“How wonderful,” he responded, trying to match Penny’s enthusiasm. “Today shall truly be a grandiose event! Don’t you agree, Eleanor?”
Eleanor barely registered the question, her mind drifting back just two days prior.
She knew she could not escape on her own. Eleanor knew she would need assistance. She also knew that though Penny was her friend, she was too timid to go against the wishes of her father or the town.
‘That vile man has crossed the final line!’ Mr. Halton shouted as she told him everything.
‘I only have once chance,’ Eleanor pleaded, trying to keep her voice low. She had arrived before opening hours and gossip traveled faster than light in Autumntun. ‘Please, help me leave here.’
‘But the Headless Horseman, or what if a vampire finds you and makes you his blood pet-’
‘If I leave, I am merely taking a risk. If I stay, I will seal my fate.’
His worried expression hardened as he placed his hands on her shoulders. ‘Tell me what you need.’
The last two days had gone by in a haze, as all her time went into planning her escape. Now, she only needed to bide her time.
Just one more hour.
“Yes, Uncle,” she said with a smile of her own. “I am sure people will talk about it for years to come.”
Mr. Carver nodded his head. “Indeed, they shall,” he said, turning to leave. As he made his way out of the room, she could hear him whispering to himself. “Where is that bloody cake? We cannot start without it. Today must be perfect.”
Step two.
Mrs. Pencrook’s voice played in her mind as the corners of her mouth cocked up in a smile.
Always have patience.
Never be in a rush.
5
OSIRIS
“Oh, this is too much!” Eddy, the caregiver of the orphanage pleaded, pushing back one of his fruit baskets.
“They will go to waste if you do not take them,” Osiris argued. “In any case, who else would I give them to? Most beings in the enclave do not eat these things, and you know how the other humans fear me ever since…” his voice trailed off.
The older woman’s eyes softened as she looked up at him. “And you are sure this is all you want?” she asked, gesturing to the book in his hands.
He nodded, tightening his grip on the book. “Yes, this is all. I have already finished the other ones.”
She was not like the other humans he had observed. She was kind. Caring. She was the one who taught Osiris how to farm in the first place.
Eddy sighed, turning to place the basket behind her on the stone floor of the old wooden orphanage’s hallway. “Would you at least come in? The children are playing out back. You know,” she mused, “they oft ask where we get all this food.”
The light in Osiris’ head dimmed as he shrunk back, holding his hands in front of him. “I do not wish to scare them.”
He never knew how she came about raising all her children, though he also supposed it did not matter. Each time he paid her a visit, he could sense another addition to her ever-growing family.
“Ohpishposh,” she said, swatting his shoulder. “You are one of the kindest souls I know, Osiris. The children will see that too.”
Osiris looked past Eddy to the back of the house. His senses picked up the echoes of laughter, tiny feet on the grass, and a chasing game involving wolves and time. He did not understand the activities, but he understood what they represented. Pure joy and childhood wonder. “I will taint it,” he whispered to himself.
Hearing it was enough for him. Knowing they were safe and well fed was enough for him.
He always thought that it would be wonderful to have a family of his own one day, but as far as he knew, he was the only one of his kind. At least around here.
