Page 4
Story: Runaways (Orphans 5)
for all and all for one. When one is sad, we're all sad. We all must be happy for one to be happy. We're
sisters. We will always be sisters."
Butterfly's eyelids fluttered.
"We're sisters," Crystal continued, and we
joined in once more. "We will always be sisters." Butterfly's eyes opened and her mouth moved
softly until she was into the chant with us. Then we
stopped and stood back. Butterfly looked from Raven
and me to Crystal.
"What happened?" she asked.
"You're all right now," I reassured her. "Let's
get dressed and get down to breakfast. I'm starving." It had been Crystal who had come up with the
joining and the chant and all because of Butterfly. It
was really Butterfly who had brought the four of us
together in the first place. No one was more
vulnerable here. Crystal was her first protector
because she was rooming with her and then Raven
and I came in to keep the older girls from taking
advantage of both of them. Crystal used her sharp wit
and tongue to put down anyone who ridiculed Janet
for her size and shyness. Eventually, the three of us
circled her like three protective sisters and inevitably
became closer to each other because of it.
Crystal labeled us the Four Ophanteers instead of the Four Musketeers. We were always saying, "All for one and one for all." For now and maybe forever,
we were the only family we had.
Crystal- Said the ritual and the chanting would
defeat our sense of isolation and loneliness. She really
was like a schoolteacher. "Man is a gregarious
animal," she lectured. "Religious and meditation
groups favor group recitations. There's security in
hearing other voices saying the same things or making
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4 (Reading here)
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149