Sin of Lust

CHAPTER 34

“Ranking so they would know where the children are going to go, this is pure evil.”

Blanche looked at her when she realized how easy for her to talk about that, when she looked at her eyes, she could only see how dead her eyes are. “If that’s the case then, we have to make them sure that every one of them have the passing grade.”

“That’s not applicable, even if they are all in first place there’s no doubt that no one will be shipped out. There’s no guarantee being in the first place will lead you to safety.” Mary Jane replied, clenching her fists on her sides.

“You’re right,” Blanche muttered in a low tone.

The older sister shook her head and recompose herself, “But as of now, we should take it easy and let them warm around you or else they will see you as a freak.” Mary Jane joked and Blanche laugh at her.

Blanche did what was told to her, she befriended the children in the orphanage, making them feel that they can trust her while she observes their behaviors and their little quirks. As she further observes, she realized that the three eleven years old children are worth the praise, the exams they were taken are all perfect scores.

It has been six months and the next shipment will occur in any day. Both adults are getting agitated, especially Blanche, she can’t help but feel the tremendous fear rush over her body since this is the first time this will happen under her supervision.

“Lino, Mildred, and Stephen! Congratulations, another perfect scores!” Blanche chimed as she read the scores that’s written on the papers of the three said children. “And the rest of you are getting good grades! You’re all improving.” She complemented them, however as she scans their papers with a smile, she can’t help but feel scared for the children, “What should I do… most of them are getting behind the passing grade, if this continue—”

“Let’s play now already this test won’t decide our future so why bother taking them in the first place.” Dean, one of the ten years old growled, clearly disappointed from the fact that he’s not one of the top scorers so he just rants.

“Wow! Dean, you only have a single wrong, that’s just one step away from being a perfect scorer!” Blanche cheered him up, to which the kid only let out a boastful smirk, “This kid is too arrogant, I hope that doesn’t get in his way. Even though how sharp your mind is, sometimes your attitude will trip it all down.”

“I never thought that you have it in you, Dean~” Lino cooed with a proud smirk plastered on his face.

“What did you say, Lino?” Dean stood up from his seat and pointed his finger towards him, “Let’s play game of chess and let’s see who’s smarter. I’m sure I’m one of the top scorers, my mistake was just the clarity of my handwriting!”

“Oh at least I can see he’s honest.” Blanche scanned his paper again and she can tell that his handwriting is beyond the word grotesque.

“Okay, okay if you say so. Just one game, okay? I’m too busy.”

“Busy sleeping under the tree.”

A final tap on the board finished the game, “Checkmate.” Lino mumbled with a devious smirk. And Dean could only rub his head aggressively when he once again got beaten on a game.

“Well, what can I do? You’re Lino.” He finally sighed and gave him a warm smile, a sign of sportsmanship.

“It has nothing to with you or me, this is just a battle of strategy.” Lino shrugs his shoulder and made his way the favorite tree as others began to play.

“Dean has a temper and most of the time boastful, that his flaw. Lino on the other hand is undeniably smart, I have never seen him getting beaten by others with game of chess. However, I can tell that he’s too hasty on making decision and too hasty to abandon them. Blanche internalized before proceeding to his side to go and have a little talk.

“Hello, Lino.” She sat down beside him, to which the kid responded by setting aside a book.

“Hello, sister.” He shortly replied not even bothering to look away from his book.

“How have you been?”

“Not that there’s something new.” He looks up to see clouds fleeting away.

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” she let out a sigh of nervous smile, “Am I too dumb?”

“Hey, sister. You came from outside, right?” he suddenly ask.

“Outside? Is he referring to outside the orphanage?” Blanche asked, “Yes, I am. Why? Haven’t you gone outside?”

“Nope, not once.”

“What? Why is that?” Blanche asked, “why is these children not allowed to go outside? If they haven’t gone outside not even once, then they haven’t seen the city?”

Her inner question is answered, “Nunna said we should not get near the gates because there are bad people waiting there and she’s just trying to protect us. That’s why we never go near it.” He replied.

“I see, your Nunna is over protective of you that is because she loves you.” She bestowed him a gentle smile.

“Overprotective?”

“That’s right, she’s not allowing you to go near a place where you can be hurt.” She poked his nose. “She doesn’t want you to go where she can’t reach you.”

“But when our siblings are being adopted, they will go there.” Lino stated. “So, does it mean that the people who are waiting at the gates are the bad ones?”

His statement made Blanche’s eyes go wide, “Does he know? Does he know something?”

“What do you think that means, sister?” Lino asked with seriousness in his tone. Blanche remains quiet when he asked that question because she don’t have any retort to that. “What does it look like to where you came from?”

“Their ability to think is something else…” Blanche internally grin, “we could use it.”

“Sister? What are you grinning about?”

“Ah, nothing…” she waved her hand, “you see, outside that gate; the place outside here is beautiful but this place is much beautiful, the skies are clear, no hint of pollution. The grass is green as well where you can lay all day.”

“But that doesn’t answer my question.”

She looked up to see the same skies she’s been seeing her whole life, “There are a lot of people, some are good some are bad. And both of them are coexisting together, but there’s a magic about being good and being bad, you see there are times where a bad person to you is a good person to others.”

“Which one are you?” Lino looked at her dead in the eye, she knew at that moment, Lino knows something but she can’t just tell him everything so now, the only thing she can do for them is to support them from behind.

“I’m not good because I sin. But I am not bad just because I sin.” She spoke. “But remember this, I’m always on your side.”

“Will you help us if we need you?”

“Yes.”

“Even if it means breaking the law?”

“The law, no. But if it’s for the better, I will fight with you.” She smiled, “by the way, what do you want to do when you got the chance to go outside?”

“I don’t want to go outside, because I know this means that I will never get to see my siblings again. I just want to stay here and watch them play all day and when the night comes, I want to be with them when they got nightmares.” He replied. “But… a true magic would be nice to see.”

Blanche smiled at him, even though he’s quite aloof outside, he’s just as curious as the other kids. “Do you have any magic in you?” she asked.

“Nothing, most of the kids here are weeds. But there are times where some of immediately adopted when Nunna knew they have powers. I don’t think that would be nice or not.”

“I see.”

“Do you have magic, sister?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t have any.” And they both laugh at each other.

“Hey! Hey! What about me?” she heard.

“What the hell? Whenever I am talking with others you are there to butt in, but when I am alone, I can’t even hear your breathing!” she growled in her head.

Both of them learn a lot from their short conversation, Blanche confirms that Lino definitely knew something was up, although she doesn’t know to what extent. And Lino thought that she’s trustworthy, and he can use her.

“Thank you, for the short talk, sister. I know I’m being rude but I would like to get this book done by afternoon.” He smiled and proceeded to read.

“Okay, bye for now!” Blanche beads her goodbye and proceeded to go and join the play a little.

The kids are now playing a game of tag and as usual Dean challenge Stephen to be the it while all of them are going to hide. “Why does he want to challenge those three when he knew he’s not going to win either way.” She sighed in her mind.

“Can I join too? I can be it with Stephen.” Blanche approached them, to which the children became glad that she joins them.

“Sure, sister!”

Stephen and Blanche turn their backs while the children run to different direction, “This is the first time you join us since you came here.”

“Ah, yes. This is the first time; I haven’t used to being around here so… yeah.”

“I see, some of us are hard trying to cope up with the new environment. And that’s not a problem.” Lino chuckled lowly.

They have a short chitchat while they are waiting for the children to completely hide. After exact five minutes Stephen spoke, “Shall we go, sister? It’s already five minutes.”

“Is it already five minutes? I didn’t know. Wow, is he counting in his head while we’re talking?”

“Is Lino not going to join us?” she asked.

“He’s fonder of reading,” Stephen calmly told her. “Now, we off.” She only responds with a bright smile and a hum of approval.

While they are on the run, Blanche suggested that they should go apart so they will be able to catch most of them at such short period of time, but what Stephen replied slightly made her grin in her head. “That would pose a greater chance of them getting away. I already know where they are hiding, but if you disturb them from their hiding spot and not able to get them as quick as possible, they will only get away. So, I suggest that you will go with me and I will get tell where they are, and you will be there to catch them.” He smiled at her, “I’m sure, you’re faster than me when running.”

They agreed to work together, Blanche can tell that Stephen really got the brains when he told her that he knows where to get them because every time he told her the exact coordinates, she found someone hiding there. The first ones they caught are most of the six years old, because they can’t run that fast.

“Just fifty meters from here North-northeast, you will find Dean.” He spoke, Blanche immediately jumps through the bushes and went to the direction to where he told her she can find Dean, however before she could even reach the destination, she can already hear his loud voice, saying how he will beat Stephen at this point. But she interrupted him with heavy tap on his shoulder that made him jumps up away from her.

“You shouldn’t let your guard down, Dean.” Blanche smiled at him. “You’re bright, but you shouldn’t get your head far from your body because that will make you trip.” She gave him a piece of advice that he will surely use in the near future.

Dean has already returned to the rest of the children they manage to tag when Stephen finally caught up to her, “Wow, you surely are fast.” He heaves out a breath. “I never thought that we will be able to catch most of them a lot faster than I expected.”

Blanche only laughs from the way he speaks, like an old man. “I will take that as a compliment, are you alright? You seemed out of breath.” She scanned his figure as she leaned down, “This is kid’s body is not a strong as the others.” She internally analyzed his physique.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little out of breath.” He chuckled back.

“Well, then let’s just take a little time to rest before we proceed to find the others.” Blanche took a seat beside him as he still heaves. “How can you find them that easy?” she proceeded to ask.

“Well, it’s not that hard to think. Just a simple analyzation will be enough. First the children will not go that far because aside from their lack of strength to ran fast and long they actually prone to boredom and eventually they will be the ones who will look for me instead. Quite easy, eh?”

“That I can get. But what about the middle ones? They will surely not the little kids, right? They have the endurance and they have the literal ability to think.”

“Hmm, yeah, they’re quite fascinating, I must say. You see that’s when the observe attitude of them will come in handy. Like for example, just like Dean, he’s usually temperamental and in the end, he will blow his own cover up. And the others, like Kim, you found her on top of the tree it’s because she hates dark places that’s why even though caves are best hideouts, she still chooses to climb up a tree. Habits plays a vital role in surviving anything.” He sends her a simple smirk. “Now, it’s time for me to ask you.”

“Who are you, sister?” he asked out of nowhere.

“What do you mean? I am your sister Blanche.” She gave her a curious look.

“No, what I mean is who are you before you were here? And please don’t lie.”

“What do you--?”

“I can tell you’re expert in hunting.”

“Huh? what do you mean?”

“Simple directions such as the cardinal, ordinal, and the intermediate directions are easy to understand, but complex directions and altitude that I have given you earlier looks like a piece of cake to you. That can only be achieve through formal education because education from outside school is as powerful as inside, however there’s some are formal in it.” He stated nonchalantly. “Who are you before you became a sister?”

“Stephen, his mind is far more superior than the rest of them. He’s domain is in the games of mind, and not on field. And I can tell that if I made one single wrong word out, he’ll probably know the story behind all of it.”

“You’re right, I was a hiker before I became a sister.” She effectively lied, “I’m surprise you caught that simple information.”

“No, it’s Lino’s idea actually.” He gave her a curt smile, “He said that there’s something in you that seems off from the past six months.”

“What did you notice about me?”

“That’s actually a secret, but I will give you a hint. After a couple of weeks, he said you’re always looking around, you keep on looking and looking, so much looking that it seems that you’re literally watching us and every corner of the house. I can tell that anyone will have the same reaction if they are in a place they didn’t know. But now that he mentioned about that I can tell he’s right.” He spoke with dead seriousness. “And even I, can tell that we- three- got your attention.”

“Sh*t, was I really that obvious? I don’t know if I should be proud of them now that I can tell how intelligent they are or, that I should be worried? Lino even got that behavior of me in just a couple of weeks.” she asked herself as she looked at his eyes, “No, this is something that we should celebrate; this is a huge asset to us.”

“Wow, you really are amazing, aren’t you?” she complimented him.

To which the kid only replies with an embarrassed smile, “He’s a better tactician than me. He can predict the future by some observations and calculations. While me, I have to ‘get in the game’ before I can learn something. Yeah, he knew what pawn should be move, what will be the next move, where to move, and what’s the best plan before moving. He’s really intelligent.” He simply told her before standing up and dusting his behind and began to stretch up.

“Yeah, from our conversation earlier, I can tell that he got the brains going.” She let a little chortle, “but you too are amazing. Just look at it, you know all your sibling’s behavior and mine as well, so in simple terms you are observant and a critical thinker because you know what will they do base on their behaviors.”

“Y-Yeah, just a little bit though,” he bestowed her a sheepish smile. “I will tell you another story before we go on, do you know why Lino isn’t usually joining us in our simple games?”

“It’s because he’s too engrossed of his book?”

“That’s just the second reason, it’s actually because he didn’t have to find them, from the fact that he knew where to exactly find them and that does give him a reason to join because there’s no thrill in finding them. However, Mildred and I still want the rest of the kids to enjoy the game.” He let out a small chortle.

“You’re so reliable.” She gave him a warm smile before standing up as well.

Stephen started to run and yelled, “Let’s go, there’s still one left behind.”

“Wait, one?” Blanche stands up with him and follow closely.

“Yeah, we haven’t found Mildred yet.” He spoke with tenacity in his voice. “Oh, I must warn you, Mildred is the most physically active from the rest of us. She’s actually the strongest, she even beat Dean from an arm wrestling. And she has some sort of animalistic instincts, so we have to be aware on how we can catch her.”

“Oh~”

“He’s an observer just like Lino, if this continues. They will find out what’s the secret behind this all of these in just a matter of time.”

They went to find Mildred; it took them a while before Stephen finally gave her the direction. And from all the tour around the forest, she can tell that orphanage right now have an extension that was never here before. Blanche found Mildred not hiding, but actually following closely behind her, an attempt that any animal would do when they are following the pray. If you’re trying to hide from someone, it’s not hiding that’s effective, it’s staying on the back of your predator.

Blanche subconsciously whistles when she saw the kid following closely behind her, she turns around to get her but Mildred has insane agility that she managed to get out of her reach and run the opposite direction. The sister pursues her, their distance isn’t that far from each other however, even though she’s just a couple of inches away from her, she still can’t touch her.

“She’s using the terrain to her advantage.”

It took them a couple of minutes for Blanche to get closer to her, but the only thing that made her touch the children is when it stops when she saw a butterfly get caught from the web. Blanche already tags her however; she didn’t move an inch and just keeps on looking on the both insects.

“Hey, Mildred.” She whispered. “Is there something wrong? Do you want to help the butterfly?” she asked as they can see the spider slowly creeping towards the struggling butterfly.

“If I help the insect, the spider will get hungry.” She told her with an innocent tone. This taken Blanche by surprise, she didn’t even realize that the first thing she saw the insects. “If it’s you, sister. What would you do? Who would you save?”

“I will definitely save the butterfly. Because just look at that, it looks pitiful.” She told her.

“What makes you think that butterfly is pitiful? The spider is pitiful too, he’s going to starve to death.” She looked up only to reveal her eyes filled with innocence and curiosity.

“W-Well, the butterfly looks so soft and fragile that’s why I think she’s more pitiful than the spider.” She told her while rubbing the back of her head.

“I see, so whenever you go, looks really matters.”

“Hey!” Stephen finally caught up with them. “Come on, give me a break. You guys are too fast.” He stumbled on his feet and landed on the ground face first.

“Are you alright, Stephen?” Mildred runs towards him and immediately assisted him to stand up.

“Tag you’re it!” Stephen hastily tags her, to which the girl only pouted and whine childishly, “You’re too soft Mildred, you should know where side you will be on.”

“Hmp!” Mildred only pouted, “Let’s go sister, I’m sure the others are waiting.”

“Wait? How do you know you’re the last one?” Blanche asked her before she could run off.

“I heard most of them whining.” Mildred chuckled before pulling both Blanche and exhausted Stephen back to the rest of them.

The awaited adoption is now happening right in front of all the children to see, most of them are crying now that they realized there’s no turning back now. Blanche wanted to take that kid and run away, but; she knew she can’t do that. That’s why, she kneeled in front of her and hug her tight, and this made Istella let out a joke as she wraps her tiny arms around her, “Sister Blanche, your hug is so tight as if you don’t want me to go.”

Even though Mary Jane and Blanche have the same stoic smile plastered on their faces, their eyes are filled with dread, and hearing the little girl said that brought much pain than intended, “Of course…” Blanche mumbled, “Of course, I don’t want that. As long as you’re happy, I will be too. But I will miss you so much, all of us.”

“Don’t worry about it, sister. I will write you lots of lots of letters! But before that I will learn first, so wait for me, okay?” her cheeks immediately heated up, “you know I’m slow at learning things.”

“Of course, dear. We will be right here, waiting for you.” Mary Jane gently piddles the sides of her tiny shoulders.

“Are you sure, Nunna?” Istella asked with her voice so gently, “even though it will take a while? You’ll wait for me?”

“Take all the time you needed to learn the whole world, we’re just here. We’re not going away.” She hugged her so tight, the children couldn’t handle the sadness from the thought that one of them will go away and there’s no possibility that they will be contact them from the outside world, thus, with one last group hug, they envelop each other. “It’s time for us to go, Istella.” Mary Jane smiled at her. She escorted her to the gates where the car is already waiting for her. While they’re on their way, Blanche can’t help but shed a lone tear.

“Nunna… I want to be like sister Blanche.”

“Why is that, darling?”

“It’s because she’s kind to everyone even though we’re not siblings. I want to be like her.”

“You will be.”

“Hey, Nunna… can you… hum me your favorite song for the last time?” Istella asked in a hopeful smile, a simple gesture Mary Jane can’t say no to.