Chapter One

×××: I don't understand, what did I do wrong? Please answer me, I'm scared. what did I do!?... I'm sorry, I won't do it again I promise. I've learned from my mistakes, please don't hurt me!!... I won't do it again!... Please listen to me!!...I hate bad people! I hate you all! You people are all bad!!! I HATE YOU!!!!

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Bronson can be seen laying back on the ground in a large field with his hands and legs spread apart, almost like he had a hard fall to the back. He seems to have a bruise on his forehead from a ball laying right next to him, but he looks unfazed by the situation. Laughter can be heard from a distance, it's getting closer.

A group of kids, looking about the same age as Bronson, get closer to the scene with mischievous grins on their faces. Bronson ignores their presence and keeps staring at the sky like they were never there to begin with.

Chuck: Oh I'm sorry bronze, we didn't see you there with all the lack of sunlight over here. It's almost like you became one with the darkness (he lets out a sly chuckle).

Boy: Are you sure he isn't a vampire, I mean only vampires stay away from sunlight.

Girl: Yeah! And look at him, so pale looking with black hair and dead like eyes, they're even bright red, all that's left are fangs.

Chuck: Hey now, we shouldn't be mean remember, besides you never know when he'll get cranky and bite our necks off (he grins).

Girl: No wonder he never gets adopted.

They all let out a burst of laughter after that. Bronson still kept the same expression through the whole ordeal. He gets up after a while but stagers a bit. The others chuckle at his weak state only to lock eyes with him. He gives them a dead stare, enough to leave a chill down their spine.

Chuck: W-what are you looking at you freak!? (he steps back a bit)

Bronson: I have a name you know, (he gets closer) and it's not bronze, you of all people know that. So if you don't want to get stuck in this orphanage with me Chucky...(he backs him up against a tree) you better watch back pal.

Chuck is trembling in fear from Bronson's current demeanor, and he doesn't seem to be backing down. Chuck's pals grab Bronson by the arms and pin him to a tree, far enough for Chuck to have some breathing space. It took a while before he could recollect himself in order to look fearless in front of the others. They ask him if he's okay in which he gives them a positive reply before approaching Bronson. He grabs his hair hard enough to make him wince in pain, reminding him of how stupid he must have been to think he could belittle him. He goes on and on about his current situation of not being able to get adopted by anyone that came over. Deep down Bronson knew he wasn't the reason he wasn't getting adopted but that the other kids have stopped at nothing to make sure he never leaves. He doesn't want to look like he cares, not now, not ever in his life, because he gave up that feeling years ago.

Chuck was about to give him a hard blow to the face when one of the nannies at the facility called for them to gather around. Everyone knew what that meant, a couple came over for an adoption. They all ran inside leaving Bronson behind. Indifferent about the situation, he stood there for a while to take in the nice afternoon breeze before heading inside himself.

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By the time he got in, everyone was already assembles in line, ready to receive the couple. A nanny, who goes by the name Maybelle, noticed his late presence, not only that, but also the bruise that was inflicted on his forehead along with some other bruises here and there. She rushed over to him to inquire how it happened. On hearing this Chuck and his gang flinched in fear because they knew what would happen if they were told on for misconducts. Bronson noticed this and let out a little smirk before letting her know he got hit by a ball. That answer struck the trio like a stab to the chest. Miss Maybelle wasn't quite amused with that answer and asked him who did it, this time with Chuck getting a quick glimpse of them, quick enough for him to notice the smug look on Bronson's face. He swore to himself that if he as much as said his name to her, he would make his life a living hell in the facility. The others only mumbled to themselves on if they were going to get in trouble soon.

The suspense was enough to reveal the level of awkwardness in the room, but Bronson is not the one to waste time, so he lied that he didn't see who did it because they left as soon as they were called inside. She consoles him on the matter and helps treat his wounds while the trio heaved a sigh of relief. "Why did you lie?" a voice echoed in his head causing him to wince in pain a little. This made Miss Maybelle think it was the wounds that hurt while tending to them. He said he just had a headache and needed to rest to ease the pain. She was a little hesitant at first but then agreed to his request. Just as she was about to escort him to his room the couple that came for adoption stepped into the hall. Bronson wasn't too amused at the situation were as Chuck was glad they would get to see his sorry state before he got the chance to leave.

Everyone gave the couple a warm welcome with greetings echoing around the hall as they walked in. They were amazed by such a welcome that they couldn't help but smile. They got close enough to see the children with their warm smiles, well, all except one person. Bronson just kept the same indifferent expression like no one cared. The other children could only help but whisper at his demeanor. Miss Maybelle wanted to intervene but the Dean, referred to as Madam Ross or as the children call her, Grandmother, hushed her actions. The lady moved to Bronson and introduced herself as well as asking about his well-being. Bronson wasn't interested in the interaction and just went ahead with straight forward answers without batting an eyelid, almost like he could read her mind.

Lady: I see we have a sharp one here 😅.

Man: Yh, so sharp it's almost scary 😶.

Lady: Hush now, you'll make him feel bad 😤

Man: Sorry dear 😓

Lady: It's okay now, he's always that way when he's nervous, he didn't mean to be rude.

Bronson: It's okay, besides I don't mind being referred to as scary, I think it makes me unique 😁 Hope you don't mind a scary child though. I can get really rough around the place if you can tell by the bandages and scars, but if you don't mind cleaning the place more than you usually do once in a while then I'm fine with it. (he grinned from ear to ear with a mischievous look on his face)

Miss Maybelle put a hand to her head, Madam Ross was not surprised and silently chuckled, while the others were all left shocked by what he said. The Lady felt baffled, out of words to say and just proceeded to get up from her current position. She thought to herself if she had said something wrong or her husband did. Miss Maybelle jumped in immediately, stating that he wasn't feeling quite well as he got a ball to the head while playing and was about to get some rest before they got in. That explained a lot, so they were fine with him getting some rest so he could feel better. Miss Maybelle excused themselves out of the hall while leaving with Bronson. Madam Ross proceeded to entertaining the guests while they pick out the child of their choice which they immediately agreed to as to calm their nervousness which was elevated by Bronson's sudden behavior.

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When they got in the room, Miss Maybelle asked him about his behavior back in the hall which he didn't give an answer to. She told him that if he kept acting in such a way towards the guests he would never get adopted. This stopped him in his thoughts. She saw that she had touched a point that got his attention and proceeded to delve deeper on the matter.

Miss Maybelle: Don't you...want to get adopted?

There was a brief silence in the air before he finally let out an answer.

Bronson: Why bother getting adopted when you'll just be abandoned again in the end.

This struck her heart. He looked emotionless when he gave that answer, like he lost every ounce of hope he ever had in this world. She wondered what happened to the poor boy that made him become the way he is, as if he never wanted to be cared for by anyone, only himself. She reached out to caress his cheek but stopped when another Nanny showed up, informing her that the Dean wanted to see her in her office immediately. She was about to leave, but before that, she held on to his hands tightly reassuring him with a gentle look in her eyes:

Miss Maybelle: You don't have to be alone in this world. There are people out there who still care about you. You just need to look in the right places and realize they aren't as far as they may seem to be. Think about it, and who knows, you might end up using these same words to comfort someone else in desperate need of it. It helps, and you'll see that you'll feel much better after before.

She leaves him with a light peck on the forehead, promising to be back to check on him later on. With the door closed behind her, Bronson is seen sitting alone to his own thoughts. "Do you trust her?"... The same voice from earlier echoed in his head.

Bronson: ...

..."Why are you hesitating?"...

Bronson: Shut up.

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About half an hour passed. Bronson decided to get some water as he hasn't had some since he came in after the incident. He noticed the couple were still around but this time with a child. "Chuck?" he thought to himself. "...at least I'll have one less problem to deal with from now on". He finally got a drink before heading back to his room. On his way he could hear some Nannies discussing in the laundry room.

Nanny 1: Did you see the way he replied to her. So rude of him. Doesn't he know he's giving this facility a bad name? If he stays here any longer who knows what will happen next.

Nanny 2: If you think what he said today was bad what would you say about what he did during the last visit.

Nanny 3: Last visit?

Nanny 2: You're new here, so you didn't get to experience it.

Nanny 1: Oh don't even remind me of that day. (she scoffs) It took me a while to wash away all that cranberry juice from my uniform.

Nanny 2: Apparently he thought it was a good idea to start messing with the ingredients. I don't know what he added to the juice, but as soon as he popped the lid open a lot of it got splattered around, even on the guests that day.

Nanny 1: And what ever it was it made it all thick and sticky.

Bronson remembered that day like it was just yesterday. The guests insisted on having a meal with the children to bond better with them before making their decision. The only person seen close to the kitchen besides the chef's was Bronson, but that was because he was told to get a few things required on the dinner table from the storage room. Of course, he wasn't sent alone. The only thing off was the cautious behavior of his helper, always looking around as if they were hiding from someone. He didn't think much of it because no one would want to ruin the dinner. Who would have thought his helper was planted there to sabotage the juice. That's why they left the kitchen in a hurry, so it would look as if he was the one that did it because he was the last person seen there. He could only stand there, reminiscing on what happened that day. "They are lying and you know that. Why aren't you doing anything about it?" ...

Nanny 1: Why can't he just leave already? It would do the place a world of good.

Bronson clenched his fist in rage, his teeth gritted just at the mere thought of what she said. "You want me gone? Not until I get rid of you first." he thought. The room was filled with a loud scream which scared the others in the room. Her hands were burning and itching with blood all over, she couldn't feel her hands anymore. She then knocked over the bowl she was using and the water got splattered all over her. It was like her skin was pealing off. She was in excruciating pain. Everyone tried desperately to calm her down but all she could do was cry on how bad it hurt. Bronson is seen hiding at a corner with his hands covering his mouth. "I thought you swore never to care anymore, but here you are hiding from your own pain." the voice chuckled. He ran straight to his room and locked the door.

They finally uncovered the cause of the problem. It turns out a box of hydrochloric acid happened to be next to the first nanny, but she didn't seem to notice when she accidentally knocked it into the bowl of water prepared for washing dirty clothes, so after pouring in the soap she decided to mix it together before putting the clothes in, that's when her hand got burned. Her face is disfigured due to the acids effect and her clothes got torn revealing a lot of burn scars. Her hands suffered the most from the incident. Everyone can only look with utter disgust and horror at the site before them. They rushed her unconscious body to the hospital, with the help of the couple's car they got there in time before major issues could unfold any further.

Madam Ross: We are so sorry you had to see that. This hasn't happened before. I think I need to train them all again to prevent such things from happening in the future.

Lady: Oh it's nothing really. Accidents happen, and it's not like training them again is going to help the situation 😅. So really your apology isn't necessary. I'm just glad no one else got hurt, and the children are safe.

Madam Ross: Thank you for understanding Miss.

Emily: Please just call me Emily, and really it's nothing.

Gorge: Well he's set and ready to go now. You excited bud?

Chuck: I sure am 😆

Emily: Hmm. By the way, where is Bronson? How is he feeling now? It wouldn't hurt to say goodbye would it?

Miss Maybelle: W-well...

A corny smile forms on Chucks face as he hears this. Knowing what Bronson usually does, he figured this was a good thing so no one would want him. He signals them, telling them that he knows where his room is, so he could take them there. Miss Emily was pleased but not so much for Miss Maybelle. They got to his room and knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Miss Emily calls out to him letting him know who's at the door, still no answer. Miss Maybelle got worried and proceeded to open the door. The creaking sound of the door echoed through the halls. Bronson opened it himself. He apologized for not replying, said he was lost in thought. Miss Emily just smiled then got down to his level. She told him they were leaving and wanted to say goodbye. She expressed how she would have loved to adopt him instead, but she felt that him not feeling well meant they wouldn't get to see the real him. She's thankful she got to meet him and hopes a couple as good as them gets to meet him too and see what a wonderful person he is. "she's lying! She's trying to get in your head. Don't listen to her words." She hugs him, but he didn't respond to it. They bid him farewell and hoped to see him again. "If they really thought you were so wonderful why didn't they take you instead? They didn't have to wait till you got better. I'm sure she just said that to express their pity for you." Emily turned back to see him one more time. All she could see was his expressionless face before they left. She wondered what happened to make his eyes look so....empty.

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