The Stone of Edith; Tenshi

Chapter 4; To Be An Orphan

But why? Why were they here? Tenshi stood up, saying with alarm, “Who are you?”

“I am Mrs. Savannah.” Mrs. Savannah gasped. She was rather short, almost as short as Tenshi'

s tallest classmate, though Tenshi guessed that she was around 22. “Are you Tenshi Adams?”

“Yes. Why do the police want me?” Tenshi asked, alarmed.

Mrs. Savannah seemed hesitant to tell Tenshi. “You… You’ll learn on the way. Come with me, please.” Mrs. Savannah seemed as though she didn’t notice the scorched marble floor.

Tenshi looked at Ben, then at each other person in turn. She closed her eyes, letting them be violet for a bit, and then turned them back brown. The dragon in her told her to be brave. She took a deep breath and followed Mrs. Savannah. She seemed very serious, but there was a glint in her eye and creases that portrayed her normally laughable nature. Tenshi had to jog at some points to keep up with Mrs. Savannah’s pace. For somebody of her stature, she sure was quick!

Tenshi almost froze in place when she saw that Mrs. Savannah was leading her to a police car. She walked stiffly from there on, and then went into the squad car. “Where are we going?”

“To the police station....” Mrs. Savannah seemed to pity Tenshi with that look in her eyes. Tenshi shrank in place.

Mrs. Savannah was true to her word. She drove Tenshi straight to the police station. She parked and got out, opening Tenshi’s door. They walked inside the station and Tenshi grew more scared as all the other looks she got were full of pity and sorrow. “Why are they looking at me like that?” She whispered to Savannah.

“Because…” Savannah took a deep breath, deciding to tell Tenshi. “Tenshi, you are now an orphan.”

“What? No I’m not! What happened to my mom? And dad?” Tenshi demanded.

“They…. Died of an illness that is sweeping through the world.”

Tenshi had a flashback of something foggy. A dream, perhaps? Maybe something that she had seen? She had that little flashback, but a second after that she couldn’t recall it anymore. But she did get a name. She said it under her breath. “Beatrice...”

“What?” Savannah asked.

“Oh, what? Nothing.” Tenshi shook herself. She must’ve zoned out.

“Ok. Well, back to... Yeah. So, do you have any relatives?”

“Not that I know of.”

“Just as I’ve feared… You’re going to have to go to an orphanage.”

“What? No! I don’t want to go to an orphanage!”

“I’m sorry, Tenshi, but...”

Tenshi squeezed her eyes shut before they flashed purple.

“And… That’s not all the bad news. Since there is only one orphanage near--and that’s 7 miles away, mind you—you will have to switch schools…” Mrs. Savannah seemed as though she wanted to drag her foot along the ground.

“WHAT?!” Tenshi yelled—she wouldn’t let a roar slip her mouth here. She couldn’t believe her ears. She began swaying, and her eyes turned from tunnel vision to no vision at all. She heard a thump as she hit the floor.

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Groggily, she opened her eyes. They were a mix between violet and brown, oddly enough. She blinked slowly. It took her a minute to acknowledge that it was nighttime. She was in a bed. Not a wonderful bed, like hers at home, but it would have to do. It wasn’t horrible. She had a cotton blanket covering her. An old window was cracked next to her, letting in the cold autumn wind. She frowned, realizing that she was in the orphanage. They must’ve put her there while she was sleeping. A few of her pictures adorned the walls of the room around her.