Everyday started at night. With the same nightmare. Me, trapped in a room. I’m wearing a white skirt stained with blood-but it doesn’t fit my body. The room’s dark and cold. I see a man, a soldier, his eyes beg for mercy. The only light comes from the broken ceiling lights. I’m crying. I hear a loud sound. I still don’t know what it is. I also hear men. Adults. I can’t tell what they’re saying, but they’re yelling. Loudly.
When I awake, my heart rages beneath my ribcage. The world and all the thoughts come back.
I don’t know where this dream came from. Is it a memory? I couldn’t tell. I have scars, too. I don’t know where they’re from. They look like a symbol, but what type? So many questions with no answers in sight.
Light cracks into the room from the curtains. I’m still too tired to be awake. It’s cold, too. I barely open my eyes. I want to stay in my bed. But I think about Violet. I think about her ink black hair and deep cerulean eyes. She’s waiting for me in her dorm.
Slowly, I get up. I avoid awaking Gertrude, whos fast asleep thinking about being a small ant in a colony. I undress and put on my garments, before climbing the dresser to get to the vent. I open it quietly, and climb inside. The vent is quiet and dusty, far too small for an adult to get through it. I suddenly hear Gertrude’s thoughts. What’s she doing? Certainly someone will be mad about this. The rules are rules and nobody breaks them… I brush her thoughts away quickly.
In the vents, I crawl until I hit a fork, then turn left. Eventually I reach Violet’s dorm. I take the cap of the vent off, and jump into Violet’s dorm.
I was looking for you. Do you have your notes? I nod. “I don’t understand why you like this stuff so much.” I tell her. They don’t let me do math. They figure that its not worth it. I hear Ms. Auerbein talks about it all the time. ‘She’s dull, what's the point in teaching her?’ In her aura, I sense eagerness. Yet she is still weary, as if there is something forbidden about doing math. I take out the paper. “Let x be the side of…”
206. 3 and 3 quarters. 501. Meer seconds pass before she gets the answer right. Always. “You’re amazing.” I say in awe, and I almost can’t help but giggle a little. Too kind, Aurora, too kind. I’m no Albert Einstein. I hear a smaller thought: But I’d love to meet him. “One day…he lives in the United States, right?” I think so. It’s not like I get a newspaper from Ms. Auerbein.
“She treats you like garbage.” It took you long enough to notice. “It’s not that…I just…” Silence from both of us.
Suddenly, I hear a string of thoughts coming closer. I put the notes under Violet’s wheelchair. “What will we tell Ms. Auerbein?” You went to the bathroom at night, your dorm door was open…
I look up to see the door open, with Ms. Auerbein now infront of us. “How did you get here, Aurora?” …And you couldn’t get back in, so you went here.
“I used the bathroom in the middle of the night when the door was open. I couldn’t get back in, so I went here.” Ms. Auerbein nods, and she scans the room. Her eyes stumble upon the opened vent. Something the janitors will have to fix, no doubt. I gave a sigh of relief when she didn’t question it.
“Well, seeing as you are in your clothing, its best if you head down to the cafeteria. I can take Violet there after I put her into her clothes.” I stare at Ms. Auerbein, and I suddenly realize that I had the notes under the wheelchair.
“Ms. Auerbein, could I take Violet to breakfast?” I ask, staring at her red shoes, which neatly fit onto her feet.
“Why would you need to? You’re not big enough to move her.” I don’t budge. “Aurora, I am a staff at this facility, and you’re only a child. What makes you think you wield any power over me?” I feel a sense of pity from Ms. Auerbein, but it’s targeted at me. I wonder what she sees in that girl.
Suddenly, I hear Violet give a small grunt. “She wants me to take her.” I insist.
Ms. Auerbein crosses her arms. “And what makes you think that?” The room is stiff for a few seconds, before Violet’s mind becomes vibrant again. Leave now, and when she sees the notes, hopefully she won’t put two and two together.
I sigh and nod. Ms. Auerbein gives a curt smile, but I hear in her mind a sense of peculiar triumphantness. So submissive, yet defiant. Reminds me of Daniella.
As I make it to the dinning hall, many minds buzz around me. All the children, groggy and tired, drift to the empty hall like flies attracted to carcasses. Some speak, but most are quiet. So is the way of the orphanage. We enter as great eagles, and end up as mindless bees.
I go on line to get eggs and orange juice. I remember to get extra, so I can save some for Violet. Behind me is a new girl. She reeks of nervousness, and I hear in her head that she had just transferred from San Diego. She had to be transferred on grounds that there were more orphans coming, a strange point I hadn’t heard before.
No one speaks to her, and even I don’t bother. I quickly focus back to reality when she starts thinking of her brother.
The eggs stink and the orange juice is sour, but I’m thankful for any food. I find my seat next to Violet, who will be given special food from Ms. Auerbein. I give her a sip of the orange juice, but try to hide it with my torso so that no one makes fun of Violet. I scan the room. Ms. Auerbein comes up to us and hands Violet her tray. As she helps feed Violet, I sense Ms. Auerbein is now more uneasy.
The details come quickly, like hurricanes or rain falling from the sky. Japan. Pearl Harbour. Our new enemies. War. Ms. Auerbein’s fear surrounds me like a blazing whirlwind, and all from reading the morning news. I look at Violet, but she doesn’t notice. All the voices and whispers become pulses in the air. I clutch my fork. Beads of sweat grow on my back. I perceive nothing, but a voice still comes through: Aurora. Aurora, is everything alright?
I turn my eyes to Violet. She sees me now. Ms. Auerbein quickly leaves to see the other students. Is something wrong, Aurora? I’m apprehensive about telling Violet the awful news. “I don’t know.”
That’s a silly thing to say. What is it? “Well…we’re at war.” Millions of thoughts hit Violet's mind, and they each strike me like bullets. What will happen to us?
“I don’t know.” My mind thinks of the brutal fighting in the east. Could Japan invade us?You’re Japanese, right? You should know something about their psyche. I mean…how did you end up like a mindreader in the first place?
That question made me recede back into myself. The air was too stuffy to breathe in. I had heard her ask it many times, and all times I wouldn’t answer. It’s not like she could help it. Thoughts are unfiltered. Aurora…jeez, I must’ve hit a nerve or something. Well, nevermind that. We just need to know what happens to us. What do they do with orphanages like this?
“No, I’m fine. What they do is that they give us rags, more rags than now. There practically isn’t a difference between being in an orphanage like this one and being homeless.” I hear Ms. Auerbein’s footsteps approaching. When she arrives, I hear a flurry of insults hurled at me. Stupid girl. Why does she even bother wi-with Violet? It’s like talking to a wall. She haphazardly attempts to step on my foot and punish me for my wretched behavior. I dodge it, and in her head I hear her explain how it never happened. I know she’s stressed because of the war, but I give her no pity.
“Aurora, eat your meal. When I’m back I don’t want to see a scrap left.” Ms. Auerbein angrily spits and ambles away.
The rest of the day is filled with anger and anxiety. I’m no longer just Aurora, I’m japanese. I get kicked and bullied. No one touches Violet, though. I make sure of it. It’s a matter of time before I start to hear about the internment camps. I know I will be sent there soon, but I refuse to tell Violet. She’ll be afraid, I know it.
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Then, one day, a police officer arrives. I’m woken up early in the morning by Mrs. Batesmith, the sister of Ms. Auerbein who also runs the orphanage. She’s apprehensive, and I can already hear what she’s about to say: you’re going to be taken away, Aurora.
She sits me down beside her one cold December morning, and tries to talk me through my worries. “Y’know Aurora, many children here think I’m the better of the two sisters. I want to live up to that. I always want every child here to be loved. I really don’t know how to tell you what's going to happen next. But things will change, and for the better. You’ll be with new friends, friends like yourself. You’ll go to a new school, one where you are with the rest of the children like you. Think of it as something exciting.”
My mind panics. What if they find my powers? They’ll be watching me. I know they will. If I slip up just once…
Mrs. Batesmith can sense my fear. Oh, poor child. Maybe she can bring something with her that's special. Doesn’t she have a teddy bear, or some sort of trinket?
There’s a knock on the door, and a policemen with greying hair steps in. “Hello, Miss. I’m here to escort you to the bus.”
My eyes widen, and I go completely still. “Excuse me,” Mrs. Batesmith interjects. “Would it be possible for Aurora here to take some belongings with her?”
The bus is leaving in 10 minutes. The citizens are given clothes there. Before the policeman even speaks, I say the only word I can: “please.”
His brow unfurrows, and his sympathy sets in. “I can allow that.” I nod and give him a wobbly thank you before running into Violet’s dorm.
She’s alone, like she is for most of the day. “Violet,” I whisper, my voice quivering. Aurora? What’s wrong?
“They’re-” a tear falls down my cheek. This will be the last time I see her. “They’re taking me away. Because I’m japanese.”
Where? I hear sobs escaping my mouth. “Somewhere far away. In a camp.”
You’re going now? Did you know about this before? Aurora, what if they discover your powers? What if-
“I needed to say goodbye.” I hug Violet tight. No. They can’t take you. You should run. Go through the vent. You must know a way outside by now. They can’t know about your powers. They’re a gift, Aurora. One I don’t think others should know about. Take the teddy bear with you.
I let go of Violet, and I rub my tear away. I don’t know how much time you have before they come searching back for you again. Now go.
I stand still for a moment. I hear minds and voices coming our way. Go.
Suddenly, I hear tapping. With all her might, Violet taps her wheelchair. Go!
I grab the teddy bear and climb into the vent, wiping my last tear away.
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