As Secela rode, she thought through all that had happened to get to this point. Not just her and Ina’s attempted escape, but their childhood before that.
As a baby, Secela, like most orphans, had been left on the orphanage doorstep with a letter (as well as a paper detailing where she had come from and who her relatives were). From what she remembered the orphanage telling her, it said:
“This girl’s name is Secela. Please accept her into your care. She is exactly 2 weeks old. Her mother died in childbirth, and her father died in combat as a soldier. She has living relatives, but unfortunately none of them can take her into their care at this time; although it is possible that they will in the future.
Best wishes….”
And that was all Secela knew. Of course, the orphanage knew who had sent the letter, but Secela knew that they had their reasons for not telling her. There were so many questions that Secela wanted to have answered. But it seemed to her that would never happen. She hated that feeling, that feeling of being left out. The orphanage knew who her family was! Secela knew they had their reasons for not telling her, but that didn’t make it any less frustrating. Maybe once she had saved Ina, Secela could track down her family.
As a younger child, Secela had never been one to make many friends. The reason for this was mainly because she didn’t want her heart to be broken when her friends were adopted instead of herself, and they had to move away to a new home. Secela supposed that she had only become friends with Ina because both of them had spent the same amount of time in the orphanage without getting adopted. Secela remembered watching Ina on several adoption days, seeing her never getting chosen. She also recalled finally deciding to sit down next to Ina in the dining hall and introducing herself. After that, they became friends and did everything together. They ate together, did lessons together, did chores together, and talked together. They never seemed to part from one another.
Secela felt a lump grow in her throat as she recalled those memories, and a few tears slipped down her cheeks. She missed Ina–more than she could say in words. But she also knew that, hopefully, she would see her again in just a few hours.
Secela looked at the sky to see the time. The sun was starting to set.
No matter, Secela thought, seeing a nice tree she could sleep under for the night. She tied Shisalina to one of its low-hanging branches, ate some of the bread and cheese that she had packed, and went to sleep for the night.
Pen & Whiskers Press 