't bother them.

Splat.

Oh, they snuck one in early. Good for them.

The spitball goes unnoticed by Sister Jana. In Abel and Freddie's defense, she did put them in the middle row. Sadly for her, poor Sister Jana is cockeyed so she can't see right in front of her. Hence why the students in the middle row can get away with anything.

While their behavior annoys most of my classmates, I find it entertaining. They remind me of Joey a bit; I know he is a troublemaker in his class. I actually find watching everyone in the class interesting. The way all the kids talk to each other is fascinating. In some ways it is just like how the guards interacted back at the villa, and in some ways it is completely different. It's…strange. But also…comforting.

Seven hours a day I watch the foreign behavior. My seat is in the back of the room, so I have a great view of the entire room. I get to watch the pranks, note passing, whispering when Sister Jana isn't looking. Joey and I used to watch movies when Madre…I mean Emily made him look after me. There were a few that were set in a school. It amazes me how the films were spot on with some elements of school, but completely wrong with others. For instance, I haven't had any trouble with bullies. I've certainly seen them, but none have bothered me. All my classmates have actually been very welcoming even though I am years younger than them all. Joey says it's because I look too innocent to be mean to, as he put it 'like a little puppy.' It still shocks me that I was accepted so quickly by my class.

So far my experience has been much different than the average student's. The sisters made Joey and I take some test before they sent us to class. Apparently all the reading we did at the villa did us well, because our results were very good. The nuns thought we should each skip a few grades to be with students who are at the same level as us. How neither Joey nor I have had a single day of formal education, yet still surpass children of our own age baffles me. Whatever. It is what it is. It benefits me, so I'm not complaining. The nuns moved both me and Joey up two grade levels and are debating if I should be bumped up one more since I'm apparently catching onto the curriculum quickly. Sister Miriam, one of Joey's teachers, told me they would move him up another level if he didn't pull so many pranks.

I can't tell if the nuns like Joey. I think they do because he can make them laugh, but the nuns also hate dealing with his pranks. They all seem to really like me. Every time I walk by one in the hall, they try to start up a conversation. They don't do this with many of the other students; only me, Joey and two other kids who I know are considered favorites. I honestly have no idea why they have taken such an interest in me. I don't raise my hand in class, I don't initiate conversations with the nuns, and I don't pull stunts would draw attention to myself. In fact I try to avoid attention as much as possible. Sure I'm polite to the nuns when they talk to me, but I wouldn't say our conversations are anything special. Maybe they are interested in Joey and me because we are still new.

Splat.

"ABEL!" Sister Jana yells.

Ohhhhh. Busted. My fellow classmates and I silently chuckle as Sister Jana continues screaming at our entertainer. Suddenly she grabs Abel by the shirt collar and drags him out the door. The class takes a second to look amongst ourselves, waiting for a leader to take action. Freddie stands from his seat and follows Sister Jana out the door, the rest of the class and I are right behind him.

I wiggle my way to the front of the group. Nobody seems to mind and move out of the way. Since I'm so small, they know that I wouldn't be able to see if I weren't in the front. Freddie stops a good distance away from Sister Jana, who is waiting outside the principal's office with Abel in an ear lock.

"What do you think she's going to do?" I whisper to Freddie.

"Don't know" he whispers back.

"Glad it's not you?"

"Definitely."

A girl from our class, Drew I think her name is, tells me "His punishment probably won't be that bad. Sister Maya likes Abel, she finds him funny."

A boy's body comes up next to mine. Joey's voice asks "Kelly, why aren't you in class?"

Where did he come from? I look up at my older brother and gesture to the group, "This is my class. Why aren't you in yours?"

"Told Sister Magdalena I had a stomach ache to get out of class."

"Why?"

Joey wrinkles his nose in distaste, "We're learning about the Irish potato famine. Besides, Steven, a few friends of ours and I were going to meet up behind the kitchen in fifteen minutes anyways."

"Yeah because stealing a few crackers is more important than the Irish potato famine" I say sarcastically.

"Glad you see it my way."

"Cole, one day you may regret skipping…"

"Tell you what" Joey smirks, ruffling my hair. I whack his hand away as he says. "If I ever come across a dying leprechaun, I'll regret it."

Drew and a few other girls giggle. Turning, I see they all have blushes and are watching Joey in awe. One whispers flirtingly "That was funny."

I along with some of the boys roll our eyes. This always happens when Joey stops by my class or comes over to talk when I'm with girls from my hall. It's so annoying. Joey doesn't mind it, in fact he basks in it.

"So what are you guy's up to?" he asks.

Freddie answers "Abel got caught shooting spitballs during class. We're waiting to see what Sister Jana does about it."

"Huh" Joey looks over at the furious nun who is still chewing out poor Abel. "I haven't seen her in action yet. Wonder what she'll do."

"Nothing, she always brings us to Sister Maya, who takes care of our punishment."

Not a moment after Freddie said that, we hear Sister Jana yell "Excuse me young man!" at Abel. We all whip around and watch the nun drag him to a nearby staircase. She grabs onto the back of his shirt, the back of his pants, lifts Abel into the air and throws him down the stairs. Unfortunately for Abel, the staircase has a landing. Sister Jana storms down the first flight and we all hear another thud which must have been our classmate being thrown down the second flight.

We all stand still, in shock of what we just watch transpire. A girl, Hannah, whispers "Do you think he's okay?"

Abel's groan echoes from the stairway.

Freddie shrugs "Yeah, he sounds fine."

Joey looks over at me and says half joking, half serious "You do not make her mad. Got it?"

I nod as we hear Sister Jana's footsteps stomping up the stairs. The class and Joey stare as she storms into view and yells "Now where is Freddie? I know he was probably involved too."

Freddie gulps, spins around and runs down the hall away from the angry nun. I bite my tongue, trying not to laugh before turning back to Sister Jana.

Her glare goes from Freddie's fleeing body, to Joey. "Young man, who are you? Shouldn't you be in class also!?"

Joey turns to me and says "See you later" and ruffles my hair again. Before I can push his hand away, Joey is sprinting down the hall.

Drew leans over and whispers to me "I like your brother."

"Oh yeah, he's a real joy" I scoff, but smile.

Our furious teacher has finally made it over to us. She asks me "Who was that boy you were talking to?"

"What boy?" I play dumb. Out of the corner of my eye, I see my classmates try to hold back amused grins.

"The one who you were speaking with, who ruffled your hair and fled!"

"What? When did that happen?"

"Just now!"

I frown, "Sister Jana. Nobody was in the hallway with us. Only kids from our class."

"Young lady. I know I saw you talking to a boy."

"Aren't I a bit too young for that? I'm only seven."

"Kelly" the nun growls warningly.

"Maybe you saw a ghost. Minister Noah did tell us the school is haunted."

"Young lady…"

Drew chimes in "its true Sister Jana. He said every building has at least three or four ghosts."

"Maybe you saw the ghost of a past student" a boy, Anton, adds. The other kids all make agreeing noises.

I've never been more proud of my classmates than I am now.

Sister Jana sighs out of frustration. "Fine. Fine! I'll play along. Everyone back to class."

"Is Abel okay?" Drew asks.

"He will join us when he is ready" the teacher growls before heading into the classroom. The class slowly trickling in behind her.

Drew and I exchanged amused looks before bursting out laughing. "Thanks" I chuckle.

"No problem, it was fun."

Anton walks over "So you heard about the ghosts too?"

I stop laughing and frown "What? No I made that up."

Raising his eyebrow, Anton states "It's true though. I just assumed Minister Noah had told you. He was telling me and some friends last week about the ghosts."

"Re…really?" Drew stutters frightened. "There really are ghosts?"

"No there's not" I roll my eyes. "Ghosts aren't real."

"Yeah they are" Anton says matter-of-factly. "Minister Noah was telling us about one that lives in Centennial hall and roams around at night. Ten years ago it kidnapped a kid and hung him in the bathroom. Minister Noah never lies, so I know it's true."

"I'm not saying he is lying. I'm saying you are."

Anton smirks "When have you ever known me to lie Jasmine?"

"I haven't even known you that long."

"Exactly. In fact you haven't even been at this orphanage that long. At least not long enough to know everything about it like I do."

My stomach drops. He's bluffing, he must be. Ghosts aren't real. They can't be. That would be ridiculous. Of course they don't exist. Like an idiot, I stand in the hallway staring at Anton whose grin only grows wider.

"That's what I thought" he snickers. "But Kelly, you don't have to worry. If you're ever scared you come find me, I'll protect you."

"What?"

"Yeah, I'm not afraid of the ghost. I would keep you safe."

"How would you do that?" I ask. Drew is just as equally confused as I am right now.

"Because I'm tough. I could take on any ghost."

"It's a ghost, I don't think being 'tough' would do anything" Drew chimes in.

"My point is the ghost is too scared of me" Anton exclaims irritated. "And I was talking to Kelly."

"Hey!" I frown. "That wasn't nice. Besides, why would I go to you if the ghost that doesn't exist comes after me? You're not very threatening Anton. I bet the ghost would laugh if you went up against him."

Anton's expression becomes angry, "Who else would you go to?" he hisses.

I think a moment. "I guess Cole" I shrug.

"Really! You would go running to your brother before me?" Anton snarls.

"Uh" My frown deepens. Why is Anton acting so weird? "Yes."

Drew adds "He's stronger than you Anton."

"Fine! Go to your stupid brother! See if I care! When the ghost comes after you tonight, you'll be begging for my protection!" With that Anton storms into the classroom.

Drew looks over at me and whispers "I think he just cursed you?"

Crap. I'm not going to sleep tonight.

-11:30 PM-

This is utterly embarrassing. Why am I here? Oh yeah, because I'm an idiot. A scared, stupid, idiot. That's right, I'm not just an idiot. I'm a stupid idiot. I need both words just to emphasize what little intelligence I have right now.

Lifting my hand I hesitantly knock on the door. There is no answer, so I try again.

On the third try I hear Steven's voice whisper "Dude. I think someone's knocking on our door."

"No there's not" Joey mumbles. I knock again.

"Then what's that?"

"Maybe if we ignore them they will go away."

Again, I knock.

"They aren't leaving."

"Then go see who it is" Joey hisses.

"Why me?"

There is a pause. Then I hear a thud and Steven groan in an annoyed pain. His footsteps make their way over to the door, which opens. "Who is it?"

Out of embarrassment, I don't answer. Words refuse to leave my mouth. The light turns on in the room, pooling into the hallway also. I blink a few times, my eyes adjusting. Steven is standing before me wearing grey pajama pants and a white tee-shirt, the standard sleepwear for boys here. His face scrunched from also adjusting to the light. He frowns in confusion before turning to Joey. "It's your sister."

"What?" Joey mumbles. He is laying on his back in bed, an arm is shielding his eyes. The arm lifts as Joey hazily stares towards the door where I am standing. "Kelly? What are you doing here? It's the middle of the night."

I bite my lip and nervously play with the end of my nightgown. I hate these things. But it is the only type of sleepwear the girls get here.

"Kelly?" Joey asks again, more concerned.

"Never mind" I scurry away.

Footsteps chase behind me, making me run faster. When I'm halfway down the hall, arms wrap around me. I shriek in fear and burst out into tears. "Don't hurt me!" I sob.

"Shhhh" Joey's voice hushes soothingly. The arms turn me around and pull me close to Joey's chest, which I cry into. A hand strokes my hair, "It's okay. I've got you, shhhhh." After a moment, I begin to calm down. Joey pulls away so he kneeling in front of me. The hand that was brushing through my hair is now wiping away tears.

Some of the doors to other kids' room begin to open. Curious faces peak out to see what caused all the noise. Joey snaps at them "Shouldn't you all be in bed!?"

"We were" a boy around Joey's age sneers. "Until your little Schlampe woke us up." A couple gasps echo through the hall. Joey leaps up and growls at the boy threateningly "What did you just call her?"

The mean boy glares back. He is about to answer when his roommate pulls him back. The roommate tells Joey "Don't mind him. Just…" his gaze drops to me. "We're all trying to sleep."

Joey pauses. Next thing I know, he scoops me up and carries me back to his room which Steven is standing outside of. After we enter, Steven follows us in and closes the door. Joey places me on his bed and stands in front of me. I can't look him in the eye; I'm too humiliated. Instead I play with the hem of my dress.

"Why are you here?" Joey asks. I don't answer. "Seriously, what's going on?" I really hate the shade of blue my nightgown is. "Did you have a fight with Johanna?" Why would they choose this fabric? "Did you get kicked out of your room?" I bite my lip.

Joey lifts my chin, forcing me to look at him. He asks worriedly "Jasmine…what's wrong?"

I hesitate before whispering "Nothing."

"Obviously it's not nothing if you're so upset. Why were you so scared in the hallway?" He leans in and whispers quietly enough so Steven can't hear "Is it Daniel."

"No! It…" I blush "It's embarrassing."

Joey sighs "What is it then?"

I take a deep breath and mumble "Anton told me about a ghost that lives in this building."

Joey and Steven stare at me dumbfounded. "Kelly ghosts aren't real" Joey states.

"I know! Well…I think I know. It's just…he said Minister Noah told him the story of a ghost who roams the halls at night and hangs kids in the bathroom. I know it's not true but…Johanna has a cold. And when she has a cold, she snores...and tonight her snores sounded like the ghost was in our room…and…"

Joey places a hand over my mouth, stopping my speech. He and Steven still have the dumbstruck expressions. Steven speaks up "So let me get this straight. You're afraid of some ghost who only comes out at night killing you…so your solution is to leave your room and wander the haunted building at night, all alone."

My heart stops. I didn't think of that. "Well now I'm afraid to go back."

"Do you want me to walk you to your room?" Joey asks.

I shake my head frantically, I don't want to go back into the dark hallway.

Joey runs a hand through his hair and inquires "So what do you want me to do?"

"Can…" I take in a deep breath and look away ashamed. "Can I sleep in here tonight?" I mumble.

"What?"

"I'm sorry…it's stupid" I bury my face in my hands.

Joey sighs and takes a few minutes to think. "Fine, whatever."

"Really dude…" Steven begins to complain.

"Shut up Steven!" he turns back to me. "Anything else you need?"

I bite my lip again. "Could I borrow some pajama shorts? I don't like wearing dresses to bed."

Joey raises his eyebrow but doesn't say anything. He walks over to his dresser and throws a pair of shorts at me. "Need a shirt."

"No, yours would be too long on me anyways" I answer, slipping into the shorts. They are way too big, so I have to pull the drawstring really tight for them to stay on.

Joey climbs into his bed and motions me to join. I wiggle under the covers and begin to relax. Steven is still standing by the door with an unhappy expression. He then smirks slyly and turns off the light. I hear him climb into the bed across the room.

I'm about to drift off when suddenly a ghostly moan fills the room. The scary noise travels through the air, causing my blood to freeze. My body tenses and I hold my breath, hoping the ghost doesn't see me.

"Stop it Steven" Joey warningly hisses.

"It's not Steven" the voice moans with a hint of amusement.

"Idiot" Joey mumbles. He grabs something that is sitting on his headboard, I'm not sure what, and throws it across the room. It lands with a thud and the ghostly moans turn into ones of pain. "It's okay Jasmine" Joey whispers to me.

I don't relax. The haunting sound is still echoing in my brain. Joey sighs and pulls me to his chest, his arms wrap around me. It is only then that the scary noise goes away.

I let out the breath I was holding. Snuggling closer to Joey, for the first time tonight I feel safe. It almost feels like the nights back at the villa, when Joey and I would fall asleep watching movies together in his room. They didn't happen often, but I really enjoyed those nights.

As I feel myself drift off to sleep, time passes by slowly. A whisper catches my attention when a sleepy haze begins to take over my mind.

"Daniel…"

My brother groans in response. Steven takes this as a chance to continue

"Why did you call her Jasmine?"

A pause. Even in my barely conscious state, fear flows through me.

"I didn't."

"Yes you did, I heard you. It was when you were trying to comfort her, you called her Jasmine not Kelly."

"You heard wrong."

"No I didn't."

More aggressively, Joey snarls "Yes you did."

Mechanically, Steven murmurs "I did."

"Go to sleep Steven" Joey sighs, a bit of remorse in his voice. A plop sounds from Steven's bed, probably his head hitting his pillow.

Joey rubs the bridge of his nose with his hand while still holding onto me with his other arm. I hear him sigh guiltily. He stares at the ceiling for a while, then pulls me closer. Eventually I fall asleep, still aware of Joey's regretful expression.

Joey's POV

5:13 PM September 26th 1997, Evangelical Hall

"I'm not lying Sister Sarah. Cole said he would smash my face in."

The nun's stern glare turns from the tattling rat to me. "Is this true?"

Putting on my most charming smile, I say "Of course not. Sister Sarah, you know me. Why would I have threatened Bernard like that? What would I have to gain?"

"Care to explain Bernard?" Sister Sarah asks skeptically to the boy standing directly next to me. Dozens of other children are surrounding us in the hall, watching the would-have-been fight turned into interrogation.

Bernard frowns, knowing he can't tell the truth. The slime is the one who tried to threaten Erwin. Usually I wouldn't have gotten involved. But for heaven's sake, it was a fourteen year old about to beat-up a nine year old. Sure the kid deserved it, but I mean….really. It was pathetic on Bernard's part to have let it gone so far.

When Bernard doesn't come up with a response, Sister Sarah turns to the group and asks "Any of you want to come forward and explain?" Erwin opens his mouth to say something, but I send him a glare that causes him to shut up. "Well then" the nun turns back to Bernard and me, "I think this matter can be put to rest since it appears nobody can remember what this little tiff is about." She turns and begins walking away. Both Bernard and I let out sighs of relief. Then suddenly Sister Sarah turns and sternly reprimands "And Joey…if I do see you beating on another child, I won't hesitate to send you to Minister Noah."

"You got it Sister" I smile.

She raises an eyebrow before walking away. When the nun is out of sight, Bernard and I return to glaring at each other.

He snarls "Step out of the way Cole. That kid needs to learn a lesson."

"You already got a few punches, let him go. He's only seven, go hit someone your own age."

"Yeah!" Erwin yells from behind me.

"Shut up kid" I ridicule, yanking him into view. "And stop hiding behind me, it's your own fault you're in this in this mess. If you're going to talk smack, you have to back yourself up, not wimp out behind someone."

Erwin gives me a disgusted glare "Why should I listen to you? You're the wimp who's backing out right now."

I push the kid towards Bernard and scoff "Continue on." Without sparing either another glance, I make my way away from the group. A loud thud sounds behind me, but I don't care enough to look. Steven, Dyke, and Cassie are watching the display from down the hall. Walking over, I greet "Hey."

"Dude!" Dyke exclaims "You just threw that kid to the wolves! Look!" he points.

Turning, I see Bernard pinning a terrified Erwin to the wall and threatening him. I shrug "Kid's got to learn to keep his mouth shut or it will get him into a lot of trouble one day with people bigger than Bernard."

"Yeah, because you're one to talk" Steven rolls his eyes. "Your own mouth gets you in enough trouble."

"But I can hold my own, unlike that scrawny kid." We start heading the cafeteria. "Besides, it wasn't my idea to go help Erwin" I look to Cassie who sends me a small glare.

"I thought you would help him" she growls.

"That's what I'm doing" I explain, wrapping an arm around Cassie. "The best help I can give Erwin right now, is letting Bernard beat the snot out of him."

"How is that helping?"

"As I said before, kid needs to learn to control his mouth. By allowing one of the many people he has aggravated with words to knock him around a bit, he will eventually learn to either keep his trap shut or to gain some muscle."

"You don't teach kids to behave by beating them Cole" she states angrily.

"It's how I was raised and I turned out just fine."

My three colleagues freeze, their eyes so wide that they may pop out of their heads. A few other kids in the hall also stop walking, wondering what is going on. Dyke whispers "What? Are you serious?"

Frowning I answer "Yeah, so?"

Steven asks "I thought you said you lived with your parents."

"I also told you my father is an ass. Why is this so shocking?"

"Well" Cassie begins. "We all assumed this was the case when you first came here, but…then after getting to know you and Kelly…neither of you seemed like you were abused."

"Woah, woah, woah…I think you're jumping the gun…"

"Did he hit you?" Kelly interrupts me. "Your dad I mean. Did he hit you and Kelly?"

I falter "That's not…any of your business."

"That's why you ran away" Steven deduces.

"Look…it wasn't any worse than the punishments can be here. I never got thrown down any stairs…"

"That was a onetime thing" Dyke cuts me off. "Sister Jana got in a lot of trouble for that. How often did you get 'punished'?"

Running a hand through my hair, I take a look around the hall. I grow more nervous seeing all the others watching. "Forget it, okay?"

"Was it every day?"

"Shut up!"

"Daniel" Steven takes a step closer and whispers "Is that why you came up with the name Cole? Your real name is Daniel, isn't it? And Kelly's is Jasmine, like you called her a few months ago. Your hiding from your father, aren't you?"

I can't control my actions, my anger takes over. Before I can stop myself, my hand grabs Steven by the throat and slams him into the wall. Only faintly am I aware of Dyke and Cassie yelling at me to stop. I hiss at Steven only loud enough for him to hear "You have no idea what you are talking about. Stop your damn snooping or I swear I will personally kiss your ass. And for god's sake, stop calling me Daniel. It's not my name." I release him from my grip.

The sound of footsteps echo through the silent hall. All the kids had stopped and watched my attack quietly. Steven mumbles "Well I guess you got your father's violent habits, didn't you?"

The sound of my hand slapping across his face could be heard from a mile away.

The footsteps stop and Sister Sarah's voice growls warningly "Joey…"

"Yeah, yeah I'm going!" I blow her off.

Ignoring the stunned stares from my friends and colleagues, I quickly make my way down the hall and out of sight. Eventually I arrive at my destination. I take a deep breath to calm down before entering the office area.

Most of the paperwork for the orphanage goes through the five offices in the section of this building. A small lobby is at the front with a reception desk that is usually staffed by a nun. Nobody is in the lobby when I enter though. Not knowing what else to do, I sit down on one of the couches. Sister Sarah will make a report, so I'll get in more trouble if I leave than if I stay and wait to take the punishment right away.

I'm going to have to do something about Steven. He turned out to be a nice guy after our first meeting. But he is just too nosy for his own good. Seriously, he asks me two or three questions about my past every day. The couple slip ups I've had with Jasmine and my names hasn't helped either. I think that is what made him curious in the first place.

Maybe Jasmine and I should just leave? Get away from Steven and this place. Sure we both like it here, but the constant snooping into our pasts is dangerous. What if someone tracks us back to Daniel and contacts him? Jasmine and I would be done for. While the nuns don't keep the best paperwork, they do have a file somewhere that could lead Daniel back to James too. If we leave, the documents would still be here.

After the display in the hall, I'm sure Steven won't stop his investigation. If anything I've made it worse. I could use my powers, but the idea kind of scares me. I don't want to mess up and screw Steven up forever. Sure he's annoying, but he's also a nice guy. I wouldn't wish to harm him unless he puts Jasmine and I in danger. The guilt would eat me alive. I still feel bad about using my powers on him months ago; he just wouldn't leave the name thing alone. It felt as if I didn't have any other option.

The main door to the lobby creeks open and Sister Genevieve scurries in. She doesn't even notice me as she passes and rushes over to Minister Noah's office. Taking out a ring of keys, she unlocks the door and enters. I hear her shuffling around the room and through papers before she exits. After relocking the door, Sister Genevieve turns around and jumps in surprise when she sees me on the couch.

"Oh, Cole! I didn't see you there. How long have you been waiting?"

"I don't know…fifteen minutes?"

"Oh dear. Well darling why are you here?"

I bite my lip, "Punched my roommate in the hallway."

The sister stops and gives me a disapproving look "Well that is not good news. We will have to deal with that later. There are two couples here today who are adopting. All of us are scrambling to put the paperwork together, so we don't have the time right now to come up with your punishment. But we will discuss this later."

I nod understandingly before slyly asking "I didn't know you kept all the adoption files in Minister Noah's room."

"Well he does have the neatest filing system" Sister Genevieve smiles. She tends to get over disappointment very quickly. Looking at the clock, the nun gasps "I'm sorry, I must be off. Come tomorrow morning and we will settle your disciplinary action." She scurries out of the room.

"Will do" I call after her. When the door closes, I turn my attention to Minister Noah's office.

Walking over, I see the door has a pretty simple lock. Fishing into my pocket, I take out my most prized possession, the tension wrench Dante gave me. It is the only object I have that I have kept through most of my life. The small gift has given me much help over the years. I wiggle it around in the lock and in no time have the door open.

Stepping into the office, I notice the numerous filing cabinets. Lucky for me, they are all labeled with dates. I go to the cabinet containing files around the time James was adopted, four days after we arrived. This lock it is easy to open too. After a bit of searching, I find a file of the week December 15th-22nd 1996. There are quite a few pieces of paper, but only a couple adoption documents.

I look at the first one. It is for a blonde two year old girl. Obviously not James. The second one is a baby boy with blue eyes and black hair. Here we go. Any doubt is defeated when I notice writing on the back, the names Kelly and Cole are under a title that says 'Siblings' along with our ages.

I fold the sheet of paper up and put it in my jacket pocket. Placing the file back where I found it, I lock up the cabinet. I do the same to the office door as I exit and quickly dash out of the lobby before anyone sees me. It's not until I am almost back to the cafeteria that I pause to think.

What am I going to do with the document? If I keep it on my, there is a chance Steven will find it. There is a fireplace in the lounge not too far from here. I run, hoping nobody sees me.

When I enter the sitting space, I immediately head over to the thankfully ignited fire. Holding out the paper over the flame, I pause.

He's on his own. I told myself, after we jumped the border, the baby is on his own. The only promise I made to Pippa, Armando and Georgie was to take care of Jasmine, which I'm doing. There is nothing tying me to the baby. Why do I feel guilty, he isn't my problem. I gave him up for adoption, I already chose not to take responsibility.

No matter how much my mind fights it, my hands unfold the document. I take in a deep breath and begin reading.

'Richard John Grayson.' That must be James's new name.

A husband and wife adopted him. John and Mary Grayson. That explains the baby's middle name, it's after his new…'father.' Both 'parents' are in their mid-twenties. Mary is twenty-four and John is twenty-six. Their jobs are what catch my eye. They are acrobats in 'Haly's Traveling Circus.' Huh, that will hide James's powers very easily. What are the odds? It couldn't have worked out better. It also helps that they will move around a lot, it's less likely they will run into Daniel. I can't even imagine a reason he would go to a circus show.

The door to the lounge creeks open, my head snaps towards it's direction. Steven is standing in the doorway, analyzing me. He asks coldly "Cole, what is that?"

Crumpling up the paper, I throw it into the fire. Turning back to Steven, I send him a glare but don't respond. We stand there like this for what seems like forever, neither backing down. Steven takes a step into the room, to which I cock my head, daring him to take another. This causes my roommate to freeze, before taking the step back into the hall. He reaches for the door, gives me one more glare, and closes it shut with a loud bang.

Slowly I turn back to the fire. The document is completely engulfed by flames, in seconds it will be ash. A weight feels as if it's been raised off my shoulders. Only for a second later to be put back on by something else.

The ash slowly drips off the wood.