King of Locusts | ✔

Chapter 4

Heather followed through with her threat, forcing Lunan to spend the remainder of spring and summer in solitude. She operated in plain sight, but was subtle enough to avoid Mary's attention. During meal times, for example, it was impossible to make Lunan sit by himself, so she worked around that. Although other children sat with Lunan, Heather warned them against talking to him. If Lunan asked someone to pass him a napkin or condiment, his requests went unanswered. He was either met with a stony stare or ignored entirely. It was during this time that he understood one could be lonely even when surrounded by others.

At first, the loneliness and anxiety crushed Lunan. He persisted with trying to form friendships to no avail. He quickly learned that everyone operated under Heather's influence to avoid being bullied themselves. On many mornings, Lunan awoke to a tear-stained pillow. As spring gave way to summer and it became clear that the others wouldn't cease ostracizing him, he accepted it.

What other choice did he have? He tried to tell himself that he was fine alone, that forcing unwanted interactions was futile, and that people who judged him for who his parents were wouldn't make good friends, anyway. But Lunan knew how he truly felt, especially when he saw groups of his fellow orphans playing together.

Despite the isolation his parents' religion induced, Lunan never once resented them. His mother had the kindness of a saint, and his father never spoke ill without provocation. Lunan knew only love from them, and he clung to that ember to weather the bitter loneliness.

The summer days passed in a blur, and as the weather grew colder, so too did Lunan's excitement. With school on the horizon, he could at least be in a place where he wasn't surrounded by children that hated him irrationally.

"We're all homeschooled?" Lunan asked, barely withholding his despair.

He was in Mary's office. They held meetings once a month where she checked on Lunan to help him acclimate to life at the orphanage.

She frowned at him, forehead wrinkling in bemusement. "Yes, Lunan. There's nothing wrong with homeschooling, so long as you have proper instructors. I take every child's education here seriously. You'll only receive the best," she assured him.

Lunan felt no relief. So far, he had refrained from telling Mary about Heather tormenting him. But if keeping quiet meant that he had to spend every hour of his day in this hellhole, he knew it was time to speak up.

"Could you make an exception? I like public school. I've had a hard time making friends here, and I think I could use a change of scenery," he said.

Mary smiled knowingly. "You've never tried homeschooling, Lunan. It's not the way it looks on TV."

"But—"

"No exceptions. Unless a child's records indicate negative experiences with homeschooling, attendance is mandatory. Since my great grandfather established this orphanage, most of its children were home-schooled. It's just how we do things," she said sternly.

"I understand." Lunan sighed, not bothering to hide his disappointment this time.

Heather approached Lunan later that day after dinner. By the time he noticed her, it was too late to retreat to his dorm. He forced down a sigh and silently looked up at her from his book.

"Mrs. Higgins talked to me earlier. She said something about you being nervous about the school year and not feeling comfortable around everyone."

Because of you, he wanted to say, but held his tongue.

Lunan put his book down and studied Heather closely. Her words lacked their usual snark.

She continued with a sheepish smile, "I wanted to apologize for that."