As she quietly stepped around the corner, the events that had led her here were running frantically through her head. Regina had been in the orphanage for almost a year now and she decided that her stay here was over. Looking down a very long dark hallway. There were 3 doors on either side, a bathroom, four bedrooms, and two closets, but she had her sights on the big, deep red, wooden door at the end of the hallway. She wanted to get to Sister Josephs room. It was the only way out and the last stop before she was finally free. It was a straight shot but she was left wide open to being seen and that pesky cat was always around to announce the arrival and departure of anyone in the house. Carefully she stepped up to the first door. The threshold was deep and she could slip right into the shadow without drawing too much attention to herself. It was the entrance to Sam’s room. They were fast friends, in the beginning. Regina had really liked Sam, they would spend hours in the garden talking about where they would go when they left this place with it’s dark walls and deep hidden corners. The girls seemed like they’d found friends for life until one day the boy from the barn started coming around. They both had a crush on him but he liked Regina more. Sam’s jealousy stunned Regina when it finally came out that Sam had been telling the boy that Regina didn’t like him and that she wished he would find another barn to go live in. Once the boy disappeared and Regina found out what exactly had happened it wasn’t to much later that Sam found remnants of one of the dissected frogs from science class on her lunch tray, placed carefully between the 2 pieces of pressed meat that was served in the cafeteria.
The hallway had been still, long enough and it was time for Regina to slip into the next shadow and hope she didn’t trip. Just two more doors and she’d be at her goal. Stepping softly onto the hard wood floor she heard it give a little and let out a whine like she’d crushed a critters tail under foot. Her entire body got stiff. If she could just make it over to Gingers door she’d be safe. With one step she slipped into the next familiar corner. Planting her feet firmly on the edges of the bottom of the door as to not make the floor cry again, she gained her Ginger was a quiet girl but when she spoke she had the force of a lion inside of her. She was the first person Regina met when she was left there by her mother. Regina had a difficult time adjusting to her new surroundings and Ginger was nice to her. She helped her find her way around and warned her about the grey, pressed meat, with no smell, telling Regina that some of the girls had seen Sister Joseph kill a rat and just knew that’s was what was used for the ”meatloaf”. One day when Ginger saw Regina getting picked on by some of the other girls she came up and simply said, “No!” It seemed to come from so far deep inside of her that it echoed in her belly before it shook the air around them. Regina had never heard anything quite like it. The girls looked at her with eyes the size of silver dollars and slowly walk backwards away from Regina. Ginger smiled and quietly walked away and they never spoke of it again. Regina had been grateful though and she would miss her.
Looking around again Regina was getting was ready to make her move. One foot in front of the other and she’d be at in front of Loralie’s room, directly across from the bathroom. She was starting to get nervous and her legs were shaking a little but she knew she had to move. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the dim light in the hall. That’s when she heard the sound of soft, padded feet and she was sure she was done for. Just as the cat rounded the corner she slipped into the bathroom and closed the door silently behind her. Sitting on the floor, catching her breath she waited. This was too intense. Maybe she should just go back to
her room and tomorrow would be another day, she thought. Shaking her head she started to cry, another day of living here, where the sun never shines, the girls get meaner, the cat gets hungrier and the nun gets crazier everyday, she thought. This was truly the only way, she had to escape. Regina laid down on the floor and peeked under the bathroom door trying to catch a glace of the furry creatures shadow. When she was convinced the way was clear she crept back out into the hall and stepped into the doorway in front of her.
This door was special. It was Loralie’s room. She was Regina’s best-friend. Loralie was smart, funny and beautiful but most of all she was just a little bit evil. The moment the two girls met they stuck together like glue. Regina and Loralie explored the grounds together everyday they could, making up great adventures. They would fight dragons and discover new lands and laugh at how there were no boys here so they supposed they had to save themselves. Regina’s eyes started to fill with tears a little at the thought of leaving her partner in crime and adventure, behind to fight the dragons alone. Those monsters were relentless and Regina worried that they would take her friend so far away she’d never find her again. Reaching into her tiny pocket Regina pulled out a pressed daisy and slipped it under Loralie’s door. It wasn’t much but with the times they had spent together she knew that Loralie would keep it safe amongst the pages of whatever her favorite book of the moment was.
Regina was almost there. Her heart was pounding and she could feel it in her ears, she was sure it was so loud it would wake everyone in the orphanage but it didn’t and she knew that was a ridiculous thought. Stepping one more time into the final entrance before she reached the Sisters room she heard snoring and knew there was nothing she could do to wake this girl up. Her name was Danielle but she insisted that everyone call her Danni. When Danni arrived at the giant gates, Sister Joseph was there to greet her just like she was for every girl. This time though, the girl was dropped off by a man in a white lab jacket and not an
exhausted parent or random stranger that had found a girl somewhere. The girls had gathered in front of the windows to watch her come in. The man handed Sister Joseph a small white, paper, bag and smiled. Waving, he hopped into his car and off he went. Sister Joseph had told the girls about Danni, explaining that she had special medicine that she had to take to keep her honest and happy. Regina had heard about this “medicine” before and knew it meant that Danni had emotional problems, like most of the girls there but hers were probably on the more violent side.
Danni wasn’t a graceful girl. She was round like a basketball and grunted like a pig when she tried to talk. When she did Regina discovered that Danni wasn’t very smart either. It seemed every time Danni would open her mouth she was telling some grandiose story about her rich parents that were coming to get her. Regina and the other girls allowed for Danni’s delusions but knew in their hearts that no one ever got picked up from here. The only time a girl was allowed to leave was when she turned seventeen and then she had to. Sister Joseph would pack her a bag with two pieces of the gray meat, a chunk of bread and an apple and send the girl into the world to never been seen or heard from again.
Looking again to make sure the way was clear and the house was quiet Regina took a deep breath and stepped in front of the giant door that belonged to Sister Joseph. She was scared. Heart pounding, eyes wide, every noise she made echoed in her head. Taking a deep breath and holding it this time, she put her hand on the door knob and twisted it. Smoothly she opened the door and squeezed her little body through. She’d never been in Sister Joseph’s bedroom before and if she was caught here it was certain punishment. Sister Joseph had a small cellar under the kitchen that some of the girls had been in. When The girls did something the was deemed a sin, such as stealing a piece of bread because they were still hungry after dinner or get into fights with other girls, she would take them by the ear
and lead them to the tiny cave with only one candle and a single match. It was a horrible place. The walls were damp and the air was cold. There wasn’t much to sleep on but a pile of old rags that the sister had put down there to wipe the walls down with when it would rain.
Looking around Regina saw a large four poster bed. The foot was so high she couldn’t even see the lump under the blanket that was sure to be Sister Joseph, herself. Tip-toeing around the edge of the bed in the dark wasn’t easy but her eyes had almost adjusted to the extra darkness that seemed to fill this room. The lump in her throat wasn’t getting any smaller and she had to move fast. The dawn was coming and the cat would make another round just before breakfast, making sure all the rats were at bay for when the children woke up. Reaching the side of the bed she stretched one arm up and pulled herself onto the lip of the bed frame, giving her a perfect view of the sisters face. Regina froze, not expecting to be able to feel the hot breath of the sister on her own skin she held her own breath. Just then Sister Joseph rolled over with a large grunt and onto the other pillow. Regina was relieved. Slowly she slipped her tiny hand under this pillow on this side of the bed and searched. Just as she was starting to panic her little had touched something cold. With her fingertips she pulled it slowly to the edge and onto her hand. The key to the front gate was hers. Gradually she climbed down and backed away from the bed. Making it to the door gently she placed her hand on the door knob and turned it again, this time to let herself out. Hastily she slid across the floor to the stairs and started taking them one by one, careful to keep her feet on the very edges as not to allow the old wood to creek, she’d been practicing this. Reaching the bottom of the steps she could just see the light starting to come over the edge of the Earth. Knowing she had to hurry she almost ran to the front door. As she reached for it the mangy loud cat came around the corner and saw her. They startled each other but as Regina saw the mouth on the cat open getting ready to announce her leaving, she quickly and without grace opened
the front door and ran for the gate. Making it across the lawn she heard Sister Joseph yell from the door to come back but Regina didn’t let up, she just kept running. When she finally got there she slipped the giant key into the hole and turned, looking over her shoulder she saw the Sister running after her. Regina pulled the gate open and started running so fast she couldn’t feel her feet hitting the ground. The road in front of her was long and she knew there would be forks but anything was better then that place and as the sun rose in the sky she started laughing, it was a brand new day, after all.