First Time
Things changed a lot after the man in the trench coat took me out of the Pit. Master was arrested and I was taken to a building where a nice lady with tired eyes kept asking me questions about my Master.
I did not say a word.
A Servant had no permission to speak, unless clearly granted by her Master. My Master was gone, so I had no idea how proceed in this new world that was opening itself before me.
The lady with tired eyes left the room where she put me and spoke to someone I could not see. Words like "mentally hindered", "autistic", "Post Traumatic something" were repeated a lot.
Myself, I just looked around this new place with curious eyes.
Then He came in. The man of the trench coat. However he was not using the trench coat anymore; probably he had to throw it away after the dive in the Pit.
He sat down in front of me on the other side of the table. I sat down on the tip of the chair and looked at his face.
He smiled at me.
I smiled back.
I imagined that he probably had no idea how good his soul smelt to me.
"Listen" he started "you do understand what I say, don't you?"
I smiled at him.
He smiled back.
"So… what is your name?"
I kept on smiling at him.
"How long have you lived with Mr. Swanson?"
"Do you remember who your parents are?" "Are they alive?"
"You do understand that what he did to you and others was wrong."
Ah, his voice was very nice if you really paid attention to it. A little bit gruffly, as if he doesn't use it a lot.
"I want to help you, but you have to talk to me"
No I don't. Don't you know that Servants only speak if given permission to talk?
"If you don't speak or at least give any sign that you understand what people are saying, things might get complicated once they put you in the system."
How complicated?
Something in my face must have given him a clue that I had no idea of what he was talking about, so he explained in details to me.
"What will happen is the following: they are going to take you to this house, big house with a lot of children. You see that lady outside"
He pointed the lady with tired eyes. She must have felt our eyes on her, as she waved her hand lightly to us.
"She is Ms. Doreen Thorn, she is the social worker on your case. She will take you to this big house full of children and there you will be able to play, to live a better life than the one you had in Mr. Swanson's House. And if you are a very lucky child, after you spent some time in the foster care you might find a family that might take you in."
Uh?
"Yeah, they might decide to adopt you. But the chances of that happening increase drastically if you start speaking." The last sentence he enunciated it very slowly, as if the slower he spoke the better chances I would decide to answer him back.
Silence.
"I know you're not autistic. I know you're not retarded." Pause "Swanson was nothing but a perfectionist; he would never have kept you if you had any real or imagined defect. But you have to help me."
More silence.
"Will you help me?"
I silently nod. I would give him what he wanted.
He smiles, stands up and stretches his hand to me. I put my smaller hand into his, and he takes me to the social worker outside.
"She promised to collaborate."
"Well that's a start. So dear, what's your name?"
I shake my head.
"What's your name, dear?"
I shake again, I look at my hero and he interferes again on my behalf.
"She might not have one. Swanson wasn't very big on his care of her; he might have neglected her to the point of not naming her. Right, pumpkin?"
I look at him, and nod.
"So we have to fix it, don't we?" Says the social worker.
She holds out her hand, and my hero puts my hand in hers. She starts dragging me to the exit, all the time talking about possible names for me and the people and the children I would meet in the house she was going to put me in. Before the end of the corridor I look back and see my hero looking at me with sad eyes. He waves his hand and that's the last image I have of him.
Mrs. Thorn did find me a nice foster family to live with. They had two other foster girls and a boy. They were indeed a nice family.
I only lasted there four months. I ran away in the beginning of spring.
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