Ethereal

Chapter 5: Warnings and False Beliefs

          We reached the end of Main Hall and stopped at the two over-sized French doors that led to the girl's dormitory. Matron Blithe opened the door for me and grabbed my arm as I moved to walk in.

          "No more funny business, do you understand me? Do not leave this room again, or I'll whip you myself." Matron Blithe said. Before I could come up with a snarky response, she pushed me into the dormitory and shut the door behind me.

          The dormitory was merely a long hallway with beds pushed up against the walls. There was one small window at the end of the room, letting in the only source of light. There was one string of florescent light bulbs that littered the ceiling overhead, but if the Head Matron was right, they would never work again.

          Some of the girls stirred when Matron Blithe slammed the door shut, but they didn't wake. I could wake them up one at a time, but it would take too long. I didn't know if Matron Blithe would be stationed outside the door, listening to make sure I went back to bed, or would pounce on me the second she heard noise. Even if she was listening outside the door, there was too much at risk for me to waste any time.

          I needed a fast and sure way to wake all of them up at once, preferably without breaking something.

          "Wake up!" I shouted, my voice booming across the hallway. If Matron Blithe was outside the door, she didn't enter the room. I turned back towards the blurry-eyed girls that were slowly coming back to life around me, their foreheads scrunched together as they blinked the sleep out of their eyes. Time was running out, and there was much I needed to tell them.

          "What are you shouting about, Nor? It's not time to get up yet, go back to bed." said Missy. She was one of the Matrons' favorites because she could clear an acre of wheat by herself in less than an hour during harvest season.

          She was tall as she was wide, with thick arms the size of a baby oak tree. The other girls were a bit frightened of her, and reasonably so. Last season another girl had tried to take part of Missy's food portions while she wasn't looking, and within the blink of an eye Missy had twisted the girl's arm so violently that she had broken it in three places. The Matrons sent the girl away to a hospital, but she never returned.

          "This is important, Missy." I said, trying not to let the sight of her intimidate me. "You all need to wake up and pack a bag. I overheard the Matrons talking, and they said the Salt Lake Providence was taken by a rebel faction, and they think that the same thing is going to happen here. To us."

          Several of the girls were now sitting up, looking over at each other as they gave me questioning looks. I felt my cheeks flush in frustration as silence swept the room. They were debating on whether they should believe me. Sure, I wasn't the most upstanding person in this orphanage, but I was far from a liar.

          "And?" said one girl, finally breaking the silence. A shadow covered her face, making it hard to recognize her, but she looked like Bea. She wasn't particularly fond of me for whatever reason. I never really cared enough to find out. "So what if Salt Lake Providence isn't around anymore? Our Citadel can survive on its own. And even if these 'rebels' are here, what makes you think they're going to come up here? This is an orphanage, not an official government building." The other girls nodded along with Bea, shaking their heads in agreement.

          I sighed. Of course they would side with Bea, but I didn't expect them to react with such calmness about everything I had just told them. Even if what I was saying wasn't true, shouldn't they be just the least bit worried? I straightened my back and squared my shoulders, pinning Bea with a hard look.