My 8 E-books written over the years by Alina Udrea - HTML preview

Chapter 2

“Hey, Rose, wake up!”, and Angela touched her forehead to check if she still had a fever. Her forehead was burning hot but Rose hadn't heard her so Angela shook her a bit. Finally, Rose opened her weary eyes just a bit and at first she seemed confused.

“Yeah? What is it, Angela?”, Rose asked half asleep and with an obvious effort.

“Wake up, I have some pills for you and something extra. I got bread and sausages. Come, take the pills and let's dine!”

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Rose's eyes opened wide at hearing what Angela had just said and she seemed confused even more so Angela didn’t say a word when Rose slightly pinched her hand to make sure it was all real and that she wasn't dreaming. Angela helped her get up and gave her the medicine and a glass of water to go with it.

“Now, let's eat! You'll feel a lot better in the morning” and Angela gave her a sweet smile and then she pulled the bread from her bag. When she pulled the sausages too, Rose's pupils dilated once again in wonder and appreciation. “Where is all this coming from, Angela? Because I don't think Miss Eveline gave them to you…”

“Hah, no, you know well enough that the old witch Miss Eveline wouldn’t give us scrap if she didn’t get money from the government for us. So she only feeds us enough to keep us alive and get that money allocated for every child and nothing more. We are literally starving here…so I had to improvise.” Rose took a bite of the fresh bread and a mouthful of sausage and didn’t stop until she was full. Then she had another glass of water and Angela could see that she was a lot better already.

“Then who do I have to thank for this meal beside you, Angela?”

“No worries, Rose. Just get better, ok? I don't want all this spacious and luxurious room for myself…” and both girls started laughing at Angela's comment as the room was anything but that. “Anyway, I never steal from the poor, just from those who can afford it and won't suffer if I take a bit you know…so, really, don't worry about it, ok? And it's almost dawn, get some rest

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again and we can talk more in the morning when you'll be better!”

“Ok, thank you Angela! And one more thing before I go to sleep again…”

“What, Rose?” Angela asked a bit irritated as she wished to be left alone with her wooden box now and try to open it without Rose's prying eyes.

“If I ever had a sister, I imagine she must be like you. What I mean is that you are like a sister to me, nobody has ever been so kind to me besides you in this stinking hole of an orphanage…”

“Hush now and go to sleep. And I am not that good, it's just that I don’t want to be left alone, ok? So don't get sentimental on me, just sleep, Rose…”

“Whatever…”, and Rose fell asleep again with a tiny tear in the corner of her eye.

Angela listened for her heartbeat and her breathing to

make sure she was sound asleep before she dared to get the box out of her bag. This was more than stealing food, this was far worse. And if she got caught, if there was something valuable inside and she got caught, well, she didn’t even want to think about what the city judge would do to her. She placed the box on the small table by the window so the light from the breaking dawn would help her see better. It was the size of small pocket book, but thicker. It was light so it made her wonder if there really was anything inside or it was just an old empty box. But then again, if it was empty, why was it locked? No, there had to be something inside. But what could it be that the baker had hidden in the larder behind some jam

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jars? Or maybe he put it there long ago and forgot about it. Angela looked at the box again and shook it gently. Indeed, something seemed to be inside. She took her hair pin and tried to unlock the tiny lock, but it was all in vain. The lock wouldn’t give in. After numerous failed attempts, she finally managed to break open the lock. She pushed the lid aside and ….money, lots of it. The baker's savings, most probably. A feeling of guilt rushed over her. She didn’t want the baker's savings. He had worked for that money. If he saved it, he surely needed the money for something. Yeah, she didn't have a dime but this was wrong. If it had been a piece of jewelry, the baker and his wife could have lived without it, especially as they kept it in the pantry, but not their savings. The more she thought about it, the more determined she got to take it back, to break into his house again and put the box back where she had found it. Maybe the baker wouldn’t even notice it was missing if she could put it back tonight.

All this effort for nothing! Angela got upset but not

discouraged. At least she would take another plum jar instead. Then she started playing with the little box and running her fingers across the piece of wood. It was such a fine work. Then, she felt a protuberance on the left side of it, like a tiny mechanism or something. She looked closer for a more thorough inspection. It looked like a small button, but it was well hidden in the intricate model of the engravings on the box that she could have missed it. She held her breath in anticipation and slowly pushed the tiny thing. To her utmost surprise, a secret compartment opened and there was a shining golden ring inside! It was in the shape of a snake. She took it

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out to have a closer look. It was dazzling! The most beautiful ring she had ever seen, not that she had seen many anyway but it was magnificent! There were two small rubies that stood for the snake's eyes that made it look almost alive. There was something strange about the ring. She wanted to try it on but she heard Rose mumbling in her sleep and she quickly stashed the ring in her pocket and the wooden box back in the bag. She would try the ring some other time and she would return the box and the money tonight. As for the ring, that was hers. That she wouldn’t return. Not in a million years. Maybe the baker didn’t even know about the ring. The more she thought about it, the more certain she was. So she could keep the beautiful jewel for herself. But she wouldn’t be able to wear it out in the open or Miss Eveline would take it away from her as she knew that the orphanage kids were poor and didn’t have anything that belonged to them. Least to say such an expensive piece of jewellery….