Thick snow fell from the dark, overcast sky, turning Castlebrooke into a city of white. Snowplows were making their fourth trip down the streets. The sidewalks had been salted the previous night, but the city’s efforts had not been enough to stop snow mounds from forming, making pedestrian travel difficult.

Rooftops, heavy with snow, glittered under the winter sun. From afar, each street looked like an assortment of gingerbread houses. Christmas lights twinkled, adding to the effect. Snowmen, snow angles, and messy footprints were evidence of the mounting excitement in Castlebrooke.

Cars carefully made their way along the roads, adding to the hustle and bustle around the city. Some of them had festive car decals with snowflakes and Christmas trees that added to the cheery atmosphere.

Holidays were just around the corner, uplifting the spirts of many shoppers. Families struggled against the onslaught of snow, laughing merrily as they slipped along the sidewalk, holding each other for support. Others were balancing boxes and bags, fighting against the wind to make it to their cars. Steaming cups and hearty shouts wove through the air, adding to the joyful chaos. Shops glowed a warm, welcoming yellow, inviting people in with sales and discounts on special goods. Bakeries held holiday themed events, often drawing large crowds filled with laughter and good conversation.

Castlebrooke was in a state of holiday bliss, though not every person shared in this feeling.

Tucked away in a quieter part of Castlebrooke sat an orphanage renowned amongst the people for its successful adoption rate. Most of the children in its care were happy and full of life. Except one.

Feeling trapped within the confines of the orphanage, Kayden let out another sigh as he stared out the second story window. Not even the increased flurries could uplift him.

He watched as a couple in their mid-thirties left the building with a bounce in their step. Laughter floated up towards the open window, souring his mood further.

How he longed to be the reason for their happiness.

“What are you doing, Kayden? It’s freezing!” a woman’s voice reprimanded from behind. “You know how easy it is to catch a cold. Close the window and keep an eye on the younger children, please.”

“Yes, Mrs. Laje.” Kayden closed the hallway window, turning just in time to see the back of her disappear down the stairs. She never held back on lecturing him when she could. What was wrong with getting a fresh breeze from outside when he felt stuffy from staying indoors too long?

He was thankful she didn’t know the real reason why he was always watching from the window. If she did it might cause another argument. He was supposed to set a good example for the other kids. She’d probably say something along the lines of him displaying bad behavior by spying on people and showing the kids it was okay to do so.

Yet another reason why he hated this place.

He didn’t want to be a role model for anyone, let alone a group of thirty kids with too much energy and not enough attention. If the caretakers could spare just five extra minutes for each kid, Kayden was sure the place would be better off because of it.

He pushed away his frustration and entered one of the bedrooms along the hallway. Eight other children greeted him with screams and shouts.

“Woo!”

“Kayden, watch this!”

“Look at me!”

“Where did you go?”

He rubbed at his forehead, trying to keep an oncoming headache at bay. It wasn’t the children’s fault. If Mrs. Laje…no. That line of thought never changed anything. Besides, she always brushed off his complaints. She told him the last time it was a good opportunity to learn how to be responsible.

He didn’t want to be responsible. He wanted to be a kid.

Kayden was the oldest of all the children at the orphanage. At eleven, he had more responsibilities than the younger ones. He usually didn’t mind being around them, unless he was ordered to by Mrs. Laje; which was becoming more often as the year came to an end.

Her excuse every time he complained was that she had a lot to do before the New Year. She never expanded on what she was doing and he never asked her to. He figured it didn’t matter. He’d end up looking after the children regardless.

Before the bedroom door closed, it burst back open, bringing with it a massive bundle of energy. A younger boy of around seven appeared, a huge grin on his face. He was a bright light in the orphanage. He exuded a contagious energy and lit up the room when he entered.

“They want me, Kayden!” the little boy shrieked. “They want me!”

A chorus of excited whispers spread throughout the gathered children. It was nothing short of excitement whenever one of them came back with this news. They’d already said goodbye to three other kids earlier in the week, and each of them was hoping to be next after hearing this recent exclamation from the boy.

Unlike the younger ones surrounding him, Kayden stiffened at this news. Forcing his sour thoughts away, he smiled. “I knew they would, silly.”

The little boy’s smile faded when a thought struck him. “Why didn’t they want you?”

Pain pierced Kayden’s heart as he fought to hide his tears. Mrs. Laje had suggested to the couple they should adopt Kayden alongside Eric but they declined, stating they weren’t ready to take care of two children. He wished Mrs. Laje had kept that information to herself. What was he supposed to do with it knowing yet another family didn’t want him? A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, but Kayden settled on, “I’m getting older, Eric.”

“That’s not fair!” Eric shrieked, tears streaming down his face. “You’ve been here the longest!”

Kayden bit back a sigh, something he was doing far too much of lately. But it was true.

He’d been at the orphanage since he was six.

Five years.

Five years of continuous rejections from every family that walked through those front doors. After sixty tries, and zero success, he felt there was no hope. If that many families didn’t want him, what good was staying at this deadbeat place with nothing but the clothes on his back? Mrs. Laje was in the process of adding ten more children to the roaster, all under the age of five. He’d be forced into looking after them like he did with the others.

Mrs. Laje never gave him a choice. Ever.

In fact, none of the adults working there gave him an ounce of freedom. It was the same routine; day-in and day-out. He was in charge of making sure all the children were up for the day. If he didn’t have school, he was made to play with the children and help out with the chores the adults pushed onto him. No one cared what he did as long as he followed the rules and didn’t argue. The other children could argue, just not him. The adults acted like something was wrong if he spoke out of turn.

What he thought were normal complaints, like what he heard the other kids say when they got annoyed, caused everyone around him to go quiet, watching him with caution in their eyes, like he might do something unexpected. They tried to appease him, telling him to take deep breaths and calm down, everything was going to be okay. It didn’t make any sense. He never yelled when he said those things. Why did he have to calm down?

He was exhausted.

“It’s okay, Eric,” Kayden tried reassuring the little boy. “I wouldn’t have fit in with them. I’m glad they chose you.”

“Honest?”

“Honest,” Kayden replied, his voice gentle. “Now, go get ready. I’m sure they went through the adoption process a while ago. They should be back for you soon.”

Eric beamed. “Mrs. Laje said I was lucky it went so fast. I’m leaving tonight!” He dashed away to his bed, skipping with excitement.

The other children followed along in his wake, demanding answers and falling into small fits of giggles, unable to contain their excitement. For them, it was exciting news full of adventure and all the promises made when they first arrived. Since Eric was the fourth to leave that week, it gave hope to the rest sharing the room.

Maybe their happiness wasn’t so far away.

Kayden’s heart deflated. He was happy for the little guy…but he was also sad to say goodbye to the only person he could call a friend. None of the other children had patience enough to sit and talk with him the way Eric did.

Whenever there was a newcomer, Kayden always tried befriending them beyond his title; Older Big Kid.

It used to work when he was around the same age as everyone else. When he started getting older and Mrs. Laje told him he needed to discipline the younger children if they misbehaved, the dynamic changed between him and the others.

He wasn’t in the same category anymore. To the little ones, he was now one of the adults. Available for playtime and getting updates from Mrs. Laje, but nothing more. None of them wanted to be his friend…except Eric.

Eric had arrived two years ago and immediately took to Kayden; often sneaking into his bed after having a nightmare. Over time, Kayden realized Eric wanted to be his friend. Unlike the others, the little boy didn’t mind listening to him talk. And Eric wasn’t hesitant to share his thoughts either.

They’d spend hours talking if they could get away with it. Mrs. Laje eventually scolded Kayden for being a bad influence, saying things like he needed to be responsible and share his time with the other children.

He didn’t want to share his time with them. They all ran around in circles, bouncing off the walls if they knew he was tired enough not to complain. Even when he did bring his complaints up to the caretakers, the most that happened was Kayden being sent to his room as though he was the one who did something bad.

Annoyed, Kayden decided to help teach Eric how to read and write. He wasn’t bad at it, but Kayden couldn’t come up with a better idea to spend more time with Eric because Mrs. Laje kept him on a strict schedule when he wasn’t at school. When he suggested teaching the others as a way to appease Mrs. Laje, she saw the chaos unfold in less than five minutes, sighing at Kayden’s hopeful expression.

Eventually, she gave in after Eric revealed to Kayden his parents had been murdered right outside their house and that he had no family left. Kayden’s reaction was enough to soften Mrs. Laje’s rules about him looking after the children. He had more time to spend with Eric after that unexpected reveal of why he was there.

Kayden was really going to miss him once he left.

“Don’t lose hope, kid.”

Kayden startled, not having heard the bedroom door open. He looked up at Mr. Heart, one of the part-time caretakers. They didn’t have much of a relationship. Mr. Heart took care of the younger kids when he was there. “I won’t.”

“Good, good. Not getting up to any trouble, are you?”

Kayden rubbed at his eyes, doing his best to keep his face neutral. He hated when Mr. Heart tried making small talk. “No.”

Mr. Heart leaned against the doorframe. “How’s school?”

“Fine.”

“Homework?”

“Good.”

“Friends?”

“Yes.”

Mr. Heart coughed, trying to hide his irritation. “You never deviate, do you, kid?”

Kayden shrugged. It wasn’t his fault Mr. Heart asked the same questions every time.

“Fine, I’ll leave you be.” Mr. Heart pushed off the door, pulling out some tools from his belt, off to repair something one of the kids broke. “Mrs. Laje wants you to go play with the new kids in room two. Probably a good idea since your little buddy is leaving today.”

He didn’t need the reminder. “I understand.”

Mr. Heart patted his shoulder. “Stop worrying so much, Kayden. Your turn is coming soon.”

He seriously doubted that. If sixty rejections weren’t enough of a reminder… Frustrated, Kayden headed towards room two. He’d much rather spend the rest of his day with Eric instead of playing nice with children who wouldn’t warm up to him for weeks, if not months, if they even stayed that long. The younger ones tended to be adopted out faster than the rest. Mrs. Laje expected him to watch over the new kids until two. That didn’t give him a lot of time in the afternoon with Eric.

After spending hours with the newcomers, Mrs. Laje finally released him, laughing when he bolted from the room. “Slow down, Kayden!”

Ignoring her, he raced around the building until he spotted Eric in the living room, curled up on the couch, sipping on hot chocolate. Eric’s face brightened when he saw Kayden. “Hi!”

“Hi!” Laughing, Kayden sprawled out across the rest of the couch. “Is that good?”

Eric glanced down at his drink, his hands tightening around the mug. “It’s not sweet.”

Kayden swallowed his laugh. “Should we break into the kitchen so I can make you a better one? As a sort of going away present?”

Giggling, Eric nodded. “I asked Mr. Heart to make it. Ashley came to get him because the toilet clogged. He forgot to come back.”

It was a struggle for Kaden to control his emotions. He worried there might not be enough caretakers if Mrs. Laje was going to keep accepting children.

“Don’t worry about that. I can fix you the best hot chocolate ever! Mrs. Laje is with the new kids. We should have about twenty minutes. Follow me!”

Kayden saw Eric’s expression lift, calming the anger flashing through him at Mr. Heart’s forgetfulness. Could he not have spared an extra minute to make sure he finished what he was doing for Eric before helping someone else?

Kayden went right to work once they got to the kitchen. None of them had permission to use anything unsupervised, but he didn’t care. He would sometimes make hot chocolate in secret for the little ones if Mrs. Laje was settled in for the night.

As much as he wanted to talk with Eric, Kayden kept his focus on his task, bringing everything to a boil on the stove. He used the wait time to put all the ingredients away and rinse out Eric’s mug. By the time the hot chocolate was ready, the kitchen looked untouched. Just in time, too.

Mrs. Laje rounded the corner, surprise widening her eyes. “What are you two doing?”

Kayden placed a reassuring hand on Eric’s shoulder. “Mr. Heart was making Eric hot chocolate, but Ashley came to get him because one of the toilet’s clogged up. Eric asked me if I could fill up his mug.”

“Oh, if that’s all…” Mrs. Laje placed a handful of dishes in the sink. “Mind doing these for me? Eric’s new family should be here in an hour. I want to make sure everything’s in order.”

“An hour?” Kayden gasped. “But—”

“Don’t argue with me,” Mrs. Laje warned, her expression stern.

“Can I do the dishes after Eric leaves? Please?”

Eric’s eyes widened, hopeful and begging, though it was lost on Mrs. Laje. She sighed. “Why don’t you ever listen—”

“I won’t get to see him ever again, Mrs. Laje. Please.”

After catching the pleading look on Eric’s face, she relented. “Fine. Off with you. I’ll do the dishes.”

“Thank you!”

Kayden held Eric’s mug of hot chocolate so they could leave faster in case she changed her mind. They settled down on the couch again, excited from their brief adventure and narrowly avoiding getting caught.