Shay woke with a fright and a scream clawing at the back of her throat. Her breathing was hard, and her forehead was slick with cold sweat. This happened every night, so to her roommates, it was no new occurrence. She glanced around, wondering if she had woken them by accident. She never liked explaining what she saw in her dreams; they were gruesome and most of the time, Shay wasn't completely sure what was happening in them. They moved fast and only a few images were visible in her mind's eyes.
She reached up and wiped the sweat from her forehead, slipping out of bed and opening the window closest to her bed to let some fresh air in.
Dettae often had trouble sleeping, herself. When one of the older girls woke up and moved around, the little girl — with her soft, shining hair — crawled after her. She came to a stop by Shay's feet, staring upward silently, her blonde curls messy around her face.
The child pushed herself to her feet and stared, tipping her head to one side as she held her arms above her head. She was quite small for a five-year-old; probably resembling a three or four year old instead.
She opened and closed her hands, silently peering up at the older girl. If one was to look at where Dettae had come from, they would find a bunch of blankets tangled into some kind of 'nest' or fort in the corner of the bedroom. She had stolen small items, often shiny — bracelets, earrings, shoes... and these items were scattered in her blanket-fort.
"Up?" She whispered, her voice held an almost... trance-like deception within it. Her voice was honey-sweet; though some may suggest there was a poison to the little girl's voice. It held the quiet, sweet tone of a flute, but to some it grated their ears as if she was scraping her little nails across a chalkboard.
"Up, big sister?" She referred to many of the older children as such — she was one of the smaller girls here, after all.
The child pushed herself to her feet and stared, tipping her head to one side as she held her arms above her head. She was quite small for a five-year-old; probably resembling a three or four year old instead.
She opened and closed her hands, silently peering up at the older girl. If one was to look at where Dettae had come from, they would find a bunch of blankets tangled into some kind of 'nest' or fort in the corner of the bedroom. She had stolen small items, often shiny — bracelets, earrings, shoes... and these items were scattered in her blanket-fort.
"Up?" She whispered, her voice held an almost... trance-like deception within it. Her voice was honey-sweet; though some may suggest there was a poison to the little girl's voice. It held the quiet, sweet tone of a flute, but to some it grated their ears as if she was scraping her little nails across a chalkboard.
"Up, big sister?" She referred to many of the older children as such — she was one of the smaller girls here, after all.
Dettae often had trouble sleeping, herself. When one of the older girls woke up and moved around, the little girl — with her soft, shining hair — crawled after her. She came to a stop by Shay's feet, staring upward silently, her blonde curls messy around her face.
The child pushed herself to her feet and stared, tipping her head to one side as she held her arms above her head. She was quite small for a five-year-old; probably resembling a three or four year old instead.
She opened and closed her hands, silently peering up at the older girl. If one was to look at where Dettae had come from, they would find a bunch of blankets tangled into some kind of 'nest' or fort in the corner of the bedroom. She had stolen small items, often shiny — bracelets, earrings, shoes... and these items were scattered in her blanket-fort.
"Up?" She whispered, her voice held an almost... trance-like deception within it. Her voice was honey-sweet; though some may suggest there was a poison to the little girl's voice. It held the quiet, sweet tone of a flute, but to some it grated their ears as if she was scraping her little nails across a chalkboard.
"Up, big sister?" She referred to many of the older children as such — she was one of the smaller girls here, after all.
The child pushed herself to her feet and stared, tipping her head to one side as she held her arms above her head. She was quite small for a five-year-old; probably resembling a three or four year old instead.
She opened and closed her hands, silently peering up at the older girl. If one was to look at where Dettae had come from, they would find a bunch of blankets tangled into some kind of 'nest' or fort in the corner of the bedroom. She had stolen small items, often shiny — bracelets, earrings, shoes... and these items were scattered in her blanket-fort.
"Up?" She whispered, her voice held an almost... trance-like deception within it. Her voice was honey-sweet; though some may suggest there was a poison to the little girl's voice. It held the quiet, sweet tone of a flute, but to some it grated their ears as if she was scraping her little nails across a chalkboard.
"Up, big sister?" She referred to many of the older children as such — she was one of the smaller girls here, after all.
Shay hadn't realized the little girl coming toward her. She should have, but she didn't. By the time Dettae was beside her, Shay jumped in surprise and took a full minute of staring at her to come to. She breathed out and looked around. She was glad Det's voice was so small, or she'd have had to shush her to keep her from waking everyone else.
Shay leaned down, instead, so she was at eye-level with Dettae. She wouldn't pick the young girl up, mostly because her sleepwear left her hands bare and she didn't want to see the death of a child.
"What are you doing up?" she whispered, almost accusatorily. She was grumpy. That wasn't abnormal. Shay liked keeping to herself in the orphanage though she did know the other kids, just as well as they knew her.
"Dae," the nickname Shay had deemed for Dettae, having not fancied her full name. "You should be asleep. Little girls should be sleeping right now." Her mouth pursed, and she held up a finger to Dae before walking over to her bed and pulling gloves and socks on.
When she went back to the small girl, she reached out and took hold of her hand to lead her out of the room.
Dettae scrunched her nose as she peered up at Shay. She simply shrugged her shoulders and reached out to try and poke the older girl on the nose — however, Shay had moved to get gloves and socks.
The child giggled as she held tightly onto Shay's hand, beaming upward. "We play?" She inquired, tipping her head to one side to peer sideways at 'big sister'. "We play in dark? With stars?" She inquired, blinking upward once more.
After a few moments of stumbling alongside of Shay, clinging to the older girls' hand for dear life, Dettae spoke again, "When can we have family?" It was a question she had been too afraid to ask anyone else.
The child giggled as she held tightly onto Shay's hand, beaming upward. "We play?" She inquired, tipping her head to one side to peer sideways at 'big sister'. "We play in dark? With stars?" She inquired, blinking upward once more.
After a few moments of stumbling alongside of Shay, clinging to the older girls' hand for dear life, Dettae spoke again, "When can we have family?" It was a question she had been too afraid to ask anyone else.
When Dae mentioned the stars, Shay turned them, so their course led them outside onto the orphanage's porch. She sat Dae on the porch swing and sat beside her, staring up at the night sky.
Shay wasn't sure how to answer the second question, which led her to a long pause of silence as she thought about it. She wondered what had happened to Dae's parents in the first place that such a young girl was here. Or, why had no one adopted her already? The cute little ones tended to get adopted early.
"I don't know. I guess when someone takes an interest?" Shay wasn't good with people, but she especially wasn't good with children. They asked a lot of questions and touched and screamed.
Dettae shifted around so that she could kick her legs, and peer at the older girl. "How come you wear fuzzy hands?" She inquired, reaching out to poke at the gloves curiously. "Do they get cold?" She inquired, peeking upward through her hair.
The child peeked up at the stars, curiously staring upwards; stars were wonderous things to the little girl, she hardly understood them, much less knew what they were. She thought they were people's souls; that's where people went when they died...
The child peeked up at the stars, curiously staring upwards; stars were wonderous things to the little girl, she hardly understood them, much less knew what they were. She thought they were people's souls; that's where people went when they died...
Shay shirked away from Dae by habit. She felt mildly bad for it afterward. "No. It's because of my powers." And she left it at that; there was no reason to.
"Why are you here? At the orphanage?"
"Dunno. Never had a mama or a daddy." She stated, shrugging. "Just... 'ppeared one day. In a hole." It was hard for her to describe how she had teleported through time, to this place. She really did not understand it herself; she just knew she was asleep in her pod, and the next second she had appeared in the middle of a crater in a road. Her nose scrunched as she snuggled up to Shay, just a bit.
"I think I fell from stars." She admitted.
"I think I fell from stars." She admitted.
Shay stiffened as Dae snuggled against her. It was still hard for her to cuddle people, more with children, who Shay thought would touch her skin without hesitation.
"Oh. I came when I was six." It wasn't odd for her to hear that Dae might have fallen from the stars. "You fell from the skies? Maybe you came from a different dimension?"