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.

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

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 hope for the kids here. To this day, it still breaks my heart whenever I see any return. Failed adoptions happen only

at me closer, confusion showing on her face. “I am a little 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 thought that you’d have all but forgotten about your

as odd and, as I took a moment

above the

more than one

even one person express interest, this seemed very odd to me. Especially considering the behavioural record I must have had

me with a… fulfilling life,” I said carefully. “To this day, I continue to work for the family business with him closely.”

to hear

look at my records. Perhaps anything to do with my adoption

she listened to my request, the

age now,” she said slowly. This request is within your rights. Please wait for a

with that, she disappeared through a back office door where 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

had an itch to go looking for them. To me, only my father had mattered. The one who had lifted me

knew that some things couldn’t be ignored for long. That I couldn’t change my

very beginning, your time here was filled with difficulties outside your control. I can see you’ve grown into a well-adjusted,

someone had gone over it with a black marker to censor it.

me,” I said, tearing my eyes away from

in,

now know that the extent of that treatment went

frowned. “You mean the

the older children?”

shaking her head. “…]

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

unsure how to proceed.

change the past now. All I’m looking

nodded her head in understanding.

because of the circumstances surrounding

to be here?”

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

split second, thought I could remember a flash of the memory.

speak a word for two whole months, no matter how hard the police and I tried to find out where 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

…A large dog?

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 have helped you feel more accepted, having no need

words and tried to focus on what I’d come here to do. But it was difficult not to realise what she

was saying that it hadn’t been my

Did you ever find out anything about

she shook her head. “No…

found that a strange way to phrase

…What about… unofficially?”

hesitated, confirming my hunch.

said slowly, placing a hand on my file. ” However, I

as she then opened my folder up and began rifling through the papers