Chapter 2
I moved into the Children's Home.
Most of the kids here had no family left.
Most of them had been here since they were under ten, so everyone knew each other well.
I was probably the only one who'd been kicked out by my own family.
I followed James inside.
From a distance, I overheard a group of girls huddled together, talking quietly and reminiscing.
"If my brother were still around, he'd never have kicked me out and sent me here. Back when he was alive, he doted on me," one of them said.
"My parents were the same. They loved me more than anything. If only it hadn't been for that accident..." another one said.
They spoke in hushed voices, sounding sad. Most of them weren't being mean about it.
I kept my head down. My face suddenly burned with embarrassment, and I instinctively quickened my pace.
James led me to a room tucked away in the corner, gesturing toward the door. "This is a double room. You're in luck. A girl left a couple of days ago, so you can have her bed."
I nodded and carried my things inside.
The other girl in the room was sitting by the window, working on her homework.
As I moved my stuff over to the empty bed, the girl shot me a weird look.
I always felt too timid to meet anyone's gaze. So I kept my eyes down, quietly unpacked the bedding James handed me, and began making up my bed.
As I leaned in to make my bed, I caught a faint scent wafting up from the mattress.
It smelled like disinfectant mixed with medicine.
There were a few dark reddish marks smeared on the wall right next to the bed.
Suddenly, the girl's voice cut through the silence. "Someone died in that bed. And you're gonna sleep there?"
I jolted in surprise.
I shot up from the bed, a scream almost escaping my lips.
The girl said flatly, "You've got family, so why are you here? What, are you acting all pitiful to get a scholarship, or are you slumming it for the experience?"
My hands shook so hard that I could barely control them as I frantically brushed off my clothes, desperate to get rid of any trace of that bed.
Even though I was staring death in the face myself, I still instinctively feared the dead.
The girl looked at me, her gaze distant and a little dazed. "Mr. Warren said she got sick and was sent to the hospital, where she died. He refused to let me change rooms.
"If you've got a home, go back. I don't have anywhere else to go, so I'm stuck here."
As I moved, something fell out of my pocket.
The diagnosis sheet spun through the air and landed right in front of the girl.
Her words died in her throat.
She locked her gaze on the sheet, unable to look away.
Her hollow stare was quickly overtaken by a surge of fear. She blurted out, "You've got the same illness too?"
My mind went blank. I panicked, frantically grabbing for the sheet on the floor. But the girl suddenly completely freaked out.
She sprang up, grabbed something at random, and brought it down hard on my head.
She shrieked, "She's back. Stay away! Get out of here."
Blood trickled down my forehead, and my vision turned red and blurry.
I pushed myself up, wobbling as I tried to steady myself.
Suddenly, the girl grabbed a fruit knife from under her pillow and, in a frenzy, came at me, stabbing wildly with terror in her eyes.
"Get away!" she screamed.
I instinctively grabbed her wrist, trying to hold her back.
As we struggled, the girl went flying and smashed her head hard against the corner of the desk.
James heard the commotion and rushed in with a few other adults.
In the evening, Michael was called over.
He stared at me, his face cold and exhaustion carved deep into his features. "Evelyn, my life wasn't meant to revolve around you. How much more are you going to mess up my life?"
Blood matted my hair to my forehead.
I hurt all over, but for a moment, I couldn't tell where the pain was coming from.
For a long moment, I couldn't get a word out.
The girl across from me kept mumbling, totally out of it. "Get away. Now."
No one paid any attention to her.
James let out a sigh beside Michael. "It's been ages since any girls have gotten into a fight in our Children's Home. Maybe you should take your sister back with you."
Michael's face was dark with anger.
He stood there for a long moment, fists clenched so hard that the veins popped out on the backs of his hands.
Just as James was about to speak, he took a deep breath and said, "I'll cover the girl's medical bills.
"And for the trouble Evelyn caused, I'll send some extra money to the Children's Home when I get my paycheck at the end of the month."
He was already flat broke.
If he handed over his paycheck to James at the end of the month, he might not have money for food next month.
James's face finally softened.