Deranged [REWRITTEN]

Chapter Five

May, 2005

The room was full of shrieking laughter and children running after each other, giggling as they yell, "Tag! You're it!"

"You better knock it off with that ruckus or I will slap you all silly!" The elder lady yelled at them as she hobbled into the room with her cane. "Petulant children," She mumbled through gritted teeth.

A boy sat in the corner of the room curled in a ball, biting his nails as he watched the children play together. A tall boy stopped chasing the girls and looked over at the boy in the corner with a mischievous glint in his eye. He turned away and walked up to the lady.

"Mrs. Helen, Harry didn't do his chores," The tall boy whined. Mrs. Helen turned to face the boy in the corner with a disapproving look on her face. She walked her cane over to him in her old-fashioned Mary Jane heels and gave him a stern look.

"Harold, I expect everyone to oblige to my rules of this household as long as they live here. That includes you too," She wagged her finger at him as he averted his eyes away from her and at the children that stopped playing to watch. "Just wait until Mr. Walter hears about this. Oh he will beat you black and blue, boy."

The children watched in fear and silence, afraid to make a sound for they would be beaten too. The young boy wiped a tear away, refusing to speak.

"Such an ill-mannered orphan you are! I will see to it that you get your punishment," She stated before walking out of the room. The rest of the children snickered at the thought of the boy's fate.

"Harriet got in trouble," The tall boy snickered as he walked over to the boy in the corner. The other children laughed as they cornered the small boy. "What's wrong Harriet? Are you sad that you're a freak and no one loves you?"

"Harriet's a freak," Another child chimed in, laughing. They all laughed and started chanting loudly.

"Harriet's a freak! Harriet's a freak! Harriet's a freak!"

The boy covered his ears. "Stop it!" He yelled at them.

"Harriet's a freak!" They laughed.

"My name's not Harriet!" He shouted at them. "Stop!"