3. The kind woman

Hannah came in and saw the chaos, and 20 children in the age of 2-14 came running towards her.” sorry I am late” she said.” I will be making your dinner now, here Louise can you take these books and placed them in the usual spot.” Louise took the books from her. Hannah didn’t stop to see anything she just ran to the kitchen, boiled the water and poured over the oats. Oatmeal was the dinner every day; they didn’t get any money from the headmaster to buy food, but at least she was a master at making oatmeals. It was only her, who was allowed to make the meals and if any of the other made the dinner, he would take away her privilege, once she had been sick, like really sick, and Louise had made the dinner for her. When he found out Louise got beaten with the belt, Hanna would die before that was ever going to happen again. She hurried with the dinner. After a few minutes the oatmeal was ready for serve. All the kids gathered their plates and stood in a line. She gave them each a scoop and said hello to each of them and smiled. When the kids had gotten their scoop, they sat down at the table.

Besides Louise who was the next oldest with her 14, there was four (Toby, Tom, Tricia, Paula and Maria) of them who was 13 years old and 3 who was 12 years (Sam, Martin and Melanie). The 8 of them helped me taking care of the rest, we had divided the 22 kids amongst us in small groups, with a colour name. It helped the little one to follow us. Hannah called them her small big troops and my small troops.

Hannah did what she could to teach them what she knew about the outside world. She taught them how to read and write. It was important to her, that they never had to end up on the streets, and they might have a slim chance of surviving if they knew something about the world.

Hannah sat there quietly and ate her food, she just scooped it in, hot as it was, and while she ate, she thought about how she ended up in school. It was pure luck that it happened.: When Hannah was 12 a woman named Sophia worked in the orphanage. Sophia was this amazing beautiful 40-year-old woman. She had brown long hair, reaching down the middle of her back, that she would always carry in a bun on top of her head. She had the most calming brown eyes, and a voice so soft and calm that no matter what mood you were in, she would make you feel appreciated and loved. Sophia worked in the kitchen and Hannah loved cooking with her, so she made sure that her chores would be cooking. The other kids didn’t want it anyway. While they cooked Sophia began teaching her the basics of reading and writing. In the beginning on recipes, and groceries but later she brought small books for Hannah to read. Sophia would often let Hannah sit and read in the corner while the bread or the food was in the oven. One day the headmaster found out what Sophia had taught her. He came early one day, while the bread was in the oven and Hannah was reading a book for Sophia. He saw them and Hannah could see that he was furious. Hannah knew that as soon as Sophia had left for the night, she would get punished, maybe even by the belt. But instead something different happened. Sophia convinced the headmaster that Hannah was a smart girl, who might get adopted a bit faster if she could read and that she would do better in life. The headmaster thought about it for awhile before he smirked and told Sophia, that if Hannah was allowed to go to school, Sophia should do him a favour, and then Hanna would be allowed to go to school, as long as she still took care of her chores. Sophia looked at Hannah, and sighed, she told the headmaster she would do anything for him, as long as Hannah was allowed to go to a proper school in the city. Hannah felt it was the biggest victory of her life but she was still afraid. She laid all night waiting for him to call her, so he could punish her, but it didn’t happen. Sophia stopped coming the day after that. Hannah had no idea what happened to her, but she didn’t have any doubt that it was about the headmaster and the favour he asked from her. Hannah felt she owed Sophia everything.

All the kids were making noises with their plates. 11 minutes past sundown. She needed to rush this. “guys as soon as you finish your eating, rush upstairs, he’s here in 4”The kids looked at her with terror. Louise and the big troops called all the kids. The babies carried up to the dorm room and I grabbed their plates, hurried with the washing and drying. The older ones cleaned their own plates. Everyone was running, no one wanted to meet his wrath. 1 minute left, and the last kid ran upstairs. She grabbed a cloth, cleaned the table and the pots, her left wrist stinged a bit but way less than earlier, she was relieved. She wouldn’t have known how to clean tomorrow if it kept hurting.

When she was placing the pots in the cabinet, she heard the door to the kitchen open. Her heart rate instinctively rose, but she forced herself to raise her back and stand still, like a deer caught in the light of a car, while starring at the floor. “my my what do we have here, he smirked, are you not done with your chores today.” Hannah answered, “I am done with my chores, sir All the pots are in the cabinet, the kids well fed, and the table cleaned.” He was close to her now, she could feel his breath, she could smell it, it smelled like most of the alley, old, dying, and a bit alcoholised. He slapped her on the face “don’t you dare talk back to me” he hissed. Then his hands started moving on her body, he grabbed her breasts, and with the dress being old and small, he got a good feeling. Her body was really curvy, even though she was skinny, almost malnourished, her boobs, hips and butt just seemed to exist by its own free will. She wanted to throw up but forced herself to stand still. She knew it would just anger him more if she began to move. So, she stood as a statue with him fondling her. “He fondled a bit more and then he said “just wait b**ch, as soon as you turn 18 I am going to show you, what useless piece of air you are. I am going to take what you have been bulging around me for years. You know face down ass up, is the only thing that makes girls like you useful.” His voice scared her, he sounded like a maniac, his fondling had become more and more aggressive and so had his words towards her. “only 6 weeks left” he said with a grin. Hannah was surprised that he remembered, but she didn’t utter a word. He finally let her go “I am looking forward to your birthday he said, see you tomorrow.” The headmaster left, Hannah began breathing again. It was not the first time he was being like this, but his words made her feel like all hope for her life was gone. But for tonight she made it, and if the books, and her suffering, could help her troops, it wouldn’t even matter, then every second of this would have been worth it and Sophia’s favour to him wouldn’t have been for nothing.

Hannah let out a big relieved sigh and went upstairs. She knew everyone was waiting for her. When she got up to the dorm room the big troops, waited in the entrance and as soon as they saw her, they gathered around her to see if she was okay. Tom saw the red mark on her chin, and he got furious, so did Toby. But they knew that if they did anything to stop him, the little ones would be in danger. “he should rot in hell” Toby said filled with anger. Hannah looked at Toby, with his coal black hair and his brown eyes and tried to calm him down “its okay, it was just one slap, and all of you are safe.” Toby looked at her, “you know, you could just run away from here, you don’t have to stay here, we all know what happens when you turn 18, I could also kill him?” Hannah smiled to him, she knew he was getting stronger and wanted to save her from the headmaster, he always wanted to protect everyone. She said calmly and lovingly, “Toby, you shouldn’t say things like that, you need to do something with your life. He isn’t worth losing your life over, if you kill him you will be on death row. And you know, I will never leave you behind. The day I leave you behind is the day I am no longer breathing.” Toby looked at her, she could see he was still fuming, but he gave in and responded with an awkward hug, and the rest of the big troop followed him, and they ended up in a group hug. Hannah whispered into Toby’s ear “I will figure our something, I promise.”

They all let go of each other and went to take care of the little ones. The dorm room was a big room, with room for 32 kids. The room was filled with 16 old bunk beds and all the mattresses that once had been white were now grey and worn out, and the blankets were thin layers of fabric. A lot of the smaller kids had to sleep together to stay warm. The room was very dim, they didn’t have electric lights, since the headmaster wouldn’t pay for such nonsense in a room they were supposed to sleep in, so Hannah had gotten a lot of small candle bits at a dumpster behind a restaurant. They often had to change the bits because the went out. But the light was warm, and they could see, that was the important part. Near the end furthest away from the entrance the small ones slept, Louise and Sam slept next to them, then the bigger ones with the rest of the big troop amongst them. The beds used for sleeping was only 11 of them. Hannah had the one closest to the door, she had to get up early to do chores, if any of the little ones were ill they would join her in her bed so she could take care of them, and it was closer to the bathroom if they had to get cleaned up. Not to mention she could listen to the door if someone was coming. The rest of the unused beds she had placed in the opposite corner and turned into some tables.

After the group hug, Hannah went to read a bedtime story for the smallest, it was one of the books she had borrowed at the library. Thank god Louise had been able to clean it up so Hannah wouldn’t get fined. She gathered them around her and with a light in her left hand and a book in her right she began reading. They all loved the voice of Hannah; it was so gentle and calm. After the story, she listened to them as she hugged, kissed and tugged them in their beds. When she tugged them, she would tell them “the world needs you, your smile will brighten the day of a lonely one, your voice will help a lost one and you are worth everything. If you don’t get treated right don’t give up. We all have our purpose in this world and so do you. Always be kind and gentle, and never give up.” Then she would kiss their forehead, blow the candles. She didn’t know where this saying came from, she just said it every day to all the kids and had done it as long as she could remember.

When they all were in their beds, Hannah teaches the bigger ones two different classes, today she had chosen basic math for the 7-11-year olds. They struggled with division; however, they had become fairly good with subtraction and addition. While she taught them math, the teens would read in the books she brought today. After an hour the time was around 8pm and she tugged the kids to bed. Doing the same as she did for the little ones. She read them a story, tugged them into bed and told them “the world needs you; your smile will brighten the day of a lonely one, your voice will help a lost one and you are worth everything. If you don’t get treated right don’t give up. We all have our purpose in this world and so do you. Always be kind and gentle, and never give up.” She kissed them on their forehead blew out the candles around them and went to the teens.

Today she had decided to teach them about how the outside world functioned. She had borrowed books on politics, the town history, and she had also gotten a lot of newspapers from different stands with free newspapers. “This town, is called the high moon city. It has a special lore. She told them “It is said, that in the beginning of the world, the Moon Goddess selected the High Moon City to be the centre of peace between all creatures of the night. Werewolves, vampires and witches, ruled by a mighty King and his graceful Queen. They ruled with honesty, and dignity. The love of the King and Queen spread to the entire world with the intention of making the peace between the night creatures last forever. However, a human named Alik, didn't want the creatures of the night to work together afraid that they would destroy the humans, he began hunting down the night creatures. One day he found the Queen in an alley caring for some poor children. He called her name, and made her look at him, as he drew his sword and stabbed her heart. As she fell down, she whispered "don't be afraid, be gentle and kind; then she closed her eyes. The moment she died, the sky went black, and the loudest most terrifying growl was heard in the entire city, it was filled with pain, and everyone young and old, human, wolf, witch or vampire, all felt the pain, down their spines. The King had lost his mate. When Alik killed his Queen, who balanced him out, all good that had ever been in the king's heart disappeared, and now only evil and anger was left. The King who was enraged began killing everything, wolfs, vampire, humans, witches in the search for the murderer of the Queen. He roamed day and night in the streets, and the blood of innocent beings was everywhere. A war burst out between all races and the lore says that the war is still going on today and will never end unless the King finds his Queen”.

After the story Hannah gave them a minute to think. Then Toby said “how many of the creatures still exists” another one asked “why did the Queen say be gentle and kind when she died? Hannah answered, “I am not sure, but my theory is that she said so, because being gentle and kind, is something our hearts control, and maybe she could see the children she was caring for was afraid or Alik, he killed her because he was scared on the behalf of the humans or maybe she knew what would happen to the King?. It could also be because of all of them.” They all sat and wondered about the story. "Remember, it is only a lore", Hannah said moving on with the lecture "so in this city, we are split in different parts with different leaders…" and she forwarded with how the city structure was, who ruled where, who the king of the land was and so on. When the clock struck 10 pm they all went to bed, and again she walked to each of their beds, kissed them on the forehead and said ”the world needs you, your smile will brighten the day of a lonely one, your voice will help a lost one and you are worth everything. If you don’t get treated right don’t give up. We all have our purpose in this world and so do you. Always be kind and gentle, and never give up” Toby was the last one she whispered into his ear “everything will be okay kiddo it will. She blew out the rest of the candles and went into her own bed.