Chapter 2: [REVISED]
1229 Words
[REVISED]
Seri's POV
"Happy 18th birthday, Seri" Mr. Adams greeted me.
I slightly smiled at his thoughtfulness.
"Thank you, Mr. Adams" I said, and he ruffled my hair before smiling at me and walking away.
I ate my food quietly while occasionally checking on the pups if they needed anything.
Then, after breakfast, I helped in cleaning up the dining area.
After a while…
"Seri!"
I turned around and saw Annie.
She pounced on me, and I almost lost my balance as she hugged me.
"Happy 18th birthday, bestie" she said squeezing the life out of me. I chuckled a bit.
"Thank you, Annie" I muttered almost out of breath.
Annie finally let me go and she took something out from her bag.
"Here" she said and gave me a wrapped box. I looked at it then looked at her.
"Annie, you shouldn't have" I said feeling guilty almost immediately.
She always gave me gifts, but I could never return the favor.
Still, she continues to give me gifts on every occasion there is and all I could ever give her in return are petty gifts that I made myself or gifts that I barely bought with the very little money I could acquire from doing errands.
"This is a very special day. Of course, I have to give you a special gift" she said and nudged me with a smile.
"But I won't be able to give you anything back. You know that, right?" I said.
"And so? What about it? Our friendship is more than enough for me. I don’t need or want anything else. You are my best friend and that’s more than enough for me" she said with a smile.
I bit my lower lip still feeling guilty but flattered.
"Come on now. Open it" she urged.
I sighed in defeat and started unwrapping the gift she had gotten for me.
Once I opened the gift, I saw a white cloth.
"Take it out already, Ri. I am so excited for you to try it out" Annie squealed excitedly.
I took the cloth out and unraveled a white dress in the box.
I was speechless.
"Isn't it so pretty?" Annie said.
I nodded as I stared at the dress in awe.
It was the prettiest clothing I've ever owned.
Probably the most expensive one too.
"Annie, I..." I was about to decline her gift because it seemed too much.
"You're welcome" she said and hugged me.
"But--" I was about to argue but she cupped my face, and she shook her head at me.
"No buts. Just accept it. You deserve it" she said.
I bit my lower lip as I teared up.
"Thank you" I said softly and hugged Annie.
Annie hugged me back as she caressed my back gently.
"Happy Birthday, Seri. Thank you for existing" she whispered to me and a tear immediately fell from my eye.
I wiped my tear away and after that, Annie helped me finish what I was doing then she basically dragged me to the garden with her.
Annie and I then sat down on a garden bench, and she started telling me about everything that happened to her for the past few days.
I listened to her attentively.
Annie…
Annie is my best friend. My only friend even.
She's the daughter of the head cook in the orphanage.
I've known her since I got here when I was still a little kid.
I wasn't the most sociable pup in the past and even up until now.
But Annie didn't care about that. Not one bit.
Annie was the first person to approach me so persistently.
I remember it quite vividly.
I remember arriving in the orphanage while feeling extremely terrified.
The memory of what happened to my pack and my parents was so fresh in my mind still.
I didn't talk or approach anyone.
Not the pups my age or even the adults. Literally no one.
A lot of them tried to approach me but I never even acknowledged them. I was wary of everyone.
In fact, I was scared out of my mind.
I stayed in my bed for a long time. I barely ate and never talked to anyone.
Not even Mr. Adams could talk to me.
But then...Annie came.
Annie changed everything.
She saw me in my bed, and she approached me with the biggest and brightest smile.
I remember the first thing she ever said to me.
"Hi there! My name is Annie. Do you want to be my friend?"
I remember looking at her and I saw a clean, bright and playful pup looking back at me with a wide smile on her face.
I didn't talk to her that day, but Annie? Annie kept talking to me.
She told me everything there is to know about her.
Her age. Where she lived. What she liked. Everything.
That day ended with me just listening to everything she was saying but never replying. Not a word.
The next day, she came again.
And then the next next day and the next after that.
Then, the 5th day came.
I remember waking up really early in the morning and searching for the bathroom.
I bathed by myself after so many days of not bathing or grooming myself.
I cleaned up really well and got dressed into a pair of clothes that was provided for me when I first came.
Then, I went back to my bed and after a while…
She came again.
"Hello! How are you?" was what Annie said when she saw me again that day.
She still had that same wide and bright smile on her face. Just like the first day.
And for the first time since I arrived at the orphanage, I talked.
I talked to Annie.
The first thing I said was...
"My name is Seri"
And that's when everything started with Annie.
I started spending most of my time with her.
Everyone in the orphanage was surprised that I opened up to Annie or to anyone at all after everything. It shocked everyone even me.
I never thought I’d ever open up to anyone after what happened to me. I thought I’d keep to myself after everything.
Annie came every single day after her classes in her school, and she always told me about how her day went, the people she met and interacted with.
I would always listen to her, and she would also ask me how my day went.
I'd always tell her the same thing and she'd keep telling me anything and everything to keep our conversations entertaining.
Annie has always been extremely patient with me, and I'll forever be thankful for her for that.
She's one of the few good things to ever happen to me after the incident and I would never want to be apart from her ever.
I don't know what I'll do without her by my side.
"Oh! Has Mr. Adams told everyone else yet?" Annie suddenly asked.
"Told everyone what?" I asked.
"Oof! I guess he hasn't, has he?" she said.
"What? Annie, what is it?" I kept asking her.
Annie leaned forward to whisper in my ear.
"There's a very important person coming tomorrow here" she said giddily.
My brows furrowed in curiosity.
A very important person? Comin here? In the orphanage?
Who could it be?
- Writer
