𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘰𝘯 𝘥𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘭 [ RE-WRITE ON HOLD ]

i. | chapter one

Belle

It was night and way too late for a young girl in growth to be up.

Yet that was not my case, nor that of many other children that grow up in poverty.

I was in the hospital.

The little benches in the hallway of Saint Márie Paris Hospital were made of steel but painted in a creamy white color.

I sit on them, playing with a loose thread of my oversized, deep purple dress. It was cold so I had a rather thin brown blanket wrapped around me.

There sits a man next to me, who looks rather uncomfortable. He was constantly staring at me, as if I was an object for professors to study.

We are both waiting for the men in the white robes to come out of the room with news on my mommy.

I was worried about my mommy. We were begging for money when mommy suddenly started coughing up blood.

She had been doing that for the last few weeks, every time a little bit more. Normally it was over within seconds, but now it lasted until she fell unconscious.

I had screamed my mommy's African name, Ebele. It attracted the attention of a group of middle-aged men. One of them had paled when seeing her mommy.

They brought her to the hospital and the man who had paled stayed with my mommy and me.

The man smiles at me rather forced. "What is your name, little one?"

I look up into the bright blue eyes of the man.

"Mommy says no talking to strange men. Mommy says they not nice," I reply.

"I won't hurt you.. you can trust men like me, alright," he asks.

I nod slowly, taking in his words. Trust people like him..

"Okay," I say, shrugging my shoulders simply.

"Well, my name is Ophelia Odette Belle Rosalie Deveraux, but mommy says my African name is Eshe."

"Deveraux hmm? Do you know who your father is?" His face was turning just a shade paler that moment.

"Don't know daddy. Mommy doesn't like him. Says he left us. Not nice," I say.

He nods slowly, as if he was taking in my words.

The man who's name I still don't know parts his lips to say something when the door to mommy's room opens and two men in bloody white robes walk out.

The tallest one of them takes off his mouth cap and sighs.

"I'm sorry, monsieur.. she did not make it."

I frown my little brown eyebrows when the man next to me sinks his head into his hands and bursts into tears.

"I'm so sorry Tati.. I'm so sorry that I wasn't there," I hear him cry.

I am confused as what happens. What do they mean 'didn't make it'? Is mommy alright?

The other doctor, quite small and plump, puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't you worry, little one. We will make sure you get a nice place in an orphanage closeby," he says.

The head of the man snaps up, a sneer on his face.

"A Deveraux will not live in an orphanage."

"B-but monsieur-" "Give me the papers, I'll sign for custody over her," he says.

The other doctor speaks up. "But what about your wife, madame Colette-"

"She will get used to it, now give me the papers and let me grief, you bastards."

I heard him cuss with a few other words, but mommy told me to never repeat such words.

The smaller doctor runs off on his little legs, probably to get the 'custody papers'.

I pull onto the sleeve of the other doctor, getting a little blood on my fingers.

He looks down at me, a forced smile spreading on his lips.

"How can I help you, little girl," he asks.

"What are 'custody papers', monsieur," I ask him, my brown eyes big and innocent.

He sighs tiredly. "Those are papers that prove that monsieur Deveraux here will take care of you."

"Monsieur Deveraux.. is he my daddy," I ask.

I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up and see the sad man.

"I am your daddy, little Belle. And now I will care for you like a daddy."

"O-okay then. Where were you?" "When," he asks.

"Before. When mommy and I needed you.."

Now the sad man, apparently my daddy, sighs. "I don't know little Belle. I guess everywhere but where I was needed the most."

He takes my hand with a sigh. "How am I ever going to explain this to Colette?"