Melted Hearts

Chapter 1

November the 5th, 1661

BANG!BANG!BANG! 

Ivy groggily woke up to the sound of fireworks outside her window. Every now and then bright flashes of light would illuminate her small, dark room. Shrill squeals of fireworks pierced into her ears, resulting in a sleepless night that left her tossing and turning.

She slowly got out of bed and scampered down the dimly lit hall to the bathroom shared by all thirty kids in her orphanage. Yes, that's right, one bathroom shared by 30 kids, including boys, so you can imagine the smell that came out of it.

When she got out, she almost had a heart attack. A young child, maybe aged about 7 years old, was standing enthusiastically in front of her, a wide grin on her face.

"Sue! What are you doing here so late at night!" Ivy exclaimed 

"I just wanted to tell you that Sister Iris says we can play outside and use the sparklers. Come outside Ivy, it's really really fun!" stated Sue, clapping her hands with excitement.

Suella was Ivy's only friend in the orphanage that she lived in. She was sweet, with short brown hair and twinkling brown eyes. She had also lost her parents in the same way Ivy had; Through abandonment.

She lead Ivy down the spiral steps, and through the dim hallway which was lit by a few oil lamps. Then they reached the small courtyard which was owned by the orphanage. And sure enough children were playing with sparklers, their sheer joy evident as they giggled loudly and played with each other.

Sister Iris was stood by the children, keeping an eye on them to make sure they didn't hurt themselves. She was one of the nice Matrons, a plump Christian lady with a dazzling smile. She was almost like a mother to Ivy, standing up for her when the other children bullied her when she was younger, sneaking midnight snacks for her when she felt hungry as the orphanage only provided meagre meals for them. All the other four Matrons never even acknowledged her and seemed to only use her for housework.

"Arent you going to play with a sparkler dear? You know it's Bonfire night tonight, don't you?".

"Yes, but I'm not in the mood Iris"

"Oh come on Ivy, you know I only have 4 more years left with you, have some fun darling, you know I had to work hard to get this night sorted out for you."

She was right. Ivy was almost 14 now, and one of the oldest in the orphanage, and by law, at age 18, she was required to leave the orphanage and get married or become a maid. Two things which she most definitely did not want to do.

Sighing, she received a sparkler from Sister Iris and lit it with the candle that the Sister was holding out to her.

Instantly, the sparkler lit up and began to glow in the dark courtyard. Ivy was hit with the strong punch of nostalgia. She remembered the times when she and the orphanage kids played with them year after year, the only time they got to enjoy themselves. For some reason, watching the sparkler light up somehow made her feel.....at peace. 

"Come on Ivy! Play with us, please!" shouted Sue from the other side of the courtyard. 

Running wildly, she rapidly arrived at Ivy and stopped harshly, but ended up crashing into Ivy. Both of them fell with a  harsh thump onto the ground. Both of them dropped their sparklers on the ground and watched as the light faded away, leaving them in darkness. 

"Careful Sue! You could've burnt me!"

She glanced down at her hands, expecting to see burns, but her skin seemed normal. That was weird. She could've sworn the lit sparkler made an impact with her skin,so why hadn't it left a mark?

However, Sue, on the other hand, was screaming for all she was worth. She clutched her hand in pain, while  the other kids laughed at her, forming a circle of light as they circled around her.

"What ever is the matter Suella? Is everything alright darling?" asked Iris

Sue was in too much shock to answer, so she just shook her head.

"She just ran into me and burnt her self with her sparkler" stated Ivy to the Sister.

"Okay Poppet, let's go inside to check that burn of yours."

A/N: guys did you like this chapter? If you did, please vote and comment