7A young girl sat on the battlements overlooking the vast ocean ahead of her. She appeared to be no older than six with dark brown hair down to her shoulders. A pair of blue-green eyes as well, usually stunning, but now strewn with tears. Next to her was a boy, identical in features, their only difference was hair length and attire.
"James," the girl said with great fear in her small voice, "I don't want to go to an orphanage."
"Neither do I Ashleigh," James replied. Their mother had just recently perished and they were left with no one.
"When we're of age we can leave right," she inquired.
"I don't know Ash," James mumbled.
"We could find—," Ashleigh struggled to say, "Our father."
"You heard mum, he left, his face stripped of all the honors behind it," the boy said strongly, "In a sense, the man who is our father is dead."
"I disbelieve that," Ashleigh mumbled to herself. The only knowledge she had of her father was his last name, being it was hers as well.
"One day I'll find you." They were then taken from their perch to attend the funeral. It was long, hot and full of sobbing nobles, the last place the children wished to be in their state. James held his sister's hand as the mass of people dispersed from the cemetery.
Andrea Louise Norrington
Aged Thirty
"Come you two," a raspy voice bellowed, it belonged to the keeper of the orphanage. James walked to the man but Ashleigh remained. She didn't respond the second time to the man's voice and contemplated running. Her thoughts were abruptly stopped as the man lifted her off the ground.
"Mum, no," Ashleigh screamed, "I won't leave you!" With all her might she grabbed a branch of a nearby tree, only to be shaken free and tossed into a carriage.
Ten Years Later
…Sixteen year old Ashleigh Norrington awoke from her short and disrupted sleep. She rubbed her eyes, as they were still puffy from the previous night. It was common for her to cry herself to sleep on many occasions.
"Did miss Ashy cry herself to sleepy again," a large girl said pushing Ashleigh out of her bed.
"What's it to you," Ashleigh snapped back. She pushed herself to her feet and faced the girl before her. Compared to Bertha, Ashleigh was tall and thin, not built to fight.
"Baby," Bertha snarled spitting up in Ashleigh's face. Right then Ashleigh snapped, she punched Bertha in the face and pinned her to the ground, leaving Bertha's oversized sausage legs flailing along with her monstrous arms.
"What did you say," Ashleigh shout pushing her hair out of her face.
"She's attacking me," Bertha shout trying to break Ashleigh's remarkably strong grasp. By now the other girls, young and old, were either crowded around the scuffle or getting the headmistress.
"What's this," a beak nosed, extremely skinny, overbearingly tall woman bellowed as she entered the brawl.
"Miss Norrington, please get off of Bertha." Ashleigh spat on Bertha's face and stood before the headmistress.
"Now come with me." Ashleigh did not attempt to resist the grasp of the headmistress as she was lead to where those misbehaved were held.
"Your brother is here as well, what a shock," she bellowed as she opened a door. Ashleigh grinned with her teeth as the woman left her in the room with her twin brother.
"I'm shocked you've actually made it here sis," sixteen year old James exclaimed standing from his position. His long hair was tied with a ribbon and his blue-green eyes stood out from his tan face.
"I pinned Bertha to the floor and spat on her," Ashleigh replied.
"Nice," her brother shout giving her a high-five.
"It seems as we've really done ourselves in," Ashleigh stated looking out the window to the bustling town, "You tried to escape again didn't you?"
"Yep."
"How about we try that again, tonight."
"Ashleigh Elizabeth," James scolded looking oddly at his sister.
"We need to get out of here." James gave her a crooked smile and they began drawing out their plan. After they were fed their meager scraps of dinner they tied the blankets they were allotted together and climbed down the window. Sneaking through town they crept through the docks and boarded a small ship. It was set to sail tomorrow, their ticket out.