The Girl With The Crimson Eyes

Remnya

The wail of sirens invaded the evening, along with the murmur of adults and the cry of children. The hallway resounded with the steps of those who rushed outside to witness the scene. Remnya remained hidden in the darkness, contemplating the consequences of her actions. The crack of Butter's skull still echoed in her head and sent shivers down her spine.

If the adults learned the truth about her nasty ability, her dream of having a family would crumble like a sandcastle.

Remnya clenched her fists and leaned against the cracked bathroom tiles, burying her head between her knees. Her eyes burned, but no tears escaped; she had promised never to cry again.

"Rem?" a soothing voice whispered from the doorway.

"Zeo?" Remnya answered, springing from the floor.

Zeo rushed into the bathroom and turned on the light. His eyes had swollen up, and blood had dried on his lips. "Are you okay?" he murmured, scanning the damage the fire had done to her clothes.

Remnya scowled and nodded, covering her exposed belly.

Zeo lowered his gaze and bit his lower lip. "It wasn't your fault, Rem. I am the dumb coward who caused all this." A tear trailed down his cheek.

"It's not your fault!" she shouted, narrowing her eyes. "If those jerks had never hurt you, this would've never happened!"

"But—"

"I don't wanna hear no more!" She glared at him and bared her teeth. Zeo flinched and nodded. Remnya stepped toward the doorway, clicked the light off, and hesitated before peeking outside. “Where's the old hag? If she finds out about this…”

"Don't worry, Rem. She's busy giving explanations to the police right now."

Remnya swallowed and stared vacantly at the dirty, wet floor, wishing Butter would recover soon. As much as she disliked those boys, she never wanted to hurt them.

Zeo placed his hand on her shoulder. "Know that no one mentioned you out there, not even Santi. When they arrived at the scene, Liam was the only one to blame."

"That jerk." Remnya let out a sigh, wondering why everyone hated them so much. Zeo was a good boy, so she assumed she was the issue. If anyone deserved to be adopted, that was him, not her.

"Oh, right!" Zeo exclaimed, interrupting her gloomy train of thoughts, and ran to retrieve a bag he had left by the door. "I brought you clean clothes. I took them from the laundry."

Remnya inspected the bag and then looked at Zeo's tender smile. "Thanks." She pushed the self-hatred into a corner of her soul and rushed to change before the caregivers noticed their absence.

They hid the burnt clothes in a trash can and headed back to the dorms. Crossing the main hall, Remnya observed the ambulance’s green flash reflecting off the cracked walls. Her face turned pale like a ghost, but she hid it under a scowl.

As they passed before the infirmary, Remnya grabbed Zeo's hand, stopping him. "What are you doing, Rem?" he asked, widening his eyes.

"You're hurt." She dragged him inside.

"But I am fine!" Zeo struggled to follow her but didn't try to resist.

If she didn't take care of him, no one else would, she knew. However, Zeo was more resilient than he looked; no matter how much they hurt him, his body recovered in no time.

They waited for the nurse in a cold room where only a stained fluorescent lamp illuminated their faces. The humidity had cracked the walls; they crumbled to the touch like dry biscuits. A fat rat emerged from a hole in the floor and stared at them with deep red pupils. Remnya tried to touch it, but it ran away as loud footsteps came from the doorway.

"You again?" Ellyn, the nurse, said, looking at Zeo’s wounds. She was a scrawny woman with pale beige hair and insipid gray eyes. Ellyn looked younger than her thirties and always kept a bored expression as if she only lived because the air was free.

Zeo lowered his head and looked at Remnya, who stepped forward. “Liam and his stupid friends again!” She raised her voice.

The nurse rolled her eyes. “What did he do this time?”

Remnya swallowed hard. “He… he was picking on Zeo like always. Butter tried to make him stop and then… then they just started fighting!” She waved her hands around as she spoke. “Zeo didn’t even do anything! He ran away!”

Ellyn raised one eyebrow and scratched her head, processing Remnya's story in silence. But in the end, she only shrugged. "Whatever. I want to go home early tonight." The nurse opened the infirmary door and then turned to Remnya. "You'd better go back to your room before Orena returns. Behave properly, and I won't tell her about this."

Remnya froze. "About what?" she murmured as her heart raced in her chest.

"Go," Ellyn said firmly, narrowing her eyes at her.

Remnya swallowed and exchanged glances with Zeo, who looked as perplexed as she. Remnya bobbed her head and headed back to her room, wondering if Ellyn knew the truth about her cursed skill. Why would she keep the secret, though? Since when did she care about her?

Dusk had fallen when she arrived at the courtyard separating boys' and girls' dorms. Remnya lifted her eyes to the sky and witnessed a dim orange glow that faded across thick clouds. Droplets landed on her cheeks, reminding her why she hated cloudy days.

Remnya strode into the last dark corridor that led to her room, which she shared with nine other girls.

Everyone had to be in their rooms by eight, except for those who worked, such as Zeo. The pay was having a plate of food at night. Remnya was used to her stomach growling, but Zeo had begun bringing her food whenever he could sneak an extra meal into his satchel.

Standing by the door of her room, Remnya spotted her little friend, Amy—a nine-year-old girl with lilac hair and huge green eyes.

"Sister!" Amy shouted, running toward her.

"Amy!" Remnya knelt to allow her into her arms. The little girl grasped her as Remnya squeezed her malnourished body.

"Are you okay, sis? Did you kick Liam's butt?" Amy asked, her eyes flickering with the innocence of a child. Remnya realized her friend had no idea about the unfolding events outside.

"Yes, I did." Remnya forced a smile and pinched her cheek. "You got nothing else to worry about."

"I'm glad!" She jumped with joy and threw a playful punch at her arm.

"What are you doing here alone, though?" Remnya raised one eyebrow and eyed her surroundings for anything suspicious.

"I wanted to show you something, but don't want the others to see." Amy pointed at her head. "Look, look!"

"What did you do now?" Remnya laughed, ruffling her hair tenderly until her fingers felt a bump on her head. She gasped and widened her eyes, realizing what Amy meant. "They've grown," she murmured.

Amy pouted and nodded, touching the bumps on her head.

"Don't tell anyone about them, okay? I'm sure they won't grow anymore," Remnya said, beaming at her, but a faint worry hastened her heart. It wasn't right. Amy didn't deserve to go through the same hell as her.

"What if they grow like yours, sis?"

"They won't." Remnya's voice was categorical; she wanted to convince herself, too. Trying to bury the fear growing in her chest, Remnya stood up and took Amy's hand. "Let's go. It's getting late, and you need to rest. Plus, I got a new bedtime story for you!" Amy nodded, allowing Remnya to lead her back inside.

The atmosphere of the room was heavy and gloomy as usual. Like every night, Remnya checked her bed for new pranks from her roommates; they usually spilled water on her mattress or destroyed her things. However, Remnya was relieved to know she didn't have to fight again that night.

As promised, she read Amy a bedtime story: the tale of a dog and a cat who loved each other, but as usual, she changed the ending for a happier one.

When Amy had fallen asleep, Remnya dropped onto her own mattress. She curled up under the thin blanket and allowed herself to sink into the warm embrace of a dream, one that whispered promises of a better place.

* * *

In the morning, a sleepy Remnya headed to the orphanage director’s office. The older kids had to clean the rooms and corridors every day. Otherwise, they couldn't play outside, but everyone avoided cleaning the lair guarded by the old hag, Orena.

Even though they had assigned her the worst task, Remnya was relieved they didn't know about her participation in Butter's incident.

A gray mist lingered in the office, along with the reek of tobacco. Remnya's lungs burned as she mopped the floor and gasped for oxygen.

A dying cigarette quivered between Orena's thin lips as she stalked the kids playing in the front yard. Her plump cheeks were red as a tomato, and sweat slid through her wrinkles. The ruckus was reaching her window, so she barked out at someone to silence the brats.

The door burst open, and a caregiver broke into the office, her face pale like a ghost. "Mrs. Orena!" she called, covering her nose with her sweater.

"What do you want?" Orena rasped, blowing a mouthful of smoke, her red eyes still locked on the kids.

She swallowed and mumbled, "He's here."

Orena threw her cigarette into the front yard and glared at her. "And now you tell me, you twat?" She pushed the caregiver aside and stomped out of the office, the floor shaking under her feet.

As soon as they left, Remnya rushed outside to take a mouthful of cleaner air. Detoxing her body with deep breaths, she leaned on the wall and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She lifted her hair in a ponytail and stared at her wet shirt and pants in frustration, knowing that was her last change of clothes.

The raspy voice of Orena in the distance brought Remnya back to reality. She sounded like a different person now, in the same way as when she emptied a liquor bottle.

She rushed to grab a broom lying on the floor and started sweeping the corridor toward the source of her voice.

Then, she spotted an unfamiliar face.

A well-dressed man stood next to Orena, drawing everyone's attention with his imposing looks. He dressed in a jet-black suit matched by pointy shoes that shone like crystals. His hair, of a dark umber color, was slicked back elegantly.

Remnya shot a glance at the stranger and then pretended not to see him. Orena faked a yellowish smile and talked effusively, but the man ignored her. His sharp obsidian eyes had landed on Remnya. He observed her in silence as if he were witnessing a rare animal in the zoo.

Frustrated by his insistent gaze, Remnya turned to him with a frown and stuck out her tongue.

Orena's face flushed with anger as she yelled at her. However, the man chuckled at her reaction. "I'm so sorry, Mr. Marcus. We'll discipline her right away!" Orena stomped in Remnya's direction, raising her fist, ready to strike her, but the man snatched her wrist, stopping her.

"No need for that," Marcus said firmly. "It seems like our girl here has the right personality." He grinned, observing Remnya's face. "The Lady will be pleased."

Remnya widened her eyes, wondering who he was; no one in the orphanage had the power to stop Orena when it came to beating them, and she had never seen the old lady acting so polite in the presence of a visitor.

The man gestured for Orena to follow, then turned and walked away.

Orena pointed a dark purple claw at Remnya, letting her know the rest of the day would be much worse, and then followed Marcus.

Remnya stuck out her tongue at the hag and resumed her job, wondering why such a classy-looking man had dared to enter that horrible place, but especially why he had shown interest in someone like her.

* * *

The last sunlight faded behind the town buildings, and another exhausting day of work had ended. Remnya leaned on the window ledge and stared vacantly at the sky. Clouds dissipated as the first stars tilted in the blue-orange hue of the horizon. She took a deep breath, allowing the moist air to fill her lungs.

After dumping all her tools in the cleaning room, Remnya went to take a bath.

When the cold water of the shower hit her back, she writhed in pain. Her open wounds felt like a thousand bee stings.

It was almost bedtime when Remnya finished and changed into old but clean clothes Ellyn had lent her: a black t-shirt and sweatpants where she hid her tail.

Leaving the bathroom, Remnya found someone waiting for her next to the door.

It was Liam’s friend, Santi. He leaned on the wall with both hands in his pockets.

She frowned, turned her back to him, and began walking away.

“Wait!” The boy called, his bulging brown eyes boring into her body. Remnya had always thought he looked like a goblin.

“What do you want?” she hissed.

“I didn’t tell anyone about what you did,” he said, grinning with crooked teeth.

“I did nothing!” Remnya glared at him. “You and your friends started it.”

“It was Liam’s idea.”

“Yeah. And you’re friends with that idiot.”

“You gotta admit it was funny.” Santi giggled awkwardly, making Remnya’s blood boil. “But I’m not here to talk about the four-eyes.”

She crossed her arms. “Uh?”

“I won’t tell the old hag about what you did, but I want something from you.” He stepped closer and tried to touch her hair.

“Don’t touch me.” She slapped his hand aside.

“I want you to come to the boys’ bathroom before bedtime.” He smirked. “I got something for you.”

“Go to hell.” Remnya raised one fist, threatening to slam it into his face.

“If you don’t, I will tell the old hag about the fire.”

…

His words felt like a splash of icy water on her back. “What…?” Remnya froze in her spot.

“You heard me.” His smile grew wider.

“That was—”

“Remember to come alone, and don’t tell anyone. I promise you it’ll be fun.” Santi winked and began walking away.

The sound of his footsteps echoed in her mind long after he disappeared down the corridor.

Remnya swallowed, her heart racing in her chest. She clenched her fists and held back the impulse to run after him and kick his face. He had put a leash around her neck that threatened to destroy her last chance at a family.

She stood still for a moment, staring blankly out the window.

The memories of her last birthday still lingered—the older boys locking her in the bathroom, trying to force her to kiss one of them. She had only escaped thanks to Zeo and a piece of broken glass.

Yet if she didn’t go, he would reveal her secret.

Her life would be over.

Silence.

There wasn’t time to pity herself. Remnya lifted her face, gritted her teeth, and took the first step toward the consequences of her decision.