Chapter 57: 'Chicago'
Arora walked down the stairs of the orphanage that she had called home for her entire life, her fingers trailing along the smooth, worn handrails as she clutched her meager luggage in her other hand.
She still couldn't believe this was real.
She couldn't believe it was finally over.
At long last, she would be leaving this place.
She had already said her goodbyes to the few kids who actually cared enough about her existence to be happy for her. The rest of them had been forced to begrudgingly send her off with a farewell, as they always did whenever someone was adopted.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward Mr. Rogers, who sat behind the reception desk reading an outdated 'Chicago' newspaper while trying his best not to make eye contact with her
She glanced away, contemplating whether she should just leave quietly, as she had when Ms. Ann watched her pack. Eventually, she decided against it. She remembered all the times Mr. Rogers had actually stepped up to help her whenever Beth or the others went too far. He never truly punished them enough for their actions, but he always protected Arora when he could, for what it was worth.
She turned to him and bowed deeply.
"G-goodbye, Mr. Rogers. Thank you for everything," she said before straightening up to adjust her glasses and walking toward the door.
"...Goodbye, Arora," Mr. Rogers muttered, almost imperceptibly.
She stopped momentarily when she heard it, then smiled as she continued walking.
She pushed the door open, remembering all the times Mr. Rogers had stopped her from escaping the orphanage whenever she'd had a breakdown because of Beth.
'Finally, I'm free.'
She squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply, taking in the cold, icy air around her. She held back tears as she decided there was no need for crying anymore.
She reopened her eyes as her gaze landed on Mr. Raymond waiting for her by the car.
She smiled brightly as she ran over to him with her luggage.
"Seems you're ready, Arora," he said with a slight smile.
Arora nodded excitedly.
"Yes, I am. I want to meet my new parents now," she said, steeling her resolve.
"Gut, then let's go meet them," he said as he opened the back door of his Hyundai Tucson SUV.
Arora climbed in with her luggage as Mr. Raymond shut the door behind her.
She looked toward the orphanage one last time.
She noticed the other kids at various windows. Some stared at her in joy, others in contempt.
Finally, she spotted Ms. Ann in the window of the common room that Arora always gazed out from.
Instead of the hatred, contempt, or the countless other negative emotions she had expected to see on her face. All she saw... Was an expression of pity.
Arora's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sight.
Soon enough, Mr. Raymond entered the front of the vehicle and slowly drove out of the orphanage's gates.
Arora remained silent as they drove past the strangely designed buildings in the neighborhood.
Her thoughts were spiraling. She couldn't seem to get the image of Ms. Ann's solemn expression out of her mind.
'what did it mean?'
'why would she be sad, of all things?'
'why does she hate the fact that I'm being adopted so much'
Her hands trembled slightly as a feeling of trepidation began to settle in her heart. Her breathing became noticeably ragged as they drove through the cleanly designed streets of Chicago.
She remembered the words that were spoken in that office again. Words she didn't understand.
Mr. Raymond's brows furrowed as he noticed Arora's frightful state in his rearview mirror.
"Arora, what's wrong?" he asked worriedly.
Arora looked over to him with uncertainty.
"I... I'm not sure, Mr. Raymond. I'm really not sure," she said nervously.
Mr. Raymond watched her silently through his mirror for a few moments.
"It's all right, dear girl. You're probably just nervous about meeting your new family for the first time. Remember the breathing exercises I taught you. Don't focus on what you're feeling, instead, focus on your surroundings. Take slow and steady breaths."
Arora nodded slowly as she heeded his advice.
She turned her gaze outside the window as her chest rose and fell slowly.
She saw what she had always seen from the orphanage's window, only this time it was up close.
Men and women roamed the streets, dressed in clothing that didn't belong to this era. Men in old-fashioned suits, women in long, frivolous gowns that kissed the floor, strange human-looking creatures that ran across the road with spears and clubs.
Then she turned her gaze to the street, to the special lane that had been placed in the middle of the road, where she saw men on horseback riding along it with glee.
The strangeness of it all slowly calmed her beating heart, as her trepidation was gradually replaced with curiosity.
She continued glancing around as she saw giant signboards created by the government of Chicago, boldly declaring:
'EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN TIME'
After about ten minutes, they finally reached the exit point of the city of Chicago.
It was a tall gate, easily the size of a four-story apartment building. The most interesting part, though, was that it was flanked by two towering pyramids on either side.
This was the only way in and out of the city of 'Chicago' due to the fact that the entire city was surrounded by a giant, almost always imperceptible dome.
Arora was awestruck as she saw all this. This was the first time she could remember passing through this point.
They reached the gates as two intimidating guards with strange guns walked up to the vehicle.
Mr. Raymond said nothing as he pulled out an ID card reading "GE." The guards simply ran it through a scanner before nodding and walking away. A few moments later, the enormous gates slid open slowly, and Mr. Raymond drove forward.
Arora's eyes widened as they drove beyond the gates and the glass dome surrounding 'Chicago.' Around them lay nothing but an endless, desert-like expanse.