Watcher

Chapter 1 : Last descendant

The full moon graced the dark sky, a terrible scream rang out in the middle of the dark forest. A husband and wife silhouette runs into the forest, trying to get away as far as possible from something. 

“Come on, we must hurry Christine!” He signed. “We were almost there.”

“Jack, where was the creature?” Christine turned back her head. “I didn’t see it.”

“We must get away from this place.” Jack looked around.

They have been chased by a dark creature who kills all of their group.  The only way for them to survive was to find the portal inside this dark forest. Jack knew the portal itself connected to another world, so they could save from the creature. Jack and Christine fasten their movement. Christine tried not to wake their 1-month infants as she could. However, there was a weird sound closer to their position, suddenly the creature was right behind them.

“Oh my, the monster.” Christine sounded panicked. “We couldn’t reach the portal, Jack.”

The creatures reveal themselves in dark. Red eyes with sharp canines stared at them. The monster moved closer to them making Christine's body freeze. She had no idea what to do. Jack immediately took a wooden stick near him and used his magic.

“Flamma.”

The fire sparked out from the end of the wooden stick.  He pointed the stick forward and tried to create distance from the creature. The creature took a few steps back, looking at the flames forming.

“I will hold the monster.” He pulled out his sword and swing it. “You must get out of this place!”

“But, Jack ….”

“Hurry!”

Christine left away his husband and continue to walk to the portal. She kept running without looking back. Her tears slowly drop, yet she must keep running.

“Okay honey, that’s our way out.” She kissed her infant and walks through the portal.

Christine arrived in the small town.  She can feel the cold air,  It was nighttime and no one was there. Christine fastens her movement, knowing the portal was still open because of her presence as a Seer. She must close the portal immediately. She stopped for a moment in front of one house.

“I think, he saved here.” She walked closer to the door and put the infant there. “I’m sorry honey, but I can’t let the monster out from the portal.”

She knocked on the door and leave the infant alone. Christine walked away, she didn't turn her face at all. She wiped her remaining tears, took a deep breath, and ran to the portal, which closed.

Not take a long time, someone opened the door.

“Whose baby was this?” asked Eugene looking around.“Well, I thought another young couple put this baby again, such an irresponsible person.” He took a baby inside the house with a signboard “Happy Life” orphanage.

***

A few years later.

“I hate my life! Why I can’t be like them?”

Bradley looks out from the window in his room., he sees one family playing on the field. In his deepest desire, he wants to feel that moment. Yet, it’s impossible for him because he is an orphan.

“I should get ready now,” he shakes his head and tries to face the reality.

He walks away from the window, suddenly he sees a small spider hanging around near his old cupboard not far from him.

"It seems I have cleaned this area, but why do spiders keep popping up," He grumbled. "Ah, never mind. I must get hurry before Madam Theresa comes and scolds me."

His hand opens the dark brown wardrobe, but it looks quite fragile for touching. His hand pulled out a dull white shirt, he quickly changed it. A few minutes later, someone is knocking on his door.

“Bradley, are you finished yet?”

The voice keeps repeating itself over and over again without stopping. He sighs and slowly turns the door handle. A blonde-haired guy stands in front of him.

“Caden?”

“Bradley, why are you taking so long?” asks Caden followed by a grumbling voice. “Now, we must hurry. Madam Theresa will be furious if we are late.”

“What are you talking about?”

Caden quickly grabs Bradley’s hand without hesitation. Bradley asks the same question, but Caden ignores him and continued walking without turning back at Bradley. 

“Cad, where are we going?"

"Brad, over here quickly."

Caden stopped in front of a door and take a peek inside the room. Bradley suspects Caden acts so weirdly today. Caden slowly pushes the door and gets inside the room. They see several children are already lined up neatly. They try to get into the line without looking around. However, someone grabbed both of their hands and immediately brought them in front of the white-haired woman.

"Argh! You're late again. She looked straight at Caden and Bradley.

"Forgive us, Madam Theresa." Bradley continued to lower his head without seeing her face.

"Madam, it's not entirely his's fault.” Caden tries to explain to Madam Theresa. "I don't tell Bradley about the new schedule.”

Bradley’s eyes glanced at Caden. He tries asking Caden, but it seems they are insecure. The white-haired woman walks closer and lifts their chins together.

“You should set a good example for your younger siblings,” she said followed by a grumbling tone. “I think both of you should learn a little lesson from what you have done.”

"Madam, but we are only a few minutes late." Bradley widens his eyes. He furrowed his brows and seemed to be trying to defend himself. "We promise never to do this again."

"Both of you have always been late many times and stupidly I still believe in your words.” She rolls her eyes. “So, you must get punished so that all orphanages in this room will not follow the bad example that you set for them."

“Madam, but….”

Madam Theresa claps her hands. It sounds so much louder. Not long after, a fat woman comes with a bucket in her right hand and a few mops in the other hand. She places the bucket in front of Bradley dan Caden.

"That is your punishment." Madam Theresa's brown eyes look around and point to every room in the room. “You must clean all the rooms in this house!”

"Wait, what!" Caden widened his eyes. "Madam, but we've cleared everything!"

"Yeah, we have cleaned everything from the 1st and 2nd floors." Bradley tried to convince Caden’s words.

"Oh, is that right?"

Madam Theresa walks to a table at the far end of the room. Her hand takes a glass containing mineral water and pours it onto the floor.

“Oops, I spill something. You guys seem to have to clean it again,” She said as she slowly pours the liquid onto the floor with a smiling face.

“Damn you!”

Bradley’s head feels so hot. He keeps his fist tightly clenched and his gaze fixed on Madam Theresa. It fills with anger and unsatisfied. Caden sees Bradley’s weird movement and knows Bradley will do something hazardous. Bradley may be attacked Madam Theresa right in front of everyone. So, he decides quickly withdrew Bradley’s hand.

“Cad, what are you doing?” Bradley slowly turned his head towards Caden. “This nasty old lady should get a little lesson too, right?”

"Bradley, you must calm down." Caden tries to calm Bradley. " We are in a bad situation right now. We don’t have any choice," he said in a low voice.

"Cad, but how long do we have to follow this mad woman's will." Bradley continues to clench his fists until his veins are slightly visible. "I'm fed up with all this!"

"Brad, we should at least remember their kindness," Caden explained. “We should be grateful to be able to live here.”

"Kind?" Bradley furrowed his brows. “They just took advantage of us. They don’t have kindness at all!” said Bradley raising his voice.

“Yeah, I know that feels. But just remember Mr. Eugene's kindness. He has taken care of us from childhood until now, right?”

Bradley is silent for the moment and the irritation in his mind slowly fades away. His best friend, Caden seems the person who knows him very well. He and Caden have been together since Mr. Eugene and his wife led this orphanage. Bradley's tears begin to well up and slowly flows. He doesn’t care anyone in this room will see him crying.

“Hey, what are you guys doing!” Madam Theresa yells at Bradley dan Caden "Come on, I don't like to watch this drama," she said while tapping the surface of the glass on the table. “Move your ass, right now!”

Bradley quickly wipes away the remaining tears, running down her cheeks. The two of them walk over to Madam Theresa. She throws clothes to their faces.

"Remember! Clean this all up!” Madam Theresa walks away from them and takes the rest of the other orphanage children to another room.

"Damn, this woman is so annoying," said Bradley in an irritated tone as he picked up the cloth that had fallen in front of her. “She is a real devil.”

"Brad, we should not discuss it right now. We must clean this place as soon as possible." Caden takes the other cloth and starts to clean up the spilled drink on the floor.

Bradley and Caden respect Mr. Eugene as much as their parents because he was the first owner of this place. He and his wife were the first to cultivate this place from the beginning until now. They loved kids and treated these orphans very well. They built this place because his wife could not give her husband descendants. The mysterious illness made her barren. Everything went happily, but after a few years, his wife died because of her disease. He felt lost and had suffered for a long time.

Several years passed after her wife’s death, but Mr. Eugene's health was deteriorating. His bad lifestyle and stress from losing someone he loved most make his life ruined. He handed this place over to his sister, Madam Theresa. However, after Mr. Eugene pass away everything changed. Madam Theresa’s attitude immediately changed 180 degrees. She finally showed her true color. Evil without mercy at all.

She treats all the orphanages especially Bradley and Caden like servants. Madam Theresa doesn’t care too much about all the orphanages. She only considers these kids as income for her. The smaller the kids, the greater income she will receive. The stiff and terrible rules make all the children in the orphanage tormented. All of them don’t have power over her.

***