Part 1
Hope had trouble sleeping, having nightmares about her time on the streets and the bad man with his giant size and his faceless head. That man was scary. When she woke up, she lay still, enjoying the softness of the bed she had.
"Hope! Breakfast!" Matron called to her.
Hope smiled and scrambled out of bed to find a breakfast waiting for her.
A nice bowl of cereal. "Wow...is that for me?"
"You bet it is Hope." Matron smiled sweetly.
"Yay! Thanks!" Hope said and ran over and climbed onto the chair and began eating. It was Cheeri-O's. After eating the cereal and drinking her juice, Matron took her to the bathroom and helped Hope with teeth brushing.
Once she was done, Hope spit in the sink and washed her toothbrush, leaning onto the sink to do so. She almost slipped and fell but Matron caught her. "Th-thank...thank you."
"Think nothing of it dear."
After this Matron gave her a bath and dressed her in a new dress. Hope walked out of her room. "Ummm...h-h-how do I look?"
Hope shook her head. "Mommy and Daddy never got to teach me."
"So I see. Well, no time like the present."
For the next hour, Matron pulled out books and pencils and taught the child how to read and write. She read storybooks to Hope and then helped Hope say the words, read them and then write them down. Hope learned very quickly. From there, they moved onto math, during Matron bemoaned the fact that she did not have a calculator available and then had to explain what that was to Hope, who laughed at the idea of such a crazy device.
Matron then introduced Hope to the Monopoly Board Game and then Checkers. It took Hope quite some time to get used to both but once she did, she was creating complex strategies out of thin air, even though she had to ask Matron what that word meant. Matron laughed at the child's innocence.
After playing games together, they sat down and watched television.
Justice Lad was on the news and was talking to reporters.
"Matron? Who's that?"
"Why, that's Justice Lad dear. He's a superhero."
"A superhero? But he's a little boy."
"Heroes can come in and all shapes and sizes and ages dear."
Ohhhh....then you're a superhero too Matron! You saved me!"
"That I did dear." Matron said and hugged her.
Over the next few days Matron taught her so many new things, how to make macaroni art, introduced her to cartoons, sang her lullabies, and even picked flowers with her. She still had the cough and the occasional dream of the bad man, but it didn't bother her anymore.
Hope's parents were gone but she had Matron now and that was all she needed.
After a month however, things changed. A rich couple knocked on the door and Matron spoke with them. She called Hope the door.
"Matron!" Hope ran up and hugged her. She turned to the rich couple. "Hello. My name is Hope." She said and curtsied.
"Isn't she adorable darling?" The woman asked.
The man smiled. "Yes. Yes she is."
Then the man said 5 terrifying words. "We'd like to adopt her."
"I see...right this way and we'll fill out the paperwork."
"........Matron?"
A short while later, the rich couple came out of the backroom and shook Matron's hand. "Come on Hope! We'll take you to a new home!"
"B-b-but..." She turned to Matron, tears in her eyes. "MATRON!" She ran up and grabbed the old woman's dress. "Please! Please! I don't wanna go anywhere else! I wanna stay with you!" She pleaded as she cried on her dress.
Matron knelt down and hugged her. "Shhh...shhh..there there dear. This is for the best. They can give you a better life then I can."
"I don't want that! I just wanna stay with you!"
Matron turned her around. "Please Hope, they can give you everything you would ever dream of. I love you like my own daughter but there is more for you out there then in here. I know they will be good to you."
"Y-y..you...you mean it?"
"Oh yes. We will never hurt you Hope."
Hope looked back at Matron who nodded. Hope hugged the old woman one last time and then ran off to be with her new family.
As they started up their limosine, Hope looked out the window and waved goodbye to Matron.
After she left, Matron silently walked into the orphanage and sat down and wept.
"Ummmm...M-M-Miss?" Hope asked.
The woman looked down to her and smiled. "Yes dear?"
"What's your name?"
"Oh, please forgive me. It's Rhamnous. Jezebel Rhamnous."
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