Chapter 5: the glass cage
1065 Words
Silence followed violence.
Not peace.
Never peace.
The orphanage no longer felt like a place for children.
It felt like a crime scene that refused to breathe.
The walls still stood.
The chairs still scraped.
The children still moved.
But something had changed.
Every time Grace walked into a room, conversations died.
Eyes followed her.
Not with curiosity.
Not with pity.
With fear.
And fear…
Was louder than any scream.
Mrs. Angelina stood in her office, her fingers trembling slightly as she held the phone.
She had cleaned worse messes before.
Handled worse children.
Buried worse secrets.
But this…
This was different.
“She didn’t cry,” she whispered into the receiver.
A pause.
“She just stood there… like nothing happened.”
Her voice dropped lower.
“I can’t keep her here.”
The man on the other end did not respond immediately.
He didn’t need to.
Because he already understood.
“I’ll come,” he said finally.
That evening, a black car arrived.
It didn’t belong to the orphanage.
It didn’t belong to the city.
It belonged to something else entirely.
Grace watched from the window.
She had learned not to ask questions.
Not to expect answers.
The car door opened.
A man stepped out.
David.
He moved with quiet confidence, his presence filling space without effort. His suit was perfect. His posture relaxed.
But his eyes…
His eyes did not match the rest of him.
They were cold.
Not cruel.
Just… empty in a way that suggested he had seen too much—or felt too little.
Mrs. Angelina met him at the door.
“She’s inside,” she said quickly.
David nodded once.
“No police?” he asked.
“No.”
“Good.”
They walked in silence.
The children watched from corners.
Whispering.
Hiding.
Grace remained where she was.
Still.
Waiting.
David stopped in front of her.
For a moment…
He said nothing.
He simply looked.
Not like the others.
Not with fear.
Not with disgust.
With interest.
“So,” he said quietly.
“You’re the one.”
Grace didn’t respond.
She had learned that silence was safer.
David crouched slightly, bringing himself to her level.
“Do you know why I’m here?” he asked.
A pause.
Grace shook her head.
“Because,” he said softly, “you don’t belong here anymore.”
Mrs. Angelina stepped forward quickly.
“She’s dangerous,” she said. “I can’t risk the other children—”
David raised a hand.
She stopped instantly.
“I didn’t come for your opinion,” he said calmly.
The room fell silent.
David stood.
“You’re coming with me,” he said to Grace.
No explanation.
No discussion.
Just a decision.
Grace hesitated.
Then stood.
Because deep down…
She already knew.
There was no place left for her here.
The car ride was silent.
The city grew larger as they descended from the mountain.
Lights.
Smoke.
Movement.
Fragrant City.
Grace pressed her forehead lightly against the window.
Everything looked… alive.
But also…
Suffocating.
“You’ll like it here,” David said.
His voice was calm.
Controlled.
“Why?” Grace asked quietly.
David smiled faintly.
“Because no one sees anything clearly in this city.”
Grace didn’t understand.
But she would.
The mansion stood like a reflection of power.
Glass walls.
Endless space.
Cold perfection.
It didn’t feel like a home.
It felt like something meant to be admired.
Not lived in.
Inside, everything echoed.
Every step.
Every breath.
Every thought.
David walked ahead.
Grace followed.
“This is your room,” he said, opening a door.
It was large.
Clean.
Perfect.
Too perfect.
Grace stepped inside slowly.
“This is… mine?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
“For as long as you behave.”
The words settled heavily.
David walked to a table.
A small box rested there.
He picked it up.
And handed it to her.
“Open it.”
Grace hesitated.
Then did.
Inside…
A face.
Perfect.
Beautiful.
Human.
Grace’s breath caught.
“What is it?” she whispered.
David stepped closer.
“It’s what you need.”
She picked it up slowly.
The silicone felt real.
Warm.
Too real.
“Put it on,” David said.
Grace froze.
“Why?”
David’s expression didn’t change.
“Because the world is not ready to see you.”
Silence.
“Or,” he added softly…
“Maybe you’re not ready to see yourself.”
Grace’s hands trembled slightly.
Then—
She lifted it.
And placed it over her face.
The transformation was immediate.
Perfect.
Flawless.
She turned toward the mirror.
And saw…
Someone else.
A girl.
Normal.
Beautiful.
Accepted.
A tear rolled down her cheek.
But it wasn’t hers.
Behind her, David watched.
His eyes dark.
Satisfied.
“Now,” he said quietly…
“The world can see you.”
A pause.
“The way I want them to.”
Something inside Grace shifted.
But she didn’t understand it yet.
Days passed.
Then weeks.
Then months.
Grace went to school.
Spoke little.
Watched everything.
The mask stayed on.
Always.
Until one day…
A boy grabbed her arm.
“Why do you act like you’re better than everyone?” he sneered.
Grace said nothing.
“Answer me!”
He tightened his grip.
And in that moment…
Something snapped.
She moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A twist.
A c***k.
The boy screamed.
Fell.
His wrist broken.
Silence filled the hallway.
Grace stood still.
Breathing slowly.
And for a second…
The mask didn’t feel like protection.
It felt like a lie.
That evening…
They came.
Stones shattered glass.
Voices shouted.
Footsteps rushed.
The past had followed her.
One of them grabbed her.
“You think you’re special?” he hissed.
His hand reached for her throat.
Grace didn’t fight.
Didn’t struggle.
She simply reached behind her ears.
And peeled.
The mask came off.
The moonlight hit her real face.
And everything stopped.
The boy froze.
His grip loosened.
Fear replaced anger.
They stumbled back.
Screaming.
Running.
Falling over each other.
Because they had come to fight a girl.
And found something else.
Grace stood alone.
The mask hanging in her hand.
And for the first time…
She understood.
She didn’t belong in the orphanage.
She didn’t belong in the city.
She didn’t belong anywhere.
And behind the glass walls…
David watched everything.
Smiling.
Because the cage…
Was working perfectly.
TO BE CONTINUED… 🔥
- Writer
