Waisenlied (Mireya and Engi)

Alright, my darling. You know your cue, and you know the prompt. ^_^
My name for this story will be Nadine. The setting is Rural Germany in, say...the late 1800s?

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The bitter cold bit at Nadine's face and the bitter streaks defiantly staining her rosy cheeks did nothing to help. Neither did the coarse wool scarf pulled up almost to her nose. She was not happy, walking along the snow-covered gravel path, hand in hand with a man she did not know. This place terrified her, but the future terrified her all the more.

Her life was ending and beginning anew. She had seen but eight winters, but now she was going to be shacked up with a bunch of strangers, and made to live in a world without family. She sniffled softly, staring at the ground and digging in her feet a little more with each step.

She was not wealthy, only the daughter of a factory worker and his wife whose dreams were to emigrate to America. Their dreams would not be realized now. No. Not when they were selfish enough to die in a fire that nearly claimed Nadine's life as well. Her strawberry blond hair was scorched short in places, but she could not pretend to care.

She looked up at the grey edifice of the looming orphanage. She had never seen anything so pitiful. It was large but quite run down, and she could hear the incessant buzzing of children probably her own age. She didn't want to see them. She wanted her mother...

They plodded up to the front gate and the social worker knocked at the door.

"Theres a new girl comein'!" Engi was running around the orphanage, telling all the other kids. Right then, she was telling a brunette boy with bright green eyes. "We gonna be best friends, she and I. Just like sisters, ya know?" She asked, and he nervously shrugged back. He was clearly not the most excited kid, and was obviously uncomfortable with Engi's talking. "You'll see. Just like them sisters."

Engi giggled, then ran off to tell someone else. "She's gonna get here real soon. I know it. I bet she's super pretty. Like them girls in all the posters." She bragged to another girl, this one blond with dark brown eyes.

"Engi, I think thats her." One of the kids who had been waiting by the window said, pointing down at the snow.

Engi ran over to her, staring out the foggy window at two figures walking. "Thats her! Thats her!" Engi yelled, pushing away from the window and running down the stairs as fast as she could. Her barefeet padded softly against the splitting wood.

Nadine looked up as the door swung open. Paint peeled from the walls and the floors were somewhat dusty. She could see eyes staring from the staircase above, but all her attention was drawn to a girl who appeared to be clamoring down the hallway towards her. She gasped, somewhat taken aback, by her exuberance.

She was a little blue-eyed girl with hair the lightest blond she'd ever seen. She was a tiny thing--probably smaller than she was, but the energy that permeated everything she did transcended her tiny stature. Nadine couldn't help but be overwhelmed by her. She gasped softly, shrinking back somewhat into the door.

The door opened and there she was; an adorable little thing! Adorable hair, like a redy-blondy mix. "Hello hello! You and I are going to be best friends!" Engi called as she climbed down the rest of the stairs, careful not to fall. She ran straight up to the girl and stopped right in front of her, staring into her eyes. Brown, warm soft light brown.

"Wow, you are pretty! I'm Engi, and I decided that me and you are gonna be the bestest friends in the whole wide house!" She held her hand out to the girl, a giant smile on her face.

"Huh..." she said. The whole incident took a moment to process in her head. She wanted to be her friend...why? She was somewhat distrustful. She wanted someone to be close to her and yet...The children she'd met in the city--runaways most of them, delinquents one and all--had not shown her terribly much kindness. They were artful and underhanded--taking advantage of her lack of knowledge to swindle away from her what little money she had. Her guard was up now...

"O-kay," she said slowly. "H-hhow are y-you, Engi?"

"Super duper beyond excited!" She declared, holding the girls hand tightly. "'scuse me mister." She said, curtsying slightly to the social worker before pulling the new girl up the stairs. "Wait till ya meet ev'ry one else! They're all super great! Youll love em'! Annabella, she's the one who saw you first, she's my first friend. She was here for super longer then I was. And Austin, he and his twin are really quiet all the time. They never talk much." She said, tugging her arm. "Ah, I forgot ta ask again, whats yer name?"

"Um, it's Nadine," she said hastily as she was dragged off by Engi. She glanced back at the social worker who she was positive she'd never see again and strangely enough...he was smiling. She scowled at him, but continued on anyway.

The upstairs was as she expected. In many places paint was chipping off the walls. On others, the drywall itself appeared damages and paved over. They were trying, she supposed. She looked around, but the eyes of all the other children were as downcast and hostile as she expected. She couldn't help but question why this girl was so different.

"Erybudy, this is Nadine." She said, holding the girls hand up. "She's super pretty and super nice and she is gonna be all our friends. But my best friend." Engi nodded, dropping the girls arm. "That's Micheal, and thats Scott, and her name is Lucy, she is Celia. Those are the twins, Austin and Alice." Engi said, pointing to everyone as she introduced them. [incert the rest of the names here when I have time] "And that is Annabella." She said, pointing at the last girl sitting at the windowsill.

Nadine nodded and waved shyly. The others regarded her with tired stares, and went back to their diversions whatever they were. Most just fell silent in the face of the stranger. She still felt that pervasive sense of alienation. She wasn't wanted here by the others, but that wasn't what concerned her.

As much as she was unwanted by the rest of the kids, she was too wanted by this girl. Something felt very wrong here. She knew something was wrong. Her behavior was beyond perky. She had to ask someone about it but not now--not with her standing right there.

"Ehmm...wh-where am I allowed to say," she asked honestly. The very last thing she wanted to do was infringe on someone else's space and make an enemy where for now there was only an uneasy bystander...

Engi pouted a bit, seeing the others lack of enthusiasm. They were all usually quiet, most had already given up on finding a family. "You wait right here, I'm gonna go find you a bed. Don't move, alrighty?" She asked, smiling large as she skipped out of the room. A couple of the kids glanced at her as she left, but most ignored her optimism.

"Okay..." she said meekly. She turned around looking at the others and shifted on her feet several times. She was uncomfortable to say the least, but this was her chance, if ever she would have one.

"Exc-cuse me," she murmured to the twin boys. He scowled somewhat, but didn't wave her off. "I don't understand. Why is she so, perky I guess? It's not really," she paused, "natural."

"She's crazy." Alice responded, hanging her arms over her brother's shoulders and looking at the girl. "Prob'ly got dropped on her head when she was a teenie baby. And she's always like this." She laughed, a dry and obviously unused laugh.

Austin shrugged. "She isn't crazy, atleast, not too crazy." He said, smirking. "She goes on and says she got something to believe in, but we all know thats a lie. She thinks that she is some princess from another land, and that her beautiful parents will come en get her one day and she will be real happy." He smirked, rolling his eyes. "She believes it as much as we believe that it's snowin outside." He gestured to the frost covered window.

"See? Just as I said. She's crazy! Bonkers from bein here too long!" The girl exclaimed, laughing.

Nadine frowned slightly.

"Well...if it m-makes her happy," she sighed thinking on it. She doubted the validity of such a statement, surely, but at least she had hope in her eyes. The others were so sullen and so washed out. She was almost more afraid of becoming like them than becoming as forcibly perky as Engi. It was the proverbial "rock and a hard place" perhaps compounded by some incredibly pointy rocks in a third corner, symbolic of life in the streets...

Her belly rumbled softly. It had been quite a while since she'd eaten, and even then, she had only taken a few bites as her stomach was fragile and full of tears.

Engi skipped back in. "Alright, we got a open bed real close to mine, but its a little dirty. You'll just gotta mind." She said, skipping up to the girls. Alice and Austin's laughs faded and they went back to playing quietly. Engi took Nadine's hand and swung it back and forth. "You're really gonna love it here, its a lot of fun sometimes." Engi promised, smiling largely. "But you're hungry, aren't ya?" She said, pulling Nadine towards the stairs again. "Lets ask Missy lady if she has any extra food for you."

"Oh...okay," she said, keeping quiet as a church mouse and following the girl with her eyes wandering over the place. She wasn't sure whether she felt sorry for this girl or for the other kids or for herself...Perhaps the answer was all of the above. She saw in the corner of her eyes and old clavier and looked at it in sidevision longingly. She couldn't imagine it was in tune like the one at the hotel where her mother used to work.

Mother... she thought to herself and once again felt so dejected.

"We are gonna have lots of fun, you'll see! We can brush each others hair and play puzzles." Engi exclaimed, pulling the girl behind her until they reached a door. "But first, lets get you some food." She let go of the girl hand and knocked on the door in front of them. "Missy Lady, it's me!" She called, opening the door to an office-type room. In it sat a large woman talking to the social worker from before.

"Elizabeth." The woman sighed, standing up. "I have told you many times before. Knocking does nothing if you don't wait for someone to let you in." She walked to the door where the two girls were. She turned, curtsied to the man and said a polite "excuse me."

She followed the two girls out and shut the door behind herself. "What is it this time, Elizabeth?" She asked, relaxing her shoulders.

"Well." She said, smiling a little. "Ya see, Nadine just got herself here, and she's bein real hungry and all. Can we break a little one of the rules, just this once, and give 'er some food?" She asked, then put on a cute innocent pouting face. "Please oh please? I wont ask for anything else in my entire life!"

The woman responded with rubbing her forehead and glancing back at the door. "You know the rules, no. Dinner ended a while ago, and we cannot bare to waste any more food. We are already short on it, and you know that." She said. "Now, if you would be so polite as to leave me to finish my business with this kind man." She opened the door again and shut it quickly behind her. A muffled apology could be heard from behind the door.

"Oh poo." Engi murmured, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh...it's alright. I'll wait until morning," she said though her stomach rumbled in protest as though on cue. "Elizabeth, that's your full name," she asked with a tiny grin quite ready to change the subject and forget all about her pangs.

Engi stared at the door for a moment, then looked at Nadine again. "I guess. Miss Lady calls me that, but e'ry budy else calls me Engi." She said, shrugging. She looked back at the door then bites her bottom lip. She could hear the girls stomach growling. "Here, come with me real quick." She whispered, walking past the door and deeper into the house. "There's a cabinet here with lotsa bread. But you gotta be real quiet." She whispered, putting her finger on her lip.

"Huh," she asked thoroughly surprised as she followed the girl to the hidden cabinet. "No, I can't. We're not supposed to be here," she said looking up at Engi pleadingly. She was afraid. She didn't want to rock the boat like this-- not when she had only just arrived. "I'll just go to sleep and forget about being hungry, promise," she said though the scent of the sweet loaves made her stomach churn and gurgle.

"We can if nobody knows. Now shh!" Engi whispered, stopping at a large door. She quietly opened it, the loud squeak seeming louder because of her nervousness. She peered in, the dark room smelled amazing, filled with the food they had to eat. She crept in quietly and pulled off a large chuck of bread for Nadie. She took one last deep breath, enjoying the smell, then walked out. She carefully shut the door behind herself, the loud creek happening again. She handed the bread to Nadine and grabbed her hand, pulling her back to where they were before.

Nadine stared at the bread in her hands for a moment. So much, this was too much for her. She sniffled softly, scarcely a noise made at all. she hung her head, her scorched hair falling in her face, and the slightest squeaks of intermittent sobbing escaped her. She cradled the bread in her hands taking a bite. It tasted coarse and sweet in her mouth.

"Thank you," she chirped as her voice crackled.

"Huh..." She looked back at the girl to see she was crying. Engi panicked. "Oh no, are you hurt? did you trip? We have some bandages upstairs if you're bleedin!" She asked, then realized that the girl had probably been through a lot. Nadine walked into this mysterious place, knowing no one after losing everything she had. Engi watched her for a moment before reaching over and pulling the girl into a tight hug.

She shook her head into the girl's shoulder, not entirely able to stop crying--hardly able to move even. She tried to still her noise. She didn't want them to be caught there anymore than Engi did. That was for certain.

"I'm fine," she said. "Thank you, Engi," she continued after some pause. "Thank you very much.

In that moment, the tiniest bit of hope found its way back into her heart. For a moment in time, she felt like perhaps this wouldn't be so bad, as long as her Engi was there with her. Maybe she could survive this. She didn't care about the girl's state of mind. She was kind--kinder than anyone she had met since the fire, and all it took was a little piece of bread to make her certain of this.

"I'm super glad to help!" Engi said, a large smile relighting her face. She began grabbing the girls hand and pulling her towards the stairs again. "Now, lets get your bed all ready and storted out, alrgighty?" She said. "Its a little bit really messy, but thats all there is. Its not too bad though, and everyone here is always willin ta help ya."

"Okay," she said with the slightest smile. Maybe things weren't going to be so bad. She had lost one thing, but maybe in this dingy place, she was gaining another. She still doubted quite seriously that any of the other students would warm up to her for quite some time. She doubted any of them were even capable of warming up at all, but she would accept whatever came to her. She ascended the creaky stairs and looked at her new dwelling place. It was dusty, but it was better than the streets. She was somber but content all the same.