When Cain woke up on a cloudy and boring Friday, this is where our story starts. The clouds showed no signs of clearing up. It was clustered weather like usual, but the best thing is that in August, it doesn't rain that often. Cain hums as he does his normal chores for the day. The other kids either play around or procrastinate on their chores, it happens quite often.
Harriet Lowry, the matron, was getting ready to serve breakfast, placing down several different plates, with different portions for each child. She mastered the art of knowing how much food each child needs.
At half past ten, Cain got his chores done for the most part, besides having to read. The other kids, particularly a child named Ava, run past him and trip. She ended up crying, and was being soothed by Ms. Harriet. "It's just a small glaze." She softly says as she picks her up.
As Ms. Lowry tends to Ava. The other kids finish their chores— they then go down to the tables. They begin eating, Cain goes and sits down at the table silently, and he begins to eat his scones with a bit of jam on them.
After breakfast the day went on normally for the most part, he went back to his room to enjoy reading— small peculiar things happen throughout the day, but that's normal for someone like Cain. Lights flickering, animals acting weird for no reason, and those forbidden snakes hissing at him.
Just another day. Something felt off about it— well something felt off about every day, but today felt different in a way… not in a bad way, but in the way something great was going to happen.
Sitting in his shared room, he's reading a book. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees a silver tabby cat move past his door. Confused by this he moves softly out of the room.
Peering into the hallway, the cat stops and looks back then continues on.
Curiously— he begins to follow the cat, Ms. Lowry was allergic to cats, so typically they were not allowed to bring any sort of cats into the orphanage, well any sort of animal.
Following it, the creaky floorboards make small noises, but he follows the cat carefully, making sure he's walking softly. He did not want to make any loud noises. The cat was moving with purpose, he noticed that the cat tended to peer into different rooms, until it got to the back room and paused—
This was Ms. Lowry's office. Following it to the door, the cat looked back and ran away from the room. Before he followed it, he took a moment to think. He decided it's better to tell Ms. Lowry about the cat; maybe she would know why there's a cat in the orphanage.
Walking to the office, he slowly opens the door— hearing the creak of the door, he peers into it. Sitting at her desk was Ms. Lowry, in her soft brown sweater with the sleeves pushed up to her elbows. She was writing on a piece of paper, with the sleeping baby on her lap— it looked like she was writing documentation. She shifts as she hears the door open, the black coils in her hair bounce slightly, and she blinks at Cain with her head tilted.
"Cain?…" She then takes a second to compose herself until she continues, her soft voice filling the room. "This is actually great!" She then claps her hands softly not to wake up the baby, and then she moves the baby to her chair.
"There's someone you ought to meet— she definitely is different from most people, but she is exploring the orphanage right now. She will be here soon." She proudly says… Cain just looks at her with a confused expression.
"Meet someone?" Hearing her say that left him perplexed. Who wanted to see an orphan child? He then remembers why he came in here. "Oh… uh I saw a ca-"
Before he could finish his sentence, an older woman, tall, stern, and utterly composed came into the office.
He shifts into standing tall immediately, it felt like she could make anyone stand tall and straight.
The outfit she wore… was different from how most women dress— dark long green robes that matched her spectacles which sat neatly on the bridge of her nose— she had sharp eyes that seemed like they missed nothing. It felt like the gaze of the cat he was just chasing.