Peri stood brokenly by the side of the road, her misty eyes latched onto the receding form of a cart, two figures discernible as it travelled ever farther away from her. The sun beat down hot on her body, and her dark hair stuck to the sweat that coated her shoulders and face, but she did nothing to brush the strands away. All she could do was stare after the cart that was steadily drawing the only people she'd ever loved away from her, and once they crossed the horizon she would never see them again. She wanted to run after them, to make them tell her what she'd done wrong, but she feared the woman at her shoulder and her vicious switch. Her bare shins still stung, the salt of her sweat making the cuts hurt even more. But that was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her heart. She cried without shame as the cart was finally swallowed by dust and vanished. Forever.

"Mama," she whimpered, reaching out with one grubby little hand like she could pick up her parents and bring them back. "Pap-"

"Shut up, you little wretch," the woman snapped, cracking the switch down on her extended arm. She cried out in pain and clasped her injured limb to her chest, but there was no pity on the woman's face as she leaned down. "You have no parents. Get inside."

Peri stared up at the pinched old woman, her greying hair wrenched back in a cruel bun and her wrinkled lips twisted with bitterness. When she didn't respond immediately the woman sneered at her and straightened, unable to stifle a groan.

"You think they're coming back for you, don't you," the woman laughed, her eyes dark with age and perverted glee. Peri nodded mutely, still holding tight to her arm like it was her lifeline. This seemed to be the wrong response, because the old woman's mirth vanished in a heartbeat and was replaced by a cruel venom that made Peri feel like a mouse trapped under a hawk's gaze.

"You. Have. No. Parents," the woman said, spitting out each word like they were poisonous. "I'm all you have, so you'd better treat me with respect. You will address me as Mrs. Ballem or m'am, and you will do exactly as I say when I say it. No talking, no disrespect, no disobedience, and no crying, whining, complaining, or foolish behavior of any kind. It's out of the kindness of my heart that I've opened this orphanage, and the least you urchins can do is make it easier on me. Understood?"

"Yes," Peri choked out, her throat thick with tears and the dust of the road.

"Yes, m'am," the woman said in a dangerous voice.

"Yes, m'am," Peri repeated, chin trembling.

"Go inside and sit in my office. Don't touch anything, don't move, and wait there for me."

Peri nodded and, after one last look after her parents, turned to face the menacing house that would shelter her from now on. The windows seemed to look like eyes, and they stared down judgementally at her. Unwanted, the wind seemed to whisper, and she shivered. There was a threatening tap on the back of her calves from the switch, warning that if she didn't move soon there would be more to come, so Peri put her head down and walked. Looking only at her feet, she walked up the dusty path to the front door, up the crooked stairs, and through the open doors. The heat inside the building was a thousand times worse than the heat outside, and it seemed to press down on her like a blanket. Raising her eyes, she looked around and behind her, not sure where Mrs. Ballem's office was supposed to be. The woman herself shoved past her through the doorway, stalking off down the main hallway and stepping through a door on the right. Her raised voice could be heard a moment later, although Peri couldn't make out the words.

She was standing at the end of a long, wide corridor, and at the other end she could see a wall with a clouded window in it. On her right was a room with two or three children seated on worn couches, playing some sort of dice game, but their eyes were dull with boredom. None of them looked up at her. On her left was a large room that extended all the way to the back of the house, its center occupied by row of plain wooden tables set up end to end, so that it formed one long continous line. Chairs were strewn across the room, some tucked up close to the table and others sitting at random like their owners had simpled shoved themselves away from the table and ran off. More doors were visible lining the long corridor she stood in, but Peri found she was unable to take a step.

"Hey, new girl," a voice called from the room to her right, and she turned her head to see who had spoken. One of the boys playing dice was now standing in the doorway, his closed expression warning her that he wasn't a friend. "Third door on the right," the boy continued, then returned to his game. Peri watched him for a moment, then looked back down the hallway.

Swallowing hard, she set off at a hesitant walk, her shoes making a little tapping noise as she walked. She passed the door Mrs. Ballem had disappeared into, but when she peeked inside there was no one there. When she looked carefully, she noticed a small door in the corner that led outside, and she figured that's where they must have gone. She kept going, and as she walked she slowly released her stinging arm and let it drop to her side. Her tiny hands were clenched into fists, which she didn't release even now. She reached the third door, which was closed, and hesitated, fearful of interrupting her bitter caretaker. She slowly pushed the door open and peered inside, but like the second room she found this one empty. Of people, at least.

This room was smaller than the first two, and most of the space was taken up by an ornate chestnut desk with papers stacked in neat piles on its top. In the corner sat a large chest with a heavy padlock, but a layer of dust covered its surface. Nothing of importance could be hidden there, at least not to the old woman. Stepping closer to the desk, she stood up on her tiptoes and examined the papers that sat there. None of them interested her; most of them were about money or adoptions, but she half-hoped she would find something concerning her parents and why they'd left her hear. A sudden noise from the corner of the room surprised her and she whipped around, accidentally sending a particularly tall stack of papers tumbling to the ground. She didn't pay them any mind and stared wide-eyed at the thin, impish boy who sat in the corner on a bench, his dark eyes fixed on her. The silence of the office took on a tense quality, and it extended for a good ten seconds as they stared at each other. Then the boy smirked and gestured at the mess of papers on the floor.

"She's going to beat you for that," he said, his accent rather pronounced, like that of the people of Surda.

"I'll clean it up," she responded softly, but she made no move to do so.

"Doesn't matter," the boy said with a shrug. "She was going to beat you anyway. Now you've just given her a reason. And it looks like she's already gotten started," he added, gesturing at her bleeding shins and the mark on her arm. Peri tugged at the edge of her skirt like she could stretch it to cover the cuts, but she stared back brazenly.

"I tripped," she said, sticking her chin out stubbornly.

"Sure ya did," the boy scoffed, but his face lost some of its superiority. "So what happened to them, your parents? I mean, obviously they died, but how?" He didn't wait for her to answer and continued, "Mine were put to death. Rebels, you know? Supporters of Galboratrix."

"Sorry," Peri murmured, and the boy laughed.

"I was really young when it happened, and they deserved it. That guy was sick." The boy spoke carelessly, like it didn't matter to him, but Peri thought she saw some hurt in his eyes. "You didn't answer me about your parents, though. Were they criminals?"

"They left me," Peri said, dropping her eyes to her feet.

"Yeah, but how?" the boy persisted, looking slightly irritated. "How'd they die?"

"They didn't," Peri shot back, angry now. Not at him, but at her parents for leaving her here with no explanation. "They left me here."

Now the boy looked embarassed, and a little sympathetic.

"Ouch, sorry about that," he said. "That just might suck a little more than my parents."

"You think?" she snapped.

"Woah, calm down there, kitty," the boy exclaimed, raising his hands in defense. For a moment they stared at each other, and then he smiled, and then they both couldn't contain their laughter anymore. The happy sound filled the stifling space, seeming so out of place in their current predicament. When their last chuckles finally died away, Peri suddenly realized her face was streaked with tears and sweat. She rubbed most of it off on her sleeve, along with a thick layer of dust, and blew out a breath. She looked back to the boy, who was pretending to inspect a spot on his shirt instead of watching her rub tears away. He must have sensed her gaze, because he looked up and met it.

"Better?" he said, patting the seat beside him. "The dust is crazy out there."

"Yeah," Peri said as she came over to sit down, grateful for his feigned ignorance.

Just then, the door swung open and smacked against the wall, and Mrs. Ballem exploded into the room. The moment she saw the mess of papers strewn across the floor, she turned on them like she could sense them and advanced.

"Alright, which one of you stains did this?" she hissed out through her teeth, pointing one crooked finger at them and stabbing it in the air with each syllable. Peri opened her mouth to confess, but to her surprise it wasn't her voice that answered the old woman.

"Me," the boy said, meeting the woman's fiery gaze casually. Peri was amazed that he hadn't turned to ashes yet underthe woman's glare.

"Me, m'am," Mrs. Ballem spat, but she didn't wait for the boy to answer. She seized him by the arm and yanked him into the air, then dragged him bodily back out the door. "Don't move," she ordered as the door slammed shut behind her, leaving Peri in silence. She looked down at the papers on the floor, and for a moment she considered picking them up, like she would have for her parents, but instead she twisted her hands together and leaned back against the wall.

"She can pick up her own stupid papers," she muttered.

A few minutes later, Mrs. Ballem came strutting back through the door, walking right over the papers and going to sit behind her desk. Turning her pinched gaze on the small girl sitting in the corner, she beckoned Peri closer. Getting to her feet, she walked over to the desk and stood there waiting, unable to see over the desk but refusing to jump. There was a moment where all she heard was the rustling of papers, and then the woman spoke.

"State your name."

"Isperidae Arnitalë," Peri said.

"Wrong. Isperidae, daughter of none. Your age?"

"Seven years."

"Seven years, m'am."

"… m'am."

Mrs. Ballem stood abruptly, making Peri jump, but instead of scolding her for her hesitation, the woman walked over to the door and pulled it open. Peri watched in confusion, then hurried over when the woman beckoned. Peri noticed the switch tucked into a pocket of the woman's apron. Once in the hallway, the woman turned away from the front door and strutted off, her heels pounding on the wooden floors relentlessly. Peri hurried after her, her short legs unable to match the old woman's stride. They reached the end of the hallway, but instead of a room the last door led to a narrow, steep staircase. Hoisting her skirt up, Mrs. Ballem ascended the stairs with a multitude of groans, and Peri followed after her. They emerged in a small, empty room which they spent a mere three seconds in; the old woman crossed the space quickly and stepped through the open doorway. They were standing in a hallway a lot like the one downstairs, except this one was less… clean. A fine layer of dust coated the floor, and a plethora of footprints dotted the surface. Peri felt dust tickle her nose and she sneezed, but the woman didn't wait. Off she went, marching down the empty hall until they reached a door about halfway down. A faded ten was painted onto the door, and inside of the zero someone had drawn a lopsided smile. Mrs. Ballem glared at the smile like it had personally offended her and pushed the door open.

"You'll be staying in this room with another girl," she said, and Peri nodded to show she was listening. "Girl are on the right, boys on the left, and you are not allowed to have children of the opposite gender in your room. That also means that you are not allowed in the boys' rooms. Understood?"

"Yes, m'am," Peri said, ducking under the woman's arm.

"Dinner is at five thirty sharp," Mrs. Ballem said, fixing her with a fierce stare. "If you're not in the hall at that time, you will not eat until breakfast, which is at seven, and there is no lunch. You've missed dinner, but I don't want to hear one word out of you. Curfew is at nine and if I catch you out after that, it'll mean a beating for you."

And then, without a good night or a goodbye, the woman left, letting the door swing shut against Peri's shoulder. She stumbled back out of the way and blinked in the sudden darkness as the door closed with a click.

"She's a real asshole, isn't she?" a voice called from the room behind her. Peri turned and stepped out of the narrow foyer into the main space. It wasn't very large, just enough space for a bunk and a small table, and almost every available space was taken up by books, rocks, and other baubles. Light came in through a small window behind the bunk, but someone must have thrown something at it because all that was left of the glass was a small shard in the corner. On the windowsill sat a row of various trinkets, ranging from beads to dried leaves. The room's occupant was currently lounging on the bottom bunk, a book open on her pillow, her head outlined by the light of the window. "We like to pretend she had a lover that left her because she was so damn awful. What do you think?"

Peri nodded and stepped further into the room as the girl got up from the bed. She looked much older than Peri was, maybe fourteen or fifteen, and once the girl had stepped out of the light Peri could make out more of her features. She had long, dark brown hair that hung in braids down to the middle of her back, and when she moved Peri noticed what looked like hawk feathers tied to the ends. The girl had clay brown skin and piercing dark eyes, but she smiled easily. She moved with a fluid grace like that of a cat, and her limbs were long and slender.

"I'm Marya," the girl continued, coming over to where Peri stood. "What're you called?"

"Peri A- daughter of none." Peri caught herself just in time, glad for the heat and darkness to hide her blush.

"Takes a while to get used to it, doesn't it?" the girl said, a hint of sympathy in her voice. "You more than most. I saw your parents leave. It's not often we get kids with parents still alive. At least when they're dead, it feels, I don't know, more real."

The girl, Marya, studied her with those eyes of hers, then turned to rummage under the bunk. Peri stepped closer, trying to get a glimpse at what the girl was doing, but after a few seconds she straightened up again, a bundle of clothes in her hands.

"Here," Marya said, holding them out. "They're probably a little big, but they'll be cleaner than what you've got now."

Peri accepted the bundle wordlessly and examined them, finding a simple pair of pants and white shirt. She gazed at them for a short moment, then set the shirt on the floor and tugged the pants on underneath her skirt. They were a good five inches too long, but when she rolled them up they weren't too bad, and the shirt was the same way. Marya padded over and picked up her discarded dress, wrinkling her nose slightly at the thick layer of dust that coated it.

"Later tonight we can sneak down to the river and wash this," she said, going to hang it on the corner of the bunk. "The dust won't be so bad then, and it'll be easier to get in and out. The witch never comes to- Hey! You alright?"

Peri didn't answer and turned away, trying to hide the fact that she was crying again. It was embarassing, but she just couldn't stop. Everyone here knew, or would know, that her parents hated her so much that they'd abandoned her. They hadn't even given her a reason, or told her what she'd done wrong. There had been no warning, no sign that she was losing her place in her family. In fact, life had never been so sweet. Sure, it was hot, but the stream behind their house offered more than just cool water. Afternoons were filled with screeches of joy and water droplets in the air, and they ended with a peaceful evening around the table, or in front of the fire. Peri could still picture her mother's exotic face outlined by flames, her high cheekbones and clever eyes accentuated by shadow. People said she took after her mother, for they shared the same raven hair and icy eyes, but their resemblance ended there, in Peri's opinion. She could never attempt her mother's willowy grace and stunning beauty, never in a million years. Well, at least now no one could compare her to her mother.

A hand on her shoulder interrupted her vicious thoughts and she spun around, staring up into Marya's concerned eyes. Instead of speaking, the older girl wrapped her arms around Peri, holding her firmly. Peri choked back a sob and buried her face in Marya's shirt, while the older girl rubbed one hand in circles on her back. "It'll be okay," she murmured, and for a moment Peri let herself believe that.

After a while Peri relaxed her grip and Marya did as well. Leaning back slightly to look at her face, the girl smiled comfortingly at her as she rubbed her tears away.

"Sorry," Peri murmured, gazing at the wet spot she'd left on Marya's shirt. Marya scoffed and waved her apology away.

"Don't be," she said. "We all need a good cry every once in a while. Besides," she added with a smile, "it feels cool in this heat, and I bet it washed some of the dust out too."

Peri returned the smile and took a deep, steadying breath. She was never going to cry again, at least not in front of other people. They could say what they liked, but it was still a weakness that could be preyed upon here. And if there was one thing she'd learned in the past hour, it was that this place was full of predators. Marya gave her one last squeeze and turned to dive onto her bunk.

"We have to wait for curfew to sneak out, so for you can do what you like," she said, picking up the book from where she'd left it. "Just stay out of the witch's warpath."

Peri watched Marya read for a second, then looked up at the bunk above that she guessed was hers. Going over to the ladder, she scrambled up and found a thin matress and a pillow waiting. She wanted nothing more than to go to sleep and pretend this was nothing more than a dream, but she was afraid of waking up here again, so she climbed back down.

"I'm going downstairs," she said to Marya in hopes that the girl would join her, and headed for the door. Glancing back, she caught a little wave from Marya to acknowledge that she'd heard, but she seemed too engrossed in her book to look up. And so Peri slipped out of the room and into the hallway alone. Always alone.