Ch.2
Ambrose.POV
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My eyes blink open and I have to squeeze them tight again so they don't sting as much. The sun is only just rising and an orange glow stripes the room through the yellowed blinds.
I set my head back down on the pillow before taking a deep breath and lifting my whole body in one big pull. My neck ached from laying on it funny as I read. A couple of months ago one of the older girls was teaching us youngens how to read and since then I had become fascinated by all types of literature. My personal favourite being mystery.
I loved Sherlock Holmes my new obsession. I talk about it to whoever sticks around long enough to listen, I'm not quite sure whether they are actually listening or not but it doesn't bother me too much.
Legs buckling and bones aching I make my way to the kitchen, my bare feet against the cold tile.
The cereal, being put on the highest shelf, was out of reach and so I had to drag a chair from the dining room to reach it. The rest of the ingredients for the simple breakfast were collected rather quickly.
I set them down on the table, laying spoons out on each seat. It was almost comical how each spoon was a different shape and size, it all looked so out of place and random, but I guess it represents what all of us kids are like.
Today I had chosen to sit in the living room at the large red armchair reserved for Armatha, she doesn't have to know I sat here though. Compared to the yellow sofa stained and wrinkled it was the only good seat in the house and I tended to reside here every morning if I managed to wake up early enough.
Small patters of feet echoed through the largely unfurnished rooms indicating the youngsters had woken. The chattering began only seconds later getting louder by the second them all competing to talk over each other.
"Se'le down li'llens' I hear Armatha say. I speedily jump from the armchair and take my bowl to the kitchen to clean up, I wasn't being caught again, last time I almost lost my hearing to the screams of Armatha, and then almost lost my head to the older boys who weren't best pleased being woken up so early.
"le's do an 'ead coun' then, ye" As always Armatha wakes up everyone under twelve at 6:30 to make sure no one had gone missing in the night. Stupid rule if you ask me what kid is going to run away to nothing.
I walk to the dining room and take an empty seat. "who are you then, ya new" I shrug my shoulders and she continues to count. I was used to being unknown, most of the kids are anyway. There are about 40 of us here and it's just too much for Armatha, who already struggled to remember her glasses in the morning, to remember all our faces.
"15, very gud" The kids had begun to pour their cereal, some pouring way more than necessary. Armatha fixes this by scooping handfuls from one bowl and putting in the next.
"New kid, pour the milk will ya" I nod my head yes and pick up the carton. Armatha goes off to the kitchen hopefully to get an extra carton, I don't think this one will be enough.
As soon as breakfast was over I escaped back to my room, picked up a few books, namely 'Murder most unladylike' and 'Famous five book 4', then left through the back door.
The weather was just as you could expect from this part of England, a bit gloomy but all in all not too bad for summer. Grey clouds threatened rain but I chose to ignore them.
My favourite spot to read, I had discovered, was the local park. It wasn't very big and was no longer suited to put your children in unless you wanted them contracting a serious virus or tetanus. Unfortunately for me, the owners of the orphanage wanted exactly that and decided to take the kids here whenever they needed a break.
Just outside it, however, there were some bushes that had the middle stomped out by some teenagers leaving a little den underneath. A perfect home for birds and rats, or little 11 year olds who want to read. If you ignored the funny smell and weird, long, yellowed balloons full of a thick white substance then it was a pleasant place.
I crouch down under the branches and set my books on the dirt so that I could get situated. I had to find the best spot so I wouldn't be sitting on gum or a stubbed out fag. Last time I was here I had sat on a piece of broken glass and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to dig it out my bum with a pair of tweezers.
Eventually I settled on a nice leaf pile which made pleasant cushioning.
I managed to make it through the whole of 'Famous 5 book 4' and a few chapters into 'Murder most unladylike' before my stomach started growling at me to get some food. Although I read a couple more chapters before I knew I definitely had to get food and my stomach wasn't just tricking me or something.
On my way out of the bush I had stepped on one of those weird balloon thingies, I would have to clean that off my shoe later. On the way back to the orphanage I dragged my shoe across the grass trying to get rid of as much of the substance as possible.
I fished around in my jean pocket to see how much money I had on me, and if it was enough to get some food from the chippy instead of having to deal with Armatha. £2.50 was all the money I had to my name in this whole world and only 25p of it was in my pocket.
That settled and my shoes still being scrapped on every patch of grass I see my way back to the orphanage in just 5 minutes, encouraged by the increasing amount of gurgles and growls from my stomach.
The door slams against the wall and I cringe. I close the door to check the damage, a hole had already been created there shaped to the curve of the door handle.
"Ge' the post" Armatha shouts to no one. Quickly gathering the paper, mainly advertisements and coupons, one letter stuck out to me it looked way posher than the rest. I don't snoop though and got to the kitchen to set the letters down on the surface.
"Check if there's a post card from Joney" She askes suddenly loosing her heavy accent and replacing it with a gaga tone. I flick through the letters finding one with a big Eiffel Tower printed on the front and handing it to Armatha who practically snatches it out my hand.
What intrigued me most though was the letter underneath it. In dark green cursive the letters were written clear and controlled. The ink didn't look like biro instead looked like a smooth and almost printed address. Letters were rare now with the new flip phones but this letter looked as if it came straight from an old-timey movie.
Some of the younger kids marvelled at how fast I picked up on reading but I couldn't work out how to decipher such posh writing. "Armatha" I suddenly say causing her to look up from her postcard and quickly lose her heart eyes. "Wha'" she scowled "Can you read this for me?" she shook her head angrily and took the letter in one smooth action "I swear I taught you lo' 'ow to read" she mumbled under her breath.
"It says 'Mr Ambrose. , End bed room 3, 17, Coal road, Whinmoor, Liverpool' Why that you?" I take the letter carefully out of her hands "Thanks" I almost whisper.
I run up to my room the end bed in room 3. Who sent me a bloody letter and why do they know where I sleep? Of course, I was scared as anyone should be but I can't help but feel a bubbling of excitement in my stomach. What if it is my parents? What if they have found me regretted putting me in here and want to whisk me away in their red Lambo?
I sit on my bed legs crossed carefully putting the letter in front of me. Although I can't read the whole address on the front I can still make out some letters here and there and I can perfectly read my name.
"Wha's this then" One of the older boys had come up in front of me and grabbed the letter, bending it in half. "Give it back" I say crossing my arms under my chest, I think it was more in self-defence then authority.
"ah come on we been roomies since for eva', you can show us your lette'" The tallest one says. "Is't from t' parents" one of them asked coolly trying to dig deeper.
"No" I say. "Oh it is boys come on let's not 'im be the lucky one then." And in a split second the shortest was gone, whizzing through the halls. I follow shortly after praying they don't do anything to my letter. Finally, something good happens and I don't get to enjoy it not for a second.
I was too focused on the boy running off with my letter to notice what was in front of him, and apparently, he was too focused on doing whatever he was going to do with my precious letter to notice what was in front of him either.
So he sat there flat on his bum, letter now crunched in his fist. There towering above us both was David. Both of us paled considerably.
"Oi Oi" David said. Please be in a good mood, please be in a good mood.
My eyes flick to his hand, in it was a green bottle smashed and sharp at the edges. I shiver.
Without thinking I grab onto the boys collar and haul him of his arse. We run locking ourselves back into the room where we started. His leader or whatever the tallest boy was had left, probably to have a cig. It was just us two panting and red.
"Thanks, I owe yer one" I take the opportunity "Well if you owe me one I want my letter back". He looks down at his hand the letter was all screwed up and now green ink smothered his hand.
"Right then, 'ere" He says handing the letter over.
I unscrew it then give him a look that says 'go away right now or I'll slit your throat' he seems to get the message and leaves. One advantage I have is that despite being small I can be very intimidating when I get angry.
I lay on my bed, still half panting from running, I haven't had that much exercise in... well forever.
I tear the letter open having given up on keeping it neat. Inside was the letter, the font this time was a bit less fancy and I knew I would be able to read it.
At the very top it read 'Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry'.
My heart instantly falls. I should have known that it wouldn't be serious, it was probably a prank from one of the other kids in my room. Revenge maybe for keeping them up late through the sound of flicking pages.
I throw the letter in the metal bin at the end of the room and lay back on my bed.
I no longer felt hungry, just sad and tired and angry. I close my eyes not giving a flip about going to sleep too early.
Just for once I thought something good was going to happen. I thought I would go to a proper home and get a proper family and be able to afford a library card without having to work at the chippy every weekend.
I close my eyes and drift into a restless nap.
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