The Orphan: An Introduction

A/N: Okay, so I don't think I did the best job on writing this... so please review and tell me what you think. I think I'm planning on continuing this... tell me if I should or not...

Also, the title will probably change... if you have a suggestion for a different title, tell me!

Now, here is the story:

Everyone has their Seizures differently. Some scream and cry, clutching their hands to the sides of their head in a paralyzed madness. Others faint, collapsing to the ground with their eyes rolling back into their heads. There are some who lose completely control of their body, and their limbs spasm wildly until they fall unconscious. 

Kristen was of the screaming and crying type. 

We were in the cafeteria, every Orphan lazily eating their breakfast. She was sitting at the table to my right, and she began to take panicked breaths. I looked over at the girl once I heard the fork she was holding clatter on the stone floor. Her hand clutched the table, and she began screaming. Her hold body was shaking, and tears were running from her eyes. Her shrieks echoed through the large hall, and then she fell, slumping down on the table. The silence afterwards was more brutal then her screams. 

But I had seen these Seizures before, and I knew what to do. I swallowed the vomit rising up to my throat and stared at the table when her Teacher picked her up and carried her away. I took a deep breath and continued eating, pretending as if nothing had happened. It's the best way to react to events like Seizures.

I look up at the courtyard; Kristen should be here. We share the same sword training class- shared, actually.

My classmates around me suddenly started to rise from the benches we were sitting on; I realized that I had missed all the instructions that had apparently been given.

"What are we doing?" I whisper to my friend, Raiden. He's a friend to me, at least. Raiden says that there can never be friends at a place like the Orphanage, so he refuses to call me as such. I'm fine with it, because I know the truth.

"Get a partner and practice blocking," he replies quietly. 

"Will you be my partner?" I smile hopefully.

He glances at me. "No. We're being graded, and honestly, you're awful at blocking. Mr. Cadaron will take away points from both of us for your failures. No thank you, Griffin."

I frown. "I can't be that bad..." my voice trails off when Raiden walks away from me in search for a partner. I eventually end up being partners with Cierra, a pudgy girl I had never talked to before. It turns out that we're both awful at sword practice. I'm certain that we both have solid D's in sword fighting now.

I trudge back to my Teacher, Marx-Kiien, after my failed blocking test. His cloaked, lean body stands perfectly still, unflinching, not even swaying when a strong wind blows by. His hands are tucked in his pockets, and even though I can't see his face, I feel his eyes. I feel his eyes on me all the time, watching me, studying me. Eyes like that can be both a comfort and a curse; either way, I've learned to deal with them throughout the years. 

"You are weak, Griffith, and your lack of enthusiasm towards the sword fighting skill does not benefit your arm. You must give the necessary effort, since learning to fight with a sword is mandatory to your survival in the adult world," Marx begins to criticize me immediately. 

I cut him off. "Then I'll be a librarian, if that's what it takes for me to never use a sword again," I mutter, stuffing my sheathed rapier into a crate with the similar weapons inside.

I can feel Marx's disapproving frown in the tone of his voice. "You must take this seriously. If you are not able to fight with a sword, you will not be able to graduate and leave the Orphanage."

"Then I'll be a librarian here until I turn to a pile of dust," I grin widely at him. 

Marx-Kiien sighs and shakes his head. I view our conversations as a game; when I can eventually make him stop talking, I have a victory. When he shuts me up, it's a defeat for me.

Usually he shuts me up, and I lose. The only times I win is when Marx is tired and just doesn't want to bother with me. 

I attend two other classes with other students and none of the Kiien, and then I have one session with Marx alone on history. For these lessons, I shut my mouth and listen to him because the learning is interesting to me. I like Marx's voice; it's soft and deep, and his words flow as if he always telling a story.

Once my afternoon lessons are over, Marx-Kiien and I go to eat dinner. Being back in the Great Hall gives me a little anxiety, after what happened this morning... I try to ignore it and finish my meal quickly. 

Raiden and I always get together after dinner to just talk and relax. We usually meet at the library and then go from there, either staying in the library or walking around the Orphanage. But tonight, Marx-Kiien insists on practicing blocking in the courtyard.

Sometimes I hate Marx. 

We spend half of the evening practicing, and by then, I'm too tired to go to the library. I trudge back to my room, Marx-Kiien following me. I bet he hardly broke a sweat during practice. Once we're in the room, I grab my nightclothes and head into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I take a long shower, trying not to think about tonight. My mind drifts away from the room, away from the Orphanage... to the Outside. I haven't been Outside in four years, and that was my only time. 

I still remember it so clearly... sitting with my classmates in the carriage... the thrill I felt when we passed the gates... And then the capital. It took us two hours of traveling through the woods to get there. And we went over that hill and saw the castle... the castle that was as black as night and shimmering like the stars in the sky. But it was haunting, intimidating, omnipotent... And surrounding it was the city: tall buildings made of strong stone, towering high, where the citizens of the city lived in apartments. The streets were made of a grey stone, smooth and clean. Our group split up into smaller sections, three Kiien and their students in each. When we toured the city, people would look at us in strange ways. A majority of them were scared. They'd cast one look at us, bow their heads, and quickly hurry away. Others would look up and smile sadly, as if they were sorry for us. The people were my least favorite part of the trip...

The memory fades away, the sound of water from the shower head raining down taking over. I sigh, turning off the water and stepping out with a towel. 

The trip to the Outside four years ago was to show what Orphans could have. They waved Outside in our faces, saying "Here! It's all yours if you learn how to control the Seizures. All you have to do is get through them, then you can have this."

If you change who you are.

My body freezes, and everything is silent. 

That thought wasn't mine. It was spoken by someone; it was just a whisper of a thought. Did I even hear it, or was it my imagination? I ponder it... something is different. The words weren't mine. They were't Marx's, who's waiting in the other room.

So who said those words?

I shudder, pulling on my nightclothes. I don't want to think about, like the voice will come again if I do. I leave the bathroom, grabbing the novel I'm reading. I climb into bed, and I don't look at Marx. He studies me carefully; of course he knows something's up. 

I begin reading, or at least trying to, but my mind won't focus. I sigh, putting it on my beside table. I rest my head on my pillow, and think of Kristen for some reason. She's at Level Two now. I know there are levels at the Orphanage, and if you have a certain amount of Seizures you get bumped up a level. The higher the level, the worse off you are. But I don't know what the highest one is or when they stop. I've never been told, and I've never really wondered about it. 

But how far do the levels go on? What's the highest one?

But the somewhat alarming thought drifts from my mind as I fall into sleep and forget about it all.