The Golden Sin

Chapter 1

At the crack of dawn, people in the 364th District started their day. Today was just like any other day. There were those who hurried to work, those who possessed their own business and needed to set up, and those who needed to take care of the kids. In one part of the District was a two story, wooden orphanage that housed less than one hundred kids. An eighteen-year-old wolf hybrid who lost her parents in a house fire lived there. She sat by the window, staring out at the people going about their daily lives. She hadn't taken a shower yet because she hated being rushed by the other kids. She would much rather wait. Besides, the shower was at the end of the upstairs hall, and she didn't feel like waiting in line. Her blue shoulder length hair needed washing, so she couldn't wait to take as long as she needed in the shower.

She hated this place. When her parents were killed two years ago, her life turned upside down. Being under eighteen at the time, with no known relatives in the District, she was placed in the orphanage. She didn't want to be there. She wanted to be anywhere but there. Being with a bunch of kids who were mostly human made her anxious. As she sat by the window, she recalled the stories her parents told her about their long and dangerous trek to this District, back when the 13th District had just passed several laws stating what hybrids could and couldn't do, lest they be killed. Humans tried to kill them numerous times, but somehow, they made it from the 200th District all the way to the 364th. Rumor had spread that the 364th District was on the King's side, and was welcoming all hybrids. Rumors were all they had to go on, so they had faith, and traveled. All while her mother was pregnant with her.

"Mizuki!" A woman called from upstairs. Mizuki snapped out of her thoughts and stood, stretching. She then quickly made her way upstairs to Julie, the woman who called. Julie is the one who runs the orphanage with hardly any help. She gets stressed sometimes and yells at the kids, but quickly apologizes. She could never take out her stress on the kids for too long.

Mizuki walked down the familiar hallway upstairs to the room Julie was in. There were multiple bedrooms up here, all of them containing bunk beds for the kids. Mizuki's room was downstairs, and she had the bottom bunk. It was easier for her to get in and out of bed and not have to bother with stairs every morning. They hurt her feet. Mizuki stepped into the room with Julie, seeing that she was folding some clothes. Julie is a human with messy brown hair tied in a bun. Today she's wearing a red and white checkered apron over a simple black dress and black flats. Mizuki always wondered what she would look like if she let her hair down and it was nicely brushed.

"Ah" Julie said when she noticed Mizuki, pausing from her work for a moment, "After you take a shower I need you to change and take care of the kids today. I have to run a few errands." Mizuki held back a groan. What could be so important that Julie needed to leave the orphanage? And how did Julie know Mizuki still needed a shower? Perhaps because Mizuki, for the two years she's been here now, has always been the last of the kids to take a shower.

"Yes, ma'am." She knew asking questions would get her in trouble, especially since Julie seemed to be in a hurry.

"Thank you. Now hurry!" Julie shooed Mizuki out of the room and resumed folding the clothes.

Mizuki went back downstairs to her room to pick out some clothes for the day, as well as her shower necessities. She headed back upstairs and, as she prepared the water for a bath and undressed, her mind wandered to when her parents were alive. This happens often. As she stepped into the hot water and closed her eyes, memories of her parents flooded her mind. She remembered the time they took her to the park and let her play on the swings for the first time. She remembered her mother singing to her whenever she accidentally burned something with her fire magic at school and the teacher would send her home. She remembered her father trying so hard to teach her how to control her ability, and even though it always failed, they both laid on the ground and talked about how one day she'd learn, and that it's ok to take a little longer than normal.

Mizuki opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face. The water was now lukewarm, signifying that she had been in the bath for a long time now. Why couldn't it have been her that died that night? It wasn't an accident. She just knew it wasn't, no matter what the police said. She was forbidden to go back to normal school, and she was fine with that at first until she experienced schooling inside the orphanage. It wasn't fair. She just wanted to go back to the life she knew. The life she missed.

Mizuki felt the bath water heating up. "Crap." She knew what was happening. When her emotions get out of control, her fire magic starts to go out of control as well. Mizuki took several deep breaths, but that didn't seem to make it go back to normal. It was getting extremely hot. She quickly stepped out of the bath and the water immediately went back to lukewarm. Mizuki didn't need to dry herself. She put on the blue crop top and jeans she picked out, drained the water, and leaned her head against the bathroom wall. She felt her body going back to normal temperature. Not feeling like celebrating for a quick recovery of herself, she brushed her hair and stared at her wolf ears in the mirror. Her wolf tail was bushy now and hanging low. She lightly brushed her ears and tail, gathered her things, and went back downstairs to put them back in her room. As she organized herself, she remembered Julie saying she needed to take care of the kids today. Mizuki sighed. She had a long day ahead of her.