24 years ago ...
A small girl, only four years old, sat on a bench next to a large door in the courtyard of the "Northern Territory Government Foster Home" building. The sky over head was grey, with thin lines of sunshine peaking through the cover in the sky that was a mix of clouds and light smog, and the temperature was normal for once. The courtyard was a large rectangle and had windows covering the walls and a singular large door on each side. The floor was packed red dirt with industrial concrete paths cutting across it, the paths made a huge plus shape, and actual leaving trees sat in each quarter.
It was 2130 CE, she lived in Australia. One of the last places on Earth where you could actually live, albeit not as good as you would have a hundred years ago. The air wouldn't kill you or give you lung cancer. Yet. You could see the sky for over half of a year. There were still tree's and some animals, but they were dying. Every coastal city had to move backwards after water levels rose from climate change. The climate change made summers irritatingly hot and winters skin bitingly cold.
Life was more expensive too.
The middle class became what the new world called "the real working class", the rich became the middle class, and the poor died or suffered worser. Only the exceedingly rich lived. Everyone else survived.
Corporations either tried to save the environment or destroy it more in their race of greed. Politicians did little work, most becoming the puppets of big mining and manufacturing companies.
Life was not good.
But back to the little girl.
She sat on her bench in her government issued clay-red pinafore and shirt, kicking her legs back and forward, all alone.
She was alone in many ways. She had no friends, she had no parents, they died apparently, and she always felt alone.
But why was she sitting on the bench?
Because she had gotten in trouble.
That's actually why she had no friends.
You see, the little girl had quite a poor temper and tended to be rather rude and aggressive towards her foster siblings, and the caretakers. She got in fights, bit kids, said mean things to the adults and was just a generally nasty little child. Why?
Well the caretakers thought it was just her nature, some thought it was because there was something wrong with her in the head and others suggested she see a therapist. None of them were correct.
By all means, she wanted to make friends, but she knew she couldn't. She did want to lose them too, just like she lost her parents.
Voices could be heard from inside the building, just behind the little girl. The sound filtered through a slatted window that the staff had forgotten to shut.
How silly.
She could hear a bit of what they were saying, and she didn't like it.
"That child is out of control!" a nurse hissed to the boss, "She's bitten half of the younglings in her nursery, it's gotten to the point where I've had to move her to a separate room! I'm scared I'm going to lose a finger!"
"She's unsociable." a male caretaker agreed, shaking his blue dyed hair, "The girl only pays attention in class and then when we let the children outside to play, she goes and sits off in the corner and death stares anyone who tries to come near her."
"Not to mention, she's started more fights than the teenagers have. She's only four for fucks sake!" another worker commented.
"Language!" the adults hissed at him.
"There's clearly something wrong with her mentally."
"She's a waste of government money. We're going to get a budget cut if her behaviour continues!"
"Luckily her parents are dead, she would have been a nightmare for them."
"I'm going to quit if I have to deal with another one of her temper tantrums again, I swear I'm going to quit. She's not worth my time."
"She's clearly posse-"
"Alright! Enough!"
The lady who was the Matron of the home, the boss, sat at her desk, cradling her head as a storm of a headache brewed in her skull. It was only eight in the morning, and she was already prepared to walk out on this crisis.
"I get that you all work very hard and stay late, stay over night, look after the children, and deal with hear, I'm very glad of that. The government thanks you for your contribution to this program. But, can we all please slow down and speak when spoken to, my head hurts again. To answer the problem, we'll have her evaluated, do some doctors check ups, even if it costs state money. Anything just to have you all shut up and clear out of my of-"
She stopped midsentence as she saw one of the staffs hands were up. She wasn't familiar with him. He had warm brown skin and short wavy black hair that was tucked behind his ears, he looked young, and bore smile lines that many people rarely had these days.
"You. What's your name? What's your issue with the girl?"
"My name's Ngarra Tay. I just started work here, and I don't have an issue with the girl. I have a solution actually." he flashed her his workers card.
The Matron raised her eyebrows in surprise, "Alright."
"Have any of us actually asked her why she's angry all the time."
The woman stared at him for a few seconds, blinking, stunned slightly, she pursed her lips and thought, before mumbling under her breath in frustration.
"Alright, everyone out, out now! Except you, Ngarra. For once, someone's actually used their braincell and it's not any of you."
All the other caretakers shuffled out in silence, grumbling about how it wasn't fair that the new guy got to stay, the Matron followed them out the door.
As they left, she turned to the girl on the bench and raised her eyebrows.
"Rune Chapman. Inside. Now." she ordered, leaning against the door frame whilst holding it open.
The girl, Rune, sighed and stood up, shuffling towards the office in her thin sandals. The Matron shut the door behind her and told her to sit on the couch, next to Ngarra, whom she glared at sulkily. The woman indicated to the young man to start talking to the girl.
"Rune, you've been quite the troublemaker for us over the past couple of years," he started, earning an even sulkier glance from the child who turned around to face him, sitting cross-legged, "And we just want to know.... why are you always angry? Don't you want to make friends?"
The child looked sadder and maybe a bit surprised, no one had ever asked her this question before, "Because."
"Because?"
"Because... I don't know!" she snapped, "What if everyone leaves me?"
"Why would they leave you?" the man asked with a softened tone.
"Because that's what mummy and daddy did. They left me, they died."
"Well, I don't think any of the kids here are going to die." he reassured her.
"You don't know that." she retorted, shaking her head full of neatly cut chocolate brown hair.
"I do. Because I take care of you guys. Plus, friends are great to have. It's important to form relationships with others. Why are you mean to your brothers and sisters?"
"Because if I'm mean to them then they'll not want to be friends with me and then I don't have to be scared about them leaving. Plus, they say mean things to me too."
"Like what?" he indicated with his hand.
"That I'm useless and I'll never be a good, helpful person in life. They call me stupid too!" she sniffed.
"Well, now that's not true," Ngarra pulled out a high-tech iPad, the translucent blue glow not lighting up the room more than it's cool white lights did. He pulled up her record, which was tinged with red marks for poor behaviour but also with green for applying herself in class, "See, according to your teachers, you're quite smart."
"Because I am!" she announced loudly.
"Yes you are," he agreed with a smile, "You see, if you're nice to others, then they'll be nice to you. Don't you want to be friends with all the other kids?"
"I do, but what if they do leave me?" tears welled on her eyes.
"I promise they won't!" his expression was genuine in her eyes, an expression that she had never really seen before.
"Ok, but I'm not very good at making friends." she snuffled.
"Don't worry, I'll help you you manage your anger and learn to be nice to others."
She nodded, tears brimming now.
"In fact. I'll be your first friend, my name's Ngarra." he held out his hand for her to shake, which she looked at expectantly, "This is where you shake my hand and introduce yourself."
The young girl took his hand and shook it, her own was miniscule compared to his, "Hi Ngarra, I'm Rune."
Her tears spilled, and she crush tackled him into a hug as she sobbed tears of sorrow and joy, burying her face into his uniform, which was sure to be covered in tears and snot now.
"You've got heart and soul, little one." his voice was soft, as he patted her back.
She looked up at him with glistening eyes and a runny nose, "Hey, Ngarra."
"Yes, little one?"
"Promise you'll never leave me?"
The young man looked at her with a light grin, "I promise."
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Hoped you guys enjoyed the epilogue!
- The Lady Artemis