You're My Brother

Day 1- New Home

    He took his first, hesitant steps onto the property, hauling his belongings behind him and leaving behind the vehicle that took him here. The driver watched him walk away before pulling out of the small roundabout in front of the orphanage.
    Much of the driveway and roundabout was covered in flowers, short bushes, and a few stones. Clearly, it was meant to be welcoming or some sort of a pretty sight... But there's nothing positive about having no family. Nothing positive about being alone. Not a single thing.
    Keith didn't have much, but he brought all that belonged to him. He had a small messenger bag filled with the little things he wanted- a few books, paper, and an assortment of pencils and pens. Although, he doubted he'd ever use any of it. Behind him, he pulled an old, beat up, brown, leather suitcase. In it were his clothes, an extra pair of shoes and a blanket from home.
    The little boy didn't know what to expect from this new home. There were nearly one hundred other kids there from the ages of one week to eighteen years. He was only six.
    Just last month, his father had become severely ill, and as a result, passed away. Keith was left all alone in the secluded building he called home.
    Most children grow up with two parents, so he should be staying with his mother.... But his mother abandoned him when he was only six months old. Keith has no recollection of her appearance, her personality, or her voice. He doesn't even know if she ever loved him... What kind of mother abandons her own child...?
    As he approached the building, it looked more than a bit unfriendly. It stood three stories tall with little windows every few feet. The outer walls of the structure was composed of old red and brown bricks. A long black, metal fence surrounded the entire building.
    "How inviting......" he muttered under his breath.
    Keith gave another tug on his suitcase and pulled it up to the front steps.
    An old woman approached him, smiling as though she was greeting an old friend. "You must be Keith. It's a pleasure to meet you." She said cheerfully.
    The black haired child simply nodded, not making eye contact.
    "Here," she took the suitcase from him and led him into the building. "If you follow me, I have just a few things to go over with you."
    Keith flinched when he felt her take his hand. Quickly, he pulled it back, not caring if it was rude of him to do so.
    The woman gave him an apologetic look before she took him into an office, presumably hers. "We aren't too strict here," she began, "Just a few rules are all we have."
    "Okay...." Keith said, a little unsure as to why he couldn't just learn as he went along.
    "The day starts at seven. We all eat breakfast in the dining hall. Then you, being in elementary school, take your classes here until noon which is when..."
    His mind wandered. He knew that listening to these 'rules' would be important in the long run, but Keith couldn't help but focus on anything other than her words.
    Keith could have stared out the window for hours without being interrupted, but something yanked him back to reality.
    "I'm sorry if I'm late." An unfamiliar voice said, coming from the doorway.
    He turned to face the door, seeing a boy of about thirteen standing there.
    The other boy had short black hair and long, black bangs, sort of like the forelock of a horse.
    "You're just on time." The woman said. She looked to Keith and pointed to this new kid. "Keith, that is Takashi. He stepped up and said he'd share his room with you."
    Keith politely waved. "Hi...." he muttered softly.
    This Takashi fellow walked over to Keith and extended his hand, hopping the little boy would understand the gesture. "As Miss Marry said, I'm Takashi. But you're welcome to call me Shiro."
    So that's her name.... Keith forgot to pay attention during the introduction a few minutes ago. He cautiously took the other boy's hand and forced a smile.
    "Come on." Shiro smiled and motioned to Keith to follow him. "Let me show you around."
    He followed the other kid out of the office, and into the lobby.
    "To the right there," Shiro pointed to a few rooms, "that's where we have a chance to meet our new parents. Hopefully you'll be there sooner rather than later."
    Keith cringed. "New... Parents...?"
    Shiro laughed at the boy's reaction. "I know, it seems weird, but it's sort of the only dream we have."
    "I don't want new parents....." the six year old grumble.
    "I understand..." the teen's voice softened. "It's hard at first."
    Keith heard Shiro begin to walk away. He turned around quickly, hurrying to catch up to him.
    "So... What's your story?" Shiro asked suddenly. "I-if you don't mind sharing."
    He simply shrugged. "I don't have parents anymore.... What else do you need to know...?"
    "Fair enough..."
    Keith kept his head low, everything was so new and strange.
    The old wooden floorboards creaked below their feet as they walked down the hall to a large open space with chairs and tables.
    "This is the dining hall." Shiro informed the younger one, keeping a smile as he talked. "Here we gather at seven in the morning, noon and six in the evening. Rules are simple. You clean up what you use."
    "What...?" Keith looked up at Shiro. "Clean up...? Like wash dishes...?"
    The teenager laughed. "No, no. We don't wash the dishes. We just return them to the kitchen with as little waste as possible. And we occasionally wipe down the tables."
    Keith huffed in disappointment. "That's so boring..."
    Shiro ignored his last comment, pointing him back the way they came to a large staircase. "Down that hall are the infant rooms. There aren't many here at this time, but they're always separate from everyone else."
    The younger boy nodded, looking up the stairs to the two higher floors.
    Leading him up the first flight of stairs, Shiro motioned to the right once both he and Keith reached the landing. "That way, you'll find your classrooms. You're schooled here from pre-k through fifth grade."
    "Then what....?" Keith looked up at Shiro, his childish eyes filled with confusion. "Do we just stop learning...?"
    Again, the other boy chuckled, amused by Keith's question. "Here, yes. But a bus comes here to take the older kids to middle school and high school."
    Keith hung his head, he was embarrassed by his stupidity.
    "This way," Shiro led him down another hall lined with doors, each accompanied by a room number. "You'll find the first twenty rooms. The rest are upstairs."
    The young boy looked to each room. All of the doors were somewhat unique, decorated by the room's inhabitants. Part of him wondered if Shiro had previously decorated the door to their room. However, he wouldn't care either way.
    "Right now," Keith was pulled back to reality by Shiro's voice. "Everyone is either at school or in those classes." He looked to a clock at the end of the hall. "They'll be done soon though." Shiro quickly took Keith down to the end of the hall to another staircase, wanting to finish up the tour sooner rather than later. "We can go this way, it'll take us upstairs.... And it's faster than walking all the way back to the main staircase."
    Slowly, Keith nodded and followed his escort up to the third and final floor.
    Just like the previous one, this floor was lined with rooms, but no classrooms. There were nearly thirty rooms or so, some bigger than others.
    The simple layout of the home was easy to remember. He didn't see himself getting lost anytime soon.
    Shiro eventually took Keith outside and showed him the rest of the grounds. There was an outdoor patio, a few climbing sets- presumably for recess - just past that, and behind them, a huge forest. Of course, all of it was enclosed by the black fence that marked the end of captivity and the beginning of freedom.
    Keith longed to leave from the moment he got there. His home wasn't here. His home was far away in a house filled with familiar items, walls and rooms. Not here.
    "So... What do you think?" The teenager asked, hoping he'd get more than a one word answer.
    "Um..." Keith looked around their surroundings. "I don't know..." He squatted in a small green patch near the patio and began to pull at the short blades of glass. 
    Shiro followed after him, leaning down, still waiting for a real answer. "I know it's new... But this is your home now, and-"
    "No it's not!" Keith retorted quickly. "This isn't home!" He huffed, folding his arms as he began hugging his knees. "I don't like it here..."
    "That's understandable." Shiro sat down in the grass next to Keith. "You miss your father... And your home. But... Things are different now... And as hard as it seems, you'll have to get used to it."
    Keith rested his chin on his arms. "But I don't want to!" He protested. "I want to go home!"
    Taking a deep breath, Shiro gathered his thoughts, contemplating the best way to respond to his new roommate's stubborn, yet reasonable attitude. "Well.... At least grow to tolerate it. If there's a bright side to anything, if you behave, you can earn yourself a trip anywhere. You could go home for a day."
    The child's face lit up with excitement for a split second before it faded. "Yeah.... Sounds fun..."
    Home was where he felt he belonged... But no one was there anymore. The idea if home will forever be different. His father was no longer there to care for him, and his mother hadn't been seen since before he could remember. Keith didn't know which would be worse....
    Staying in a familiar house, alone for the rest of his life, or living in an unfamiliar, uninviting, gloomy orphanage for twelve years.
    "Shiro...." Keith said in a small, soft and frail voice.
    Hearing Keith speak, Shiro looked to him, "hmm?"
    Keith opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. "Nothing...." he stood up, dusting off his pants and facing the door. "Just wanted to take my things up to the room..."
    Shiro could tell he was hiding something, but he didn't dare ask. "Of course." He replied cheerfully. "I guess we should've done that while I was showing you the rooms, but it's fine. You're probably wanting to get settled in before dinner, right?"
    "Yeah... I guess..." Keith gave a slight shrug as he answered Shiro.
    Everything he did was so conflicting.
    Each action meant pulling away from his norm, letting go of the past, leaving behind home.
    It was all so painful for him. The only person he had ever known to be kind to him was his father.
    But now he was gone. Keith was alone... These new 'brothers' and 'sisters' mean nothing to him. Nothing means anything to him without his father.
    The one person who ever loved him is now gone... Keith has no one...