Dark Friends Read Online Free PDF Page A

needed to stage everything before it could be unwrapped and served. A truckload of foodstuffs had come in that morning and Amelia had received it, knowing that Counselor Nancy would be around, inspecting the operation.
    As the eighteen other orphan kitchens orphans woke up and prepared for their day, Counselor Nancy entered, causing an immediate and total silence. She was a middle-aged woman with jet-black hair tied in a perfect bun. Though not particularly large, she emitted an aura of authority and rationality that could not be denied.
                  “Amelia, come here.” Nancy snapped, not bothering to address the other kids.
                  “Yes ma’am?” Amelia said as she made her way towards the counselor.
                  “A shipment came in this morning. Did you check the paperwork?”
                  “Yes.”
                  “Was everything accounted for and logged?”
                  “Yes ma’am”
    “Good work. Carry on.” Nancy said as she turned to leave. She smiled to herself as she climbed the stairs back to the ground floor. She had never met a child like Amelia. The girl had figured out the entire kitchen system in her first week on the job, and then she had learned all the other jobs less than a month later. Once, she even dared to correct a manifesto that Nancy had left in the kitchens. The girl had somehow figured out the amount of food per pallet delivered, the price for each kind of food, and exactly how much food they could purchase while staying within the monthly budget. Amelia had been extremely timid when Nancy had forced the information out of her, of course, but now Nancy felt a genuine respect for the young girl. Amelia was becoming a reliable leader of the kitchen..
    Amelia smiled as Counselor Nancy left. Though she could not allow herself to voice the truth, she had become far more than a kitchen orphan. She was creating a new position, one that bridged the gap between the adults and children.
    “When you’re done daydreaming, why don’t you help me with these boxes?” Neena asked, showing Amelia the emptied food boxes and the reams of plastic that had protected them.              
    “Let’s get it over with, then.” As the two girls dragged the small mountains of trash outside, a flash of light suddenly exploded in Amelia’s eyes, momentarily stunning her. She stood transfixed for a moment, staring at nothing.
    “Hey! Are you OK?” Neena asked, looking at Amelia with concern.
    “Yea, I’m fine” Amelia replied. Neena shrugged and Amelia watched her begin to ascend the rocky slope, then she lost her balance and stumbled, skinning her knee. Unlike a typical ten year old girl, Neena didn’t scream or show the slightest pain on her face, and Amelia knew better than to coddle her. She was familiar with pain.
    When they reached the top, Amelia tried to explain to Neena what she saw when the light had blinded her. She had seen a line. She quickly explained, how, she could use some of the large, thick white strings that were occasionally used to wrap the food in to help them move trash up the hill. She could run the line through the gate, then back down to the door and transport trash bags mechanically. All they would need would be one orphan at the top of the slope to unclip the bags from the line, and some orphans to pull the line at the bottom. In truth, they would only need the orphan at the top of the slope during the busy meal hours. The counselors wouldn’t object because the system would be quick and efficient, needing only one orphan to be outside at a time. After her detailed explanation, Neena stared hard at her, saying nothing.
    “Amelia, what in fool's name are you talking about?”
    “Nothing” Amelia said.
                  It was such a simple, yet necessary implementation that it saddened Amelia that no one else had ever thought of it. But the truth was,