A Tale of Two

The old clock beneath the staircase chimed midnight, its echoes blending with the raging blizzard outside. Hurried steps ran up and down the stairs, giving way to an ominous feeling that rapidly spread throughout the dormitories. Some children hid beneath their covers, whimpering with every gust of wind smashing into the windows of the old building. Some peeked sheepishly over the edges of their beds to witness the mayhem unfolding outside. In all her years, Vivienne had never experienced a night like this. Sitting on her bed in the girls' dormitory, her gaze was fixated on the desk just outside the door. She glimpsed Miss Beth's pointer neatly placed on one side, weakly illuminated by a yellow lampshade. A stack of papers sat neatly in the centre of the desk, no doubt a list of disobedient children and their ensuing punishments. She knew her brother's name was on that list too. Archie always got into trouble, sometimes way over his head. There was the time he released a flock of chickens in the History class to avoid writing a test. Or the time he stashed Miss Beth's pointer behind the rubbish bin in the cafeteria to evade a beating. That day, it became apparent to them all that Miss Beth possessed an entire array of pointers, each capable of inflicting pain when wielded against open palms or the backs of feet. His latest mischief was sneaking into the kitchen late at night to take a few extra bars of chocolate Miss Claudette kept hidden in the cupboard above the sink. 'Vivi, rules are made to be broken, it's the only freedom we have,' he told her when he met her in their usual hiding spot to share the chocolate with her. It was the old storage room at the back of the building, just past the lavatories, down a narrow staircase that led to the basement. Archie found it accidentally while looking for an escape not long after both of them arrived at Miss Claudette's Home for Orphaned Children, four years ago. It was small and cramped, filled with old boxes, broken chairs, and antiquated garden utensils long forgotten by anyone who could have a use for them. The absence of a doorknob on the door made it nearly impossible to open, perhaps the reason why everyone who came across it thought it to be locked. Archie however, found a trick to open it using a small flat iron rod he found in the tool shed. It was their secret sanctuary, a safe haven they would meet in between supper and lights-out, while the rest of the children and housemothers were absorbed in the evening routines and preparations for bedtime. Here, Archie would tell her stories of distant lands, unsinkable ships, and vast stretches of woodland teeming with every imaginable creature on the planet. As she grew older, he began sharing his escape plans. While Miss Claudette took him to the nearby village on errands, he learned all about the stretches of land surrounding the orphanage.
'Vivi, one day we'll leave this place', he used to say with his eyes closed, a big smile on his face, 'and then I'll become a rich man and I'll give you the biggest house you've ever seen with your very own carriages, footmen and maids'.
'And new dresses too?' she'd ask, giggling, her hands folded in her gray uniform.
'Thousands! Bought from the best dressmakers in the world' he'd reply, his eyes still closed, as if he was afraid to lose the dream panning in front of him.
'And what if we run away the day our parents come for us?' She saw it the moment he opened his eyes, the dream was over.
'They'll come before that day,' he'd always say, giving her the biggest hug.
It was all wishful thinking, he was older than her, about to turn 14 and the chances of him being adopted were slim. The idea of being adopted together as siblings was even more improbable. Nobody ever adopted siblings, not in Miss Claudette's Home for Orphaned Children. It was the number one rule they had to learn when they first arrived, her, aged five, carrying nothing more than a small toy rabbit and him, a book given by their father about an explorer on an expedition to discover faraway lands. It was the only two possessions they were allowed to take following the death of both their parents and their distant uncle moving into the house they once lived in. 'You are an only child, do you understand?' Miss Claudette would tell them repeatedly when potential parents would come to visit. 'If they ask if you have any siblings, you must say no'. This was always confusing to her as Archie was right there, and he was surely her brother so how can she say otherwise? Seeing through her inner turmoil, Archie encouraged her to claim she was an only child and that once she settled into her new home, he would join her shortly after. Throughout the years, she was called into Miss Claudette's office on numerous occasions. Each time, she stood there, in her white dress, the only one she owned outside of her gray uniform, under the gaze of curious couples. 'Do you have any siblings?' the question would always come. 'Vivienne is an only child,' Miss Claudette would promptly reply. Yet, something about her always seemed lacking to every visitor, causing them to depart and never return. After the last visit with an odd couple who seemed displeased with her ponytails, she decided she no longer wanted to be adopted by a family. Archie was her only family, and she was determined to run away with him at the earliest opportunity. This is why, when she was called again into the office to meet Mr. & Ms. Rufus, she loudly informed them she had a brother and had no intention of leaving unless he was coming with her.
'Is it true?' Ms. Rufus turned to Miss Claudette who looked like blood had been drained out of her body.
'Not at all' she maintained. 'Children who live in our home are as close to brothers and sisters as they can be, they always cling to each other in any way they can, isn't that right, Vivienne?' she asked with her sweet honey voice, the one she used often to let children know they are in deep trouble. Vivienne nodded lightly and fixed her eyes on the floor until she was sent out of the room. She knew Miss Claudette would punish her disobedience by locking her in the Reflection Room, a windowless, cramped space, furnished only with a bare mattress on the floor. To her surprise, nobody brought up the incident but she learned from some upper-class boys that Archie was called into Miss Claudette's office soon after and had spent a long time in conversation with her. He didn't mention the visit the next time they met in their sanctuary, instead, he brought more chocolate and told her stories of explorers, the same stories their father used to tell them before bedtime. Archie's biggest dream was to become a famous sailor, in search of new worlds and treasures full of gold. That night he gave her the longest hug and promised her they'd run together to start a new life in the city. But for the first time, he added something more: he assured her that regardless of where life takes them if they were ever separated, he would always find his way back to her. Two days later, just before her next visit with the Rufus couple, during the coldest blizzard of the decade, Archie disappeared.
Now, sitting on her bed, with her gaze fixated on Miss Beth's empty desk she felt both anger and worry. In the hallways, whispers kept spreading, and she couldn't bear the uncertainty any longer, as she felt her brother's fate was behind them. With her heart racing, she leaped out of bed and darted toward the door, her steps swift and silent. She scanned the dimly lit hallway for any sign of Miss Beth, who would keep the children under her watchful eye past curfew. She heard the main door creak open, and heavy boots stepping on creaky, old floorboards. There was a loud gasp followed by hurried movements and hushed whispers. A sense of urgency pushed her to sprint through the hallway, and reaching the top of the staircase she cautiously ran down the stairs, trailing her hand along the railing. Finally, she reached the main floor, giving her a full view of the entrance and the common room. The first thing she saw was the weathered white coat of Giant Pete, as the children affectionately named the groundskeeper, followed by Miss Claudette, her gaze filled with concern, fixed on a frail figure resting on the couch in the common room.
'I sent for a doctor but there's no telling if he'll make it in time in this blizzard' Giant Pete said, his voice, rough and gravelly. Vivienne inched closer toward the scene as if hypnotized by an invisible power, a sense of familiarity tugging at her heartstrings. Her heart stopped when she saw the lifeless hand, fingers outstretched towards the floor. A painful wail escaped her lungs when she recognized the green sleeve with a small sailing boat sewn on it. It was her handiwork, stitched onto her brother's coat as a birthday gift. She ran to him, hugging his pale and cold body, pleading for him to wake up and come back to fulfill the promise he had made to her. Hands were tugging at her, voices blurring into a cacophony of noise, yet she held on to Archie's cold body, begging him to come back and not leave her alone. She doesn't remember what happened next. She woke up the next day in the isolation room, a cold towel on her forehead, with Miss Claudette reading in a rocking chair next to her bed.
'He's gone,' she said as soon as she opened her eyes. 'It's only you now, Vivienne.' She looked at her with a look that seemed to convey victory, as if to make her understand once and for all that there are no siblings in Miss Claudette's Home for Orphaned Children. Vivienne is all alone now, a fulfilled prophecy, just as Miss Claudette intended. She was locked in the room for days, provided with little food to force her to hide her pain and rejoin the other children. The Rufus family never came back for her. A few months later, tragedy struck as the orphanage became engulfed in flames in the darkness of night, claiming the lives of dozens of children. The surviving children found temporary shelter with families, both in the nearby village and in the city, who graciously extended their assistance during the crisis while permanent places were prepared for them in sister orphanages. Vivienne was sent to the city to stay with Mr. & Ms. Aster, a foreign couple who were in the area to settle some business affairs Mr. Aster had with local merchants. The couple had trouble conceiving children and in a few short days grew fond of the quiet girl who was dropped at their doorstep covered in soot, holding nothing but a worn-out book, a story about an explorer on an expedition to discover faraway lands. She was adopted by the couple, and soon after boarded a ship that would bring her to her new home across the ocean. She found out quickly they were a wealthy family, Mr. Aster having built a fortune in the retail business. It took a long time for her voice and smile to come back and for the silent tears to dry but the Asters were the most patient and loving parents she could ask for. There was only one thing she never shared with anyone and kept as her most precious and hidden secret. Before anyone else, there was her brother Archie. She now lived in a big house, with carriages and footmen and maids and so many beautiful dresses, just as her brother imagined when they would close their eyes and dream about their future back in the small storage room. And sometimes, she'd lay down on her bed, clutching his book to her chest, closing her eyes she'd hear him say 'I'll always find my way back to you, Vivi.' And for a fleeting moment, there was always a glimmer of hope that maybe he will.