Tori's Misfits

Chapter Three

Carli ‘s POV

“It's time to go girls,” Carer Jayla states.

We all reply together, “Yes Ma’am” and grab the baskets, going to the boy’s house.

As we walk toward their side, she reminds us, “No talking to the boys, strip and remake all the beds, collect the dirty wash, and put the clothes away. Then sweep, mop, and dust the rooms. No separating stay together.”

“Yes, Carer Jayla,” we responded.

“I will be tending to some business with Mister Toben, 343 you are in charge of the work.”

I quickly nod my head in acceptance and lead the others towards the stairs.

Nearing the top of the staircase, we can hear Jayla laughing and a door shutting. I look at the other two and mouth “are you sure?” They quickly nod their heads, and we return downstairs.

We make sure to go through the kitchen so we can’t be seen from Mister Toben’s room. We dart into the woods behind the house and begin running towards the stream. The fear of being caught drives us to move fast and push ourselves forward.

Reaching the stream, we run straight into the cold water and begin swimming upstream. It is getting harder fast as the water level gets deeper, and it is with relief we find the rope Jace hung from a tree growing out of the side of the bank. We grab the rope and climb up into the tree.

Once we are all sitting on the large branch, Jaccia unties the rope and pulls it up, adding it to our supplies. We will now travel by jumping from tree to tree, keeping our trail harder to follow and scents off the ground. Jace explained this would be critical to our success.

Each step completed makes us feel excitement even if the overwhelming anxiety and fear of the thought of getting caught is at the top of our minds.

“Tori, you need to stop now” Tia states in my head.

“Stop,” I say to the girls. We stop and sit on the limbs of the trees. The girls look at me in confusion and I shrug my shoulders, tapping my head, letting them know I am listening to Tia. Just then, we heard voices talking from the direction we were headed.

“We must be careful from here on out. We do not know who to trust or not to trust," an unknown male voice states.

Tia tells me there are three men and one woman. We listen to their conversation hoping they will move on soon.

“The girls we got this week are younger than the rest, but they listen well” states the woman. “We hope to have their strength up within a few days and be able to send them out. There were three more, but Kim said there would be questions if they went at this time.”

“Best to leave them then for now” states the third man. “Let’s get moving, we don't want to get caught together.” The group splits up and heads off.

“Tia, is it safe to continue?” I link her? After a brief pause, she agrees. I motion to the girls, and we continue. Feeling scared after finding others in the woods, we increase our pace to ensure we reach Jace safely.

Meanwhile, at the orphanage, the girl's disappearance is noticed by the staff. After looking through the whole building and surrounding area, Jayla heads to tell her boss about the missing children.

“What do you mean the girls are missing, Jayla” snarls Kim. “How could they disappear right under your nose?”

“I’m sorry Ma’am, I went with Mister Toben to go over the schedule changes, and they were gone when we returned?” Jayla replies.

“How long?” Kim asks, grabbing something from her desk and swinging it at the woman standing with her head lowered.

“No more than an hour, Ma’am,” Jayla screams as the end of the belt strikes her face. “Please, Ma’am, I did my job, we confirmed they were missing then came straight here.”

“You did your job, Jayla, really” she says, letting the belt fly again and again. “If it was done correctly, we would not be missing the children. I don’t give second chances, but if the children are returned by nightfall, I will allow you to continue here. I don’t think I need to tell you what will happen if they are not recovered.”

“No, ma’am, I will return the children.”

‘I want to know how and if they had help. Now get out of my sight before I forget I am allowing you to fix your error.”

Jayla turns and hurries out of the room with her hands pressed to her cheeks, trying to cover the marks and stop the blood. Once in the main hall, she rings the bell hanging by the door to signal all the carers and children to assemble into the common room. She stands at the door as they come running and when they are all there, she follows them into the room.

The children, seeing her face, quickly form a straight line with hands to their sides and eyes downcast.

Carer Jayla stands in the middle of the room and addresses them, “There are three of you missing, and we want to know where they are. No one is to leave this room until they are found without permission. If anyone knows anything, it is in your best interest to come forward.”

Seeing only widening eyes at the news of the three missing, she begins pacing in front of the line, watching closely for any reaction to her announcement. When a loud knock sounds, several of the children startle in surprise, but quickly still themselves. Jayla turns and heads out of the room, slamming the door behind her. She briskly walks to the front door and opens it to find Mister Toben, who begins his report with no greeting.

“We have finished searching the grounds and surrounding areas and found nothing. We do have one young man and warrior who hasn’t returned from town. They are due after supper, having been sent yesterday to collect the supplies ordered.”

“Assemble the trackers and the trainees and split them into groups. I want search parties going in every direction. When caught, take them to the basement and let me know.” Jayla demands.

“Yes, Miss Jayla.”