✨ ᴇɴᴛʀʏ [ꜰᴛ. ᴀ ᴠᴇʀʏ ᴅɪꜱᴛʀᴇꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴀᴅᴇᴘᴛᴜꜱ] ✨ ᴘʟᴇᴀꜱᴇ ᴅᴏɴᴛ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛ Qᴜᴀʟɪᴛʏ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ʜᴇʀᴇ The orphanage was wasting the twins away. Rin barely saw Novis anymore; girls and boys were kept in separate groups. Every morning, all the children woke up at 6 o’clock sharp and dressed before getting ready. In separate managed groups, the boys and girls brushed their hair and teeth, made their beds, and adjoined groups at the prayer hall. After prayers, the boys scrubbed the hallways while the girls ate breakfast. The girls then gardened and suited the hallways when the boys ate their morning meal. Miss Lucine taught the daily lessons before more chores. Girls ate before boys before going to bed. The boys went to bed late every night. Often, though, Rin would cry himself to sleep, missing his twin. The other boys would holler for him to shut up or threaten to smother him with their pillows; one chucked a book at Rin’s head. Rin suspected Novis wasn’t enjoying orphanage life, either; she constantly looked uneasy. Novis kept her distance from all the other girls, doing her chores far away from the others just as Rin would do with the boys. Around the halls, Rin heard gossip; Novis wouldn’t eat much during mealtime, picking at her food. Rin worried constantly about his sister, who wasted away in this hostile environment. Rin constantly felt awful not being able to look after his sister. At dinner, Rin could barely eat, his thoughts too focused on his sister. He settled on picking at his food, moving the baked potato pieces around his plate. It was at that moment when Rin thought of his grandest idea. He shook his head, wondering how he hadn’t thought of that earlier. Escape. Rin and Novis sat on the curb. Rin folded his hands in his lap while Novis rested her head in her hands. The hustle of the crowds paid no mind to these children, as they were far too small to be noticeable. Rin hadn’t spent long on the escape plan, but Novis had. While, late at night, Rin snuck out of the boys’ dormitory, Novis stole a hairpin from Miss Lucine’s room. She, too, had snuck out of her dormitory. The twins had arranged pillows in the shape of themselves, fooling the other children. Novis picked the lock to the front door, which Miss Lucine had padlocked on both the inside and outside of the door; Miss Lucine was the only one who held the key. Rin had wondered where Novis learnt to do such a feat. Rin and Novis ran down the hill to the road and somehow made it to the city after hours of walking. “Rin,” Novis whispered, so soft Rin could barely make out her words. “What do we do now?” She hugged her knees to her chest and yawned. Rin patted his sister’s head, unable to find a proper response to her question. The twins sat on the curb for a long time—as the crowds ebbed and flowed—as the sun began to set. Rin sighed now and then, the evening chill sleeping up on him. Novis shivered as a cold gust of air passed by. Out of the crowd, a figure stepped out, tall and wearing a black suit tailored perfectly to him. The suit’s decoration was in black and white. The figure’s skin was pale, paler than porcelain, and his hair was half-black, half-white. He wore black gloves, cut off at the wrist. He was in black and white, apart from two elements—his yellow eyes and the red streak in his hair. “What are you doing here, at this hour?” the man asked, crouching down to meet Rin and Novis eye-to-eye. The man’s voice was silvery and kind. Rin felt his eyes tear up. This man reminded him of his father, who had the same warm tone. “I-We,” Rin mumbled, staring at his shoes, unable to say anything. “Where are your parents,” the man questioned, his voice softening even more. “They’re dead.” It was Novis who said this. The man turned his focus to Novis, head tilting to one side. Novis does this too, Rin thought to himself. “Why don’t you come with me,” the man suggested. “It’s getting dark. And cold.” He offered out his hands for both twins. Rin thought for a moment before accepting the man’s hand. The man stood up, and the twins followed him, holding both his hands. “What do we call you?” Novis asked, her voice wispy and hesitant. The man smiled, his smile slight, yet it was kind. “Carmichael.”
