Revenge Taste Like Him

Chapter Two: Six Months In Hell

KYLA'S POV

Ella quickly opened the door before I even got a chance to knock properly. As soon as she saw my face, she pulled me in.

“Kyla, what’s wrong?”

I handed her the letter, my hands shaking and stained with blood.

“Hide this,” I whispered. “Keep it safe. Don’t read it. Don’t tell anyone.”

Fear filled her eyes instantly.

“Kyla… where are your parents?”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak.

Gone.

The word felt like broken glass in my throat.

“I’ll find whoever did this,” I said quietly. “And when I do, they’ll regret it.”

Ella hugged me tightly, and that’s when I couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears streamed down my face as police lights flickered outside her window.

That night, I lost everything.

Three days after burying my parents, the state decided what to do with me.

*******

“This is your room,” Matron Davies said, opening the door without even looking at me. “Four beds. Yours is the one in the corner. Breakfast at seven on the dot. Miss it, and you’ll go hungry.”

She was already walking away before I could even nod. Her steps were short, her back straight, keys jingling on her hip. The corridor smelled terrible, like a dirty bathroom. Trash was scattered around, as if it had claimed the place as its own. The walls were stained, the air was suffocating, and every corner looked disgustingly dirty.

I entered.

Three girls.

One was on the lower bunk, casually filing her nails without glancing up, as if new faces came in every day. Another was lying on the top bunk, reading a book. She briefly looked at me before returning to her reading.

The third girl stood by the window with her arms crossed tightly, chin held high. Her sharp gaze slowly scanned me, cold and assessing, almost like she was deciding if I would survive my first night there.

The silence in the room felt heavy.

Uninviting.

And somehow, that was worse than insults.

That was Priya, the girl standing.

I looked at her for two seconds. Then I walked over to the empty bed in the corner and sat down without saying a word.

I wasn’t there to make friends. I was there because I had nowhere else to go. For now. Just six months. That’s all I needed.

I took it all in during the first thirty seconds.

******

By day two, Priya started testing me. My shoes disappeared first. Then my dinner tray got knocked over during lunch, an accident according to her, while her friends laughed.

I picked up my food from the floor, sat back down, and continued eating.

Every time she pushed, I gave her nothing. No reaction, no argument, no tears. Just my calm ocean eyes meeting hers, showing the strength of someone who has survived things she couldn’t imagine. People who crave a response crumble under silence. I knew that long before Bright Haven.

While Priya acted out, I was focused on something important. I needed to escape this place; I can’t make an orphanage my home. I was learning the layout of the building. Every spare moment, every nighttime trip to the bathroom, I was memorizing. Which windows were easy to open? Which staff left early on Fridays? Where were the blind spots of the cameras? By month two, I knew about three blind spots. A gap in the garden fence by month four.

Six months. Plan carefully. Do it right the first time.

*******

Mr. Henley used to teach math three evenings a week. He had a calm voice and was always smiling, the kind of guy everyone trusted too easily. I started noticing how he looked at me during my second week in his class, but I didn’t pay much attention to it at first. It’s funny how I began to see that he always found excuses to keep certain girls behind after class. Some girls whispered about him in the hostel. The rumors about him turned out to be true; some of the girls he sexually assaulted were known for causing trouble at the orphanage.

No wonder Priya had changed. A few months ago, she used to laugh a lot, but now she was snapping at everyone, getting into fights, and breaking rules just because she could. I used to think she was turning into a terrible person, but now I wasn’t so sure. For months, I kept telling myself that maybe I was just overthinking it.

But everything changed on that Tuesday when I stayed back after class to finish some math problems. As the other students left one by one, I heard the door lock behind me. The sound was subtle, but it made my chest tighten instantly. When I looked up, I saw Mr. Henley standing by the door, wearing his usual calm smile, speaking of the devil. The smile that made him seem harmless and kind. But in that moment, with the classroom empty and the door locked, it felt completely different.

All the rumors, whispers, and stories of girls who refused to speak about his evil deeds flooded my mind. “You’re a very smart girl, Kyla,” he said as he walked closer. “Too mature for your age.” The way he said it sent fear crawling into my stomach. When he started moving toward me, I stood up to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm and pushed me to the floor, causing sharp pain to shoot through my shoulder.

Before I could react, he was on me, trying to silence my cries. I screamed for help in a faint, teary voice, but he was too strong. As he tried to restrain me, he forced a handkerchief into my mouth to keep me quiet. “Pretty little baby girl, I will have to taste your sauce today, no matter what it takes,” he said with a devilish grin as he removed his trousers, leaving only his boxers.

My heart raced, and in a moment of desperation, my hand found an iron rod near the desk. Without thinking, I swung it at him with all my might, not caring if he got hurt. The rod struck him on the head, causing him to groan and collapse instantly. For a moment, I just stared at him in shock, then survival instincts kicked in.

I climbed out of the classroom window and jumped, injuring myself upon landing. Despite the pain, I forced myself to run barefoot into the darkness, crying and not looking back. I ran away from the orphanage, leaving it behind me.

For the second time in my life, I had nowhere to go. The first time was when my parents passed away. Now, I was completely alone.