Becoming Peter

Chapter 1

A voice was humming. It was soft and sweeter than a warm light breeze on a summer day. It was a song I couldn't remember now or ever again, but for a short while it made me smile. It was warmth. It was love. It was sunshine. It was-

"Get up, Peter!"

I groaned and slung the thin blanket over my head. My feet poked out and I rubbed them together in an effort to get warm.

"All of you! Get up!" Miss Metcalf yelled again. She was a short, plump woman with black hair tied back in a tight bun. Her eyes were small and her arms thick. She had been here as long as I have.

I listened with shut eyes as the boys around me shifted around, searching for clothes and shoes. They talked, laughed and raced to the backyard, away from the nagging woman.

"You have an hour before your chores must be done! Or no breakfast for all you lot!" She shouted after them. Then, Miss Metcalf took quick short steps to my bunk.

"Come on, Peter. You must greet the new child arriving today." Miss Metcalf insisted.

I grumbled sourly, but got up anyway after she ripped off my blanket.

Slouching all the way, I followed Miss Metcalf to the front doors. The two dozen other boys that lived at Miss Valentine's orphanage were all hiding in the backyard, playing games. Miss Metcalf forced me to greet every new child that came. I didn't understand why. They never talked to me after.

A boy much taller than me walked in. His unkempt copper hair fell near his eyes. The jacket he wore was too tight on his arms. I wanted to shrink away, already fidgeting with my hands. Miss Metcalf smiled sweetly. A man in a suit walked back to the street without a word.

"Come in. Come in, child. Don't be shy. I am Miss Metcalf. I would like you to meet Peter." She gently pushed me a step towards him.

The boy stuck out his hand. "Hi Peter. I'm Sullivan Panington." I nodded and shook it loosely. "How old are you?" He surprised me with his sturdy and solid attitude.

"Eight." I mumbled.

"I'm nine. Let's be friends."

"Okay, Sullivan." I thought for a second. "Can I call you Sully instead?"

"Sure! Only if we share a bunk and I get the top one!"

"I'll race you!" I yelled, suddenly overjoyed at having a friend.

"Hey!" He followed suit. "I don't even know where to go!" Sully laughed.

The night came too quickly. Every spare moment Sully and I played together. We were inseparable. I showed him the ropes. How to do the chores right. How to get the least amount of beatings. How to swallow the food without tasting it.

"Sully do you believe in fairytales?" I said, squirming to get out of the blanket Miss Metcalf shoved me in.

From the top bunk he responded, "Like Cinderella's fairy godmother and the Gingerbread Man? Yeah, I do. My mother used to read me those stories, a long time ago."

"I believe too. I believe anything is possible if you can dream it." I stated, plainly. Nothing could shake that belief.

"Dreams are for children, Peter." Miss Metcalf said forcefully, tucking me in.

"I am, still. When will I no longer be a child, Miss Metcalf?"

She thought for a second. "When you stop believing."

"Well, I will always believe then. I don't ever want to grow up. Never ever."

***

Five years later

"It doesn't look like food."

"Eat it or starve." I mumbled as I rolled my eyes.

"I think it just moved." I groaned. The new kid, Devlin Harley, had been complaining about the living conditions of the orphanage for the past hour. He came from a high class family. His parents died in a house fire. I wanted to feel bad for him but it was hard when he made my ears bleed. Devlin told us last night it was all a conspiracy done by the cook who was always out to get them. I thought it must of been his way of grieving, so I didn't say anything.

Devlin rested his head on a fist and pushed the plate away. He looked young, maybe eleven or twelve. The sandy hair was neatly done straight forward on his head. His hand pushed on his cheek, revealing a dimple on the right side. He even smelled rich.

"You'll learn to love it. Or at least learn to plug your nose and swallow." Sully chuckled.

"So, how long have you been here then?" Devlin asked, clearly bored.

"About five years now? Yeah five years." Sully answered, stuffing a spoonful in his mouth.

"What about you guys?" Devlin gestured to the other boys sitting at our table. They began to pipe in.

"I've been here seven years."

"Four."

"Six months."

"A year and a half, I think."

"Two years."

"Two months."

"Thirteen years." I said. Everyone began to quiet down. I'd been here the longest. Ever since I was a baby. A baby no one wanted.

After some silence, Devlin questioned, "Does anyone get adopted?"

Sully answered. "Yeah occasionally. Mostly little kids, like babies and toddlers. In the time I've been here the oldest adopted was six."

No one was hungry anymore.

<><><><><><><><><><>

Here is the revised version of chapter one. Not many changes. Just a few phrases here and there you probably won't notice. If anyone has any suggestions for improvements, it would be greatly appreciated.

Revisions are going to keep coming then after I gone through once updating, I will probably revise each chapter again. Because honestly, it still sucks (the joys of being a writer XD )