Chapter 20 Visiting Eastview Orphanage
+8 Pearis
“Ms. Wendy, you all know very well what kind of person Mr. Joshua is. You just don’t want to face it,” said Mrs. Locker with a sigh.
“What?” Wendy was taken aback.
“Ms. Wendy, Mr. Joshua… He used to be…” Mrs. Locker hesitated, her eyes locking with Wendy’s before she continued, “He was an orphan. Mr. Joshua was an orphan.”
Wendy frowned, confused. “We know that.”
“No, Ms. Wendy, you don’t get it! Orphans… they’re not the same as other people. I don’t know much, but they’re different, somehow. When Mr. Joshua first came to the Frasers, he was so timid. If you really want to understand him, I think you should visit the orphanage where he grew up,” Mrs. Locker suggested.
Wendy was stunned to hear that.
“Orphans… are different?” she murmured, trying to wrap her head around it.
Mrs. Locker sighed again. “No one in this house treats Mr. Joshua kindly. Even we, the staff, have come to think he’d be better off leaving. Mr. and Mrs. Fraser… they’ve never really wanted him around.”
With that, Mrs. Locker gave another heavy sigh and started to walk away.
Wendy, frozen in place, stared after her, wide–eyed.
“Orphan… Different…” The words echoed in her mind.
Suddenly, her thoughts shifted, and her heart began to race. A chilling possibility crept into her mind, sending shivers down her spine.
“Mrs. Locker, where is the orphanage Joshua used to live in? I need to go there!” she blurted out, her breath coming faster now.
“Eastview Orphanage. It’s not far,” Mrs. Locker replied quietly.
“I’ll go now!” Wendy said hurriedly as she rushed down the stairs, her eyes welling with tears.
A sense of dread gripped her chest. She felt like she was on the verge of uncovering a ghostly truth–something too horrible to be real.
Could this really be happening?
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Chapter 20 Visiting Eastview Orphanage
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If her suspicions were right, then her family was far more terrifying than she had ever imagined.
Mrs. Locker watched as Wendy bolted downstairs and sighed deeply.
“There’s no one in the Frasers who understands him,” she muttered under her breath. “As for Ms. Wendy… Mr. Joshua, I’m not sure how much help I can be.”
“Wendy, where are you headed?” Maggie and Maddy called out when they saw her rushing out the door.
“I’m just going out for a bit!” Wendy replied quickly, not stopping to explain. She jumped into her sports car and sped off toward Eastview.
The storm had already hit, with strong winds whipping across the road, but it wasn’t enough to slow her down.
Eastview Orphanage wasn’t too far–about an hour’s drive. On the way, Wendy made a quick stop at a supermarket to pick up some supplies, then rushed to the orphanage.
The orphanage was in a remote, rundown area with a faint stench of garbage hanging in the air. People nearby were dumping trash openly.
“Who are you looking for?” asked an old man at the gate.
“I’m here to see the director. I brought some food and gifts,” Wendy answered quickly.
At that, the old man hurriedly opened the gate and let her in.
The director, a middle–aged woman named Rael Zimmer, was warm and kind. Because of the storm, she was busy trying to put the orphans to bed.
When she saw Wendy bringing things over, her face lit up with joy, and she welcomed her enthusiastically.
Wendy handed her an envelope and said, “Ms. Zimmer, this is a donation for the orphanage. Please, I hope you’ll accept it.”
“Thank you so much!” Rael beamed as she took the envelope.
Wendy glanced at a nearby room filled with sleeping children. “Ms. Zimmer, how many orphans live here now?”
“We have over thirty at the moment. Most of them are orphans. Just a few days ago, three
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Chapter 20 Visiting Eastview Orphanage
+8 Pearls
were adopted!” Racl replied with a smile. “Ms. Wendy, may I ask what you do? How did you come to think of donating to our orphanage?”
Wendy met her gaze and explained, “I came to ask you about something. Do you remember Joshua Fraser?”
“Joshua Fraser?” Rael looked surprised.
“Yes, Joshua from four years ago,” Wendy clarified.
“Oh! Yes, I remember him now–Joshua! The skinny little boy!” Rael’s face brightened with recognition. “He was a sweet child, very well–behaved. But wasn’t he reunited with his parents? I remember hearing they found his family.“.
Wendy nodded. “That’s right. I just wanted to ask–what do the orphans usually do here? Do they study?”
“Of course! We have teachers here who help the children learn to read,” Rael said, her eyes flicking toward the children playing nearby. “But we do have a few crybabies who always find a reason to cry!” she added with a chuckle.
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