Warning: End of the chapter contains abuse. It's not that bad, but that's the only way I can describe what happens at the end.
Visitors coming to Squall Orphanage was a regular occurrence. Usually when there was a visitor, they were looking to adopt someone. In the face of a potential parent, Tori couldn't do anything wrong. If she did something wrong, then she wouldn't be adopted.
Lady Squall claimed a lot of people were adopted every year. She knew Theresa's sea bass friend had been adopted at the start of the new year, so she hadn't bothered Tori at all since then. Saul, the food-obsessed sailfish, had also been adopted around the same time. Another inkling in her class had to transfer out of school because she had been adopted, too. The adults were right: the carols really did boost their chances of being adopted.
Not for Tori, though. Spring had started to take its hold on Splatsville, and no visitor even bothered to look her way while they were scouring the orphanage, looking for someone to adopt.
But she couldn't give up. She had to keep waiting.
At the sound of footsteps, Tori put away her toys and stood up, clasping her hands in front of her. Miss Swallow stepped through the doorway, an abnormally tall inkling and a shorter prawn trailing behind her. At their arrival, other children lined up beside Tori, staring at the newcomers.
"These are some of our younger children," Miss Swallow explained after they settled, gesturing to the line in front of her. "They range in age from four to eight years old."
Everyone bowed. If Tori wanted a chance at being adopted, she had to bow, too. Then, she had to stay perfectly still. She could not move a single muscle.
They went through the line, giving everyone a chance to introduce themselves. The visitors constantly whispered to each other, but Tori could hardly hear what they were saying. She hoped they were saying something good. Even if she didn't get adopted, they could hopefully spread the good word about Squall Orphanage.
Once they reached Tori, she promptly said the words she had practiced over and over in her head so many times. "My name is Tori. I'm seven years old, and I like to help people. I'm very nice, and I love to build and play with my toys."
The prawn looked over at Miss Swallow. "Is this true?"
"Yes," she confirmed. "Tori is very diligent. If you tell her to do something, she will listen. She's one of Lady Squall's favorite children here at the orphanage."
"So she is, now." The tall inkling exchanged glances with the prawn. They went back to whispering and continued further down the line.
Tori didn't know what diligent meant, but she assumed it was a good thing. She continued watching them, wishing she could move right now. But she couldn't, so she resorted to watching. It was the only thing she could do.
They eventually returned to the doorway, Miss Swallow's smile ever-present. "Do you want to look at the older children? Or are you interested in someone younger?"
"No," replied the tall inkling. "We're only interested in this age group."
"In that case, have you come to a decision?"
The couple whispered among themselves once more before returning their gazes to Miss Swallow. "Could we stay here and watch?" asked the prawn.
"Of course." She returned her gaze to the children. "Please go back to whatever you were doing before their arrival."
The line broke up, and Tori sat back down, continuing to stare at the tall inkling and the prawn. Actions spoke much louder than words, but Lady Squall constantly warned her that everything she did "wrong" would lower her chances of being adopted. She didn't want to do anything wrong, but it seemed like everything she did was wrong.
So, she continued to watch the couple. She was enthralled with how long and thin the inkling's purple tentacles were, wondering how they would feel. But she would probably yell at her if she tried to feel them. The prawn, on the other hand, had a ton of legs, though only his legs that touched the ground had shoes on them. She wanted to feel them too, but he would also yell at her.
Miss Swallow walked up to Tori and whispered, "Where are your toys?"
"...I put them away," she replied. Should she take them out?
"You should take them back out," she suggested, confirming her suspicions. "Mr. and Mrs. Seaway would be interested in seeing what you build."
"Okay." She grabbed her box again and took out the wooden blocks. She should get another box–now that she had the scarf, there was barely any room to put anything inside. Or maybe she needed a bigger box.
Nonetheless, Miss Swallow walked back down the hall, and Tori began stacking blocks. She didn't know what to build; she just wanted to stack blocks. Eventually, she had to stand up to stack her blocks, trying to make the tower as tall as possible. But it soon came to the point where she could stack no more, and the blocks came crashing down, scattering across the floor.
Tori stared at the scene of the tower's destruction. It was inevitable, but she still felt sad about it. Shaking her head, she scooped the blocks in her arms and pushed them towards her, ready to start stacking them again. She couldn't mope when visitors were here.
The tall inkling, who she assumed to be Mrs. Seaway, came over to the pile of blocks, kneeling down to look at Tori. She forced herself to keep looking at her, no matter how uncomfortable it made her. She couldn't lower her chances of getting adopted.
"That was pretty impressive." She picked up a block, and Tori reached towards it, only for her to hold her hand up higher. "Do you want me to help?"
Tori shook her head. She needed to use her words, but she didn't know what to say. It had been a long time since a visitor last tried to talk to her.
"No?" Mrs. Seaway frowned. "Why not?"
Tori paused, thinking of an answer. "...It's mine."
"Well, alright." She placed the block in the palm of Tori's hand. She tried not to wince as her skin brushed hers. "I'll be back."
Mrs. Seaway continued walking down the hall, and before long, her eyes drifted back to the block in her hand. She wasn't sure what she wanted her to do, but it was too late to ask now. She decided to build something again. Miss Swallow said the Seaways wanted her to build something, so maybe that was what Mrs. Seaway meant.
Tori built a wall this time, spanning from one edge of her bed to the other. She left gaps in between the top layer of blocks, mimicking pictures of walls she had seen in books. As soon as she finished it, she grabbed her wrists, examining the wall of blocks she had just made. Mr. and Mrs. Seaway had to like it, right?
Mrs. Seaway returned before long. "Wow." She could easily step over the wall and destroy it if she wanted to, but she didn't. She just stood there, admiring her creation.
"Do you like it?" Tori asked.
She didn't answer, lifting her head towards the other end of the room. "Titus! Come see this!"
The prawn soon arrived from the other end of the hallway. "What is it, sweetheart?" When he joined the inkling, he looked down at the space in front of Tori. "Is that…a wall?"
"Yes," Tori replied.
"Did you see the tower she built earlier?" Mrs. Seaway interjected. "She made it very tall."
"No. Did you take a picture?"
"No… It totally slipped my mind."
"Then…" Mr. Seaway looked back at Tori. "Could you build it again?"
Tori hesitated. They wanted her to destroy the wall already? But she really liked how the wall turned out! Why did she have to destroy it?
Miss Swallow said she listens to anything the adults tell her to do, so she has to destroy the wall, even if she doesn't want to. If she didn't listen, then that would mean that she had lied, and the chances of her getting adopted would be much lower.
Frowning, she slammed her hand into the wall, sending blocks everywhere. Mr. Seaway went over to grab the scattered blocks as Tori continued slamming her hand into the wall, over and over again, until it was nothing more than a pile of debris. She could only stare at the horrible sight as the prawn began to drop blocks in front of her, accumulating into a giant pile.
"What's wrong?" Mrs. Seaway asked.
Tori shook her head and swept the pile of wooden blocks aside, beginning to make the tower anew. Once again, she stacked blocks upon blocks, stacking them as high as she possibly could. When she could stack blocks no more, she instead began adding blocks to the base of the tower. Once she ran out of blocks, she adjusted the base so that it was symmetrical, and once she was satisfied, she stepped aside, gesturing to the tower.
"Wow! That's even better than the first tower!" the tall inkling exclaimed. "And it didn't fall this time!"
"Really?" the prawn remarked. "I would've liked to see the first tower. If only you took a picture…"
Mrs. Seaway took a step forward. "Your name's Tori, right?"
She nodded.
She patted the top of her head, and she hugged herself, forcing her feet to stay still. "You're very good at this," Mrs. Seaway remarked. She looked back at the prawn. "What do you think?"
"I agree," said Mr. Seaway. "It's very impressive."
Tori blinked, wide-eyed. Were they going to adopt her? Would she finally have parents?
Mr. and Mrs. Seaway whispered amongst themselves again before waving at Tori and walking down the hall. She sat back down, deflated. Maybe they weren't going to adopt her after all. Even with how much they liked her building skills. But why? She didn't think she did anything wrong. She didn't understand.
A kid chased another kid through the hall, and the stomping of their feet made the tower sway from side to side. Fear spiked through Tori's heart, and she held her arms out, trying to prevent it from falling. But soon enough, the tower toppled, wooden blocks falling to the ground with a thud. Groaning, she pushed the blocks back into a pile. The tower had been destroyed, and she couldn't do anything to stop it.
Tori looked towards the direction the couple had gone. They eventually returned to talk to Miss Swallow. Tori leaned forward, trying to hear what they said, but she couldn't make out a single word. Nonetheless, Miss Swallow nodded and smiled, and she promptly left the living quarters.
They must've made their decision. Who were they going to adopt? Tori hoped it was her, but after seeing them walk away earlier, she doubted it.
She continued to watch the couple, and after a few moments, they started to walk her way. Tori stood up, her heart pounding in her chest. Was this it? Was she finally going to get adopted?
Mrs. Seaway stopped in front of the pile of blocks. "Aw...the tower's gone."
"What a shame," Mr. Seaway agreed. "I would've liked to look at it for longer." He glanced up at the tall inkling. "Did you get a picture this time?"
"Did you see me take out my phone?" she argued. "No, I didn't."
He shook his head, frowning. "I knew I shouldn't have left my phone at home."
"Well, that's not the point." Mrs. Seaway turned to face Tori. "The point is, we're going to be your new parents!"
Tori gasped, and she couldn't help but jump up and down, flapping her hands. "Really?!"
"Yes, really!" she exclaimed. "Once we sign the paperwork, you can consider yourself a Seaway."
"Well, it won't be official for another few months," Mr. Seaway added, "but you'll still be living with us, so you'll be a Seaway either way."
She really was going to get adopted! She was finally going to get adopted. "Thank you! Thank you!" She ran around the adults, swinging her arms around.
Mr. Seaway laughed. "Aren't you energetic?"
"Tori."
At the sound of Lady Squall's voice, Tori came to a halt. Her arms still stuck out, she turned towards the doorway, where the older inkling stood, holding a stack of papers. Miss Swallow stood next to her, dotting her eyes with a tissue.
"Lady Squall!" Tori ran over to her, swinging her arms. "I'm getting adopted!"
"Could you stop doing that?" She thinned her lips, shaking her head. "I know you're getting adopted, but you still need to behave."
Tori lowered her arms, grabbing her wrists. Even if she won't be seeing Lady Squall for much longer, she should still listen to her. She hoped her new parents wouldn't yell at her for doing that. They didn't yell at her just now, so perhaps that was a good sign.
But she found herself frozen in place, terror coming to the forefront of her mind. She was getting adopted. She wouldn't be at Squall Orphanage anymore. She wouldn't get to see Miss Swallow, Miss Ella, Miss Pacifica, and Miss Luna anymore. She wouldn't get to see Lady Squall anymore.
She wasn't happy anymore. She didn't know how to describe the feeling boiling inside of her.
Lady Squall handed over the papers to Mrs. Seaway. As soon as she and Mr. Seaway signed the papers, they would be her new parents. She would be at their house. She wouldn't be at Squall Orphanage anymore.
That feeling permeated every cell in her body. She couldn't take it anymore.
She let out a cry, tackling Lady Squall and burying her face into her dress.
"Tori!" she shouted. "What are you doing?"
"I don't—!" She hiccuped, tears streaming down her face. "I don't wanna—!"
Someone grabbed her, and Tori started to kick her legs. She didn't want to go! She didn't want to leave! Still, they held on, and before long, Tori was ripped away from Lady Squall. Her face twisted into the scariest expression, clutching the ends of her dress.
When they let go, Tori tried to run towards her again, but Miss Swallow stepped in front of her, blocking the way. She picked Tori up, and no matter how hard she tried to escape her grasp, she could not. She could only continue to cry, begging to be set free.
Blinking tears away from her eyes, she spotted Mr. and Mrs. Seaway walking behind Miss Swallow. They handed the papers back to Lady Squall and whispered something to her. Tori only cried some more, reaching a hand towards her new parents. Were they not going to adopt her? But they said they were going to!
Miss Swallow turned around to face Lady Squall, and before long, Tori was back in her arms. She shifted around to face Lady Squall and buried her face into her chest, sobbing. She never wanted to let go.
They started walking, and Tori's cries soon slowed down into whimpers. Eventually, she lifted her head to see the familiar green-and-beige walls, the colors faded with age. Where were they going? She realized she didn't care. She only wanted to be with Lady Squall.
They entered an empty room, and Lady Squall set Tori down at last. She tried running back and grabbing her legs again, but Lady Squall quickly forced her off. She sat on the ground, hunched over and staring at her feet. But Lady Squall kneeled down and tipped Tori's chin up to look at her, her golden eyes blazing with fury.
"Look at what you've done," she growled. "You've ruined your chances of getting adopted with your little tantrum."
But the Seaways said they would adopt her! What changed? She must've done something wrong, or else Lady Squall wouldn't have brought her here. She couldn't bring herself to cry about it. All her tears had gone towards Lady Squall.
Lady Squall's finger slid off of her chin, and she walked back to the doorway. "Think long and hard about what you've done."
Tori started running towards her, but Lady Squall slipped out and closed the door, so she only smacked into hard wood. Warmth bloomed in the center of her face, throbbing with pain.
All she could do now was curl into a ball, alone in the dark, empty room. Everything was so cold. The floor beneath her, the air…and even Lady Squall.
She wasn't going to get adopted, and it was all her fault.
A/N: Side Order is finally out! I've been enjoying it a lot, and I hope you all are enjoying it, too! I only have the final palette left to complete-I can't wait to finish it! Well, I guess there's all the things from the shop I need to buy too. But storywise, I'm almost done. I do plan to write about Side Order, though not as a full story-just little snippets. I don't know when I'll start to get to those, but stay tuned!
Don't worry, Side Order didn't affect the writing of "Speak No Evil." I've actually had this chapter done since last week, so I've mainly been working on the chapter that comes out next. It's going to be much longer than this one, that's for certain. I think I can finish it by next Sunday, but we'll see what happens. Well, Branchwing, out!