Imprisoned

Arrival

I have decided not to choose a destination, partially because I do not know anywhere but here. I have always thought of myself as a free spirit. Never in my life have I had anyone to attach myself to so I have become reliant on only myself. Only through my own hard work have I come this close to escape. The only thing that has come between me and my goal is the caretaker, Addie, that makes it her duty to mother me. However, her maternal inclinations I'm not appreciated. but this time, not even the caretakers can stop me.

Rain ruins everything. People think of it as a positive thing that cleanses, but I don't. Rain gets in the way. It foils plans and when rain leaves it takes with it the precious jewels of the wild, like the untouched footprints of the lonely stag. In this case, the rain has stopped me from departing. I am now stuck in Anchorage for even longer.

Because I will never return, I took it upon myself to walk the halls a final time. The eggshell color that covers every wall does nothing to please the eye, but the activities which go on behind the closed door of Anchoridge never disappoint.

Peeking in at each room, I see nothing out of the ordinary. Young kids are messing around and the teens are silently brooding. It seems like every single other boring day. That is until I step into the foyer.

Nobody spends much time in the foyer because it is where all of the new arrivals are brought. They go through a series of tests and interviews to make sure they are right for the "healing atmosphere".

It is almost painful to see new kids brought in. Most of the time them newly orphaned and in a fit of hysteria. They do not understand that they will be adopted and that they should have hope.

When I walked in, the vaulted ceilings echoed not only my footsteps, but the sullen shuffles of children who refuse to accept their new reality. It is a sound that carries with it and immense pain and heartbreak for which nothing can be done.

So, I sit on a cold marble bench and marvel. I marvel about how a building can seem so grand and put on such a wonderful charade that it is never caught in its own lies. At first, nobody notices the little things. The infinitesimal details that are so off-putting. But after a while, one can see the empty stares of Anchorage's inhabitants for what they are. Someone who is looking for flaws is sure to see the lack of personality in the cold feeling the building itself gives off. So, I marvel about the fact that I am the only one who sees these things.

My disturbed thoughts are interrupted by the ground of the front door. It's Granduer is ruined by the ugly sound of its opening. But, that does not stop people from crossing the threshold. And cross the threshold the guests did.

Without so much as brief hesitation, two men stepped into the foyer with a boy about my age behind them. The men marched onward into the office. They almost seemed to belong to Anchorage with their strict postures and blank faces. But the boy did not follow. He stood in the middle of the room, looking up at the cavernous ceiling and inspecting it. I took that time, when he was unaware of my presence, to get a better look at him.