Sprawled on the ground, the boy looked at Jinn with his big round green eyes filled with innocence and tears that threatened to spill out. He had curly brown hair that covered half of his forehead, making his face look a bit chubby.
"Big Bruduh... Jinn." He spoke with great difficulty, trying his best not to cry. His words were tinged with the pain of betrayal and sadness. "Why did you move?"
"My bad. Kyle, I thought it was that annoying brat trying to mess with me." Unable to bear those painful whimpers, Jinn tried to calm the boy down. ’Even if I knew it was you, I would have dodged it. Nothing personal, though.’
The excuse seemed to have worked; the boy named Kyle suddenly stopped crying, but his small lips trembled as he tried his best to take the snot and tears back inside. with the long sleeves of his oversized sweater, Kyle wiped his eyes and snot.
Then he looked at Jinn with his big eyes full of hope as if he was expecting something from him. The boy raised his hands toward Jinn, spreading his arms a little.
’You want me to carry you? Like that??’ Jinn could still see the sweater glistening with fresh snot. He was not even hesitant about making a decision about picking the boy up or not, but his mind did wander a bit.
Just as Jinn was starting to think of a very polite way to say ’fuck no’ to a child, someone came and saved him the trouble.
"Who are you calling an annoying brat?" A shrieking voice snapped from inside the room, making Jinn sigh in relief inwardly before he turned his head. There he saw a young girl with long silver hair and brown eyes stomping her way towards him. ’You are my savior... Sally Austin.’
Jinn could see fire practically blazing in her eyes, which made him think, ’Did she awaken before me? Nah, she is only ten. How is that possible?’
Putting on an innocent smile, he fully turned away from now-downcast Kyle, who looked at Jinn’s back with a sad expression and lowered his arms. Chapters fırst released on 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⚑𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖⚑𝕟𝕖𝕥
"So it’s you, Sally. I never named anyone. Why are you so furious?"
His casual demeanor and nonchalant attitude made Sally even more furious. Fumes of anger could be seen rising from her head. As a result, the other orphans in the rooms scattered deeper into the space, as if the trio were invisible.
"You think you are that smart?" Sally snarled, stomping toward Jinn with her hands on her hips, staring right into his blue eyes. But then a second later a strange glint appeared in her eyes, and her scowl morphed into a twisted grin. "I heard you got scared today and gave your turn to someone else?"
’So someone is already spreading the rumors.’ Jinn thought while maintaining the smile on his face. He looked past the silver-haired girl, his eyes landing on one of the eight beds in the room. On top of the headboard, the name of the girl was carved into the wood.
Right next to a similar bed with his own name. It was right next to a wall with glass windows.
Sally noticed his gaze immediately. She even seemed to realize where exactly he was looking and what was going on in his mind, as her face looked like she had been struck by lightning.
Her body shook in horror. ’He wouldn’t...’
The next thing she saw was Jinn’s smirk. But surprisingly Jinn did not utter a word, and Sally knew why: ’He is playing with me! How insufferable!’
Despite her feelings, Sally wanted to keep him silent, so she turned towards Kyle, who was still on the ground, and helped him.
"Are you hurt, Kyle?" She asked with a worried look on her face, "Come, I will take you inside; ignore the bad big brother of yours."
Kyle smiled at her; he nodded first and then shook his head, saying, "Big brother is not bad."
Jinn’s smirk faded hearing those genuine words of emotion. Sally only let out a long sigh.
’I swear to god, he makes me crazy. What kind of magic has that idiot done on this kid to make him act ?’ While fuming inside, the silver-haired girl forced a smile and took the boy inside, muttering, "Yes, yes, he is not bad." He is a fiend."
Her words were meant for Jinn as she was walking right past him.
’This annoying bed-wetter.’ Jinn’s lips twitched, but he ignored her and walked in the room as well. He walked up to his bed and opened the trunk at the foot.
He pulled out a fresh set of clothes and a towel. Taking everything, he walked past Sally’s bed, where the silver-haired girl glared at him while coaxing Kyle. The rest merely looked from a distance but did not utter a word.
Sally’s eyes followed Jinn until he disappeared into the common bath attached to the room. The glare in her eyes disappeared, replaced with a softer tone. Why is it covered in dirt? Did he fall somewhere?’
"Big Sis?" hearing Kyle’s concerned voice, Sally shook her head and smiled. "Come, let me see if you are injured somewhere."
"You need to be careful during the awakening; it might not go as you have seen with others."
Once he stepped out of the dirty clothes, Jinn almost let the soap slip from his hands, hearing the voice whispering beside his ears.
"How many times have I told you not to speak to me when I am bathing?" Jinn cursed through gritted teeth; his grip tightened on the soap, almost turning it into mush. ’How weird is it to talk to another guy while bathing...’
"...Whatever."Annoyed, the voice disappeared with a gruff sound, "Don’t blame me that I did not warn you."
Jinn let out a long sigh and walked under the shower while staring at his reflection in the bathroom tiles, ’I can never be too careful. Plans always change; there is nothing I can do to prevent things I have no control over.’
After a quick wash-up, Jinn walked out of the bathroom in his fresh clothes and went downstairs to have dinner with the rest of the kids in the cafeteria, which was on the ground floor. On his way there, he made some light conversation with others he shared his room with.
Entering the cafeteria was an experience in itself, with several rows full of kids sitting on a long wooden table, mouthing at more than just the food. Though they were not served with lavish meals, every child got to eat some decent meat and lots of fresh vegetables.
"As expected of the deep pockets of The Order of The Seven." Jinn whistled under his breath before taking a seat of his own. He sat at the far corner of the table, away from other chatty kids.