A rather old woman dressed in a boring black dress was now standing at the entrance.
Noticing that she was sitting in front of the door, the old woman lowered her gaze.
The old woman's gaze was sharp. There's a scowl on her face with her lips tightly pressed together.
The old woman sighs loudly before speaking. "Have you learned your lesson now, Calista?" She asked while raising her eyebrow to the girl sitting in front of her.
Calista? Who's that?
Confusion clouded the girl's mind.
She briefly roamed her eyes around the room and saw that the only people present in the room were her and the old woman.
The old woman frowned while watching the girl's actions that seemed stupid in the eyes of the old woman. She rolled her eyes before throwing a broom and dustpan beside the girl.
"Go clean the whole place," the old woman barked the words at her, snapping the girl from confusion.
The girl, who was called Calista, looked at the broom and dustpan. Although she knew that those two tools are used for cleaning, she's not familiar with them. With her body as weak as a delicate, cracked porcelain doll, a nudge is enough to shatter her whole being.
Seeing the girl was only staring at the tools, the old woman scowled before snapping at her, "Are you not going to move?! Or do you want to stay here?"
Hearing the threatening voice of the old woman in front of her made the girl stand on her feet and reluctantly snatch the two tools and follow the old woman out of the room.
....
After finally going out of the room, the girl felt a sense of disappointment when she saw how worn out the place was.
Everywhere she laid her eyes, there were three words that immediately came to mind: dilapidated, bleak, run-down place.
She can't believe such a place still has the capability to house many people.
She doesn't know if it's because she was always lying down her whole life in the hospital; she started appreciating trivial details, resulting in her being quite observant.
A few minutes out of that worn-out room was enough for her to guess what this place is.
She saw many kids in the place but only a few adults. It can't be a kindergarten since, with this kind of state of the building, nobody would want their kids to stay here.
This place is an orphanage.
While thinking, she was cleaning one of the hallways of the building with the broom and dustpan she was given.
What's even more fascinating is that although it was the first time she had held these two tools, her body was not unfamiliar with them, and she didn't have any problem using them; she was actually quite a pro at them.
"Calista," a high-pitched and light voice like a bird's chirp called her.
Although it was not her name, the girl turned her head towards the source of the voice and saw a cute female kid, who was also gripping a broom in her hand.
The kid is petite and delicate, with limbs that seem slightly too long for her frame.
The girl, Calista, raised her eyebrow at the kid, who was looking at her with those eyes full of curiosity and innocence.
"What?" she responded.
She knew that her name was not Calista, but somehow she just let everything be since everyone just called her that name.
It's not that this is real. It's just her last dream before she dies, though it's weird.
"Thank you," the kid muttered; her voice was soft, barely above a whisper. Her cheeks were flushed pink, her gaze fixed on the floor.
"What?" Calista stopped what she was doing and looked at the child with a questioning gaze.
Seeing her questioning gaze, the kid's eyes widen, and her mouth opens and closes repeatedly, but no words come out before finally shutting it and staring at her with watering eyes.
Calista was deep down also lost for words at the kid's weird reaction. She was only asking a question, but her reaction is just over the top.
She turned her head away from the kid and coincidentally saw her reflection in the window. There she saw once again an unfamiliar appearance.
A kid slightly older than the kid in front of her with big round eyes just like those typical eyes of children, but the teal colors of her pupils made them stand out. Then the strands of hair that flowed down her head were silver with a lavender undertone.
Calista was shocked the first time she saw her reflection. Who would even be indifferent when they saw their appearance was now different?
But after a few minutes, Calista concluded that she had once dreamed of being a beautiful person who had a different color palette from black and brown.
Since this is her last dream before dying, maybe this reflected her desires.
Calista stared at her reflection in the mirror again and suddenly found the reason why the kid was acting the way she was.
Although the appearance she has now is beyond gorgeous, this face has a bitch resting face that anyone would misunderstand.
She sighs softly before placing her hand gently on the kid's shoulder, trying to comfort the kid.
The kid calmed down.
"You're not mad?" The kid asked innocently.
Calista avoided the kid's gaze before responding, "No, I'm not."
The kid's whole demeanor lightened at her words; her voice was more lively as she spoke, "I'm glad! I thought you were mad. After all, it was our fault that you were punished. You could have ignored our grumbles of being hungry, but you sneaked into the kitchen to steal some food for us. You didn't even take a bite and gave all of it to us."
Understanding of the situation dawned on her at the kid's words.
Calista smiled at the kid's adorableness. She patted her head and messed with it.
The kid grumbled at messing with her head, but there's a smile on her lips.
"Let's continue cleaning, or else the headmistress will be mad at us."