(Ben’s POV)

*Huff huff huff

I gasped and woke up in the middle of the night.

At first, having nightmares is not very easy to handle. It’s been a week since the last time it happened. Sleeping at night was never easy. Especially, when the most important person engraves on your memory. I couldn’t bring myself to fall asleep. 

‘I need to do something’ I said to myself.

I looked out the window and it was chilly that night. The curtain on the windows was non stop from flowing because of the wind. I stood up on my bed and went to my window. I was going to close the window when I saw something.

I was shocked and hid beside the window. My heart races faster.

I try to calm myself. 

‘Inhale…. Exhale.’ I repeated it 5 times to make myself calm. When I'm calm, I turn my head to the window but I'm shocked when I see a big shadow outside the window.  

Out of fear, I instantly covered my mouth to avoid noises. To avoid my voice coming out. It's scarier when the curtains of the windows are blown by the wind. 

I see it clearer. 

Their nasty looks.

It has a long neck, a horse-like skull and big and sharper teeth that can eat even the trunks of the tree. Its eyes were big round red.

I can’t breathe. If I breathe I don’t know if I will be alive the next morning. My body is trembling into fear. And my tears are starting to fall from my eyes. 

‘Is this another nightmare? If not, please… don’t notice me’

That’s the repeating thought in my head. 

My fear grows down when I hear a noise. The monster turned their attention to the noise and walked away from my room. 

After it left, I pulled my hands on my mouth and tried to breathe. 

**Inhale, exhale

When I recovered some of my strength, I turned into the window. I take a peek to see if someone has come to the orphanage. 

It’s none other than sister Joan.

“Why are you outside?” she said.

“It’s too boring inside the chapel. Grace told me to do what I want.” The monster replied.

“It’s ok to be outside, but don’t come here. What if the children saw you? It will be a mess if they run outside of the stables.” she replied.

‘Stable? Where’s the stable? Did she mean here at the orphanage? So, they all thought that the children herewere animals? Ha! How laughable!' I thought

“Ok I get it, don’t nag at me…. Is that new?” Said the monster

“Yes, a newborn from the marquis family.” sister Joan said with a happy face.

“Kekeke… all those nobles are selfish and stupid. They didn't think about their children. At first, you didn’t believe that all those brats are nobles. Money is more important to them.” Said the monster.

“Exactly, that’s why we don’t let this opportunity be wasted. We received the finest product so we need to grab their greediness for us to survive.” Sister Joan replied.

“You should head inside, that food will be wasted if it catches a disease. Kekekeke” the monster said.

I stop peeking at them and I go back to my bed. Their conversations didn’t get out of my head. 

‘It seems that all of us here are noble children.’ I said to myself.

*****

The next day, I went to our secret hideout. I always plucked some flowers and climbed up to the tree. I created a mini grave for Jenny, to remember her existence. 

“I will avenge you, I promise.” I said to her grave.

I climbed down on the tree and started walking.

First thing that came to my mind was the chapel. When I go inside there, it seems like an ordinary chapel. I looked everywhere to see if I could find something that can help me to find some clue to where those monsters belong and why we, as noble childrens, do to them.

I wandered around the chapel then I saw something. I spotted a shiny thing near the altar. When I went near that, I saw a ring. A ring has a name engraved on it. 

Garnet

A name that unknown to me

“I don’t know if it’s a name or a stone?” I said to myself.

Suddenly, voices came outside.

I put the ring in my pocket and I ran into the cabinet and hid there.

“We should have a meal after three weeks.”

“You’re right. I'm feeling hungry every day because of that brats”

“We should be patient guys. We didn’t want to upset madam Garnet. Even Joan is resisting her hunger.”

I peeked in the small hole in the cabinet. I'm shocked that the three servants who take care of us here are monsters. It seems that all of us children were in the lion's den. 

‘I will not trust any one of them.’ I said to myself.

“Wait… do you smell that?” said the nanny who does our laundry.

“what? what is it?” said the gardener

“I smell a rat. A rat that becomes a brat.” said the other nanny.

They try to find me. I didn’t know that they are keen on smell. 

They looked around and the gardener slowly approached my place.

‘Please… Don’t let them see me.’

Suddenly, laughter outside was heard. 

The three of them stop finding me and leave the chapel. When they’re gone, I got myself out of the chapel.

When I was in my room, I kept in my box the ring that I got. The name ‘Garnet’ here is the one who puts us here. I don’t know what kind of person it is, but I will make sure to escape here and burn this what they call mansion together with this stable. A mansion for monsters. 

*****

The next day.

“Ok everyone, listen to me carefully.”Sister Joan said

(Everyone gathered around.)

“Today, I will announce a very important thing.” she said

I felt that what she is saying is not good news to me.

“After a month, there’s a kid who’ll get adopted.” She said happily.

I knew it. That’s what the three caretakers were talking about.

“Sister Joan, who will it be?” Said the younger child

No.. don’t tell us.

“Well, it will be sad because he is the only older one here. But we need to let him go and get a happy family outside.” She said and she looked at me with a smirk on her face. 

No way…. Why now? 

“Then, that will be Ben right?” Said the other child.

They looked at me. They are all happy. But they didn’t know that the place where we were going was hell. 

I need to get out of here.