Dark Friends (2 page)

              His first time had been with a girl who was now dead; her loquacious nature had ultimately damned her.  Still, she had been so small and helpless and…perfect.  He had taken her to the third floor on a whim and vented his life’s frustrations on a symbol of his problems.  There had been many more since her and he wondered at his continuing luck.  Most of them were too scared to speak anyway and the ones that did try to talk were forcibly silenced.  When a counselor had accused Ellis of foul play, he had already been the Head Counselor for three years and he fired the man on the spot.  After that, he had selected his staff more carefully, choosing only those who could be trusted.  Ellis had no fear inside his own orphanage anymore and he rarely had any serious incidents. His only true concern was for the overcrowding. The nine new girls he had been brought that day had pushed his resources to the limit. He would have to thin the herd.

              Ellis lifted his muscular two hundred and sixty pound bulk out of the frail wooden chair at his desk and made his way towards the counselor’s common area. Though Ellis had grown soft in the midsection as he aged, he had been raised on a farm and was immensely strong.  He hoped whoever was at the counselor's lounge was ready for some heavy work.  Although it was one thirty A.M., three counselors were sitting at the break-room table drinking gin and talking loudly. They quieted when Ellis entered and they all recognized the evil grin on his face and what it signified; his orders were expected.

              “Who wants the honor?” Ellis asked.

              “It’s Gene’s turn.”  Edward said. His bloodshot eyes and shaking hands indicated that he was only just starting to drink that evening.

              “No, I did it last time.” Gene retorted.

              “I don’t care! Get it done and get it done now!” Ellis hollered, his patience breaking. Whoever he chose would be in for a long night of driving and risk.

              “Do it, Gene.” Ellis said finally.

              “Yes sir.” Gene replied, chugging her glass of gin.

              Since Amelia had arrived at Lisson orphanage, she had felt only fear and oppression. But tonight was different. She felt…excited. She waited until the lights were turned off and the counselors left the room, then she crept silently towards Sabrina’s bunk. Sabrina was awake and her eyes registered shock when Amelia’s pale white face appeared inches from her own,

              “Who are you?” Sabrina asked.

              “I’m Amelia.”

              “What do you want? You shouldn’t be here. If we get caught talking then we’ll be punished.” 

              “I just want to be friends. I haven’t talked to anyone since I got here and I thought maybe you would want to have a friend…”

              “Stop!” Sabrina’s voice got dangerously loud, “I don’t want a friend! You’re gonna get me in trouble!” Amelia recognized the look of horror in Sabrina’s eyes, it was the same look she had after she had been punished on the first day. Amelia knew that she should go back to her bunk, but her overwhelming curiosity forced more words out of her mouth,

              “What happened on the first day? Where did they take you? What did they do?” Amelia pressed on, but Sabrina’s eyes had already glazed over, terror paralyzing her vocal cords. Amelia knew she would get nothing out of Sabrina then, so she kissed her on the cheek and slogged back to her own bunk, disappointed. She had been looking forward to conversing with Sabrina all day and the silly girl thought that the counselors were omniscient, monitoring their every move.  Amelia closed her eyes and vowed that she would never be so scared of someone that she lost touch with reality.  She was still in the moments before sleep took her, the moments where you don’t know if you’re awake or dreaming, when a counselor entered the dormitory. Amelia wouldn’t have sensed the woman’s presence if she hadn’t let the door slam so loudly, apparently unconcerned that she might rouse witnesses.

              Her name was Gene.  Amelia remembered that Ellis had called her by that name a few days after Amelia had arrived.  What was Gene doing? Amelia kept one eye closed and her breathing rhythmic as she watched Gene go to Sabrina’s bed and wake her up.  Sabrina let out a yelp as Gene grabbed her hair and unceremoniously half-dragged her out of the dorm,  making lots of noise but never hesitating or slowing down.  As soon as they were gone Amelia ran to the door and pressed her ear against it, but the sounds of Sabrina’s struggle faded after a minute and Amelia wiped a tear from her eye.  She did not know why she was crying, only that the dread in her soul was as valid as anything she had ever felt.  She went back to her bed and her mind played out a thousand terrible scenes, each one more likely than the previous. She kept her eye on the door as she tried to fall asleep, fearful that she would be taken in the night.

                            * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

              “Get up” the voice was youthful, feminine and hurried, “get up!”

              “I’m up, I’m up.” Amelia groaned. It had been a long day in the laundry room and her body ached from carrying the great baskets of clothes. Her mental fog lifted slightly as a great explosion sounded outside and Amelia felt like a building had imploded next to her ear. She sat up, hearing the rain on the roof, like a thousand tiny feet tap-dancing.

              “C’mon, there’s not much time.” The small voice insisted. Amelia blinked and saw a small girl in front of her, probably no more than seven years old. Amelia didn’t recognize her. “Who are you?”

              “I’m Allie. C’mon, you haven’t seen everything yet.” Allie grabbed Amelia’s hand and half-pulled her out of bed. Amelia went along, wondering what she hadn’t seen yet that could be so important in the middle of the night. Allie led her out of the dorm and Amelia’s heart pounded as she entered the hallway. If they were caught, a harsh punishment surely awaited both of them. Allie led Amelia fearlessly down the hallway going away from the laundry room, towards the rest of the facility. Amelia’s breath caught in her throat as they suddenly emerged outside in the freezing rain; she hadn’t realized how close she always was to the outdoors, she hadn’t been outside since her arrival. Amelia followed Allie towards a tall building across the courtyard and the girls burst through the entryway, eager to be out of the rain. Allie’s small, cold hand gripped Amelia’s' and she led her up a winding staircase that never seemed to end.

              “Where are we going?” Amelia was exhilarated and confused.

              “We’ll be there soon, I promise.” The girls finally reached the top and Amelia was stunned. She could see the entire orphanage and its surrounding countryside. There was the housing buildings with the obvious section of laundry room jutting out, there were also two small, squat building that were churning out great billows of black smoke, and there was the tower that they were in. The most modern styled building was the receiving building that housed the counselors and faced the main road, some five hundred yards from where Amelia now stood. Amelia had never realized the entire layout of the orphanage and she wondered how Allie had ever discovered this vantage point.

              “Why did you bring me here?” Amelia asked, turning towards Allie. The girl was gone. Amelia looked down at where Allie’s small hand had been holding her own and she only then realized that she was holding her own hand.  She looked down at the courtyard and thought she could see Allie’s small figure running through the rain, towards the dorm buildings. Amelia sighed and made to leave when she noticed a field beyond the laundry room, one she hadn’t noticed before. There were small protrusions in the earth at linear intervals and Amelia wondered what the field was used for. Perhaps the staff was growing crops out in the field. Or perhaps it was a cemetery. Amelia couldn’t be sure at that late hour what she was seeing, so she resolved to go back to bed and uncover the truth at her leisure.

                           
Chapter 2
             

              Per the State’s requirements, orphans had to be given a basic education. Every Fall, a stiff government employee showed up at Lisson Orphanage and administered a standardized test. The kids were not expected to do well, only to demonstrate that they could perform basic reading and arithmetic. Though Ellis loathed the perceived intrusion on his territory, he was powerless to deny the government representative. The assessment was undoubtedly of much more than just the children's education, it was of their condition, though that part was unofficial.

              Once the ten through twelve year olds were seated in the lobby, the government employee passed out the tests and read the instructions. The kids were clearly nervous of taking the examination and more than one pencil fell on the floor as their hands shook. Many of them could not perform basic academic functions and once Ellis discovered the under-achievers, he would surely chastise them in his way.

              Amelia finished her test first. The government man eyed her critically, for no child had ever finished their exam as quickly as she had. He had been doing his job for years and he had seen it all. Some kids simply filled in the blanks on their answer sheet, just to get the entire humiliating experience over as quickly as possible. Others tried to draw pictures and impress him with their artistry. Some kids simply left the answer sheet blank and cried. He had time while the other kids still tested, so he extracted his bright red marker and began grading Amelia’s paper. It took him three minutes and he double checked the answer sheet, just to be certain.

              “Amelia Gannerson, please come here.” Amelia rose from her seat warily and every eyeball in the room was on her, including Ellis’.

              “Amelia, if a number were to be divided by one half, then one quarter, then finally one fifth and my remainder is two, what would that number be?” the government man asked. Ellis tried to figure it out in his head and he felt a small ache develop behind his eyes.

              “Eighty, sir.” Amelia said immediately, her eyes bright at the challenge.

              “Amelia, what would you say I am if I told you that I’m something that is at the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, and I’m in everything and everywhere?”

              “God.” Ellis said from across the room, causing everyone to glance his way.

              “No.” the government man responded, his voice dismissive.  Ellis’ face turned red and he glared at the kids in fiery embarrassment, “What are you looking at? Get back to work!”

              “Sir, you’re the letter ‘E’.” Amelia said proudly.

              “Correct. Please Amelia, take your seat.” The government man said once more. He made his way towards Ellis and the two men whispered furiously. The government man seemed to be trying to convince Ellis of something and Ellis kept shaking his head no until the government man threw his hands in the air in exasperation. He stormed back to his desk and started scribbling furiously in his notes. In the rear of the class, Ellis seethed.

              Once the final girl turned in her exam, the government man gathered the answer sheets and left, purposely avoiding looking at Amelia.  He could not allow another supremely gifted mind to be crushed by the small-mindedness of blind authority.  Had this gifted young girl been born into an affluent family, she would have been recognized early and lived a life of philosophy and wonder.  She might have become a famous scientist who cured cancer, or a business guru that generated endless revenue for her chosen company.  Such minds were a gift from God, the government man believed, bequeathed upon the world to reveal a glimpse of Him.  Sadly, the girl was an orphan, destined to live a life of servitude to her intellectual inferiors. It was an unbearable travesty that the government man could simply not allow to happen. With great solemnity, he vowed to himself to watch over this girl, and when the time was right, to guide her.

Amelia watched the government man depart and wondered at the disappointed look on his face. As she watched him leave, she noticed that every eye in the class was on her

Even Ellis was staring, confounded.

“Geoff, get them back to work” he snapped at a young male counselor that stood behind him. Geoff started towards the front of the class, reflexively flinching as he walked by Ellis. Amelia wondered if he had been an orphan once, too.

“OK, girls...line up.” Geoff ordered the room in a nasal tone.

As the girls organized and made their way out, Amelia stood to leave, but Ellis indicated with his eyes and a shake of his head that she should stay behind. Amelia swallowed hard as the room slowly vacated and she was left alone with her nightmare. She stayed in her seat and watched as Ellis took the teacher’s stool from the front of the room and carried it to the front of her desk. He kicked other desks out of the way and Amelia thought the stool might snap under his girth once he settled.

“You think you’re special?” he asked menacingly.

“No sir.” Amelia replied, not looking him in the eye.

“Yea you do. You think you’re smarter than me.” he said, his voice rising.

“No sir.” Amelia said again. She could feel her heart beating wildly in her chest and she knew that no matter what she said, Ellis would punish her.

“If you’re so smart, Amelia, then why are you just a stupid orphan and I’m the king around here?” Ellis asked, rising off the stool.