Stained Sky, Chapter 1.

By one stroke of luck, four children find themselves together at a dirty orphanage. As the years go on, their friendship becomes something that other children just wish they had. But, when something goes wrong, the four find themselves alone and desperate

(A/N: This is will be my new thing - working on my story chapters, and posting it on here. This is only the beginning, and I've basically worked on it all day. Reviews are loved, so please read it and review~!)

Chapter One: Effie Robertson

     Small, slight, and not at all intimidating, no one dared to approach young Effie Robertson. Not that they were afraid of her, they just simply ignored her. Being raised in the Central Catholic Foster Home since before she had been born, not too many even knew her name. One kid had once dared to poke her with a long stick, and all she did was turn around and glare at the kid, but instead of making him afraid, he had simply laughed and ran away.
     Young Effie had never even once been offered up for adoption. Not that she cared; though she knew her parents were both dead, she had no intention of being under anyone’s roof except those whom she was related to. Unlike most of the kids, Effie had never once cried at the prospect of living in the dirty orphanage, but instead accepted it.
     That is, until she turned seven.
     On that chilly November 7^th, Effie had finally begun to understand what her life really was. Instead of granite countertops, she had a wooden bar for giving out food, and instead of a nice, comfy bed, she slept in a sleeping bag, even in the coldest of weathers. Possibly the worst part about life in Central Catholic, however, was the Head Caretaker, Mr. Thomas Notyug, who found no greater pleasure in life than proving life to be miserable for the children.
     In fact, Mr. Notyug had not only hit the children when they annoyed him, he also deprived them of dinner if they broke even the smallest rule. Effie had never been forced to give up dinner, or had been hit, but she had watched kids go through both in a day, and sob their hearts out later. She never sympathized, though, and instead chose to scoff at them.
     And so, on this chilly October afternoon, Effie Robertson found herself alone on the swing set, as she often did on those days they were allowed outside. She had watched not just one, but two, new screaming children come into the play area, and had watched as they simply sat under a tree and cried. It was also on this day that Effie met a young boy named Raidon Kitamura, who, like her, did not cry in the arms of Thomas Notyug.
     “Get offa me, you old bat!” A scream echoed across the play area, causing each child to look up in shock, and watch as a smaller, black haired boy was dragged into the gated grounds. “Let me go back to Oyaji and Mama!”
     “Quit struggling, kid! Your parents don’t want nothing to do with ya’ anymore, you hear me? Now quit struggling and get in the damned play area!” Mr. Notyug cried back, pulling the child into the area, tossing him further in, and locking the door behind him. “Christ kid, can’t you tell when you ain’t wanted?”
     “Shut up! Oyaji and Mama love me!” He screamed, wiping dirt off of his cheek while slowly standing up. However, Mr. Notyug ignored him, and left the area in near silence, except for the kids cries of ‘Oyaji!’ and ‘Mama!’. The other kids slowly began to go back to their games, and left the new kid alone.
     ‘How sad; not just one new kid, but three. And the newest one still thinks his Mom and Dad still care about him,’ Effie thought to herself, turning away from the small boy and pumping her legs to swing. It was a long time before she realized he had stopped screaming, and left the gate. Looking around curiously, Effie saw him nowhere, and wondered if he had left the area completely.
     “Hiya.”
     In surprise, Effie slipped off the swing, landed hard on her bottom, and ducked quickly before the swing could come back and hit her head. The newest kid was standing nearby, his face smeared with dirt and a bit of mud, but his large brown eyes seemed to dry.
     “Um…hi,” Effie said nervously, standing up and brushing off her pants and shirt. Not that it mattered really; the fabric seemed to be so embedded with dirt and stains, it seemed unlikely they’d ever be clean.
     “My name is Raidon. What’s yours?” He introduced, smiling at her and sticking his hand out to shake hers. Hesitatingly, the young girl extended her own pale hand and lightly shook his tanned hand.
     “My name is Effie. How old are you?” She said, titling her head to the side curiously. There had never really been anyone at the orphanage that had taken an interest in her, so this kid both confused and surprised her.
     “I turned eight one month ago! What about you?” Raidon asked, picking his nose with his pinky finger. Effie watched him in mild interest before blinking and trying to remember her own birthday and age.
     “I think I turn eight next month, but I dunno since that stupid Notyug won’t tell me the date,” Effie muttered, kicking the dirt with her shoes. Raidon laughed, and she looked up. Hands behind his head, he turned around and observed the play area.
     “These kids are a bunch of crybabies, aren’t they?” He asked after a moment, his voice distant and soft. Effie looked out there with him, and watched the other orphans as if for the first time.
     There was a kid named Dante who had been beaten by his parents for years before running away. Another boy named Riley who had killed his brother, and ran away as well. A girl who was only two had been abandoned on the street, and managed to find her way here. Shrugging, Effie turned to look at him.
     “They all have a good reason. So do we, but we just don’t cry,” she said softly, looking back at the kids. She felt no sort of bond with these kids, but there certainly was something that pulled at her heart when she saw their dirt smeared faces.
     “Everyone has a reason to cry, I think. It’s the strongest ones that resists it, I think,” Raidon said, bending down and picking up a soft green-brown shell and held it up to the light. “Effie, what is this?” He asked, handing it to her. Without having to look, Effie turned to him and smiled.
     “Raidon, how do you not know what a buckeye shell is?” She asked him, laughing, Raidon smiled at her, and shrugged.
     “I dunno, I’ve just never seen one before,” he said defensively, watching as Effie’s hands skillfully opened the shell up, revealing a shiny brown nut in the shape of a half-circle. “Whoa! That’s so pretty!” He said, lifting it out of its shell. As soon as it was out, Effie nearly threw it away before stopping and peering inside.
     “Look, Raidon, I found a double shell!” She said happily, taking out the remaining buckeye. Raidon looked at it, then at her, and grinned his widest yet at her. Effie smiled back, laughing a bit nervously. “What’s with that grin, Raidon?”
     “It’s a sign, Effie! See, I picked up the shell, you opened it, and we both pulled out a nut! Get it? We’re destined to be friends forever, I think!” He exclaimed, grabbing her hand with his free, and holding it next to the hand that held the buckeye. Together, the two shiny nuts connected, and created a bumpy sphere.
     “You really think so?” Effie asked, smiling as wide as he was. Raidon nodded, and released her hand. “Then, let’s toast to our friendship!” Together, the two new friends lightly clicked the two nuts together, and giggled.
     “No matter what happens, we aren’t allowed to lose these, OK?” Raidon asked, his brown eyes sincere and serious. Effie looked right back at them, green into brown, and nodded.
     “No matter where we are, or how old we get, I’ll never lose this buckeye!” She cried, and Raidon laughed, and threw her arms around her. Laughing, the two jumped apart, pocketed the nut, and looked around. “Let’s play a game!”
     “Let’s play pirates! I’ll be the captain, and you be the first mate, and together, we’ll sail all the seas in the world, and become the best pirates ever!” Raidon proclaimed, picking up a stick and jumping a nearby tree stump. Effie laughed, and grabbed a stick of her own, joining him on the stump.
     “Who’s our enemy?” She asked, balancing herself on the round tree remains. Raidon looked around, and then back at her.
     “Our enemy you ask? Well, first mate Effie, it’s obviously the Evil Snotopolis! He has raged our seas, and has kidnapped you many times, but I, as the great Captain Raidon, had saved you each time!” He proclaimed, pointing out to the distance at an empty space. What Effie saw, however, was a tall, thin man with a curly mustache, and a sword at his side. Frowning at him, she nodded.
     “Oh no, Captain, I think Snotopolis is attacking!” She cried, jumping off the stump, and running towards him. Raidon followed quickly, and together, the two began a duel with empty air, until they both stopped and sighed.
     “I know, I’ll be Snotopolis, and you can be the captain of your own crew! That way, we don’t just fight air!” Raidon cried, whacking her stick. Grinning, Effie nodded, and hit his stick in return. In seconds, the two were engaged in a sword fight that attracted nearly the whole playground; as they jumped from the jungle gym, through the swings, and finally, backing up against the gate.
     “Give it up, O Captain Effie! You will never defeat me, the great Snotopolis!” Raidon cried, hitting Effie’s stick out of her hand. The crowd gasped, and Effie looked around.
      Before she could think of a plan, however, Mr. Notyug came storming out of the main building, his whole complexion furious. The crowd saw him, and ran, but the two friends remained standing there, not afraid at all. “What the hell is the meaning of this?!” Thomas cried, yanking Raidon’s stick out of his hands. Raidon glared up at him, while Effie looked up at him blankly.
     “We were playing,” she said innocently, reaching up and twirling her thin gold necklace, “Is that so bad, Mr. Notyug?”
     Raidon’s eyes flickered to hers, then back to the adult in front of them. “Gimme back my sword so I can defeat Captain Effie, Notyug.”
     Both Effie and Mr. Notyug gasped and stared at him. “Listen here, Raidon Kitamura, I’ll give you a break because you ain’t been here long, but God help me if you disrespect me again…”
     “Come on, Raidon, let’s go swing,” Effie muttered, turning away. Raidon however, stayed firmly in his place, glaring up at the care taker.
     “No. Gimme back my stick so we can keep playing,” he said, reaching out to take thye stick from his hands. If Effie had blinked, she would have missed it, but instead, she watched in horror as Mr. Notyug yanked the stick back, and slapped his small hand with it instead. “Ow!” Raidon cried, his hand retreating quickly. Holding the wound in his better hand, he glared up at him.
     “Neither of you will get any dinner tonight. Effie, come here,” Notyug demanded, and when she didn’t move, he yanked her forward, pulled out her arm and smacked her with the stick as well. Howling in pain, Effie jumped back into the fence and fell. Closing her eyes, Effie sat on the ground nursing her hand. When she looked up, however, she saw Raidon had pushed Notyug back, and was punching his gut fiercely.
     “How dare you do that to my friend?!” he cried, his punches not stopping. Effie watched in both horror and awe as Notyug raised the stick, and hit Raidon square in the back, stopping the attack and making him crumple to the ground.
     “Raidon!” Effie cried, running forward to help him. Raidon lay there, not bleeding, but not moving either. “How could you do that to him?!” She screamed at him, trying to help him up. Notyug scoffed at them, spit in the dirt near her feet, and walked off without answering. As soon as he was gone, Raidon slowly stood up, using Effie as support. Though his face was even more dirty from his fall, and he blinked a lot after he stood up, he grinned at her.
     “Haha, we really got him, huh?!” he asked, brushing some dirt off his clothes. Effie looked at him, extremely relieved that her friend seemed unhurt.
     “Are you OK?” She asked, stepping back to see if he could stand. Seemingly just fine, he nodded, and grabbed her hand, leading her back to the swingset.
     “Let’s see who can swing the highest, Effie!” He cried, climbing onto a swing and pumping his legs happily. Not one to let a challenge go undone, Effie climbed onto the other swing, and began to pump her own legs. In a few short minutes, both kids were swinging higher than ever before, the swingset bouncing beneath them. “Jump!” Raidon cried, and together, the two went airborne, both crying out in delight and amusement as they soared through the air. When they landed, both crumpled to the ground, laughing and out of breath.
     “I beat you, Effie!”
     “You did not!”
     “I did so!”
     “Nu uh!”
     “Admit defeat!”
     “There isn’t any to admit to!”
     “Effie, come on!”
     “No way, Raidon,”
     “Please?”
     “Begging won’t make you a better swinger then me!”
     “I am, though!”
     The two kept up the argument for a while, finally settling it by admitting that they were the same height when they jumped, making them equal swingers. Once the argument had finished, however, one of the minor caretakers came out, announced dinner, and the whole crew of orphans ran to the door. Effie and Raidon were no different, as they had forgotten of their punishment. Once they reached the door, however, the caretaker stopped them, and held them aside to let the kids behind them in.
     “Sorry kids, Mr. Notyug said you don’t get any dinner tonight. Please go on to your rooms, and try to sleep,” she said, sounding truly apologetic. Both kids’ mouths opened wide and they watched in disbelief as she walked back into the building, leaving the two out there in the cold. Shivering, Effie led the way inside, and into her room.
     In the foster home, there were many rooms, giving each orphan their own little room, which consisted of the sleeping bag, and an old chest for holding possessions. Clothing came from the laundry room, and was shared amongst all the orphans, except underwear, which was folded and set out for everyone to pick from. As Effie led Raidon down, down, down to her small room, the chill increased, and she found to her dismay that they could see their breath.
     “You’re room is more upstairs, I bet. They usually give all the newbie’s the upstairs rooms, but since I’ve been here so long, I got a room down on the last floor,” she explained once they reached an old wooden door. Opening it, Effie held the door open for him, and watched as he stepped in and smiled.
     “I like it! I’ll bring my sleeping bag down here with you!” He proclaimed, taking his buckeye out and setting down on top of her chest. “I’ll be right back, OK?” He asked, grinning at her as he left the room and dashed upstairs. Effie watched him go, half-heartedly calling him back, but knowing he wouldn’t listen. Grinning to herself, she walked back inside her room, looking around in a new light.
     “Maybe something really good will happen. Something just as good as meeting Raidon, I mean,” she said to herself, taking her own buckeye out and placing it next to his fondly. To her, there wasn’t a more beautiful sight than two shiny buckeyes of friendships, she decided silently.

(A/N: Yup, that's the end~ I'll try and get the next chapter up by Saturday~)