Trigger Warming: Self harm
A car stopped in front of the Halo Orphanage in New Orleans and out stepped a woman dressed in a grey pantsuit. She slung her bag over her shoulder and then helped a little girl jump out, clutching her hand in a firm grip.
"What is this place?" the girl asked, looking at the stone steps of the giant building.
"This is going to be your new home." replied the uninterested woman, tapping on her phone.
With that, the two of them walked through the creaking gates and towards the entrance.
The little girl's eyes wandered around the grounds, noticing lots of children all around her, some older than her, some small. They stopped whatever they were doing to stare curiously at the two of them.
Squirming at the sudden attention, the girl lowered her gaze and trudged behind the woman as they walked through the front doors. They passed a few doors and she peaked into a couple of them, noticing rows of beds, some made whereas the linen was falling off the others.
And soon they entered a spacious office, with bookshelves lined against the wall and a lone desk with three chairs placed in the middle.
A man sat behind the said desk, immersed in reading through a file. He looked old with his almost bald head and wrinkles around his eyes. He was dressed in white clothes and a cross hung around his neck, with tiny glasses perched on his nose.
"Father James?" the woman accompanying her called out.
The man raised his head. He took one look at the little girl and his face creased into a warm smile.
"Good morning, Leticia." he greeted, motioning her to in.
"Good morning Father" Leticia replied, "I have Alexandra Smith here for you."
"Ah, yes- yes." he exclaimed, his eyes moving to a scared eight-year-old girl, "So what happened with her? I didn't get much information."
Leticia took a hesitant glance at Alexandra and then handed a file to Father James. He studied through it and Alexandra saw his eyebrows shoot up in shock.
"Both parents?" he whispered, shaking his head in pity, "Tragic, absolutely tragic."
He then turned to the little girl and squatted a little to her eye level, "Hello child, I'm Father James."
He held out his hand prompting the little girl to put her hand in his. She stayed quiet, neither telling her name nor returning his smile.
"Welcome to your new home. There is still a little time for breakfast and there I will introduce you to all the other children." he spoke kindly and softly, "Then I will show you to your bed and you can get settled in."
"I believe my work here is done." Leticia interrupted, "I have another meeting to get to. Goodbye Father James and goodbye Alexandra, I'll see you guys soon."
She bent down to press a hurried kiss on the girl's head, mumbling a quick 'good luck and then walked out the door.
Alexandra watched her as she disappeared and she suddenly felt lost, lonely, and abandoned, all at once, yet again wondering how she went from having two wonderful parents to having nothing at all.
Alexandra
I zigzagged my way through the traffic, honking the horn far too much and breaking with jolts. I was angry, I was frustrated and I had no outlet for it.
YOU ARE READING
Lethal
Romance"I'm a murderous alcoholic with severe abandonment issues and a knack for self-harm." There's a reason why the world knew her as 'Letalé'. She was a monster, a ruthless killing-machine whose hands were drenched in the blood of many. A legendary assa...
