A Gift from the Goddess

Book Two – Ch.# 39

This was the riskiest venture I’d done since returning from Ashwood.

Not only was I now leaving the protection of my father’s reach, but I was willingly jumping down a rabbit hole that could potentially bring more problems in its wake. Opening myself up to secrets I might eventually regret uncovering.

But I couldn’t go on like this anymore.

To continue as I was would only lead to destroying myself or others, possibly bringing more harm than I knew how to fix. *If it was even fixable. I could only hope that Zac would recover and stop treating me like… whatever that was.

However, it was clear that there were things at work behind the scenes that weren’t immediately obvious. Things that might come back to bite me whether I liked it or not.

And so I had to start with what information I did have.

… Information that led me to staring at an old iron woven gate, a chilling familiarity about it.

Because it was this very gate that belonged to the place I’d called home for some time.

The orphanage I’d been adopted from.

I took a moment to calm my nerves, contemplating whether this was really a good idea. But the drive here had already taken several hours to arrive, it now being morning already, and it was time that I’d spent mulling over this very dilemma.

And, ultimately, I went through with what I came here to do.

….I entered through the gate.

The orphanage looked to still be in business, several children running around in the distance on a grassy green field. From the path, I could hear their laughter, hear how they were all enjoying themselves. A vastly different experience than what I could remember of my own. time here.

“Can I help you?”

I was greeted inside by an older lady attending the counter. She looked vaguely familiar, assumedly someone who had been here during my residency. I hoped that was a good thing.

Upon walking in, her eyes immediately scrutinised me.

“Hi… yes,” I said, approaching. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I was just looking to get some information. I ah… I used to live here and was hoping that you might have my old records still available. My name is-.”

“Rheyna,” she finished, her face lightening in recognition.

“You remember me?” I asked, a little shocked.

It’d been sixteen years since my adoption.

She had to have seen thousands of children come through these doors since then.

“Yes…,” she said slowly. “It’s not often kids leave such an… impact… as you did.

Your time here was as memorable as your distinctive appearance. It’s hard to forget golden eyes such as yours.”

“Ah…,” was all I could say.

was sure the memorable impact was referring to the incident I’d caused.

smile on her lips. “A successful adoption is all I can really hope for the kids here. To this day, it still breaks my heart whenever

Mr Reid paid a significant donation to our facility upon your adoption. It was clear that the lifestyle and devotion he could provide for you was a head

about what she’d said struck me as odd and, as I took a moment to think about it more, I realised what

above the rest for candidacy.’

was more than one candidate asking

were lucky to have even one person express interest, this seemed very odd to me. Especially considering

I said carefully. “To this day, I continue to work for the family business with

happy to hear

have questions about my past,” I continued. “If possible, I was hoping to look at my records. Perhaps

as she listened to my request, the lines on her

within your rights. Please wait for a moment as

I paced in the lobby as she searched for the records, doing my best to remain as patient as

one who had lifted me out of this place and given me shelter. Given me a life and purpose, someone to nurture the

That I couldn’t change my blood, change who and what I was. Ashwood

by apologising to you first,” said the lady, entering the room once more. “From the very beginning, your time here was filled with difficulties outside your control. I can see you’ve grown into a well-adjusted, beautiful

the place where my name should have been, it looked like someone had gone over it with a black marker to

my eyes

in, her expression

you were treated… different,” she started. “It was something I was aware of but not in its entirety. I now know that the extent of that treatment went beyond the

mean

the older children?”

before shaking

incident that day could have cost us significantly in potentially losing Mr Reid’s donation, something we were in dire

unsure how

change the past now. All

she nodded her head

was because of the circumstances surrounding your arrival,” she

I came to

spooked, I suppose. You were found by a truck driver on the side of the road, miles away from here. Nothing in sight for as far as the eye could see. Just an area completely overrun

hands and, for a split second, thought I could remember a flash of the memory. The feeling of being numb

you came from or what happened,” she continued. ” You’d just… stare at us with those intense eyes of yours silently. An air about you that unnerved many with uncertainty, wondering what your true origins may be. It wasn’t until we found you playing with a large

…A large dog?

foundation of your mistreatment. I wish I’d known back then how bad it really was. Maybe then I could have stopped… no, maybe I could have helped you feel more accepted, having no

focus on what I’d come here to do. But it was difficult not to realise what she was saying. I’d been so worried that the

it hadn’t been

ever find out anything about my

she shook her head. “No…

a strange way

…What about… unofficially?”

she immediately hesitated,

to other parties…,” she said slowly, placing a hand on my file. ” However, I feel as though your time here was

my folder