It was a full moon night, chilly and calm. Aurelia was unable to sleep, that day had been particularly grueling. The smell of sweat, dirt, and rotting food that engulfed the room made it worse. She hadn't had food for a few days and had received harsh beatings from the caretaker. She didn't do anything wrong but the caretaker beat her as a way to vent her anger.
She looked at the bright moon out the window and tried to remember her life before the orphanage if she ever had one that is. Whenever she tried hard enough she would remember a fuzzy face looking down at her and calling her name in a sweet note.
"Aurelia, come to me"
This time the voice was not in her head. She caught her breath and wondered if it is a dream, if it was she wouldn't want it to end.
The voice was humming and laughing, it was contagious and made her smile. She felt something warm bloom in her chest.
"Aurelia"
No, this voice was not the same. It had the same kind tone but it was not the same. It was a melodious and hypnotizing sound. She tried to find where the sound had come from. It seemed like it was coming from the moon itself. She laughed out, she must be finally going crazy.
It reminded her of the story she had heard from the lady who lived next door. She heard the lady tell it to her children through the walls but couldn't hear the entire thing cause of the other children. It was a tale of Seraphylis the moon goddess. Everyday Seraphylis would use her divine powers to replenish the earth until they would run out. Once they run out the goddess of life Elyrathis would pour her power and make her full again. She had wished that Seraphylis would give her some of her power too. Then maybe she could escape.
They say that on a full moon day Elyrathis can even talk to people on earth.
The other children said she was already eight years old too old for that sort of nonsense fairytales but listening to that voice made her believe it was true.
"Aurelia comes to my temple on the next full moon."
The voice next hummed her to sleep like a warm blanket.
Aurelia spent the next month in a daze wondering if that night was a dream. She would look blankly at the sky and remember the full moon that was her light of hope. She had asked the lady next door , the date on the full moon.She contemplated going to the temple…..and decided she would go.
Though the journey would take a whole day, the journey was worth it.
The priest was known to be a benevolent man who often donated to the poor despite the lack of funds. She heard he even sold off all of his family heirlooms to help the poor during the war. The people of the slums called him a savior sent from the heavens. She thought maybe she could go and work there as a servant.
She heard people say that they would like to go and work there but quitting booze was hard and not worth the wages they give. She had swore to herself to not drink alcohol ever because the matron whenever she came drunk would beat her up more than usual. Those nights she could never sleep due to the pain. About the wages,as long as they gave her food she didn't care but now the only problem was escaping.She had seen what happened to the older boy who tried to run once. The memory alone made her stomach twist. He was sold off to a bar where he died after two months. All the kids knew that getting sold off is a fate worse than death. They all endured untill someone would adopt them.
All the other children were allowed to go in and out as they pleased but she was a bird in a cage. The caretaker always locked her in when the other children went out to sell stuff.
She made a plan she would escape through the window at night by tying sheets since it was only on the first floor, it wouldn't be much of a fall.
The whole month she spent swiping coins here and there. Every coin she stole felt like she was inching closer to her getting sold off which would surely happen when someone found out. No one had noticed it but she had collected about twenty Lyrins which she hid under a floorboard. She went through her plan over and over again. She would escape and be free.
She would escape at night two days before full moon and take a carriage as far as twenty Lyrins would take her which would not be much. Then she would climb her way up the hill and ask the temple for shelter. If the temple refused her, then she would have no way to survive the winter.
But, she hoped that would never happen. She went through the plan over and over in her tiny head. The night of the escape finally came and she couldn't sleep with anxiety. No one noticed anything off about her which she considered was a good sign.
She waited until everyone was asleep and she could hear the matron's loud snore. She checked if everyone slept again and quietly threw the makeshift rope out the window. She counted and put the coins in a bag and stuffed it in her clothes. Looking down made her tremble in fear but she thought that if she hesitated now her life would never change. Even if that night was a hallucination, it was the push she needed to escape.
She then took a leap of faith and climbed down. The streets were unusually calm that night. It felt as if the entire world had paved her way. She held on to her sack of coins tight and ran to the main street. She covered her face with a cloth because she knew that something was unusual about the way she looked. Everyone always weirdly stared at her. She wondered what she would do if her plan fails because she is ugly. She was finally free. She looked around in wonder as she ran at the weird sights unfolded before her. The matron always told her she would be killed by others if she went outside. But,here she was alive and breathless.
She ran to the nearby carriage and tugged at a driver's coat . The driver looked at her, she was short and frail. Her tiny frame was covered with a hood that hid most of her face and hair.
"Is the carriage available right now," she asked softly but with clear confidence.
The driver asked her," Where are your parents?"
"I don't have any.", she said as if it meant nothing to her.
"Well, is there any adult with you or someone."
"I can pay my charge and I can pay more later if needed so please take me to the temple without any questions. " He could feel the desperation in her voice.
"Alright get in."
Aurelia stepped into the carriage. It was a familiar nauseating scent of cigars and cheap perfume. The carriage started with a sudden jerk that made her fall back. The carriage was small but for a child like her it was the size of an entire house. It was her first time being alone and it felt nice. The seats felt like clouds and made her sleepy. She quietly got swept into a quite slumber.