Chapter 2 | Not An Orphan

CHAPTER TWO

NOT AN ORPHAN

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Every inch of her were trembling, but not from the cold, but fear.

No one asked her anything nor she asked them anything as the car drove forth. Jim and the driver were muttering to each other but Melora couldn't catch their words no matter how hard she tried to concentrate. The bald guy beside her, whom Jim called as Timos Bogler, was staring at her most of the time which made her feel even more uncomfortable and tense. At first she turned to him and glared at him, but he kept staring at her with his narrowed grave eyes most of the time.

The car was parked before a huge building which Melora has never seen in her life. She realized it was their destination. There were many cars and people there and that was a relief to her. Jim got out of the car and opened the door of the backseat, telling her to get outside.

She wished if she'd get any chances to escape from them and looked around with hope. But a sudden thought made her stop; what if all those people are theirs and would get her immediately. That would be really embarrassing.

"Walk with me, Melora and make yourself look relaxed, not trembling with fear to make people doubt." Jim instructed her in a quiet voice.

So they're not his people. She realized but couldn't find courage nor way to escape any easily. She walked with him by his side, hugging to herself as they walked inside the building. It was the first time she's getting into a building like that, she has never entered into something that was luxurious. The pale look on her face disappeared when she was examining the place in awe.

"I see you've never been to any place like this before, huh?" Jim asked coolly, his hand dug inside his pockets as they kept walking. "Tell me, how's your home, Twickenham? How does it feel to be there… as an orphan?" his voice was filled with amusement and dramatically sounded to be pitting her.

Melora pursed her lips, swallowing a knot in her throat, releasing her hands from hugging herself to grip to the hem of her red hoodie. He was mocking her, she knew it without a doubt. A man like him can easily mock, but only a girl like her can understand her situation, her pain of being in an orphanage as an orphan.

"I'm asking you a question Melora," Jim reminded her in a grim voice, shooting her a side glance.

"Which is none of your concern." she said bitterly, glaring at the path.

"Watch your tone, Miss Fribelle." Jim warned her in a hissing voice, making her eyes snap to his in a mixed emotions of shock and confusion.

Miss Fribelle? Her eyes widened. She had no clue why he called her with such a name. "I'm sorry but what did you call me?" she blinked at him.

"Oh don't make me confused, you surely know your name, don't you, Melora?" Jim's lips held a small smirk which told her that he's acting.

"My name is Melora Twickenham."

"Oh really?" he snorted.

Her face turned cold, "How do you know me?" she demanded, managing to keep her voice low as people were behind them as they were got inside an elevator.

He shot her a wicked smirk, "Good question, but I wonder if that's even a question." he snorted and remained silent until they reached the other floor and walked out of the elevator. "Your father and I… we were best friends, you know. It's quite saddening that you don't remember me."

Her eyes widened and she stared at his side face in shock, "M-my father?" she was only able to whisper. She never knew anything about her family. From the time she can remember she's from the orphanage.

He turned his eyes on her, turning cold from all the amusement. "The cheater." he sneered, leaving her shocked and baffled.

The words he said kept echoing in her head. Her father was a cheater? Questions flooded inside her mind, desperate to get the answer. He knew her father, they knew her father and what if she'll be able to know about her family?

Her knees were shaking on their way. He told her that he's taking her to their apartment where someone's waiting for her. Someone… who could be that? She wondered. She was led to the apartment which was luxurious, like one she has never seen before. The room she was brought to was huge with light pink walls, and stood armchairs around a small table between.

Jim who stood next to her looked at her in amusement. "Your house is not close to this, am I right, huh? I pity you, Miss Fribelle, for such a dirty life you have."

She immediately turned around to him with a glare, anger rising in her. Apart from the anger, she felt hurt like she has always felt when her classmates mocks her and her friends for having no family and living in a small orphanage. She wanted to snap something at him but nothing was made out.

"Wait here," he told her before he securely locked the door and left to another room.

Heart beating faster, she stared at the door but it was locked, no way to escape. She had thousands of questions inside her head, waiting to be answered, starting from why they want her to how they know her father.

But less than a minute, a woman appeared in her sight, walking to the large room, eyeing Melora with a pleasant look on her face. Melora gulped at the sight of that woman but demanded herself not to show out the fear to make them mock her. The woman was tall and pale, her dark hair was tied to a ponytail, she had dark eyes like her hair and high cheekbones and dark red lips that held a small smile which wasn't pleasing to Melora at all.

"Melora," the woman called her name, sounding pleased for God knows why. "Finally we meet… again." the woman walked to her, widening her smile and stopped a feet away from her, examining her face. Melora was hardly controlling herself from shaking visibly and tried to hide her fear. "You're so changed…" the woman muttered, eyeing her from toe to head. "Beautiful hair like your mother and features like your father… how beautiful you've grown to, Melora. But pity," her face dramatically frowned. "Jim told me you're living in an orphanage, and why is that, my dear?"

Melora swallowed the hardness she felt in her throat, staring confusedly at the woman. "H-how do you know me?"

"Oh," the woman's face fell and Melora knew that she was only acting. "Oh my," she turned to Jim who was watching them with his hands tied back and a smirk dancing on his lips. "I almost forgot she doesn't remember us." she turned to Melora again, "You were only a baby when we last saw. I'm Dorothy Spinoza," she held out her hand for a handshake.

Melora just glanced down at offered her with rings in each of her fingers, not wanting to do a handshake with strangers.

"Your father and I were friends; best friends." Dorothy smiled kindly. "Come dear, have a seat and then we'll talk." she motioned her hand to an armchair and walked to another armchair opposite.

Melora didn't know what choice to make. She reluctantly walked to the armchair and sat, facing Dorothy. Jim took a seat near to the table and set his legs upon it, not moving his eyes off her. "You know my father?" she asked reluctantly.

Dorothy smiled a sad smile, nodding, "I do, we were friends, you see, but sadly your father turned out to be a cheater."

Melora's eyebrows furrowed, feeling a strange hard feeling as she heard her father being called as a cheater. "W-what d'you m-mean?" she hated the fact that her voice was breaking.

"Oh you don't know?" Dorothy raised her eyebrows confusedly and in surprise. "Well… he, your father, owes a debt to us. He promised so confidently to pay it back in time but he never did. He made excuses because he was cheating. And he moved out with his family to somewhere to hide and no one knows where he is… still."

Melora's lips parted, glancing at Dorothy in baffled. Everything seems to be confusing. There was only one question that was rising within her so desperately to be answered. "So you're saying… my family is still alive? My father is still alive?"

Dorothy shrugged her shoulders slightly, "We hope so. He was spotted in Chicago two months ago but no one knows his hiding place."

Her breath was becoming harder and heavier; her family could be still alive, she couldn't believe it. So she isn't an orphan. "I'm-I'm sorry but I-I think you might be mistaken. I am an orphan; if my family is still alive then why am I in an orphanage?" she told herself not to believe them quickly because people can be lying especially because they're strangers.

Dorothy and Jim exchanged glances before Dorothy's eyes turned to her, furrowing her thin eyebrows, "You don't know your family?"

"Absolutely not," she said quickly and shot Jim a look of disbelief. "They kidnapped me from our bus when we were on a tour from our orphanage thinking I know about my family?" she asked. "I think you're well mistaken, you might've gotten the wrong person. I've been at this orphanage from the time I can remember. This man you said who cheated you would be someone else, not my father. I'm in the orphanage because my parents are gone. That's what they've told me."

Dorothy blankly stared at her for a moment before saying, "We're not mistaken." she muttered. "I see them in your face. Tell me, isn't your name Melora?"

She bit her lips, "Y-yes but–"

"We're not mistaken," Dorothy smiled which then turned to a small smirk. "You're not in the orphanage because your parents died or left you… only because you were taken away."

Her eyes widened.

"And… dumped into the orphanage." all the smile and smirk vanquished off her face, eyeing Melora suspiciously. "Because of your dear father, of course, the cheater. My dear, we've been trying to search for your dear family but failed to find them. That's when my friends spotted you and heard some girls calling your name. They immediately recognized you, thankfully because you have your father's features. We've been trying to track a Fribelle and now we found you. Even your uncles don't know where your dear family is nor even if you're alive. Now you're here, the baby we last saw and cursed is here, grown into a teenager." her eyes weren't kind any longer, they were tightening.

Melora's heart raced; the baby they cursed? Those words rang in her ears. They were not good people; she fearfully realized. "I can't believe it," she said. After all, how can she quickly believe strangers?

"Don't lie," Dorothy's tone changed into demanding, making her heart beat even more faster.

"What?" she arched an eyebrow, totally confused. "I'm sorry, but what do you want with me?" she felt so alerted as the woman's voice changed.

"We need answers from you," Dorothy said, lifting her chin. "Where is your family located?"

This woman was definitely crazy because she was kidnapped from among the orphanage people. "I don't know anything about my family and I don't even know who they are. And how am I supposed to know where they are?" she asked in disbelief.

"But you must be knowing something…" Dorothy leaned to the edge of her chair, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you, Melora?"

"No!" Melora snapped. "Ask him! He and his men kidnapped me when we were on a tour from our orphanage! For heaven's sake, I don't know what you're talking about and I am from an orphanage and I don't know not a single thing about my family. You're the first one to tell me." she couldn't believe this was the reason why they kidnapped her, to know about her family.

"I told you," Jim said to Dorothy, heaving a tired sigh as he kept staring at Melora. "She's just a doll from a dirty place, don't even know who she is. Funny thing is that she thinks she's an orphan when her family is out there." he snorted, earning a glare from Melora who was holding herself back from spitting out something at his face.

"Who told you your parents were gone?" Dorothy's eyebrows were raised again seriously.

She gulped before answering, "Mrs. Twickenham— the orphanage owner. Th-they've told me that I was brought there by a man who told them my parents were gone."

"A man?" Dorothy asked before turning to look at Jim, exchanging glances with him. "Gordon Hector." she muttered angrily under her breath.

"W-who?"

Dorothy turned to her with an uninterested face, "We know that man, who left us years ago. We lost contact." her face suddenly turned confused, "But Melora, you're alone in your orphanage home? No sister with you?"

She blinked, "I-I have a sister?" her heart pounded more faster, wondering if she has a sister; a sibling.

Dorothy rolled her eyes while Jim snorted. "Do you have a sister with you?"

Her lips were parted in confusion as she stared at Dorothy in confusion. "N-no, I don't... I don't have a sister n-nor a sibling." she stuttered in confusion. "Do I-I?"

Dorothy didn't answer her and turned to Jim, "We gotta find and contact Gordon. The sister is not with her, which means she's taken away. We should search for Zchelea."

Melora held her breath as she listened to her cold words. Her eyes were widened; she has a sister? She couldn't believe anything easily. And they were after her family? Thousands of questions rounded in her head. "I have a sister?" she asked eagerly, unable to steady herself in her chair.

Dorothy muttered something to Jim who muttered something back which Melora couldn't catch and Dorothy pretended as if she didn't hear her question.

"I'm sorry but you're saying I have a sister?" Melora was becoming impatient and desperate to get the answer.

Dorothy turned her eyes to her blankly. "Looks like the time was a waste, Miss Fribelle. You're no use." her voice was harsh.

"Wait, please, you're saying I have a sister?"

Dorothy got on her feet, not caring to answer the desperate girl before her who knew nothing about her family or who she was. "Tell the Redwoods to take her back to her home while you search for Gordon." she ordered Jim and he nodded.

She seemed like a boss but Melora didn't care and got furious as she didn't answer her even though she heard it. "Don't you hear me?" she raised her voice aloud, getting down on her feet.

Both of their eyes dangerously snapped to her, settling a cold gaze upon her. "Don't raise your voice," Dorothy warned.

Melora glared and sharpened her glare more strongly. She felt a sudden anger towards them because she just learned that they're tracking her family and her family is in hiding because of them. "Then answer me now!"

"How dare you raise your voice at me, Miss Fribelle?" Dorothy's voice was dangerously snapping at her. Her eyes held a glare of pure hate. "You useless dirty dog."

"You sound as if you're some kind of monster," Melora had fear in her but for a moment she didn't care about it.

"Watch your tongue," Jim immediately stood up, shooting her a meaningful glance as though she'll listen to her. "Don't talk to her like that. You don't know who she is,"

"I don't care as long as you don't give me the–"

"Alright," Jim said too quickly. "Yes, girl, you have a sister called Zchelea, who was brought with you to the orphanage and what happened to her? Do you have any idea?" his words were harsh on her.

"N-no," she stuttered, barely could believe she has a sibling. She always dreamed of having a sibling but she thought it's impossible.

"Then shut your mouth and don't speak a word unless you're asked to. And we're leaving soon, I mean, you're leaving soon to your dear dirty Twicken-Twicken home and I warn you not to tell anyone anything. If you do…" Dorothy didn't finish her words but shot Melora a meaningful look along with a glare. "I'm warning you, Melora, I'm warning you, don't tell any of this to anyone. Do you understand?"

Melora could feel her knees shaking at the dangerous voice of the woman in front of her. She nodded dumbly, her eyes trailing off to Jim who was calling someone on phone and he quickly walked out of the apartment, muttering something through the phone.

Fear once again flooded over her as she was once again warned by Dorothy. She realized that the woman who stood before her was not just a woman to threaten her, she sounded as though she had powers.

Soon enough, Jim came and told her to come with him. Melora then remembered the first moment she was brought to their apartment, fearing what'll happen, not knowing anything, and now she stepped out of there, shocked and confused about her family.

She was not an orphan.

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