Chapter 1: Hopes

Anglestan

Janus 17, 1923 A.V

New Lundun

Henry Carter

The tapping of his shoes hitting the ground kept him out of his thoughts—barely. It could only do so much against the knot forming in his head which only tightened the further he walked. He looked up. The sky was still draped in darkness, tinged with the haze of early morning.

Sol’s rays were still yet to break through the dim clouds and shine down on the ground. The city hadn’t quite stirred awake just yet, and some windows still glowed dimly from the inside. Most would still be asleep, but it was just the perfect time so that he wouldn’t be late to work. He let a soft sigh out of his mouth, shaking his head.

His thoughts buzzed through his already crowded mind—so much to do and so little time. He shoved his icy hands back into his coat, as he turned his chin up to the sky. The papers had to be ready soon. He knew the little ones were waiting for him. He silently cursed before letting a groan escape his lips. It wasn’t like he could skip the process. Still, he felt like it was dragging on for too long. He hoped they would approve it soon. Hopefully. 

 "Henry!" a small voice called out to him. He looked up to see a little girl bolting towards him—Camilla. The short auburn hair and bright green emerald eyes were unmistakable. The young man braced himself as her small stumpy legs carried her forward to collide against his own. She hit him with a thud but seemed to not mind the impact at all, continuing to giggle. 

"Easy there, Camilla! You'd get yourself hurt!" Henry said, looking down at the little girl who was gleefully wrapping herself around his legs, burying her face into his knees. She pressed against him and turned her eyes up to his, beaming at him.

She let out a cheerful laugh. "Play with us! Play with us!"

The young man let out a soft sigh. He looked down at the young girl, meeting her hopeful gaze, smiling at him. He forced a smile back, but his lips twitched with guilt.

 "I can't today, sweetie,” he said. “I have work to do today. Maybe next time?”

"Aww, you're no fun."

"Why don't you play with all the other children, then?"

"But we're waiting for you!"

“Really? Is that why you’re up this early?”

“Yes!” Camilla giggled, snuggling his legs. “Miss Latevia said we might catch you in the morning!”

“Ah, well,” he looked back at the road ahead then back to Camilla, searching her eyes. “I really would like to play but…” his words trailed off as he noticed the smile slowly fading from the girl’s face. He bit the inside of his cheeks, feeling a knot in his stomach. A small subtle frown formed just at the corners of his mouth. 

Henry rubbed his temples, tearing his gaze away. He tried not to look down and peer into her pleading eyes again. She pouted, as he tilted his head back and faced the sky. 

"Hmm, how about this? If I get off from work early, I'll play with you and brother," he suggested.

"Promise?" she said, her eyes immediately lighting up again.

"Promise.” He smiled. “Speaking of, where is Jeremy?"

"He's playing with Amber and Olson!"

"Ah, good! Why don't you join them for now, and I'll play with you guys when I get back. Deal?"

"Hmm,” Camilla tapped a finger under her chin, exaggerating the gesture with a playful smile on her face. She pointed at him and nodded, a determined look on her face. “You promised so… Okay!"

Henry gave a soft chuckle and bent down, ruffling her short auburn hair. She looked back at him with green orbs and freckles spattered around her face like flecks of paint on a canvas. She was the oldest of the orphans at only ten years old, with her brother following behind at the age of nine. The two siblings lost their parents to a strigoi attack before they could even remember their faces. It was Sol’s miracle that they even survived. The topic of their parents’ demise was a sore topic to them, and would often shrink away whenever it was brought up.

He had heard enough of the story to piece everything together, however. As it turns out, the siblings were only spared when the watchmen guards rushed in and slew the attackers while they hid. It must’ve been a horrifying experience. A tragedy, really.

Strigoi attacks were rather rare these days, but sometimes the circumstances weren’t so favorable. 

Thus, the two siblings had spent most of their life at St. Solarias Orphanage.

From what Henry heard from the orphanage nuns, the two didn’t seem to really fit in with the other orphan children at first. Camilla’s brother, Jeremy, was the loud one. A bright, brown-haired boy with freckles on his cheeks to match his sister’s, and a sparkle in his eyes whenever he spoke. He was always asking questions and trying to make friends, even if others found him a little weird. Camilla was the quiet one. Never really seeming to join in with the rest. She would always stick to her small little corner at the edge of her bed, rarely speaking, eating alone, and never interacting with anyone but her brother.

Though, that all changed when she met him.

It was just another day for Camilla. The rest of the Children were playing outside while she stayed in her tiny corner. That was when she heard a loud commotion all of a sudden. Sounds of excitement, some thrilled screaming and laughter. It went on for a while, sparking the little girl’s curiosity. It won over eventually, prompting her to crawl out of her space and peek out the door of the room. There stood a young man playing and laughing among the crowd of children. Henry. 

 He thought of visiting the orphanage donation drive to give away some of his childhood clothes and decided to stay a little while and play with some of the orphans. Having lost his younger brother to disease a year earlier, he found the children really endearing and fun to play with. The orphans rarely ever got visitors, so having one play with them was a change of scenery, even for young Camilla. She felt a flicker in her chest. A strange feeling she hadn’t felt in a long time. Emboldened by her curiosity, she eventually decided to walk up and watch them play. Henry wanted to meet everyone, and as soon as he saw the young girl watching from afar, he tried to call her over and talk to her, but only succeeded in scaring her away.

During lunch, however, everything changed. While all the other children were already having their meals, Henry noticed that Camilla was still sitting quietly by the corner of the hall, too shy to ask for a serving. As soon as he saw this, he walked over and offered her half of his food. He tore half of his grilled cheese sandwich and handed it to her.

Camilla gazed up at him with a look of bewilderment and confusion. Her eyes wandered back and forth from the sandwich and Henry's smile, as if figuring out how to respond to his gesture. After a while, she slowly reached out, taking the sandwich with shaking hands.

She stared at the sandwich for a minute, unsure of what to do at first. She had never really accepted anything from anyone, and was a bit shy to eat beside the young man. In the end, her hunger won her over. Experimentally, she gave a soft tentative bite. 

She blinked in surprise.

Almost immediately, her eyes lit up with sparks, relishing the way the flavors unfolded—a soft, buttery smoothness followed by a faint tang that curled at the edges of her tongue. It was soft but bold, creamy yet firm, with an aftertaste that was both grounding and light. A symphony of contrasts.

Color rushed to her cheeks as she swallowed and bit into it again, taking a bigger portion this time. She had never tried grilled cheese before and was instantly enamored by the new flavor. Henry watched as the strange taste washed over her like a wave. He could see it all in her face, the way her eyes widened, her brow softened. He could only imagine what was going through her head as he took a bite of his own sandwich. 

At first, there was the same creamy, almost buttery smoothness. Then, a subtle tang began to creep in, like a sharp kiss of salt dancing with a faint nuttiness. It reminded him of sun-warmed earth—rich and rustic, yet strangely delicate. He could see the same emotions play out on Camilla’s face as she chewed slowly, almost reverently, as if she was afraid to finish it. 

To her, it must’ve tasted like something from another world.

He knew that he had connected with her in that small moment—like a faint memory of happier times, which Camilla—never thought still existed deep in her mind.

The sandwich was no match against the young girl’s appetite, so much so that Henry gave her his half as well when he saw the wanting look in her eyes. It soon then became her favorite food, and took a quick liking to the young man. With that, she gathered up the courage to talk to him, with her first words a barely whispered “thank you”.  

It was her first step to her recovery—a flickering spark that threatened to grow into a flame in her chest as she slowly crawled out of her hollow shell.

Henry was happy to have finally made some progress. He smiled at her and began to talk to her about anything he thought she would find interesting. Henry did most of the talking of course, but the young girl responded with soft sounds and nods from time to time. This small interaction was what sparked their bond, and soon after, he found himself being introduced to her brother, Jeremy, who was much more of a conversationalist. 

Reminded by memories of his late brother, Henry decided to visit again the next day, which of course made the siblings happier than ever. It was at that moment that he resolved himself to a decision that would change his life.

Since then, Camilla began to open up little by little over time, eventually breaking out of her shell and becoming quite attached. Much like she currently was to his leg.

“Uhm… Henry?” Camilla said, breaking the young man away from his thoughts of the past. 

She looked up at him, a small frown slowly forming around the corner of her lips. She shifted her feet and hugged him a little tighter than before.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.

"You said you'd adopt me and my brother today… Are you still going to?"

Henry took a breath, letting it hang in the cold. ‘Of course. The papers.’ 

 It was taking too long in his opinion, but it should be approved in the next few days. He took a deep steadying breath and held her by the shoulders, pulling her away from his legs. He got down on his knees and bent down to face her. He gave a warm smile and patted her head.

 "I'm going to adopt you and Jeremy. I promise. I'm just a little busy right now, but believe me, I'm getting all the papers ready. Okay?"

"Okay."

"Hey, I only need a few documents left. If not today, then very very soon. Alright? I promise."

"Okay. But you'll play with us today too, right? You promised that too!"

He let out a soft chuckle and stood up, dusting himself off. "Yes, yes, I'll play! Don't worry,” he smiled. “How could I forget that? Now you have to let me go to work so I can play with you guys a lot earlier! Hopefully, we'll have an hour or two before the orphanage closes, yeah?”

"Okay!" She smiled, giving the young man a big hug before pulling away and running back in the direction of the orphanage. She turned around for a second to wave back at him goodbye.

"See you!"

"See you." Henry smiled, waving back before nodding to himself. 

Just as Camilla headed inside, Henry turned his attention to a woman walking out of the building and waving at him. She wore  a white porcelain mask that hid her features, besides the strands of golden blonde hair peeking out. Latevia. She was the main caretaker of Camilla and Jeremy, and was often the one he talked to about them. Her long gown flowed in the breeze in its magnificence. It had gold accents at the edges of the fabric, with puff sleeves at shoulders that ended in gold cuffs at the end of her wrists. She wore a cowl that matched the rest of her outfit, and covered part of her forehead. If Henry remembered correctly, her gown was called a ‘habit’ and was worn by all the Sisters in the orphanage, as with all nuns. 

Henry smiled and decided to walk over to her, stepping inside the orphanage gates. “Good morning!” he greeted. 

“Wonderful morning, Henry! Have you come to visit the children again?” she asked, gazing towards the sky. It was still a bit dark, but edges of sunlight had begun to break through from afar, creating a magnificent display of red streaks like paint on a canvas. “Would you like to come inside?”

“Ah, Sister Latevia. I unfortunately have work today.” Henry chuckled. “I was afraid Camilla wouldn't let me leave for a moment there.”  

“Oh, well they sure are eager to get adopted. How are the papers going?”

“Still processing. It’s taking a while if you ask me.”

“Oh, I feel the same. It could sometimes take a while with the background checks and everything, but that makes waiting all the more exciting! Hopefully you get it soon so we could put a stamp on it. I’d miss those two once you take them home with you. I’m sure they’d be elated!” 

“Ah, well. I’ll bring them over from time to time. I’m sure they’d miss playing with their old friends too, but I don’t think I can adopt any more than two. I’m a little anxious, actually. Being a dad is… well. Something.”

“Oh, Sol bless your heart. You’ll do fine, Henry. I’m sure of it,” she said. 

“Yeah. Hopefully.”

“Well, don’t let me keep you.” She waved him off, glancing up at the sky again. “Have a good day at work. From what I hear you have to get here and play with them later, so off you go!” Latvia chuckled, walking back inside the orphanage building. 

"Have a good day, miss Late!” He smiled. “Right. Time to get to work!"

Henry then started his walk to the tram station. It was quite some distance, probably more than a few blocks away. It would take him a few minutes, but he had time. It wasn’t like his boss was screaming for him to get to work as soon as possible. Though, if he arrived late he’d have to work an extra hour or so, and he couldn’t do that. Especially with his promise to Camilla on the line.

His feet picked up the pace a bit, briskly walking the streets of New Lundun. He looked around him as he did, taking in the sights. He’d seen it a thousand times before. Walking the same streets to the station had become second nature to him like a well-practiced routine. Sometimes it gets boring for him. Though, it wasn’t without its charm. The city wasn’t something one would particularly call pretty. However, it can be quite fascinating once one gets used to the scenery.