The Lost Heiress

The sun peeked through the gaps of my blinds as I squinted in order to read my book. I only started Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, yesterday but I was already more than halfway through.

I looked around the tiny room Alanzar Orphanage has given me when I first came here, nearly sixteen years ago. My tiny room was only big enough for a twin-size bed, a small nightstand, a white drawer, and the tiny desk that I got from Mrs. Truscott, the lady that owns the preppy yellow house down the street from the Orphanage, a few years ago at her garage sale. My walls have been painted light blue ever since I was four.

“Pennie! There are people here for you!” Ms. Ester, the Orphanage owner, rumbled from downstairs.

Life at the orphanage was tediously boring with the same old quotidian routine. Every morning was the start of another slow, boring day. Miss Ester was like our mother, but completely different than that ofa mother. She was in her mid-fifties and had her good days, but her bad days usually outnumbered the good ones.

“Yes, Miss Ester, I’ll be right down!” I closed my book, sighing before heading downstairs to see what all the ruckus was about.

I was the oldest one at the Orphanage so I had to take half the responsibility of taking care of the three little ones that are also living here. I didn’t know who my biological parents were, but I knew that they left me here when I was only two. I told myself that one day, I’d find them to ask them why they left without ever looking back.

But... I was utterly stuck here because I have no money, no plans, nothing...

“Penn! There are scary people out there looking for you!” Bella panicked as she ran towards me as soon as I stepped into the kitchen, “Penn!”

“Calm down, Bella.” I smiled at her. “I’ll go see what those scary men want, okay?”

“You have to be careful!” Bella looked scared out of her mind. It was so adorable that I giggled. Bella was the youngest one here, but she was honestly more mature than most.

“I know, I know. I’ll be extra careful, I promise.” I gave her a smile before walking out to the living room to see what men she was talking about.

“Good morning, Miss Pennie.” An older man in a black tux got up from the old brown couch, the one we have had in our living room forever, and smiled at my sight. He looked like he belonged to some sort of government agency. He even had an earpiece.

Why would people from the government be looking for me?

“Um... Good morning...” I must have looked so dumbstruck, standing there staring at him and the two other men in black. “Who are you guys...?”

“My name is Anson Kandra, very nice to meet you.” He had the warmest and friendliest smile I have ever seen in my entire life. Even though he was a stranger, something about him put me at ease. Especially since the two younger guys behind him showed no emotion on their faces.

“Hi, Mr. Kandra... Um... How may I help you...?” I was getting scared now as my voice cracked.

“We’re from the IRIS Empire, we came here as an order from Mr. Monrova to retrieve the long lost young miss Monrova.” He smiled at me again; his eyes look at me sadly and longingly, like I was a family member he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Um... I don’t know who you guys are looking for but I can ask Miss Ester to come out and talk to you guys?” I was about to turn around to walk back to the kitchen but Mr. Kandra called my name.

“Miss Pennie, we’re here for you.” Mr. Kandra looked at me with a serious face, as the smile disappeared. “We believe you are the long lost young miss Monrova of the IRIS empire.”

My eyes were wide open, staring at Mr. Kandra, who sounded delusional saying that I was the heiress to the IRIS empire. It was only the biggest aviation empire in the Western Hemisphere. What did I have to be related to the wealthiest family in the world?

“I-I... I... think you guys got the wrong person...” I couldn’t help but laugh at the sound of how impossible the news sounded. “I’m Pennie, just Pennie, Mr. Kandra. I’m not a Monrova... I’m Pennie... And I live... Here... At the orphanage...”

“No, Miss Pennie, we have gathered all the evidence that proves you are more than likely to be the rightful Miss Monrova, Ariella Stacey Monrova.” Mr. Kandra didn’t look like he was about to be persuaded by my oblivion.

“Mr. Kandra... I’m not Ariella Monrova. I’m Pennie! Just Pennie!” My voice was barely audible now. I felt dizzy, all woozy inside. I didn’t know it was possible to experience such a mixture of happy, hopeful, anxious, and terrified feelings.

“You can continue this conversation with all the members Monrova family themselves.” Mr. Kandra says and Miss Ester walked out from the kitchen, looking grumpy as always.

Miss Ester finally interrupted our discussion as she walked out of the kitchen. Holding Bella’s hand, looking grumpy as always. “Don’t you think it’d be better to go find out?” But even though she looked grumpy, I felt the care in her voice as she pushed me toward the doors. Or maybe she just wanted me out of there.

“Wonderful then! Please follow us, Miss.” Mr. Kandra turned to walk to the door but stopped as he noticed that I hesitatingly looked back to the kitchen, where the kids were, the people I’m used to my whole life. “Don’t you at least want to find out if they’re really your family? A trip there won’t hurt, will it, Miss Pennie?”

I knew he was right... What if they turn out to be my real family...? What if I didn’t have to be an orphan anymore.? But what if it turned out to be a mistake and I had to return to the orphanage with a crushed heart from the tease of having a family?

“We have to leave now, Miss Pennie.” Mr. Kandra repeated. “Please.”

“Okay...” I murmured, not knowing if I was doing the right thing or was just simply fooling myself, “What about my clothes and all of that...?”

“Don’t worry about them, you’ll be well taken care of at the mansion.” Mr. Kandra smiled again before heading out the door first.

I walked back into the kitchen to say goodbye to everyone, finding Miss Ester not there. The little ones looked up at me with confused stares. Even though the Orphanage wasn’t the best place, the little kids there were always smiling and laughing. So much that it took some of the heavy sadness off of my own heart.

I couldn’t imagine being away from them since they were all that I knew.

But I knew I had to go find out or I’d end up living with this regret for who knew how long.

“Goodbye, guys.” I bitterly smiled at them. “Take good care of each other when I’m away alright?”

“Where are you going, Pennia?” Jay, the little 3-year-old, looked up from his bowl of milk and teared up, “I need Pen here with me!”

Jay didn’t know how to say my name so he always called me Pen. Now that I thought of it, the only person who really called me Pennie around here was Miss Ester.

She was the one that gave me that name because she said when she found me, I was so tiny and was wrapped in a rust-color blanket that she thought I reminded her of a penny someone dropped on their way home. So that was where the name Pennie came from. And to be honest, I liked my name, Pennie.

“Jay, I’m going on a school trip. I’ll be back soon, okay?” I gave him a reassuring smile before looking over at Bella. She was like my little sister because we’ve been so close ever since Miss Ester found her wandering the streets four years ago and brought her here. The police said her family passed away in a car accident and she ran away. When we found her, Bella was only five.

“Bella, be a good girl and take care of the little ones, alright?” I pulled her into an embrace, “I’m relying on you to take over my job, Bels.”

“I know... I will... I promise. Have fun, Penn.” She smiled and caressed my cheek with her tiny hand like she knew the battle I was going into.

I closed the front doors of the Orphanage, the place I’ve called home ever since I was two, before walking out to the gates. I always knew I had to eventually leave the place. But when the time came to go venture to find my true identity, it was a lot more frightening than I had ever imagined and dreamed of it to be.

There was a long, sleek black car waiting at the front entrance that attracted everyone’s attention I saw the huge crowd surrounding the car and also a few more men in black suits standing in front of the car, to not let anyone get closer to the car.

Mr. Kandra smiled when he saw me approaching. He gestured for the guy to open the car door as I was about to open the door myself. The friendly younger guy smiled at me, putting my worries at ease a little.

“Miss, please feel free to take any snack or drink from the fridge as you’d like,” Mr. Kandra turned around to face me from the passenger seat as the car pulled away. “You might want to rest awhile because it’s kind of a long trip.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kandra.” I smile back at him before putting my head on the window and stole one last look at the steel gates of the orphanage. The huge crow was still standing there, all of them have a confused looks on their faces. I spotted some neighbors who were whispering things to one another. This was probably going to be the new gossip of the small town I grew up in since nothing exciting ever happened here.

But, I was comfortable with that. It was boring, but it was comfortable. I always knew what was going to happen every day. Now that the car drove further away as the orphanage grew smaller in sight, anxiety kicked in.

I knew that from here on out, I was walking into the dark.

Not knowing what the future held.

Completely risking everything.

Hoping for something.