THE ADOPTED CHILD

Camellia

The first day in the hospital after regaining consciousness, Camellia spoke very little. To almost everyone who asked, she would nod or shake her head. She only says one or two words when necessary. The elderly woman took care of her all day and the doctors and the nurses thought she was still tired, so they didn't ask much.

Camellia was pleased about that. She obediently followed the doctor's instructions and spent most of her time quietly looking out the window. She is still nostalgic about the events that just happened. Although it wasn't the first time she had to go through this, even though after a few days everything would be back to normal, she still felt very sad.

At night, in a sleep not lured by sedatives, Camellia dreamed of disaster times in her life. She saw her standing crying in front of a fire. Then she saw her being pulled from under a huge wall. Then she found herself clutching a tree stump as the murky floodwaters swept over. Her chaotic dreams made it impossible for her to sleep peacefully. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked up at the ceiling until morning.

"Daughter. After breakfast, can the policemen talk to you for a moment?"

When it was morning, Susan said as she pushed open the door and entered the room. Aunt Susan was the elderly woman who had taken care of Camellia all day yesterday and possibly the days before. Aunt Susan wasn't really old either, probably not even fifty years old. She was tall and thin, walking briskly. It's just her deep voice that makes people feel solid and mature in it.

"Yes," Camellia replied.

Her voice is much clearer today, no longer hoarse and short of breath. Her face is still pale, her limbs are still weak, she still needs a nurse or aunt Susan to help her in case she wants to do anything. Other than that, she doesn't feel pain or dizziness or anything else. Camellia knows this. Shasara made fun of her, but she was still not cruel enough to make her bruised and ragged to death over and over again. She will only be weak for a few days, then again, as if nothing happened.

Near noon, two policemen, one male and one female, arrived. Hearing the voice, Camellia recognized the policewoman as the one whose voice was as calm as waves, who was by her side when she woke up yesterday. The policewoman's face was as beautiful and gentle as her voice. Camellia looked at the policewoman. There's something about her that resembles Camellia's mother. It could be noble curled blonde hair. It could be light brown eyes, as deep as the ocean. It could be that the corner of her mouth is curved every time she smiles. Camellia doesn't know which point either. But she clearly remembered, her mother never ever had this temperament. Or maybe yes, but she's never been seen. In the years she lived with her mother, Camellia only saw her mother scowl, grumble, and yell.

"Camellia."

Camellia, who was lost in thought, was startled when she heard the policeman call her name because it'd been a long time since anyone called her by that name. Her current name at the orphanage before the fire consumed everything was Meghan. Before Meghan, her name was Madeline. Before Madeline, her name was Cathy or Kate or something. Before Cathy, she had forgotten what her name was. It's just that after that devastating earthquake that year, she's never been called by her own name, Camellia.

"You're Camellia, right?" The policewoman, whose voice was as calm as the waves of the sea, asked Camellia when she saw her staring blankly without saying a word.

"Yes. I'm Camellia." Said Camellia.

“Camellia, you know what. A few days ago there was a huge fire…” The policewoman sat down next to her, gently stroking her burnt hair.

Camellia knew what she was going to say. Perhaps the police all over the country have always been trained with the same books, so what the police aunts and uncles have told her since the first disaster until now is still the same. Still be very very careful in each word, hope the lucky person miraculously survives the disaster, that was her, not shocked to know that except for her, everyone, everything else belonging to the orphanage has all turned to ashes.

“Right at Homie orphanage, right?” Camellia casually asked the policeman, making not only her but also everyone else in the room surprised.

“You…” said the policewoman. Although her voice was as smooth as the waves of the sea, it could not hide the confusion inside.

“Before being taken to the hospital, I did regain consciousness.” Camellia said. Remembering the tragic scene of ruin, she couldn't help but be moved. Tears welled up from the corner of her eyes. "I've seen it..."

The policewoman said nothing, but hugged Camellia for a long time. Aunt Susan stood quietly beside her, occasionally raising her hand to wipe her eyes.

"You really are the strongest girl I've ever seen." The policeman was silent for a long time, then finally spoke up.

Camellia did not answer, but merely smiled faintly.

She's not that strong. She used to be afraid, used to panic, used to wake up in the middle of the night and cry countless times, used to need a psychiatrist for months.

Up to now, she has calmly accepted everything because she is used to it. There is sadness, there is also fear. But it's all like a passing wind.

Through a conversation with two police aunts and uncles, Camellia once again listened and thought back to the scene that night. Everywhere is fire and smoke. Not a single cry. After she said goodbye to the children in her room and lay down on her bed, what happened after, she vaguely did not know. The police probably also wanted to know what happened, so he gave her some hints every now and then.

"Camellia, you've been at Homie's for just over a week, haven't you?" The policeman calmly asked. "Why did you go to the water tank that night?"

Camellia stared blankly at the policeman without speaking. She was actually trying to read the contents of the report page he was holding in his hand. Ah, here it is. Here are some clues.

Name: Camellia Dawn.

Age: Six years old.

Brought to Homie on the eighteenth of June.

Residence before arrival Homie: Unknown.

Below are a few other lines of information, but Camellia does not read anymore. Whatever she needs, she can already read.

Camellia. So surprised when she was accidentally called by her real name this time. She felt that there was a little joy quietly ignited in her heart.

Could it be that waking up on a sunny day is actually a good omen? Could it be that things are getting better like aunt Susan said?

"I have just come here, I was not used to it, so I often could not sleep at night." Camellia spoke slowly while the policeman quickly jotted down information. “The water tank is the coolest place, so I often went down there to play.”

“That night… I saw a big fire! There is smoke, suffocation. But I didn't know why I was in the water tank either..."

Camellia slowly told the story of the terrible night of fire that she had come up with. Now, no one can verify whether what she said is true or not.

After taking note of Camellia's story, the policeman got up, talked to aunt Susan, and prepared to leave. The policewoman, whose voice was as calm as the waves of the sea, patted her for a while and then left.

"I don't want to be in the news." Before the two policemen left the room, Camellia spoke to them.

She doesn't want to appear in any media. So far, she's always told the police this. Because she is always afraid that someone might recognize her. At that time, her life would not be easy anymore.

The two policemen smiled in agreement and left without question. Perhaps they find it's very normal when she does not want to appear in public, or maybe it is because they see Camellia as an unusual six-year-old, so any request of hers accidentally becomes normal.

Camellia recovered very quickly, much faster than the doctors had predicted. Basically because she didn't have any wounds on her body. At first she fainted from smoke inhalation, then she mostly fell asleep from being sedated. Perhaps at that time people were afraid that she would wake up too early and would be agitated, so they let her sleep a little more. Camellia guessed so. She also thought, if people knew that she didn't want to wake up, but wanted to disappear with the orphanage, if people knew she wouldn't be agitated at all, would they let her sleep many days like that?

A few days later, aunt Susan happily informed her that she could be discharged the next day. Because she was only taken to Homie Orphanage before the disaster, after she was released from the hospital, she will be taken to a new place, Hope Orphanage, where aunt Susan works.

“Hope Orphanage is eight hundred kilometers from here. It suits your wish not to be known, daughter.” Aunt Susan said.

Camellia glared at her. For a few seconds, she wondered if this aunt Susan could ever be the witch Shasara incarnated to tease her? In peace, why should a woman who works at an orphanage eight hundred kilometers away appear beside her immediately after the disaster? How can she take care of her for a few days and then arrange for her to go to the right place where she is working?

"Why?" Camellia asked without beginning or ending. When she asked, she herself didn't know what she wanted to ask "why".

"A few days ago when I saw that you said you didn't want to be in the newspaper, I already made arrangements."

Aunt Susan, however, understood that Camellia asked why she knew she didn't want to appear in public but arranged for her to come so far away.

Camellia didn't say anything but just looked at her.

“Actually, it's good not to appear in the media. After this, no one will look at you and talk about the things that happened in the past." Aunt Susan said kindly. “I found that very good. I don't think a girl at your age could say this."

Camellia bowed her head and smiled very lightly. It's true that a six-year-old girl often can't say this right after a disaster. She could speak calmly, simply because she was not a six-year-old girl.

"Why are you here right after the disaster when Hope Orphanage is so far away?" Camellia asked. Her suspicion and vigilance had not diminished one bit.

“Ah, a few days ago I came here to do some procedures for children to be adopted by families in this area. I heard about this as soon as I finished work, so I came here with you." Aunt Susan smiled kindly.

Oh, families in this area have to go to a place which is nearly a thousand kilometers from here to adopt a child when there is an orphanage right here? Camellia thought for a moment and then stopped thinking about it. Even if Susan was the real Shasara, she had nothing to fear. She's been teased too much. The worst, it's only this time, Shasara came herself to t*****e her.

“Is Hope Orphanage crowded?” Camellia asked.

"It's not too crowded. It's much less than where you were brought to." Aunt Susan said. “But the conditions there aren't bad either. I think you'll like it."

Not bad is enough for her. But even if it's bad, it doesn't matter. Camellia just needs a place where she can peacefully live a new life, even though each of her new lives lasts only two or three years. This time, she was even accidentally called by her real name.

Hope. New hope for a new Camellia.

She does not know how long this new Camellia's life will last, but it's definitely the life she's most looking forward to experiencing ever. The life in which she is called by her own name.