Chapter5:Broken vows, Mended hearts

Jane didn't hesitate. She turned on her heel and strode out of the room, her head  held high. For the very  first time,She  didn't  feel  like the frightened  girl who had always lived in the shade of her wicked aunt.She  felt  free. As she packed her belongings,She  heard her aunty voice  from down the hall, ordering orders at the servant.  It didn't matter to her anymore, all that mattered was that she was living that house  for good. She was never going  to  come back. When she stepped  outside, She  saw  a car waiting for her. Mr Peter stood  beside it, his expression unreadable. She hesitated.  Would  he still take her after what had just happened? To her surprise,he nodded approvingly. “ You have a sharp  tongue, Anna”, he said. “But you have spirit. I hope you use it wisely.”  Jane swallowed  hard,nodding.She  entered the car, her heart beating fast as the door shut behind her. As the wheels begin to turn,She looked back at the house that  had been her prison for  so long. And then with a deep breath,She turned away.  She had won this battle. And for the first time in  her life, She was stepping into a world where she had a chance to shape her own future.

The  day of Anna's  arrival at the public school was anything but welcoming. The sky was dim with clouds, casting a shadow over the broken down building that was to become her new home. Rain poured endlessly, forming muddy puddles on the uneven ground as the wind howled through  the cracks in the  school walls. The gate, a rusted iron structure  screamed as it was pushed open, revealing a long, narrow path leading to  the  entrance. The  walls, once white, we're now discoloured with age, streaked with dirt and old stain, and the windows, many of them were shattered and were patched with wooden planks allowing the cold wind to sweep through  the  corridors. Anna held  her thin,soaked dress has she stepped  inside, her heart filled with uncertainty. The  scent  of  damp wood,unwashed bodies and  stale air hung heavily in the atmosphere. The  entrance  hall was dimly lit by a few lanterns, casting  long Shadows on the cracked stone floor. The  walls bore deep scratches, some from years of neglect,others from the desperate hands of children  who  had come before  her. The  ceiling  was filled  with cobwebs,and water dripped  from the corners, forming small puddles in the corridors. She  was led down a long, dark hallway by a woman with sharp features and an expression as cold as the storm outside. Their footsteps  echoed majestically  against the stone walls as they passed door after door, each leading them to a room filled  with  the whispers of young girls,their faces  barely seen in the dim candle light. Some peeled through the doors as Anna passed, their curious  eyes filled  with  pity and silent warning.

Not long,they reached a vast room lined with rows of wooden benches and tables. The air was thick with the scent of ink and paper. Nearly eighty girls  sat squatting over  their  work, their fingers Illuminated only by the glow of a few scattered lamps. Their uniforms, once white were now faded, torn and patched with  mismatched fabrics. The girls looked tired, their heads bent over frayed books as they did their assignments with dull pencils. The entire room felt heavy with silence, broken only by  the occasional cough  and the scratching of graphite against the  paper. 

“This is where you will be studying,” the woman said curtly, her voice   devoid of warmth. She turned on her heel and rushed down the hallway, leaving Anna standing at the door, uncertain and alone. Night came so quickly,bringing with it an overwhelming  sense of exhaustion.  Anna was led to the dormitory,a long narrow room with rows of  metal- framed beds, each covered with a thin,scary blanket. The  air inside was heavy with the scent of mildew and damp wood.The  walls were bare except for a few old nails where belongings  might have  once hung. The wooden floor freaked under her weight as she made her way to her assigned  bed. The mattress was stiff and hard, offering little comfort after the long,dreary day.

Anna lay in the darkness, listening to the quiet gossips of some girls and the occasional rustling  of blankets. Sleep eluded her. Instead, She  stared up at the cracked ceiling, where the rain entered through , forming dark stains on the wood.  At  the first light of dawn,the sound of a harsh bell rang through the hall ways. The dormitory immediately sprang to life as girls scrambled to  their feet, rushing to  dress in their worn- out uniforms. There was no time for morning pleasantries, only hurried movements and cold splashes of water to their faces  from a communal basin. The routine was strict,rigid and  unyielding. 

Breakfast was a small piece of stale bread and a bowl of watery porridge that barely had any taste. Anna forced herself to  eat, watching as the other girls silently chewed their meal. The  dining hall was just as worn down as the rest of the  school, long wooden tables filled  with scratches and carvings, flickering lanterns hanging from rusted chains, and walls that bore signs of decay.The  classroom,though spacious, felt suffocating . The desks were old,covered in ink stains and drawings left by restless  students. A large chalkboard  was at the front, it's  surface covered in faded white markings from previous lessons. The teacher,a strict woman  named Mrs shalom, wasted no time in commanding authority.  “Discipline  us the foundation  of  success,”She screamed as she strode between the rows,her sharp eyes scanning  for any sign of disobedience. 

Anna  quickly  realised that mistakes were not permitted. When Olivia Sarah, a quiet girl with bold eyes, accidentally  spilled ink on her book,Miss Shalom struck her palm with a ruler.The  sharp sound of wood against skin filled through  the room, followed by Oliver's  scream of pain. No one dared to move  an inch. Until later in the evening, Anna  had a conversation  with Olivia. The girl sat alone in the corner of the room, rubbing her swollen hand.  “ This place is a charity institution”, Olive whispered, when Anna cautiously  approached. “It's  meant for orphans for us. The world has forgotten us, and so we are sent here”. Anna listened calmly. Olive spoke of the harsh rules, the punishments and the  person the whole student feared the most. But it was the mention of one name  that sent a shiver down  Anna's spine.  “Mr  Peter”, Olive murmured, lowering her voice. “He controls everything. Even  Miss Mary, the kindest teacher here, must answer to him. No one dares to  question  him”. Anna swallowed  hard. She had known  hardship, but something about the way Oliva spoke of Mr. Peter sent unease through  her spine. As the candle light flickered and the room grew colder, Anna made a silent vow.  She would endure. She would learn. And no matter what,She would  not  let this place break her.