Oleta's Misery at Ashbluff Orphanage

  A black horse drawn carriage was carrying a young lady up a mountain covered in forests. Her tears were like the cold raindrops falling from a sky that was completely gray. It felt as though the sun would never shine again as the young lady sang "Happy Birthday" to herself in such a somber tone.

*****

  A few days ago, Oleta came home to find that her mother had already died from her illness. It was probably not long before Oleta came home, as her skin still felt slightly warm and her face still had color. It was almost as if she were only sleeping. She was beautiful, almost like a princess that was put under a spell. However, not even love would bring her back to life. Oleta cried over her mother's body for what felt like forever. It was like her entire world was crushed in just a split second.

  There was no service for the poor widow. Her body was cremated and her ashes were buried in an unmarked grave. As for her daughter, with no living relatives, she was to be sent away to Ashbluff Orphanage.

*****

  Oleta stuck her head out of the carriage. The cold heavy rain began and soak her hair. She could almost see it through the trees, Ashbluff Orphanage. This was the place she would be living from now on. 

  As the carriage got closer, Oleta could see someone standing at the front of the building. It was a woman. She was tall with sickly pale skin. Her ash gray hair was pulled up into a bun. She wore a black button up dress, which outlined the form of her body as she stood straight. As soon as Oleta could make out her sunken in eyes, she could tell that this woman was very unfriendly. Even from the farthest distance, it was as if this woman was already judging her. Oleta suddenly got a bad feeling. She quickly hid her stack of money from the boy under her clothes. There was no telling what this woman's intentions were. The carriage came to a stop. Oleta stepped out and cautiously approached the woman. 

  "You must be Oleta." The woman's crackling voice matched that of an evil witch. Oleta's mother would tell her fairytale about children who had to escape witches. Now, she would be under the care of one. "My name is Brenna Clawroot. You are to only refer to me as Ms. Clawroot." Before Oleta could say anything, Ms. Clawroot turned towards the door. Looking back towards Oleta, she firmly said "Come!" Oleta followed the horrifying woman through the door.

  The inside was colorless and gloomy. Gaignory may have been a poor town, but it was cheerful compared to this place. Oleta thought about her home in Gaignory. She missed her mother. This was going to be the first birthday without her mother. Oleta thought more and more of how the person she loved most in the world was now gone. A few tears dropped from her eyes as she sniffled. Ms. Clawroot turned around. Suddenly, a stinging feeling swept across Oleta's face. The force knocked her to the floor, however, she was able to stop herself with her hands. When it had registered what had just happened, Oleta's cheek throbbed painfully. She held her cheek where she was struck and looked up at Ms. Clawroot. 

  "Cease your sniffling at once!" Her sharp tone made Oleta want to cry even more, but out of fear, she held it back. " My biggest priority is to ensure that none of the children at this home never step out of line! The very first rule here is that you are not to utter a single sound unless I tell you to!" Oleta couldn't believe it. Her mother had only passed a few days ago, and she couldn't even mourn. Oleta was shaken, but she regained her composure. She stood up, but not wanting to look this woman in the eye, kept her head down. Oleta uttered a very quiet, "I'm sorry." Even if she was to live here, to Oleta, this was not a home.

  Ms. Clawroot stopped in front of a closet. From this closet, she pulled out a button up gray dress, an apron and a white nightgown. The woman then shoved them into Oleta's hands. Ms. Clawroot explained that all the children are to wear their uniforms at all times, except for when it was time to go to sleep. Oleta was then brought to a room that contained beds. 

  "This is the girls' room." Ms. Clawroot explained. She extended her long boney finger towards the bed in the corner of the room. "That on is your bed. Once you are finished changing, you can immediately start on your chores." She gestured down the hall. "Your first chore today is to clean the stairs in the main hallway. One of the girls there will show you where the cleaning supplies are." Before she left the room, Ms. Clawroot looked back at Oleta and firmly said, "Don't dilly dally!" The slamming of the door was like thunder.

  Oleta looked at the bed, then around the room. She realized that there was no place to put any belongings. Oleta didn't really have any, except the money that the young man had given her. Oleta just knew she had to keep it hidden, she just had to figure out where. As Oleta leaned over her bed to fold her nightgown, she heard a squeaking sound. She ducked her head underneath the bed. Sure enough, there was a loose floorboard. As she raised the piece of wood, Oleta saw that it was mostly dirt underneath. With her bare hands, she dug a small hole that was just deep enough to hide the whole stack. Oleta carefully placed the money in the hole. She then patted the dirt in place and moved the floorboard back. The money was now safe, in a place only she knew about

  Oleta stepped out of the bedroom, fully changed. The dress was a little big on her, but it fit her better than her mother's old dress. As she approached the main hall, Oleta could see three other girls, all in the same gray button up dress. There was one girl that was probably a couple of years older than her. Another girl looked to be a few years younger than her, and the youngest looked like she couldn't have been older than seven.

  The youngest gently took Oleta's hand into her own, and walked her over to a supply closet. In the closet were all the cleaning supplies. There were brooms, scrub brushes, rags, buckets and more. The little girl handed Oleta a bucket and scrub brush. She then led Oleta to the well out behind the building, where she could fill the bucket up with water. When the two made it back to the main hall, Oleta nodded at the little girl, trying her best to express her appreciation without talking. The little girl seemed to understand, then she went right back to cleaning. 

  Oleta crouched down next to the bucket and began to clean the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the older girl walking closer to her. As Oleta continued to clean, the girl crouched down next to her. 

  "Hello, my name is Blythe." Her voice was very friendly. "What's your name?" Oleta just continued to clean the floors, trying not to pay attention to the girl. Blythe then walked in front of Oleta to attempt to meet her eye. The girl spoke quietly. " Hey, I know you're probably scared of Clawroot, right?" Oleta not only shuddered at the very sound of her name, but this girl was brave enough to refer to the woman with such disrespect. "I've been here for six months now." Blythe explained. Oleta stopped what she was doing. "I've learned that as long as that witch isn't around, it's safe to talk." Oleta finally looked up to meet the girl's gaze. Blythe was very pretty. Her hair was a vibrant red. Numerous freckles decorated her face. Her eyes were the color of dark chocolate. Oleta smiled at her. 

  "My name is Oleta." She finally answered quietly. Blythe returned Oleta's smile.

  "It's nice to meet you, Oleta." It felt good to hear a such a sweet voice. "Do you want to be my friend?" Oleta was shocked by the sudden question. After meeting the horrible caretaker, she really didn't know what to expect.

  "Yes," Oleta took Blythe's hands as her smile began to brighten the dreary room. "Let's be friends."

*****

  Oleta's first day at Ashbluff Orphanage did not start off well. However, after she had made a friend, things were starting to look up. At the very least, she didn't feel so alone. 

  It was now dinnertime. All the children gathered in the dining hall. Blythe made sure that Oleta had gotten a good amount of work done, warning Oleta that if she didn't get her chores done, Clawroot would not allow her to eat. For dinner, there was chicken broth. Supposedly, this was a regular dish every night. For Oleta, it felt good to have something warm in her stomach after the day she had.

  Oleta looked around at the other children. It seemed that out of the girls, she and Blythe were the oldest. There were only five other girls, and none of them could have been over ten years old. She then glanced over at the boys. There seemed to be more boys in this orphanage than there were girls. Most of them seemed closer to Oleta's age.

  "You should know," Blythe was leaning over towards Oleta. She talked quietly and looked around for any sign of Ms. Clawroot. "There are a few of those boys that you do not want to get involved with." Oleta looked over at the boys. They were all probably in the same situation she was. Surely, they couldn't be all that bad.

  "What do you mean?" she asked. Blythe pointed at a certain boy who looked to be about thirteen. He was tall and lackey. His peach colored skin contradicted his hair that matched the colorless walls. His gray colored eyes seemed sinister, and that he was up to no good. Again, he had to be in the same situation as Oleta, so she shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

  "That's Ulrich. He just got here maybe a month ago." Blythe explained. "He bullies the other kids and frames others all the time for things that he did. If you want to avoid Clawroot's wrath, stay away from him." Oleta decided to take her friend's word for it, even though she hadn't seen him do anything malicious, yet.

  Night fell, and all of the children were tired from work. Oleta was happy to see Blythe's bed was right next to hers. Most of the other girls were out like a light before their bodies even hit the bed. All, except for one. It was the little girl from earlier. She sat up straight in her bed. She had a look on her face that showed that she was possibly too afraid to fall asleep. Oleta got out of her bed and walked over to the little girl. 

  "Are you okay?" Oleta quietly spoke as she crouched down next to the little girl's bed. The girl just looked at Oleta, but she did not say a word.

  "That's Evera." Oleta found Blythe right next to her. "She arrived here a couple of months after I did. She hasn't spoken a word since then." Oleta was almost surprised, but also saddened to here this. 

  "Do you know why she's too scared to fall asleep?"

  "Well," Blythe began to explain. "Evera has been having night terrors. Sometimes it results in her screaming. Sometimes it causes her to wet the bed. Either way, it usually ends with Clawroot's awful punishments." There was a pang in Oleta's heart that made her want to cry. Then, she thought of something. 

  "You know, Evera," she spoke to the little girl. "Whenever I was too scared to fall asleep, my mother would sing to me. Would you like to hear one of the songs she taught me?" The little girl seemed hesitant at first, but then she smiled and nodded her head. Just like her mother would, Oleta held the little girl's head to her chest, and began to sing. 

                Hush now my little butterfly,                                    I  promise I will protect you.                              I will scare away what makes you cry,               and  you will wake up to the morning dew.

                   Be still my little butterfly,                                       It is time to fold your wings.                             Look to the twinkling stars in the sky,                              Listen to my voice as I sing.

            Close your eyes my little butterfly,                                It is time for you to dream.                            Tomorrow is another day for you and I,                 Tomorrow let us meet by the stream.

              Slumber now my little butterfly,                               Lay your head upon my heart.                            Think of me, precious child of mine,                           You and I will never be apart. 

   Oleta looked down at Evera. With no more hint of fear in her face, she was sound asleep. 

*****

  Oleta was awake early in the morning, with the help of Blythe. All of the girls were dressed and in the dining hall by 6:00 am. There was oatmeal porridge for breakfast. Everyone received a small portion, not that a whole lot of them minded as it was cold. After breakfast, it was time to get to work for the day. When the outside sidewalk was swept, all the weeds were pulled, and the grass was cut, the children went inside to clean themselves before starting the laundry. Blythe showed Oleta to the laundry room. All of the other children were there. It had to be the biggest room in the entire building. 

  "These are all Ms. Clawroot's clothes?" Oleta asked in shock. She then picked up a tiny dress. "They don't all look like they fit her." Blythe chuckled.

  "Actually, these clothes belong to the people from a village nearby." Oleta looked at Blythe, puzzled. "On top of being the caretaker of Ashbluff, people from the village pay her to do their laundry." Oleta was still confused. 

  "For her to do their laundry? But she's not even here."

  "She will be... to make sure we get all of the laundry done. " Blythe handed an apron over to Oleta. "To her, being under her care means free labor." Oleta put her apron on. "But we have no choice. If we don't do the laundry, then we don't eat. Come on, I'll show you what to do."

  Blythe showed Oleta what the separate piles of clothes were. Oleta learned how to properly wash, dry, iron and mend clothing. Blythe was an excellent teacher. 

  "Now remember," Blythe said. "Clawroot wants everyone to at least finish twenty-five pieces of clothing before lunch. If you don't meet your quota, then you don't get food." Oleta worked hard to get twenty-five shirts, pants, coats and dresses cleaned, ironed and mended. When she glanced over at some of the younger children, she was amazed at how much they were able to get done in a short amount of time. 

  Lunchtime finally came. Oleta so was happy that she was able to get her part of the laundry done, she nearly cheered out loud before meeting Ms. Clawroot's glare. Oleta quickly put her hands over her mouth before she could let out another sound.

  For lunch, all the children had each gotten a small loaf of bread...all except for Ulrich. Oleta started to feel sympathy, until Blythe told her not to feel bad. Everyone else worked tirelessly. Ulrich, on the other hand, was laying back on a clean pile of clothes, except for when Ms. Clawroot was around. He would suddenly seem like the best little worker. However, the truth came out when Ms. Clawroot had seen that he'd only washed three shirts, and they were still soaking wet.

  Suddenly, there was a commotion. Oleta looked over to see Ulrich snatch the bread out of Evera's hands. Evera, of course, said nothing. She tried to reach for the bread, but Ulrich was faster and taller than she was.

  "I didn't get lunch yesterday," Ulrich said with a condescending tone. "So why is it fair that you get to eat again today and I don't?!" Evera tried again to reach for the bread, but again, it was out of her reach. She fell to the floor. Ulrich began to maniacally laugh and took a bite out of the bread. Oleta couldn't watch. She stood up. Blythe attempted to stop her, but it was too late. Oleta marched over to Ulrich. 

  "Excuse me," Oleta tried to remain calm. Ulrich turned to look at her. "Please return Evera's bread to her." Ulrich looked at her as if it was the greatest sin that somebody dared to stand up to him.

  "What was that?" he asked as he stepped closer. "I don't think I heard you."

  "I'm asking you nicely," Oleta held out her hand. "Please return Evera's bread." Ulrich laughed in her face. 

  "Why don't you come over here and try and make me?"

  "Evera worked hard for the bread!" There was anger that could be heard in Oleta's tone. "You just laid back and watched the rest of us work! Evera deserved that food more than you, and you know it!"

  "And what will you do if I don't give it back, huh?" Ulrich said as he aggressively pushed Oleta back. 

  "Ulrich," Oleta charged at him as she tried to reach for the bread. "Give me that bread at once!" She missed as Ulrich dodged her. With her back to him, Ulrich pushed Oleta to the ground. He stomped on her hand and laughed. Oleta tried her best not to cry out in pain. 

  "What happened to that cocky attitude of yours?" Ulrich stood over her like a conqueror who had just won a war. "Are you going to start crying like a little baby?!" Ulrich thought he had won, but now his defenses were down. Oleta kicked at his legs, which sent him to the ground, and the bread flying out of his hand. Oleta took this opportunity to pin him down with her body and slap him across the face. 

  "YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A SPOILED BRAT AND A BULLY!!" With anger coursing through her body, Oleta didn't care how loud she was. "YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN-!"

  "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!" Oleta turned her head to see Ms. Clawroot at the doorway. Oleta then looked down at Ulrich, to see him crying crocodile tears. She came to a horrible realization as to what the situation looked like. Oleta tried to speak, but was frozen in place, as was the rest of the children. "You've only been here a day and you're already starting trouble." Oleta watched in horror as Ms. Clawroot marched closer and closer to her. "Well, I think you will learn rather quickly that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated!" Ms. Clawroot grabbed at Oleta's hair, hard. Oleta let out cries of pain as she was dragged out of the dining hall. Everyone else could only watch in shock.

  That night, Blythe knew she wouldn't get any sleep. She couldn't stop the guilt, thinking she could have said something.  Blythe was angry with herself.  She protected herself from being punished instead of being a so called "friend" to Oleta. 

  The door to the girls' room opened. Blythe couldn't see anything but her silhouette, but she knew. Oleta was back from wherever Ms. Clawroot had dragged her to. The darkness of the night completely hid what she really looked like in that moment, although Blythe wasn't sure that she wanted to even see. She watched as the silhouette slowly limped to the bed in the corner. Not bothering to change into her nightgown, Oleta let her body fall onto the bed. She curled up into a ball as she cried herself to sleep.

*****

  When Oleta woke up the next morning, her body hurt all over. The welts on her arms, legs and back made it harder to get up. Everyone else was still asleep. Since the pain would make it harder to get around and do her chores, she figured that she might as well just get a head start. 

  Oleta slowly limped to the washroom. It was still dark in the early morning, so Oleta lit a single lamp. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her entire face was swollen. She had a black eye and a fat lip. Oleta would normally be horrified at such a sight, but after the night she had before, her emotions almost felt numb. Oleta used the water to wash the dried blood off of her face and the welts on her body. She then limped back to the girls' room to put some clean clothes on.

  Somehow, Oleta managed to completely wash, dry, iron and mend twenty-five pieces of clothing before lunch. She sat and ate in silence. Blythe found it hard to look her in the eye. Once again, Ulrich had not done enough work to learn lunch. Once again, he stole Evera's bread. Oleta wanted to stop him, but as her arm reached out, the pain reminded her why she should stay back.

  That night, as Oleta got ready for bed, she noticed Evera. She was sitting up in her bed again. Oleta found herself walking over to sit at Evera's bedside.

  "Forgive me, Evera." Oleta said, with a weak voice. "I didn't try to stop him this time." As she spoke, tears began running down her face. Their saltiness stung the wounds on her face. "All because I was too worried about myself." Oleta's shoulders were now shaking as she sobbed harder. "Forgive me. Forgive me."

  "No, forgive me." Oleta looked up to see Blythe at Evera's bedside. "All I had to so was say something, but I was too scared for myself." Blythe began to sob as well. "All I had to do was say something, but I was too scared for myself." Blythe began to sob as well. "All I had to do was open my mouth, and I could've saved my friend. I'm nothing but a coward."

  "I could've said something too." Oleta was surprised to see one of the other girls walk over.

  "I could have too."

  "If anything, Oleta and Evera, please forgive us."

  Oleta felt a warm soft touch on her hand. 

  "Can you sing for us again?" It was the softest and the most angelic voice she had ever heard. She turned her head in disbelief to face the little girl. 

  "E-Evera..." Oleta struggled to speak. "You're talking. " Everyone in the room gathered around the small girl's bed.

  "Will you sing that song about the butterfly?" Now that everyone could hear her voice, who could say no.

  "Yes, of course." Oleta shifted closer to Evera. The little girl rested her head on Oleta's shoulder. All the girls gathered to hear her sing.

                 Hush now my little butterfly,                                    I promise I will protect you.   

  Oleta was pleasantly surprised to hear Evera's little voice join hers. All of the other girls began to join in too.

         I will scare away what makes you cry,               and you will wake up to the morning dew. 

*****

  Oleta slept soundly in a dark room. Suddenly, the door swung open. She could barely open her eyes because of a strange blinding light that filled the room. When her vision cleared up, Oleta was amazed by what she saw. A magnificent white horse with a dashing rider. It was him. The young man she met in Gaignory. He was dressed as a prince. He was her prince that she had been waiting for. Now he was here to take her away. As he dismounted his horse, Oleta jumped out of her bed. She ran to the doorway to be in her prince's arms. As soon as she was out of the room, she found herself in what looked like a grand ballroom. A sparkling pink ballgown replaced the simple white nightgown she had on. The prince took Oleta's hand. Beautiful music played in the background. Oleta and her prince danced the night away. The prince gently took Oleta's chin in his hand. He was now close to her face, and Oleta closed her eyes.

*****

  "Oleta! I said it's time to get up!" Oleta was shook awake by Blythe. "What, was it that good of a dream? You were about to kiss your pillow again." Oleta blushed. It had been about a month since she arrived at Ashbluff Orphanage.  Every single night, Oleta had the same dream, that her mysterious prince came to rescue her from this awful place. "Hurry up, and get around." Blythe was always there bring her back to reality. "We'll be working outside today, and remember what I told you." Oleta nodded to show she understood.

  Oleta put on her gray button up dress and apron. This time, she kept her hair down instead of putting them in braids. She followed Blythe outside to start working, and to prepare for the day ahead. 

  Today was the day that people from the village would come to see the children of Ashbluff Orphanage to consider adoption. Blythe specifically told Oleta to keep her head down and not to catch any of the people's eyes. Oleta thought this was strange as it would seem that children at an orphanage would want to be adopted. However, Blythe told Oleta that the people who came from the village were up to some shady business. Oleta didn't really understand what she meant by that, but Blythe made it clear that she'll understand when the villagers came for a visit today.

  Oleta grabbed a bucket of water and a scrub brush to clean the sidewalk. She got on her hands and knees.  Her hair, that she kept down for the day, cascaded around the sides of her head and completely covered her face. Finally, the time came. Oleta didn't look up, but she could hear them walking around. She could hear Ms. Clawroot talk to them. Some of them stopped in front of her, but Oleta didn't look at them. When they walked away, Oleta tried to glance through her hair to make sure none of them were looking in her direction. She finally took a look at the people, and was shocked to see that there were only men. Oleta thought it would be both mothers and fathers that were looking for a child. Some of these men were well dressed. Some of them wore long coats. Most of them wore hats that hid their faces. Oleta got a very eerie feeling from these men. Oleta couldn't let herself be adopted, because she just had to get to Rochelieu. Now, she knew that she didn't want to go with any of these men.

*****

  Oleta started noticing something strange going on with Blythe. One night, Oleta woke up while it was still dark. Her vision was blurry, but she could see Blythe get out of bed and walk out of the room. Oleta didn't think too much about it. Maybe Blythe needed to use the outhouse. Maybe Oleta was just half asleep.  However, it seemed to happen every night. Oleta started to be fully awake at the same time each night, and could now see clearly that Blythe was in fact leaving the room.

  This wasn't the only strange behavior Blythe showed. Oleta started to notice Blythe hiding a piece of paper and a pen under her clothes. Whenever Ms. Clawroot wasn't around, Blythe glanced around the room and down the hallways. She would then write something down on her piece of paper. She did this in every room in the orphanage. She would even look around and write something down when they were outside. 

  Oleta tried to brush it off. Whatever it was, it wasn't her business. It was just something she did in secret, just like Oleta checked the money under the floorboard every night. She tried not to let it bother. However, time went on, and this had been going on for six months. Eventually, the curiosity was too much for her. Blythe was her best friend, and she didn't want to do anything to lose her trust. Oleta had to figure out how to get Blythe to tell her on her own.

*****

  It was Christmas day. Ms. Clawroot would celebrate by spending the day getting drunk. This meant that the children finally had some leisure time. Some of the children played out in the snow. Some of them hung out in the hallways, talking. Oleta and Blythe hung out in the girls' chambers as they sat on their beds and told each other about how they usually spend the holidays. 

  "We'd start the day by opening presents. Later, my mother would cook the most delicious Christmas dinner. Then, we would gather around the organ as my father would play, and we would sing Christmas carols." Oleta was amazed by all the amazing traditions Blythe's family had. "So, how about you, Oleta? Did you and your mother have any Christmas traditions?"

  "Well, my mother and I would also sing Christmas carols, but we went to the town square to sing for our neighbors." Oleta thought back to fond memories with her mother. "I always felt bad, because my mother saved up all year to buy food for a special dinner for the holiday and to buy me a new dress. She would always tell me that my smiling face was all she wanted for Christmas."

  Blythe gave Oleta a sad look.

  "You must miss her."

  "Everyday." Oleta had to stop tears from escaping her eyes. This would be the first Christmas without her mother. She would never relive all of those wonderful Christmas memories.

  Oleta had to snap herself out of it. Even if her mother wasn't there, this was meant to be a joyful day. Besides, now she could spend it with her best friend.  She tried to think of things to take her mind off of it. Oleta then remembered that piece of paper Blythe kept with her, and came up with an idea.

  "Hey Blythe, let's come up with our own Christmas tradition, with an exchange of gifts." Blythe looked at her in confusion. 

  "What gifts?" Blythe asked. " Neither of us have anything to exchange."

  "I know that." Oleta was really hoping this plan would work. "I mean let's make it a different kind of gift exchange." Blythe still couldn't figure out what Oleta was talking about. "Our Christmas present to each other, is sharing a secret each of us have." Now Blythe really didn't know what to make of what Oleta was saying. "I'll go first. I'll share a secret with you." Oleta didn't even have to think of what to tell Blythe about. She pointed down. "Look under my bed, I want to show you something." They both got on their hands and knees. Oleta lifted the floorboard to reveal the hidden stack of money. Blythe was certainly surprised. 

  "Where did you get that?" Blythe asked in shock. 

  "A boy from Rochelieu lent me the money to get my mother to a doctor." Oleta explained. "But since my mother died, I no longer need all of this money. That's why I need to somehow make it to Rochelieu." Blythe couldn't believe how bizarre Oleta's story was. 

  "So, you haven't used any of it?" Oleta shook her head. Blythe then had a smirk on her face.  "Are you sure the money is the only reason you need to meet this boy?" Oleta's face began to turn beat red. "Now I understand why you're always smiling while you're dreaming." Blythe chuckled a little before she changed her tone to a more serious one. "Listen, whatever you do, don't let Clawroot find this. If she finds out that anyone is hiding money in her orphanage, no matter the situation, she'll immediately confiscate it. Her reason is because it's 'owed to her' for 'taking care of us.' I can't help but laugh at that woman's logic." Oleta knew she couldn't let Ms. Clawroot see her stack of money. Somehow, that still didn't help to make her feel better after hearing this.

  "Alright, now it's your turn." Oleta was anxious to see if Blythe would just go along with it. "Tell me a secret of yours." Blythe immediately stood up. She walked over to the doorway and looked down the hall. She then walked back over to Oleta. 

  "Listen," she said quietly. "Be careful that you don't accidentally reveal this to anyone." Oleta figured that to be the case. Blythe went to her bed and pulled out a couple pieces of paper from underneath her mattress. She handed them to Oleta. This was it. Oleta studied the pages. They both seemed to be hand drawn maps. Both were very detailed. One seemed to be of the orphanage. The other seemed to be of the mountain. Both had specific markings, notes and certain times written at certain points. "Oleta, want to escape to Rochelieu with me?"