"You have to abandon this child, miss..."
"No!! Why?! I promise you I'll raise her by myself as an atonement!! She is JUST born!! How can you be so cruel?!"
"■■■■ with ■■■■■■ is a taboo of a highest order, you should be aware of this. ■■■■ are typically executed on their birth. Leaving that child behind is the most mercy we can offer."
"You... You damned ■■■■!!! Just because she is born ■■■■■■ - doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to live!!! She's still a human!!! She's still my daughter of my flesh and blood!!!"
"... Extract the child, now..."
"Wait!!! Before I do that... Please just let her have a parting gift."
That rose clip...
Mom... Why did you abandon me?...
Why did you leave me with this... Thing...
I don't understand...
I'm scared...
I don't want to be alone anymore...
...
...
...
"Hmrgh..."
Looking up from my paperwork, I see that the child shifted in her sleep. I turn on the electric kettle again and walk up to her to check the temperature.
Still dire... It's highly likely she will end up with a cold after this; her immune system is compromised...
At least her breathing is stabilized.
!!!
A notification?!
Geez, these bastards finally responded to me. Their database shouldn't be huge - so I wonder what's the hold up...
Entering her number from her mark - I find her profile and... What?!
"Issued for execution"
ARE ORPHANAGES ALLOWED TO DO THIS?! I mean the place where I came from was also hellish, but this was supposed to be an ordinary orphanage for crying out loud!!
The notes list her alleged crimes and I begin reading through them
- Illegal Pet Ownership
- General Delinquency
- Assault on Fellow Orphans and Staff
- Arson
- Faculty Escape
And most damning of all...
- Suspicion of Witchcraft
What is this...? Who is this...? Why is this...?
If she's a magician, then I can see HOW she could bypass the border... But the reports say she ONLY slipped away at an opportunities and the security footage supports that. Her speed is even average, nothing too inhuman...
Only her hair...
"Mama... Help me..."
!!!
The kettle is now boiled and I quickly prepare the tea with medicinal syrup.
"Hey... Wake up, sweetie... You need to drink some tea..."
"Mmgh... Wha?..."
The girl opened her eyes and they were stunning. Dusk purple. With her red like fire hair - she looks like I'm witnessing an ethereal sunset.
"Here, drink up... Your throat might be sore... Here are also handkerchiefs for you to sneeze at. You must be cold."
She gently picks a cup in spite of her shaking and mutilated hands and begins to drink slowly. I cooled it down to not burn her tongue - as children overall have lower tolerance for heat than us adults; but not too much. I'll put the heater at a distance now to just generally help with room temperature.
"Careful. It doesn't hurt much, right?"
She nods. What a quiet kid. After she finishes, she begins to cough a little, and I give her a cough drop.
"Don't swallow it or chew it, okay? Let it melt away in your mouth. It'll help your throat and mouth feel better. How does your nose feel like?"
She begins to sneeze into a handkerchief with trembling hands and I noticed that her nose is extremely runny. I use a nose spray and she recoils a bit in pain - I must've pushed in too hard.
"Shh-shh-shh... It's okay... It'll help you breathe better... Lay down now, okay? Try to fall asleep again. We're not going anywhere until you're all warmed up."
"Mmph..." She nods and I help her lay down back again. She looks uncomfortable with many blankets on top of her, so I removed one of them to not overheat her. Too much temperature is as bad as low temperature.
"W-Who are you...?"
Still dazed, huh?... I thought the amount of memorabilia in my office would surely click with her, but...
It's better that I don't cause unnecessary stress for her by revealing my occupation; it's clear that kid didn't want to get caught like that. But it would be even worse if I lie, since children are NOT receptive of those.
"Polina Aksanova"
"Uhn. Is it truly okay... With you?"
"With what?"
"For me to stay here?... I can try to leave... If I'm too much of a bother..."
Oh no, her voice is strained.
"It's alright. Sleep."
She closes her eyes and her little snores make her sound like a purring kitten. Aww... I wonder if I can get away with a sick leave for a few weeks...
And come to think of it... I always tried to convince myself that I'm a dog person, given my occupation and... "Her"; but I never felt too compelled by them.
Too loud, obnoxious, invading, way too big... How do people like these things again?
Last time I visited someone with a pet dog, I had to be stranded on a couch while the mutt kept barking at me.
Now cats... They're much quieter... And cuter...
Sure they're regarded as hardly obedient; but so are dogs... You just need to get on their level I think...
Looking over the documents, I just need to complete 12 more lists and then I can call it a day. Damn it, having to call off a meeting really sucks, but if it at least allows me to save at least one life for sure...
And besides, these bastards would definitely push their caveats onto me. There's no telling if my offer would be beneficial in a long run on practice...
...
*Knock-knock-knock*
"Come in"
"Polina, are the docs done?"
"Ah, yeah, here."
"Hm? Who is this child? Is she sick?"
"Yes. Please cease your questioning now, Aytal."
"If you say so..."
If I explain who she is, it would be a pain in the ass. How am I supposed to explain the fact that by technicality I am sheltering a criminal?
Wait how old she is? Let me check the database again...
"Sex: F; Born: 21st of December XXXX"
That would make her 10 years old... She can't be even charged for crimes! She should've been at least 12 to be convicted! What the hell are we doing?!...
Urgh... This is such a mess...
Yet I can't be mad at the child. I'm sure there's something I'm not getting at...
She had such weak, faded eyes... Like she's been through a lot...
I'll find out the truth, I swear!...
...
...
...
"...
?!
Kitty?!
B-Boys, what are you doing?! Don't kick the kitty!!!"
"Oh, so it's your kitten then? Pfha! We're not allowed to have pets at the orphanage, stupid! We'll be doing you a favour!"
"Please! Stop it! It's crying! Do you have no sympathy for the kitten?!"
"I think it's cries are funny! Come on, let me pass it!"
"No... No!!!"
!!!
"Are you trying to punch me, ginger? Girls don't punch! Hahaha!"
...
"Ow! She bit me! Bad girl! Might as well let her take the medicine as well... Let's beat her to a pulp."
!!!
"I always wondered why they don't let boys peek when girls undress, so might as well..."
"She's going to cry to mama! Hehehe!"
"No... Let me go... GET AWAY!!!"
"Ah...
Ahhhh...
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
I'M BURNING!!!!!!!!!!!!
IT'S SO COLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S SO PAINFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAMAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"A WITCH!!!!!!!!!! RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
...
"Kitty?... Oh no..."
It's bleeding...
"Will be my dress okay?"
I can't do anything... No matter how much I wipe, it doesn't stop...
"Shh..."
It doesn't have much longer...
"..."
Perhaps that last hug will give it peace...
"It was her! She burned Andrei and she killed the kitten!"
Wha?...
"Oh god... The blood all over your dress... Are you behind this?"
No...
"She did it! She did it! I swear she did it!"
You're lying...
"She is a witch, Matryona Vasilyevna! I saw her burn Andrei with her own hands!"
Why...?
"You... You did this?"
No!!!
"You're going to be fed to the Alaa Mogus for your transgressions..."
"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Hey!! Staff, get the child!!"
To be continued...