ORPHAN aka Violet Haired Girl

chapter two

I REMEMBER WHEN grandfather, grandmum and I would play with the wolves every time school would break. I felt at ease from the stress I encountered at school whenever I inhaled the fresh oxygen of the woods.

Grandfather would put me on a wolf's back and I would ride it with enjoyment. My laughter filling the air as I fell into the leaves or snow.

"Violet! Carson! Tea!" My grandma would shout sometimes from the cottage when she was not outside playing with us.

"Let's see who gets there first!" My grandfather would challenge and I would always accept it without hesitation.

Our laughter bounced off of the trees as we ran home, each time a wolf would run after me and pick me up and carry me back to the front door, making my grandfather shout, "No fair! That's cheating!" from behind me and I would always stick my tongue out and do my silly little victory dance.

I chuckled slightly at the memories of my daydream as they slowly faded, leaving me alone, back into reality. My grandmother looked up from her book, "What is it? Do I look funny reading this book, eh?"

I smiled at her and shook my head, "Just thinking about when grandfather was alive."

Grandmum nodded. "He was a jolly good fellow, was he?"

I gave a slight nod and she went back to reading her book. I looked back at my computer and bit my lip. The silent room holding so many unanswered questions.

My question hitting at my mouth's exit, telling me to let it free, but looking at my grandmum with her eyebrows knitted tightly together and her hands gripping her book as she stared at the page in front of her with an uneasy look in her eyes made the question run right back down my throat.

Instead, I ask, my voice laced with worry, "Grandmum, are you okay?"

She smiled and nodded but I frowned knowing she was gripping unto a lie and wouldn't let it go.

"C'mon it's dark, let's get you to bed." I got up and took her book from her hands which she immediately snatched away. My eyes widened and my mouth opened.

"Oh."

Her face turned bright pink. "I would put this up myself, dear." She hugged the book to her chest and got up from her armchair before walking out of the room, without a goodnight.

Still surprised, I walked slowly to my laptop and turned it off then proceeded to the bathroom to get ready for my slumber. I got into the hot shower to cool the nerves my grandmother acted up and stayed in there for a few minutes with my thoughts.

'Why in the world?' I kept replaying in my mind. 'I was just trying to be civil.'

I got out of the shower, wrapping myself with a clean towel, and headed to the sink. While brushing my teeth, I realised my hair was a darker shade of violet than it was back at college. I frowned at myself, knowing I'll never have normal coloured hair like the other teenagers around me.

The looks of disgusts and the stares of the girls in all of the schools I've ever attended shot back into my mind like a bullet piercing through the skin of the enemy.

When I was fourteen, grandmum carried me to a hair salon well known in the village after years of begging for my hair to be brunette.

The hairdresser surprised to see my hair when grandmum and I walked in asked, "You dyed your hair out of rebellion, huh? Kids." She laughed and looked at grandmum who politely shook her head saying that it was all-natural.

The hairdresser turned red, clearly embarrassed and apologised more than once as she tried dyeing my hair but the dye kept running off my hair with water. We left the hairdresser and I was shamed to see grandmum still had to pay even though my hair was still violet.

Grandmum told me to give up, but I didn't. When I was sixteen, I decided to bleach it, but it won't turn. So I started stacking up on wigs with the little money I had from a weekend job at The Coffee Shack.

Out of excitement, I tried on my first wig right there in the hair store, but my hair burnt it right off. The store assistant was just as surprised as I was and I paid for the burnt wig.

I thought it was just the quality of the wig, and it was merely of an accident, so I went home ready to try on the others.

I tried on wig after wig but I was hopeless as I sat in this same bathroom with tears in my eyes, surrounded by burnt wigs. I told my grandmother and my grandmother bit her lip as if she knew something but she just told me to give up.

So I did.

I roamed around Secondary School for one more year, listening to haunting laughter each day.

I made my way to my room dressed in a white, oversize t-shirt that was once my grandfather's and laid my head into the soft pillow.

My horrid memories from school being drowned by the wolves howling into the night.

The next day I woke up to beeping from my phone, reminding me I had to get ready for online school.

I groaned loudly until I got to the bathroom earning a "Shush, I'm tryna sleep" from my grandmum.

I rolled my eyes and brushed out my hair before doing the necessities I needed to do to get ready for the day telling myself, "At least I'm alive. I get to eat!"

A huge grin began to form on my face as I was finished and I skipped to the kitchen like a little girl, only to be greeted with empty cupboards and an empty fridge. I frowned deeply, and thought 'How was grandmum planning to eat today?'

I groaned louder and my grandmother came in waddling down the hall looking annoyed, "If you don't stop-"

"We're out of food." I said, flinging my arms at the cupboards and the fridge, clearly disappointed.

"Well, I'll have to go to the market." She said, putting on the kettle.

I groaned and she smacked her teeth. Well, the teeth that were left anyways.

"For that," She pointed a stubby finger at me, "I'm sending you to the market." She opened a drawer and handed me money with a list and a face mask, along with gloves.

I groaned louder, which earned me a smack behind the head.

━━━

The market wasn't very full, as people were at home.

A hat covered my hair which shielded me from the sun and let me tell you, it was hot.

I picked up the supplies from the list, along with some extras of my own and made my way back home.

My eyes lingered on the woods behind my home with my feet longing to stand where I was looking. Images of two adults, male and female stood staring at me with a baby in their arms, along with a black wolf and my grandmother? I think it was. I squinted my eyes to see her smile at me and waved her hand.

I was about to call for her but a pack of wolves ran into the direction of the river, and the people faded instantly as my eyes followed the creatures. My mind told me to follow them which I was about to but unfortunately, I heard the front door open.

My head snapped into the direction and I heard my grandmother's voice. "Violet, thank God you're here. This stupid gadget of yours kept ringing and I couldn't find the flicker. I was going to call you but I found you left your phone and.." Her voice trailed off as she looked at me. "My gosh, dear, you look as pale as a ghost. What happened."

I was about to speak, but I closed my mouth. What would happen if I told her anyway? She'd just say "Oh." and tell me to come inside.

I gave up telling her anything months ago, for it seemed I'll never get the answer from her, so I had to find it myself.

I forced a smile and made my way to the front door, "Thanks for telling me, gran. It's just my laptop making that noise. No need to worry." I kissed her cheek.

As I placed the baskets down, I picked up an apple to keep me satisfied knowing I had no time to prepare breakfast.

"I would bring breakfast to you." I heard my grandmother say softly as I made my way to the bedroom.

I nodded to show my appreciation and turned on to my online class. Even with all of these secrets, not going to lie, I had an amazing mums who cared for me.

I connected to the class and my professor looked at me with one eyebrow raised and an amazed smirk playing on his lips, "Nice hat Ms. Harper." He said.

My face immediately turned red and I laughed, "Oops." I said as I took off my hat, flinging it behind me.

He gave a polite smile and continued with his lesson, but I couldn't pay attention for I was thinking about what I saw at the entrance of the woods.

1530 words