‘Clap,’ “Now children, if you’re done with your dinner, it’s time to wash up and get ready for bed. Reuben, there's a spare bed in chamber C right?” Miss Dandy asked.

“Yes, it’s between me and Tella’s bed,” Reuben answered.

“Since it seems like you are already friends with Vee, why don’t you show her around and help her settle into her bed.” 

“Alright, I’ll do that.” 

Rein went ahead to the bathroom to wash up and headed to bed early while Reuben and I looked around the orphanage. From the layout that I had seen it seemed to be rather small for an orphanage, the children were split into 3 sections; A, B and C. 

“The children in Section C don’t really get adopted, Miss Dandy says it’s because nobles don’t like problem children like us but I’m not really sure, the boy you fought today, Sam, is in Section A and I can’t imagine that he has more value to a noble than us. He practically bullies absolutely everyone he deems weak,” said Reuben while pointing out the rooms that I would need to remember.

“Are the different sections segregated? I saw a few kids going upstairs and a few going into the basements.”

“Yh we are, Section A is upstairs on the 2nd floor and Section B is located in the basement and as you can see section C is on the ground floor.”

“Why are we placed on the ground floor?”

“Well… They say that it’s so the teachers can reach us faster if we were to ever cause trouble but I’m not so sure. For as long as I've been here Section C has never made any trouble great enough to keep the staff close by.” Reuben seemed a bit perplexed by my question.

“Do you know what age you were brought here?”

“You sound like those investigators from the story books in the library, why are you even asking all these questions?” 

“Don’t you think it’s a little weird? Why would they run an orphanage in the middle of a dangerous forest infested with monsters and why you?” With my reply, the look in Reuben’s eyes seemed like that of someone whose lightbulb had just been switched on, as if he had never questioned why he was here, to begin with.

“Now that you say that, wait… are you thinking of breaking out or something?” He asked while looking around to check that no one was around to eavesdrop.

“I guess more or less that’s what I'm trying to do but also I have questions that I want answered.”

“Okay? To answer your question the director told us we’re 8 and I'm pretty sure we arrived 4 years ago but who knows if she was telling the truth or just guessing anyways let’s go back to our room, I'm a little sleepy.” 

When I was looking into the twins in the past, I’m pretty sure they were 4 years old when they were kidnapped. If the director knows enough to give them similar names and even tell them their age then it tells me the director knows who they are.

I soon reached the girls' bathroom, washed up and went back to the bed chambers.

- - -

When I walked into the bed chambers I was greeted by Rein who was standing beside the wall by the door. ‘Guess he’s waiting for his brother to come back from the bathroom.’

As I tried to walk past him and towards my bed he blocked my path, I looked up to look at his face with my brows furrowed.

“What is your goal? If you need a way to get out of the forest, surely there is an easier way than whatever you're trying to do right now, right? Why does it seem like you’ve got Reuben and me lumped into this goal of yours?” 

‘I see why they called him the war hero in the past, if I was a normal child, not only would I have been intimidated I would have been petrified’

“Oh my, you have such sharp eyes, I do in fact have the both of you lumped into this goal of mine, looking for an easier way is just not my thing. When Reuben comes back I shall explain in more detail.” I said while prancing around the room with a slight smile on my face.

‘If I had people like them in my previous lifetime would life have been easier? Or at the very least, would there have been friends to find joy in each other's company?’ this feeling was a bittersweetness that I’d never felt before, almost like I was a human…

The door burst open and Reuben almost tumbled through the door.

“Did I miss anything important? Vee how could you just leave me and go back to the chambers by yourself?” He huffed slightly.

“Oh? I thought we were just meeting back up here, don’t worry we didn’t discuss anything important. Before we start.” I flicked my index finger upwards and created a circle, thus activating a bubble around us.

“What is that?” asked Rein.

‘Has he switched personalities with his twin or what? So cautious but that is understandable seeing as how long they’ve had to stay in this place, I probably haven’t even reached the base of this iceberg.’

“It’s a soundproofing and visual blocking bubble, to everyone outside it we look like we’re sleeping as well as soundproofing our conversation. Anyway let's sit down, first off, I was able to change my eye and hair colour using magic as you both know they previously stood out too much.” 

“I think it’s about time to explain why you chose to include us in whatever you plan to do,” Rein asked while still standing by the door as I sat down on Reuben’s bed with Reuben.

“Rein, come sit with us and stop being so distant,” Reuben spoke while rubbing his eyes slightly, the moonlight made their eyes shine red rather than the soft pink that shone in the daylight.

“Why are you getting so comfortable, have you not learnt to never trust people who come out of nowhere? Jeez, what happened to you telling me to be cautious of strangers.”

“I’m not sure why, but I feel comfortable around her. My gut tells me we can trust her and you know my gut feelings are never wrong.” Reuben said while patting his abdominal area lightly.

“Ugh. whatever, fine. Such a dumbass…” Rein walked over, sat down and completed the triangle that had formed on Reuben's bed while bickering with him over his choice to trust a stranger.

“There’s something I need to tell you two before we move on… I owe you two at least this much. I know who you are, I know where you’re from and I also know that unlike me… people are desperately searching for you two. Do the both of you also want to know?” I spoke carefully while looking between the two, their eyes slightly enlarged and lost focus, the both of them lowered their heads. They were in sync with each other.

‘I thought most twins expressed their emotions differently but perhaps the fact that they are so close is the reason they are in sync right now.’ How would a person go about describing such an emotion? Hesitation? Glad? Sadness? Anger or maybe even Hope… 

“Hey! I knew it… there was something suspicious about you from the very start,” Rein stood on his knees and grabbed me by my collar, eyes enlarged and flickering with all sorts of complex emotions. “Where did you hear such bullshit? Was it the director? I knew it’s been too long since one of us was taken… I KNEW WE SHOULDN’T TRUST YOU!!! WHO?! WHO THE FUCK SPEWED SUCH BULLSHIT?!!?”

“Calm down Rein… Calm down and listen to me.” I said as meekly as possible but this seemed to enrage him even more as he was now practically dragging me off the bed. Before I could hit the floor Reuben pulled Rein back down onto the bed without a word.

“DID YOU NOT HEAR WHAT SHE JUST SAID?!? HOW CAN YOU EVEN THINK TO STOP ME??!??” Rein’s rage could be felt from his piercing gaze alone. Reuben slowly lifted up his head and a chill ran down my spine. His once moist reflective eyes now contained a look similar to that of a 

cold

cold

Corpse…