"Has anyone seen Polly?" Lucan asked, "I haven't seen her in over three weeks now, and since I wasn't allowed to go into the deeper ward, I've been feeling a little anxious." 'I can't believe I'm actually hoping she pops out and scares me.'
The last three weeks had consisted of the orphanage's normal routine, though with the year almost ending it seemed many of the children were getting adopted 'it feels strange seeing people adopted for the holidays but as long as they're happy'.
With the current adoption spree, the orphanage was starting to empty, even though that annoying blonde roommate of his had been adopted, which had led him to the startling realization that he did not have many friends.
It would be safer to say he had none, really. Polly and the blonde were the only people he could talk to, but with the blonde gone and Polly nowhere to be seen, he was feeling uncharacteristically lonely.
"I'm actually pretty bored now". He said resting under a tree watching the other children running around and playing with each other, he wasn't quite jealous, he and Polly never really played as they did ' Just what is she doing in there?'
He had long since recovered from the shock of his first outing and now made the effort to step outside now and then, hearing what people had to say, that didn't mean he was no longer cautious, once bitten twice shy they would say so he always made sure to check every suspicious shadow from a safe distance.
He had taken his time over the last three weeks, making his way around the area, the orphanage was just so far away from anything else that it took too long to get anywhere reasonable 'Or maybe it's just because I'm a kid? Maybe if I were a meta that would solve things age would be meaningless if I could run at Mach 2.'
Shaking his head, while being slightly amused by the image of a toddler running across the ocean at super speed, he felt a little better. He was thankful, somewhat. He may have landed in some remote orphanage in Gotham, but at the very least, they were nice people and the place was safe. 'I could have ended up in the Stone Age or something'.
He rose from the grass taking a walk around the orphanage grounds and just enjoying the scenery. The nurses didn't leave behind any new books, he was tired of reading science and history, especially with all the unknown things that didn't exist in his original world and these days the news was all about mobsters and Batman.
'Terror attack stopped by Batman, corrupt police officer exposed by the dark Knight, newly promoted senior detective suspected of working for Dark knight, it gets to a point' he could practically predict what the news was going to be about so he had actually lost interest.
There was no need to listen to something he already knew about, that being said the news about the detective had been interesting, 'Gordon was his name right? James? I tend to forget stuff like this'.
Lucan scratched his head, The news had been all over him back then, his achievements were that impressive, and with what he had heard about law enforcement and what the news said about him, it was unlikely he was one of the few non-corrupt ones.
'Chances are the news is exaggerating' he picked up a smooth stone and tossed it across the pond watching it skip a few steps before sinking, the other kids clapped but lost in thought he didn't pay much mind. 'I am so bored'
Had he known that would be his last days of peace he may have enjoyed it a bit more.
***
'It hurts' Lucan nursed his head where a small bruise could be seen on his fore head, the nurse on duty gave him a tired look and just gave him an ice pack and let him sit on one of the beds. He had noticed a bit later but now that he had it made sense.
It wasn't only the children who had been reduced, the number of staff had dropped as well, perhaps because of the lower number of children he had not noticed the shift, but now it was something anyone could see.
They had lost their funding, and with it, many of the facilities started to break down with no way to fix or repair them, and with how much colder it was getting they would be lucky if they didn't all freeze to death soon.
After he was done with his treatment he sat in the common room with a listless expression, it was quiet, which would have been odd on a normal day, but the children weren't feeling very motivated.
The already less-than-generous cafeteria meals had shrunk a bit more, and they now tasted of something strange, but the children couldn't complain, they were still being fed, they still had beds to sleep in, and clean water. 'Even if the food tastes like expired toothpaste now'.
He still thought about Polly, with it being well over a month now he didn't even know what to think, perhaps this less-than-graceful transition would have been less dreadful if she were around but he was alone, though technically that was not true, he wasn't very familiar with the others.
***
"I think this place will close down soon" Someone said solemnly in the dorm rooms while his conversation partner shushed him but really there was no need, it wasn't like anyone would punish him for saying that or report him if that was the case. "Look man, they aren't even bothering with the rules anymore, even the girls are hanging around here now."
"I mean that barely counts for anything don't you think?" The other vigorously shook his head, he clearly didn't agree with his friend's relaxed approach to their current predicament.
'Well at least not everyone is just accepting it' Lucan nodded in approval while silently listening to the conversation, seeing as how he had nothing better to do besides freezing while looking at the wall of his room 'Maybe Polly can make lasers, how do lasers work again?' he scratched his head, the thought distracting him before an angry voice pulled him back to reality.
"I've lived here almost all my life, and Bradley has never missed his morning rounds, but we haven't seen him in over a week!"
Lucan listened passively, everyone did, his last sentence had caused a few of them, Lucan included, to have their eyes widen in shock, even some of the people passing by had paused briefly as the realization hit them.
They truly had not seen the pale man in quite some time, he rarely spoke, didn't make any particular sounds when he moved and only ever did as much as he needed to do before moving on.
So everyone had subconsciously treated Bradley as part of the background, so much so that they didn't even imagine that he could not be there one day. Everyone had met the off-putting man from the very first day of their arrival, he had been there for so long that even the older staff had all but been entirely replaced with only him left.
That man was now nowhere to be found, Lucan crossed his arms in thought wondering if perhaps he would possibly know anything about the medical wing, he had seen him do his rounds in that direction, so naturally he had to be familiar with the place. 'That's a new direction to look in'.
***
'I might die of cold at this rate'. It was cold, the end of the year was coming, the orphanage was getting worse by the day, with less and less staff, the ones who remained were… less than desirable as caretakers.
Lucan felt tired, the place was rather bleak, the heater had stopped working properly at long last and so it was so cold that most were better off not leaving their rooms for no reason, he heard that something had happened to some more mobsters but no one was sure of anything.
Lucan sat at the edge of his bed and sighed, there was someone new making rounds now, a man with a rather dumb looking face, he would yell and scream at anyone he found wandering around at night and had a habit of attempting to push open doors.
Lucan wasn't sure what strange thoughts went through his head and no one had spoken up about what he actually did when he met an open door, most said he just stood there watching them sleep or something 'I would probably believe that if I was actually eight years old'.
Transmigration is a funny thing his body had influenced his mind somewhat but his mind hadn't suddenly stagnated. Perhaps it had regressed in some places he was unaware of but he liked to think his mind was still growing or at least he hoped so.
He didn't believe that someone would just randomly check if doors were locked by pushing them open, Bradley had never done such a thing although Bradley was a lot more stealthy than this fellow could ever hope to be 'Bradley was certainly something else for a guy who could barely make sentences'
The man had heavy footfalls, like he had clogs under his feet, making the floorboards thunk and creak whenever he stepped on them, he seemed friendly at least he talked nicely and was always smiling, but Lucan still felt something was off about the man. 'It wasn't the kind of smile meant for kids'
That was what he thought at least, the man looked at the children with the same eyes a starving man would look at a plate of food, as for whether he was looking at them because he was someone like Bradley and was easily misunderstood or there was actually something wrong with his tastes Lucan had no idea 'It's either he's a weirdo, a cannibal or something perverse'
Lucan felt his imagination may be a bit limited but he was fine with that for now, this sort of caution wouldn't harm anyone as long as no one told him about it out loud and made him snap or something.
***
'This guy's just a freak' Lucan had ironically gotten to talk to someone who had left their door open, he was no hero of justice but he certainly was curious about what their new inspector had going on in his head, the man bore an odd resemblance to a rat in Lucan's mind and he wasn't sure if it was because of his teeth or his bearings. 'Or the fact that he's always rubbing his hands together'.
The girl didn't have much to say, the man would bring his face close to the bed breathing heavily, and he would occasionally lift the blankets or whatever it was someone used to cover themselves and take a peek at whoever it was that was inside.
As it would seem unlike his pale counterpart he did not need the help of a flashlight to guide him through the orphanage's dark halls. He would do this to every bed in the room starting from whichever side is closest to the door and circling back.
He would flinch and hesitate whenever someone moved or turned in bed, retreating altogether if someone showed signs of waking up. Lucan gave her a pitying look as he patted her on the back. When the blondie was around he had seen them talk a lot and from what he knew she always had a bit of trouble when it came to sleep.
The orphanage no longer actively assisted her and she has been a little spacey these past few weeks, so her roommates whispered to him as he was about to talk to her 'She seems stable enough…' he gazed down at her wrists and caught the sight of what seemed to be scratches covering her wrists with bits of her skin under her fingernails "...Probably."
Author's Note:
If you're enjoying the story and want to read ahead or support my work, you can check out my P@treon at [email protected]/LordCampione. But don't worry—all chapters will eventually be public. Just being here and reading means the world to me. Thank you for your time and support.