Prologue
“You have no place in our orphanage, demon,” spat the Matron, her lips curling in disgust.
The staff gathered around the girl, their eyes fixed on her with contempt. “Don’t stare at us with those creepy eyes,” one sneered. “Didn’t your mother teach you that it’s rude to stare? Oh, wait, I forgot that you killed her!”
“I didn’t kill her,” the girl protested, her voice shaking. “I didn’t do anything. She came into my room with a... It wasn’t me. I’m not guilty of anything.”
The staff laughed, their cruel words ringing in the air. “Stop lying. You think anyone’s going to believe your excuses. Admit it. You killed your mother and let’s not forget about your father. Because of you, the poor man couldn’t even attend his beloved’s funeral. And you know what the worst thing is? You’ll never be able to say, ‘I’m sorry’. Not that it would make things any better.”
The girl’s heart sank as the Matron continued. “Do you think we wanted to take you in? Of course not. It was only because our Head took pity on you that you were here in the first place. But now... do you know what you’ve done? You nearly killed half the orphanage. You. Are. A. Murderer.”
Tears streamed down the girl’s face. “I didn’t... I didn’t do it,” she pleaded. “I’m not lying. The autopsy said that it wasn’t my fault.”
But the Matron was unmoved. The girl knew that she had no allies in the orphanage. They had all made up their minds about her. She couldn’t help but wonder why the Matron was so determined to punish her. She was too young to understand the full extent of the Matron’s cruelty, but she knew that she had overheard a conversation between the Matron, the orphanage head, and a police officer in charge of murder investigations. The memory burned in her mind, but she couldn’t make sense of it.
“I visit today is to inform you that the autopsy results have been released-”
“Thank God, then you must take this child away at once to a place where she may reflect upon her sins.”
“The autopsy results have been released, stating that this was not a murder but a case of suicide. Therefore-”
“What! How could this be? There must be something wrong officer, you should, no you must redo the autopsy.”
“Martha, hold your tongue, let the officer speak.”
“Thank you, Mr Craig. Ms Stone, this autopsy has been performed by one of the best people in the field. We would appreciate it if you left things to the experts. Since you are the closest orphanage in the area, the child will be left in your care. There is no room for discussion. You are not to inform anyone of the incident. The decision has been made. I heard that you recently got engaged, you have my best wishes. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’d best be on my way.”
The inspector made it clear that no one was to know what happened that day, so why was the matron... Did the orphanage head have a say in this? If so then they names did them justice. Mr & Mrs Stone, a match made in hell.
Hurry up and get lost you.... you.... you monster!!”
Blythe scanned the crowd to find the person who said those words. She recognised him instantly. It was David. He had always treated her badly since the day she called him Dave, a nickname that Emily had made for him. Blythe often wondered what she had done to make him hate her so much. No, it was more than that. He despised her. Maybe it was because of the colour of her eyes - she knew that they were an unusual colour - lilac, but one of the other kids had sapphire eyes and was popular enough. It didn’t make sense why she was the only one who got picked on.
Her thoughts wandered to all the ‘pranks’ Dave had played on her: her mind revisited the time he purposely threw his boomerang up a tree and forced Blythe to go get it. She didn’t want to, but he’d threatened her saying that if she didn’t, he’d tell the matron she stole some cookies. Blythe had denied it, but who would believe her? The matron was always looking for excuses to punish her. She also remembered hearing voices; Dave and someone else... a girl whose voice was too faint for her to pinpoint her name but not faint enough so that she couldn’t hear her. “Where’s that mud-head?” The girl’s voice was soft, but her tone was harsh and quick, as if she was in a hurry. “She’s probably upstairs,” David’s tone held no emotion. “I’ll be going now.” “She might not know about you and your pretence, but that doesn’t mean I’ll tolerate it. Your innocent façade doesn’t work on me. Next time, stay away from me.”
As she reflected on the past, Blythe couldn’t help but wonder... what if David had actually been looking out for her? Despite his questionable actions, she couldn’t forget the time he threw her into the pool and nearly caused her to drown. She remembered gasping for air and catching a glimpse of guilt in his eyes before his mask of indifference returned. The memory sent a shiver down her spine. But then there was the night he pulled her out of bed at 1:00 am and threw her into the pool repeatedly until she could swim without fear. Blythe couldn’t make sense of his actions and the animosity he seemed to harbour towards her.
Her train of thought was abruptly interrupted by a loud noise growing closer and closer. “MONSTER, MONSTER, MONSTER!” the children chanted in unison, as if it were their new favourite word.
“Quiet down, children, or she might silence you just as she did to her mother,,” scolded the staff member. Blythe saw a faint smile on his face, and she knew that he was enjoying the spectacle. He told the kids to stop, even though he had encouraged them to continue in the first place so that they could attract an audience to witness Blythe’s humiliation. As she looked around, she saw that people had already started gathering outside the orphanage gates, which had been intentionally left open to attract a larger audience.
“Just like they say, ‘the more, the merrier,’” Blythe thought bitterly to herself.
She glanced at the other orphans who were singing Blythe’s praises, and she saw Emily among them. Emily was the only one who had been kind to her, the only one who had ever treated her like a friend. Blythe couldn’t understand why Emily would suddenly turn on her like this.
“I was deceived by her facade. I never expected that such a well-mannered and innocent-looking child would turn out to be a duplicitous fox.” It turned out even the cleaner had been playing with her.
“What are you waiting for? An invitation? Or do you want me to toss you out?” the matron inquired in a nonchalant tone, unfazed by the commotion.
Blythe looked to the head of the orphanage, her eyes demanding an explanation. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze. She scrutinised his face, realising that the man she had once considered a father figure was now mocking her.
The crushing reality hit her like a ton of bricks. She had been so foolish to trust those around her and believe their deceitful lies. Her naivete had led her to believe she had finally found a place to call home, with people she could trust and rely on. She had dreamed of the day she turned 18 and could afford to pay for Belle’s medical bills - the government had refused to cover the cost, claiming it was unnecessary and that her sister would die regardless. All she wanted was to see her beloved sister again and to ensure that her little sister, Natalie, had a safe and secure future.
It was an ironic twist of fate that her own flesh and blood had brought about her downfall. If only she had heeded Belle’s warnings, she wouldn’t be in this predicament now. But perhaps it wasn’t too late. Maybe she still had a chance to seize control of her own destiny, to rewrite the pages of her life story.
This experience could be a consequence of her naivety or a wake-up call urging her to transform. Blythe was determined to demonstrate that she was not the same weak girl they once knew, and that she wouldn’t succumb to their petty schemes. She resolved to stand her ground and fight for what she believed in. It was time to show the world that she was not someone to be taken advantage of. But despite her newfound determination, a lingering doubt remained: was she truly capable of overcoming the obstacles that lay ahead?
