Dedicated to Mac Withers
I love you and miss you
____________

Ever since she had arrived at Wool's Orphanage, Anna had been having strange dreams, and more, those seven stones were weirder than ever before. She'd asked Jack about them, and he'd said they'd been there since he arrived; the Orphanage staff had tried to get rid of them. But whenever they set out to do it, they always remembered something else they had to do or couldn't remember where the room was.

Anna awoke on Monday morning; she'd had another one of those dreams that night, that same boy with long black hair. This time he had three other boys with him—one with his nose stuck in a book and one with big round glasses on, an arrogant expression on his face.

Anna didn't know who they were, but she felt like she knew them, or at least the boy with long black hair. But after all, they were just dreams, and dreams did weird things to people. As Anna woke up, she looked around her small bedroom; the stones were scattered throughout the room now. One still on the windowsill, one on the charred wardrobe, one in her bed, three under her pillow, and one in her lamp. Anna had come to find them as a sort of pet, Anna didn't know what it was like to have a pet, but she thought this might be similar.

She had fallen into quite the routine; she would wake up at 6 AM, get dressed, spend a while in her room or seek out Jack for a chat. Then, once it was 9, she and Jack would go down to the breakfast hall, eat their food (if you could call it food—all they got served for breakfast was cold, slimy oatmeal). Then they would walk to school. After eight hours of torturous work (the school they went to had a lot of homework, as well as corporal punishment), they walked back to the orphanage, going to dinner (overcooked beans and soggy potatoes). Then, after a lecture from the staff at the school, they finally retired to bed.

On this particular morning, Anna had woken up late, really late. As she sleepily looked at her alarm clock, she jolted awake, realizing it was already 8:59 AM. She dressed as fast as possible, but it was no use; it was 9:06 by the time she left her room. She rushed to the breakfast hall. Waiting there for her was one of the staff, Madam Blackwell. All thoughts of slipping in unnoticed vanished; this lady was the sternest at Wool's Orphanage, giving punishments out like candy. In the week Anna had been there, she had already been spanked five times and even locked in the cold attic for five hours. She cowered under Madam Blackwell's stern gaze, looking at the floor.

"Good morning, Madam Blackwell," she said, gaze still locked on her shoes. Amelia Blackwell's cold eyes bore into Anna as she timidly approached. "First offense, Smith," Blackwell sneered, her tone laced with cruelty. "I don't tolerate tardiness. Follow me." With an air of authority, Blackwell strode towards her office, expecting the frightened Anna to trail behind, the weight of impending punishment hanging heavily in the air.

When Anna arrived at Blackwell's office, a cold room in the lower areas of the orphanage, one wall lined with bookshelves, the other with various punishments, a metal table sat next to the wall ready for its next victim, and a wooden desk sat opposite the door; this was a room orphans before her had knelt at the hands of power.

Inside the dimly lit office, Blackwell gestured for Anna to stand in the center, a solitary chair placed ominously in front of her desk. "You've disrupted the order," Blackwell remarked coldly. "We can't have undisciplined children in this institution."

Anna stood silent, eyes fixed on the floor, shoulders hunched. Blackwell circled her, emphasizing the need for a lesson. "A lesson is in order, Smith. You'll understand the consequences of your actions."

Without a word, Blackwell retrieved a thin metal cane from a shelf, the mere sound of it slicing through the air sending shivers down Anna's spine. The harsh reality of Blackwell's discipline unfolded.

Blackwell addressed her until it was time for school, and Anna, getting up from where she had been forced to curl in pain and slightly bruised, timidly asked, "Madam Blackwell, may I please have something to eat before school? I'll make sure to be on time tomorrow."

Blackwell's expression remained stern. "Your tardiness has earned consequences, Smith. Back on your knees." Anna relented back onto the cold, stone floor as Blackwell continued for another thirty minutes, then Anna, skin now raw and bleeding, stood timidly. Blackwell circled her, again addressing the issue. Madam Blackwell, with a sense of authority, stated, "No breakfast for a week, and the lesson continues. Here every day at 7 AM sharp, until next Monday. Perhaps that will sharpen your sense of time and discipline."

Facing the prospect of both physical discomfort and an empty stomach for the week ahead, Anna nodded silently, acknowledging the harsh lessons intended to be imparted by Madam Blackwell.

Her "lessons" continued the next day; she had woken up early again today. So putting on her clothes (a plain grey shirt and grey jeans, by no means stylish), she went downstairs to fulfill that day's punishments. Anna, resigned to her fate, entered Madam Blackwell's office. The atmosphere was thick with tension as Blackwell eyed her sternly.

"Late again, Smith?" Blackwell's voice held displeasure. "Seems learning punctuality isn't your strong suit."

Anna, eyes cast down, mumbled, "I'm sorry, Madam Blackwell."

A subtle smile appeared on Blackwell's face. "Today, let's try something different." She revealed a leather strap, a glint in her eyes. "Perhaps this will be more effective."

As the disciplinary action commenced, Anna let out a gasp. Blackwell remarked, "A bit more challenging, isn't it, Smith? A lesson in order."

Struggling, Anna spoke up, "Madam, please..."

Blackwell chuckled, "But each word you utter earns you an extra 15 minutes." The room echoed with the sounds of the leather strap, marking the exchange between instructor and student.

As the week of pain went on, she found herself with less and less time to talk to Jack. Finally, Sunday arrived, and with it, Anna's last day of hunger as well as pain.

On the final day, an air of hushed anticipation filled Madam Blackwell's office as Anna, visibly fatigued, entered. The room bore the heavy weight of the challenging week.

Blackwell, with a measured sternness, revealed her choice – a whip with weighted tips, a symbol of discipline reflecting the week's lessons. "Sunday's selection, Smith," she declared, maintaining a serious tone. "Let's gauge your resilience."

As the braided whip cracked through the air, Anna expressed discomfort, and tears welled in her eyes as she pleaded, "Madam, please, no more." The disciplinary measures continued, the weight of each strike taking it's toll on her, and Despite Anna's plea, the discipline persisted for an additional hour, marking the culmination of the demanding week. The room retained a lingering sense of struggle, and the echoes of the punishment lingered, concluding a challenging week for Anna.

This was going to be a long few years...

If your reading this that means you read my chapter so...

Thank you!!