Hello viewers, My sincere apologies for taking so long to update. My stupid editor was enjoying his summer vacation and left me in the dark for weeks, so blame him for the long wait.
By the way, my editor is doing a story which I've read and really loved called "Tale of the Snow Lady"
His fanfiction name is "Trollkastel34" if any of you are actually interested.

"It's good to see you again, Mikayla" Nathaniel gave a small bow to the young girl. Mikayla opened the door wide enough so she could be seen in full view. Her attire was that of a housekeeper, and sleepless nights were etched into her face, symbolizing the endless hard work she committed to. "It'd be nice to see you too, if your timing were a bit better. I'm still cleaning; I have to start meal preparations for the young residents." Mikayla rubbed her eye, and let out a small yawn. Her other eye took a glance at a young blonde boy. "Is he the reason why you're here? Does he need a place to stay?"

"As terse as ever, aren't you?"

"Again, your timing could have been better" Mikayla crouched down to Oliver's height. "What is your name?" Mikayla asked politely. "…My name's Oliver, it's nice to see you Miss Mikayla…" He nodded his head, as if he were trying to add sincerity. "What about your age?" Mikayla asked.

"…"

"Well?" Mikayla was trying to get her answers quick, but Oliver seemed to be at a complete loss just trying to remember his age…How old am I? Umm…I was born in December…Oliver was counting on his fingers, making it bluntly obvious he hadn't kept track of his own age. "What day is it?"

"The 5th of December, am I correct?" Nathaniel tried to confirm with Mikayla. She replied "No…it's the 7th…has your mind been out of it too, sir?"

"Well, I would be lying if I said I was keeping tract of the days" Nathaniel let out a laugh to hide his embarrassment. "I'm 12!" Oliver announced, as if he had just discovered that himself (which he did).

"Do you know your birthday, last name, or any other information?" Mikayla continued her little interview.

"…All I remember is that my birthday is before Christmas; I can't even remember the exact day. I'm sorry, Miss Mikayla."

"…That's all right. Some orphans had to be given names and pretend birthdays by me."

"This is an orphanage?" Oliver asked Nathaniel. "Well, that would explain why it has a lot of rooms."

"Don't worry; the kids that live here are a lively bunch…a bit too lively at times." Mikayla giggled. "Come on in" With her hand, she had gestured for them to come in, and they did so. The place was much larger inside compared to how its exterior appeared. The ceiling was a cream color, and the floors were white, a carpet at each door. As they walked, Oliver used his analyzing skills which he developed as a thief. A mental map was developing in his head. "Try to keep your steps quiet. Many of the young ones are still sleeping." Mikayla had unknowingly brought up another one of Oliver's acquired skills. They took a left turn after finally making it to the end of the long hallway. This place truly is large… Oliver's eyes wandered. Each door had a slightly different decoration. That probably helped Mikayla navigate. I bet she thinks 'Okay, the room with the stuffed teddy bear in front is…where again?' Oliver laughed silently to himself. He started gazing on the other side of the hall, and noticed another detail that each door shared: there were small plaques that had names printed on the front of each door. Since there appeared to be some time to pass, he read some of the names as he walked. These names go from 'plain' to 'just plain fancy'! Rose, Alex, Michaela, Rochelle, Marianna…He skipped a few doors to catch up with Mikayla and Nathaniel. Anna, Lucy, Ellen, Mark, Lucas,Noah…

!

Oliver stared at the sixth named; memories he tried to keep at the back of his head came back. Noah…and Olivia too…As his eye started to grow in luster it began to fill with burning tears, he heard Nathaniel calling for him. "What's taking you? Hurry up kid!" Oliver briskly rubbed his eye with his sleeve. "I'm coming!" The young boy ran over to Nathaniel. His speed was too much for James to stay perched on his shoulder, so the bird flew after his master. Nathaniel looked down at the child, a question on his mind, but he remained silent and kept walking. "Here we are!" Mikayla whispered, trying to excite Oliver, but he was too down to be invigorated. She gestured to the room in front of the three. There were only two names on this door: 'Mai' and 'Ron'.

"Here is your new room. The two children will be your roommates. I hope you don't mind that."

"Not at all!" Oliver said in pure monotone. "Oh…then why do you appear so upset?" Mikayla asked, looking somewhat younger when she did.

"No reason" he replied, deadpanned. He didn't want to go over the topic about his dead friend. "Should I just wait? I wouldn't want to wake them up early" Even though that was done to me...Oliver wanted to add. "Perhaps I can help you do those jobs that you were talking about at the door?"

"Why of course!" She said a little too quickly; her facial expression gave away the fact that she loathed having to do so much work. "Uhh...I doubt you would be up for cleaning..." she said, noting Oliver's lovelylayer of dirt. Great, I'll have to clean the floor again later. "How about you go and clean yourself? This place has a whole wardrobe of clothing that might fit you. I'll show you to the washroom."

"Don't I need to fill out paperwork?" Nathaniel asked, feeling forgotten. "We can save that little errand for later" Mikayla said, her face screaming 'this kid stinks!'

"Come on Oliver, the washroom is this way." Mikayla lightly pushed Oliver further down the hall, leaving Nathaniel still in the hallway. I guess I can save this for tomorrow?

Oliver looked around the small room. It was a shiny white masterpiece in the places where it was clean. The little tub, probably meant for him now, was oval-shaped, a little bit below the soap dish, and did not seem to have the slightest speck of dirt on it. However that didn't last long. "Well, off they go!" Mikayla tugged at Oliver's overused jacket, causing him to flinch. "I can do this myself!" Oliver backed away, then instantly turned around. "...Can you leave? I don't want to get undressed in front of a lady."

"You have more manners than I expected kid!" Mikayla smiled. "But I refuse to let even a speck of dirt make its way into the halls I care for!" She lifted up a bar of soap and a rag, her becoming deadly serious. "Uhhh...Hey...Miss Mikayl-!"

Oliver practically sulked in the water as Mikayla started scrubbing down his back; he barely kept his nose above the water. Once she finished cleaning his back, she handed him another rag, soaked and filled with soap. "If you are too uncomfortable with me cleaning you 'down there', then do it yourself. Work quickly, because I have to wash your hair as well, and then there are meal preparations..." She let out a yawn. Is Miss Mikayla the only one here? How sad...she's very over worked. I'll help her with this stuff so she can get some rest! With new determination, Oliver cleaned himself down very quickly, and was finished before Mikayla was even done lathering his hair. "What's with this eagerness? You barely even gave me a chance to think about your assignments"

"I figured I get things over with quickly" Oliver responded, suddenly becoming harder for Mikayla to 'read' him the way most adults do. The woman began scrubbing down his hair, even more than she was doing to his bare skin. There is so much dirt here. Her eye gave a small twitch, but she kept at the current task. Once the washing was done, Oliver was practically glowing compared to how he looked before. How often does he clean himself, once a month? Mikayla looked at the small tub she once took pride in, but wanted to sulk when she saw the wet layer of dirt she would have to clean later. How does this much dirt even cling to one person anyway? "Well, here, take this towel and dry yourself up. I'll get you a set of clothes."

"Can I come with you?"

"Are you sure? The hall can be chilly to a person without any clothing."

"I've been under more uncomfortable conditions; I just want to get dressed quicker"

"Fine then, Follow me." The two went up to the second floor, took a right, and went halfway down the hall. Mikayla opened the door that had a daisy as its front decoration. The room was nearly empty, besides a bed and a wardrobe. Oliver entered the room with her, and she began pulling out different garments. "How about this? It seems to suit you." She held up a dark-blue buttoned shirt, black pants, and white socks. "I'll get you some shoes right now, just give me a moment" Mikayla scooted to the left of the wardrobe and pulled out a large box; then she opened the cover revealing various pairs of shoes. "They may not be that new, but they will do for playing. To make them last longer, I tell the children to wear them only for playing."

"How often do they play?"

"Long enough to give me time to rest." She said before letting out a long yawn, cueing Oliver to do what he planned. Without thinking much, he took the clothes from her and began to change, hiding what he didn't want seen during the process with the towel. "I thought you didn't want to change in front of a lady!" Mikayla giggled. "But this time I have a towel!" Oliver said, completely dressed and holding up the towel. "Just as I though, it looks great on you!"

"Will I get my other clothes back?"

"You like them? I can get them washed for you..."

"Never mind" Oliver beamed. "I can adjust to this...Hey, where's James?" Oliver looked around the room, and then ran out of it. Just as he was about to go down the stairs, he saw the goldfinch chirping while perched on the bottom step. Thank goodness I caught him early...Oliver let out a small whistle, cueing James to come to him. "Will I have to get some food for this little fella? They eat seeds right? I've never seen a live American Goldfinch."

"I'm pretty sure...unless I've been feeding him the wrong food for all this time..." Oliver gave a happy, yet puzzled look. "How'd you know James was an American Goldfinch? Not many people I know are experts on birds"

"I've read a lot of books in my lifetime, but I do wonder… How were you able to get such a bird in this part of Britain?" She asked curiously. Oliver stood there, a blank expression taking over his face. "I honestly don't remember...I've had James since I was little boy..."

"Really? He's kind of old for a bird then. Then again, you could still be considered a little boy." Mikayla said, poking Oliver's face. "Hey! I'll tell you I'm quite grown, far too grown to be called a little boy!" Oliver objected. "Shh...The young ones are still sleeping." Mikayla said, heading down the stairs. Oliver followed her down, and they continued walking to the other side of the building, which appeared to be the kitchen. "I guess today we can have jam and bread"

"How many kids are here?" Oliver asked. "A lot, actually, with you we officially have 31..." She turned around and saw Oliver standing on a stool, reaching for plates. "You actually are going to help? I'm surprised." Mikayla let out a small giggle. "Why wouldn't I?"

"It's just that when kids offer me help, they seem to forget and go on to play" she said, while pulling out food from storage. "I'm not just a kid" Oliver said, placing down the final plate. "I've been one to help out others when it comes to...things" I've got to stop reminding myself of the past!

"Be careful on your way down" Mikayla said, pulling Oliver up from the ground. I fell? Only more the reason to snap out of it. "At least the plates didn't fall" Mikayla took half of the pile; Oliver followed suit. "You are going to place them in front of every seat in the dining room" Mikayla ordered. "The sooner you do it, the faster you'll get to eat!" She chimed.

"All right!" One part of Oliver that will never seem to change is his determination to get food. He made his way around the dining room like a horse on full speed; he even offered to finish putting down the rest of the plates for Mikayla. Geez, this kid... "I'll see to the actual meal then..." She smiled awkwardly as she did so. Oliver was impatiently waiting at a round table, staring Mikayla down with eagerness. Even the bird on his shoulder appeared to have some excitement. Apparently, Mikayla was fixed on putting food on the other plates before Oliver; the said boy was tapping his foot repeatedly. "You must be really hungry..." She nervously chuckled, placing down the bread and putting some jam on the side of his plate. "Do you have any seeds for James?" Oliver asked. "Uhh...I actually don't. I guess I can sacrifice some of my garden's vegetation...he can feed himself like in the wild right?"

"Maybe? So where's the garden?" Oliver looked out the window, but only saw the empty area that was used for playtime. "It's not near here silly. I would never keep my precious plants in the reach of mischievous children...It is in the same direction you're facing though." Mikayla pointed out. "Just go past those bushes and make a slight left turn."

"Thank you Miss Mikayla! You've been surprisingly nice to me even though I've only known you for less than two hours." Oliver picked up his remaining piece of bread, dipped in the jam, and then went outside. Mikayla watched him leave, but then suddenly remembered something. "You forgot to wear shoes! Aw, never mind..." She sighed, and then went to get the children to eat their breakfast.

Stepping on dirt again feels kind of refreshing... Oliver took his time heading to the garden, seeing no need to rush. At least, that was what he thought until James flew ahead of him. Following instinct, Oliver chased after his pet. He found the little bird atop a sunflower head, his head rising every other second. James is such a light eater. As his pet continued to eat, Oliver finished his bread and walked around the garden. Miss Mikayla seems to like gardening even more than Miss Greene! There were many flowers, and almost all of them were beautiful. The only ones that weren't were the ones not in full bloom. Her vegetables also seemed to be very plump and juicy based on appearance. There was a noticeable lack of fruits, unlike Vienna's garden. Once Oliver had made a full circle around the garden, James suddenly flew onto his shoulder, chirping. The constant chatter of young voices was also very noticeable. Oliver stepped onto the 'playground' and saw a bunch of children varying in age and size. He stood there silently, looking at the scene. Kids were having a fun and making a mess of themselves; the slightly older ones did have some table manners. Oliver shook his head, wondering why he had so much hesitation. He forced himself to walk again, but suddenly bumped into someone.

"Hey, watch it! Err... I mean..." A boy said. "Hey, be nice!" A girl scolded him. Oliver took a good look at these two: They appeared to be in his age group. The boy he had bumped into was taller than him by about a few inches. His hair color was abnormal: It looked like pure violet reflecting in the morning sun, and his eyes matched the color of his hair, which was put into a short ponytail. His hat was as blue as the sky, and there were patches of lighter blue in it. His shirt and shorts were also sky blue; his shoes were black and brown (probably because of dirt). The boy's tan was uneven: Parts that most would assume was his original skin color were very pale, such as a small area above his feet. Parts on his face looked like a mixture of tan and grey, and the rest of his body was a caramel color, if that caramel were diluted. The girl who accompanied him was slightly shorter than Oliver, perhaps and inch, if that. She shared the abnormal purple-haired trait, but it was a slightly lighter hue, and her hair was out. Her eyes seemed to be a mixture of yellow and brown, just like her shirt. Her tan was very even, unlike the boy's. It was a very light tan, but she definitely couldn't be called pale with it. Her skirt was black with a white stripe in the middle, and her shoes were plain white (not including the dirt) Oliver continued to watch this shorter girl admonish her friend, who was awkwardly laughing it off. Suddenly, he turned away from her and faced Oliver.

"Hi, my name's Ron!" Ron held out his hand, and with his head, he gestured towards the girl. "Her name's Mai. Mikayla told us we have to share the room with you, so 'welcome'...I guess."

"Forget him!" Mai said, while hitting the boy on the head. "He sucks at giving a good introduction, but it is true that Miss Mikayla said you were our new roommate." She tried to give a bright smile. "Since you're new, you have to be shown the ways of the place" said Ron as he tried to look cool, pointing back at the building. Now that's just cute... Oliver thought, with extreme sarcasm. "So what are the ways?" Oliver asked, partially feigning interest. "ONE..." Mai shouted while jabbing Oliver's face with her finger. "No gloomy faces are allowed here, you got that?"

"Huh?" Oliver's eye opened wide at this first rule. "You got that?" Mai gave a large grin, and gave a thumb up to Oliver, assuming he would accept that rule. "Uhh... okay!" Oliver nodded and (weakly) returned Mai's grin. "Rule two: You better be up for action, or play, at any moment!" Ron said. "And finally...be as nice to Miss Mikayla as you possibly can. I've never met anyone as nice as her." Mai nodded as a conclusion. "Okay...is that all?" Oliver asked. "Well, there's also rule four. Rule four is 'follow all the rules Miss Mikayla gives you'." Ron shrugged.

Oliver laughed. These two seem interesting... Mai suddenly jumped up, attracting attention from both of the boys. "A bird~! It looks so cute too!"

"James is not cute! He is the most awesome bird alive!" Oliver declared. "Oh, so he's your bird?" Mai asked. "How do you know it's a 'he'?"

"Male goldfinches tend to be a very bright yellow during warmer times and mating season while females are a yellowish-green-brown color almost all year round." Oliver explained. "Since James was a very bright yellow not that long ago and changed into his winter plumage, it is proven that he is male." Oliver put his chin slightly up, feeling like an expert. "You know all that stuff on a little bird? How much time do you have on your hands-I mean! - who taught you that?" Ron rubbed the side of his arm as Mai glared at him.

"I remember when I was very little. My daddy gave me James on my birthday..." Oliver's accent stood out slightly more.

"Oh, uh sorry. Didn't mean to bring up any rough topics." Ron scratched his cheek.

"I don't see the big issue on it. It's been several years since I last saw my mother and father. Haven't most of us here suffered the same losses?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. The thing is, I haven't heard a peep from my folks for a whole decade" Ron shrugged again. "So I couldn't really care less. This is my home now, and that's all that matters."

I wish I was able to move on the way he can...

"Wait. A whole decade? You were left here as a baby?"

"No. I was six years of age when fate decided to dump me here."

"You're sixteen?" Oliver was purely shocked. "At least I'll age gracefully, looking like a kid doesn't really mean that much." Ron was just doing a stretch now. "I'm going to eat my breakfast now, are you to going to come?" Ron asked.

"No, I already finished" Oliver said.

"You're not supposed to say that! We've got to introduce you to the other kids!" Mai said as if she were already announcing. "Come on!" Mai grabbed Oliver's hand and forced him to go forward. He felt very awkward during this. Ron was already sitting on the round table with a bunch of other kids Oliver didn't know.

Mai looks really excited... Ron bit into his bread, expecting her outburst.

"Hey everybody!" Mai shouted very clearly. Most of them turned to face her and Oliver holding hands, but kept eating.

"It's been a great time at this place for all of us right? So let's share it with our newcomer!" Mai held up Oliver's hand high like how the umpire would do for a winning boxer. "This kid's name is Oliver! Let's give him a warm welcome!"

"HI OLIVER...!" The loud and childish unison reminded Oliver of what a classroom was like. However, despite the awkwardness, he felt very happy.

"Thank you everyone, it's very nice to be here..."

Dawww, wasn't that precious? Oh, Fun Fact:

The characters 'Mai' and 'Ron' are not just ordinary OC's; they are based of the UTAU and fanmade vocaloid "Ai Ikeda and "Tempo Ron". Search them both on deviantart if you have the time.