A Cure for the Blind

Chapter 1 - That Proud Raven

Chapter One

That Proud Raven

The cold breeze was unforgiving against her clear skin. She took another deep breath, inviting the frozen air to kiss her lungs deeply. It stung, but it made her feel alive and aware. She threw her long, blond hair away from her childish face and studied her surroundings, trying to ignore the shivers that went down her spine. If the shiver was due to the icy air or just a natural response to her current situation, she was not sure. Alice turned around and looked for her little brother.

"Hurry, Josh. We cannot linger," she whispered, her voice tainted with urgency.

The little boy slowly made his way towards his sister, his breathing fast and uneven, his hair in disarray. Joshua clutched his stuffed dog closer to him, fear and doubt reeking out of every word, "Why, Alice? Why are we doing this?"

"Because we must!" was her harsh reply, her voice cold and final, matching the night perfectly.

"I don't understand," Joshua quietly cried, "Why must we leave our home?"

"It wasn't our home."

"But-"

"It wasn't, and never would be, home." Alice glared at her brother. Little Josh didn't dare answer her back.

No, it wasn't their home. It was an orphanage, a storing house for the unwanted and forgotten, just like Alice and Joshua. It wasn't home, but it never felt like punishment either, the nuns always treated the children with care and respect. They weren't running away because they couldn't tolerate it, the reason for their secret escape was much more pressing - or, at least, it felt like it to Alice. Just the thought of the conversation she heard that morning was enough to instill in her a fear like she never felt. The consequences of such a possibility, like the one she furtively heard, were painful and unbearable to just imagine.

She looked at Joshua, the little boy who was blissfully unaware of her reasons, whispering soothing words into his stuffed dog's ears. Alice suddenly felt nauseated and a sharp pain made of guilt. Would he hate her if he found out? There wasn't a doubt in her mind that her actions were selfish and cruel. And, she realized with another shiver, what scared her most was not that she had put Josh and herself in danger, but that she felt no regrets. No remorse, whatsoever.

The oldest child shook away these thoughts and analyzed the hopeless situation she had brought upon them. They were children, lost in the middle of the ruthless city streets, unprotected, frail against the many dangers that lurked in the darkness of the night, weak against the elements themselves.

The fog that was settling around them, getting heavier by the minute, mercilessly played with her vision. The thin streets were deserted at plain sight, but she was no fool. She was aware that the city was alive at night - only the dangers were camouflaged, hidden and darker. She was aware that the orphanage guardians running after them were their smallest problem. The silent, deceiving and evil streets were their real enemy at the moment. Finding a warm, safe place to rest and hide was imperative.

"I'm scared," Josh whispered against his best friend, "I'm cold and tired. Alice, can we please go back home now?"

The blue eyed girl didn't answer, instead, she grabbed her brother's hand and guided him farther, her pace quickened and her eyes scrutinizing every single inch of the poorly lit streets. The faint noise of their shoes hitting the stone roads was the only sound to be heard and it echoed against the walls of the sleeping buildings around them.

"Where are we going?"

Alice ignored him again, not because she didn't want to answer, but because she was asking herself that same question inside her mind.