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.

incident I’d caused. Hospitalising children was sure to traumatise

happy to see you’ve grown up well despite having a difficult time here,” she said, a small smile on her lips. “A successful adoption is all I can really

surprised to see you back here. 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 above the rest for candidacy. I would have

struck me as odd and, as I took a moment to think about it more, I realised

above the rest for candidacy.’

there was more than one

interest, this seemed very odd to me. Especially considering the behavioural record I must have

“To this day, I continue to work for the family business with him closely.”

to hear that.”

past,” I continued. “If possible, I was hoping to look at my records. Perhaps anything to do with

looked serious as she listened to my request, the lines on her

request is within

she remained for some time. I paced in the lobby as she searched for the records, doing my best to remain as patient as possible despite the loud thumping in my

to go looking for them. To me, only my father had mattered. The one who had lifted me out of this place and given me shelter. Given me a life and purpose, someone to nurture the issues I’d presented with

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

start off 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 young lady, and I tell you these things now not to upset you, but to provide you

gone over it with

I said, tearing my eyes away from the folder.

deep breath in, her expression becoming solemn.

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?”

shaking her

could have cost us significantly in potentially losing Mr Reid’s donation, something we were in dire need of. Immediately, I began looking into it and realised that I’d missed all the signs. It became obvious that most of the bullying was being orchestrated by the staff, urging the children to be cautious of

unsure how

to encourage her to continue. “I can’t change the past now.

she nodded her head

because of the circumstances surrounding

came to be here?”

truck driver on the side of the road, miles away from here. Nothing in sight for as far

looked down at my hands and, for a split second, thought I could remember a flash of the memory. The feeling of being

I tried to find out where you came from or what happened,” she continued. ” You’d just… stare at us with those intense

…A large dog?

name, she said. “But it was unfortunately too late to stop the rumours and superstitions from the staff at this point. I found out later that this bias would go on to create the 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

But it was difficult not to realise what she was saying. I’d been so worried that the incident was going

it hadn’t

out anything about my birth family?” I asked,

she shook her head. “No…

strange way to phrase it.

…What about… unofficially?”

immediately hesitated, confirming my hunch.

can’t disclose information relating to other parties…,” she said slowly, placing a hand on my file. ” However, I feel as though your time here was filled with… special

then opened my folder up and began