Const Orphanage 3

She truly believed Elvira was lying to her.

"Little piglets? Are you referring to the other children?" Elvira seized on Blair's key phrase to question her.

Blair didn't respond, just offered a cold smile and continued to pull at her doll.

The doll looked like it was about to tear apart.

It seemed she was trying hard to play the part of an innocent little girl.

"If everyone else is a 'little piglet,' doesn't that mean you have no friends?" Elvira's tone grew heavier, his face showing a realization as he continued, "No wonder you're playing alone, it seems nobody likes you."

Blair looked up, a spark of defiance in her eyes, "Her name is Francesca Hall!"

Then, realizing her reaction, she glared at Elvira fiercely, asserting, "I have parents, and they will come to pick me up sooner or later!"

"And what about Francesca?" Elvira looked around and shrugged, "Was she adopted?"

Blair remained silent, just twisting the doll's head more forcefully.

"Proof."

Elvira spoke softly, "There's a hole in the first table by the entrance of the cafeteria."

"Did you do it?" Blair looked at Elvira suspiciously.

"I was doing a chemistry experiment in the cafeteria."

"So it was you, no wonder the rule says the cafeteria is only for eating," Blair rolled her eyes, sounding annoyed.

"So, where is Francesca?" Elvira asked again, feeling this question was crucial.

"They said she was adopted and left this place," Blair answered in a low voice.

"You're upset because she left and forgot about you, didn't keep in touch," Elvira inquired.

Suddenly, Blair looked up at Elvira, her bright blue-green eyes carrying a childlike indifference as she replied word by word,

"But she never left the Orphanage."

She opened her mouth to say more.

"Clap clap clap—"

A round of applause came from behind, followed by Georgewill's voice, "It's 4:10, time to line up for the classroom."

The playroom suddenly quieted down, every child, like robots receiving a command, immediately put down their toys and started to line up.

Not a single child showed even a hint of reluctance on their faces or in their actions.

Blair immediately dropped her doll and ran to join them, giving Elvira a backward glance and mouthing something as she went.

Subsequently, she walked into the group without any expression.

At this moment, a staff member was already looking at their watch, standing at the entrance to the playroom, waiting for the children.

The children obediently followed and left.

Elvira got up, intending to leave the playroom, but Georgewill stopped him.

"Mr. Nieva, you can't follow them to the classroom."

"Then, shall I wait for them to finish their class?" Elvira glanced at the clock and continued, "How long do their classes last?"

Georgewill shook his head, somewhat reluctantly refusing, "After their class, they will have dinner at 6:27 PM, by which time it will be dark."

Georgewill's voice trembled a bit when he mentioned darkness, seemingly filled with fear.

"We have a rule that outsiders cannot stay in the Orphanage after dark. You can come back tomorrow."

"Alright. I'll come back tomorrow." Elvira agreed readily, which made Georgewill breathe a sigh of relief again.

"Then, I'll escort you out." Georgewill stood up, showing a determined attitude to see the guest off. Elvira did not speak, simply following Georgewill in silence.

Georgewill walked quickly, constantly checking his watch, much like the female Care Worker.

As the iron gates scraped against the ground and shut firmly, Elvira stepped out of Const Orphanage.

He stood at the entrance, not ready to leave yet.

Because he had clearly seen Blair's last look back at him, the lip-read message:

203

Teacher Ginger was supposed to be at the Orphanage but was said to be absent, and Francesca, who was supposed to have been adopted, was said to still be there.

Whose words were the truth?

Elvira turned, gazing back at Const Orphanage as a layer of mist rose around the mountaintop, enveloping the entire building.

Only a few patches of weathered stone bricks on the outer walls were vaguely visible through the mist.

The Orphanage, standing before Elvira, felt so unfamiliar and mysterious.

What secrets did it hide beneath the fog?

He began to walk slowly around the perimeter of the Orphanage from the iron gate.

Behind the Orphanage lay a small grove, a place Elvira often visited in the past.

Back then, when the children were too noisy and too clingy, treating Elvira like an older brother, he, naturally preferring quiet and needing a peaceful place to study and read, would often climb the trees along the Orphanage's back wall, then scale the wall to escape, hiding in the small grove.

Elvira stepped into the grove, noting the soil had turned somewhat blackened and emitted a rancid smell since his last visit.

Holding his nose, he quickened his pace. The layout was as he remembered.

Identifying his spot, Elvira took a quick run-up, pushed off the wall with his foot, and leaped up, bracing his hands against the wall.

He effortlessly climbed over, stepping on a tree to jump down.

Drive him away?

Elvira scoffed. Const Orphanage was his turf.

Teacher Ginger's dormitory was on the third floor, while the children were currently in classrooms on the first floor.

He decided to first check Teacher Ginger's dormitory for any potential clues.

The interior side of the wall used to be a large lawn where children could play soccer.

But now?

The grass was gone.

In the years he'd been away, the main building had expanded to more than double its original size.

However, the new section seemed fortified like a fortress, designed to prevent any possible intrusion.

A lot had changed during his absence.

Elvira circled to the back of the main building and climbed through a window into the men's bathroom on the first floor.

As he followed the female care worker, Elvira noticed that the care workers scattered throughout the hallways seemed indifferent to sound.

Each of their uniform jackets had a pocket containing an identical notebook and pen.

They were likely all deaf.

Only Georgewill's pocket lacked a notebook and pen, indicating he wasn't deaf.