***Everyone woke up and passed by me, glancing in my direction. I was standing in front of the wall, my final punishment. I was tired, hungry, expecting a sarcastic comment from someone like, "Wow, the new wall statue is amazing!"… but nothing. Just silence. They all left for the dining room, while I stayed with the wall…
My eyes kept meeting Filip's each time. He started smiling at me... Kindly! Filip?! That was so unlike him, so I felt a bit of warmth. Then, a hand touched mine... Szymon! He handed me a raisin while pretending to tie his shoelaces. Spy movie move! Then he walked away. I had been there since early morning. Magda was determined to make me grow up in "educational isolation." I was tired, and it felt like my head turned into an empty balloon. The sounds started to fade, and then—BOOM! My nose started bleeding! I touched it... it felt like red rain. I wiped it on my sleeve, and then I saw Magda coming out of her office. I followed her with my eyes and suddenly spotted Filip again. He was mouthing something. I focused hard... "Fall... fall..." then he said: "Come on, faint... faint."
Now I got what he meant.
So I fell... full drama... Filip screamed and ran to me, the kids rushed over, and the whole place went into emergency mode. Filip carried me heroically, while I kept playing my part.
Magda stopped him and said:
– You! Who gave you permission to do that?
The kids got scared and returned to their spots, but Filip kept walking toward the room.
Magda shouted again:
– Filip! What do you think you're doing?
He replied sharply:
– She's in bad shape. Her nose is bleeding. Maybe she...
The kids behind him chanted like a choir:
– Did she die?
– She fainted, didn't she?
Filip carried me to the bed and whispered:
– Well done, girl.
I opened my eyes and said:
– Thank you, Filip.
And then—miracle! Magda told Zuzanna to bring me some bread and jam! Jam! This was a historical victory! Zuzanna rushed to me,
while Filip walked away, giving me a gentle pat on the head.
Zuzanna said to him:
– Thank you, Filip.
He looked at her and smiled, saying:
– This girl is amazing.
My face turned red, and Zuzanna said to me too:
– I've never met anyone like you.
Oh my God, I almost flew from pride… but I acted cool, like any elegant heroine would.
I just wished Szymon had heard that… so he'd get jealous!
I slept all day, and every now and then someone would check on me: Lina, Zuzanna… and I'd reply half-asleep:
– I'm fine… let me sleep more.
Around midnight, I woke up. I was practically crawling toward the dining room. I didn't find anything to eat, so I went back disappointed. I approached the boys' room and called:
– Szymon?
He came out like he had been waiting for me:
– Finally! There you are.
We went back to the dining room, and suddenly he pulled out a sandwich. I took it without a word—I was starving.
He told me that some people had passed by earlier, carrying a lot of luggage. The cars were modern, four-wheel drives, and they looked ready for a long trip. Then, after a brief pause, he said:
– But the important thing is what happened between Mir and Magda… They had a huge fight.
He told me that Madame Mir had taken the orphanage children's files without Magda's permission, claiming it was for a municipal census. But Magda got furious and told her that her responsibility was to manage the orphanage, nothing more.
Mir walked out, furious, clearly humiliated—especially since it happened in front of all of us.
He laughed and said:
– You should've seen her face!
Then he suddenly went quiet and asked:
– Why do you seem uninterested?
He paused, then added:
– You know what? I'll admit it… I was bored without you.
Szymon didn't give me a chance to breathe. He didn't care for silence.
I thought: I should've stayed asleep… Oh, my head!
***The next day was quieter than usual.
No yelling, no arguments, no one running in the hallways. Everything seemed... fine. I felt better, and strangely, everyone noticed me; many asked about my health—even Igor himself came up, said it was good that I was okay, and apologized. He added that he wanted to fix things between us. I simply replied that I needed time to think and looked at him from above... because he deserved that look.
During breakfast, there was a soft knock at the door. Mir went to open it and returned leading an elegant woman, her presence speaking before her words. She asked about Madame Magda, who had left early that morning, then swept us with a mysterious gaze that couldn't be deciphered. The office was closed, so Mir led her to the small classroom. As usual, Szymon glued himself to the door, his ear preceding his body. We could barely catch the words, so I murmured: — "Why are they speaking in whispers?" Then added: — "They don't even know each other, so what's with the secrecy?" Mir looked uneasy, then called the girls: Zuzanna, Lina, and Mania, and asked them to introduce themselves as if they were ladies from high society.
While we were trying to catch what little we could from the whispers behind the door... the orphanage door suddenly burst open. Madame Magda entered, her face taut with anger from something we didn't yet know, her gaze sharp, and her steps cutting through the ground with speed and resolve. She saw the gathered children, worry etched on their faces, tension filling the room. Filip rushed toward her and whispered something in her ear, as if searching for an answer in her eyes. Her expression changed instantly, and she ran to the classroom. She opened the door with blazing eyes but entered slowly... the slow pace of someone reliving a scene from the past.
She asked the girls to leave, in a voice that brooked no argument. Then she asked the woman for permission to go to the office. She stopped Mir from entering and held her outside. There, the conversation took place:
— Magda (firmly): "I'm not ready to repeat this scene every time. There are things that don't concern you."
— Mir (calmly): "I know, but it was necessary to receive her. She's the wife of the largest textile factory owner in Rydzyna... and this could be a chance to support us and the girls... Their dreams are worth it."
Magda was silent for a moment, then said, holding herself together with difficulty: "Alright... prepare her a cup of coffee." Then she went into the office.
Mir quickly climbed to her room, followed by Filip with questioning eyes. He gestured for us to approach the office door...
In the hall, Mania was angry, clutching her notebook and saying: — "I wasn't given time to show my talent."
— "There will be other chances," replied Zuzanna, then gathered the children with Lina to calm things down.
Shortly after, Mir returned carrying the coffee and entered the office with it. But the woman came out quickly, without being accompanied by Magda, as if she had been silently dismissed. Mir ran after her, walking her to the door.
Suddenly, Mania approached them gently and said with hopeful warmth: — "Ma'am, could you wait a moment?"
She was holding simple drawings in her hands. The woman looked at her with a cold stare, as if she didn't see her at all, then said with disdain: — "You're not talented." And she left.
Mania froze in place, torn between disappointment and wounded pride. Zuzanna approached and hugged her silently.
Later, we gathered trying to understand what had happened, and what went on between Magda and that visitor.
Filip said he heard something from Mir's phone call. She simply said: — "It didn't go through." Then she began apologizing nervously.
Even Magda told the woman that the girls were still too young to work, to which the woman replied: — "They're nearly adults and can start working and specializing in what they want." Magda said: — "And are you sure of what you're saying? Will you register their names in any official list or labor office?"
The woman responded, nervously: — "Since they're young, we'll register them as trainees while continuing their training... and that way we've fulfilled your request."
Magda said: — "Yes, as you said, they're too young to start working life."
The woman replied directly: — "So, you're refusing?"
Magda (defiantly): — "By the way, how did you know about the three girls and that I recommended them for training? I didn't send anything to your factory, and it's strange that the factory owner's wife would come here personally."
The woman grew tense, looked at her watch, then said she was late for something important and that she would be in touch later.
Yes... things don't seem connected. We just hope there's nothing more dangerous behind it all.
***While we were talking, the phone rang again and again in the office, its sharp sound piercing the silence. But Magda didn't move. She didn't answer, didn't make a sound. It was strange… and rare too.
Mir hurried to the office and knocked on the door cautiously:
— "Madame Magda… is everything okay?"
But there was no reply.
Then… suddenly, the ringing stopped.
Filip said:
— "I think Magda unplugged the cord..."
We felt puzzled. Who was calling? Why didn't she answer? What is Magda afraid of? And why is she hiding behind this artificial calm?
At night, everything seemed quiet… too quiet.
In the heart of darkness, hours of tense silence passed, until time itself seemed to freeze at an unknown moment.
Then suddenly… a violent noise outside.
Followed by a knock.
A single knock on the door...