Ethereal

Invaders from Pluto

I hid around the corner from the Head Matron’s office while I waited for the other Matrons to arrive. My blood was pumping with adrenaline, my skull buzzing with thoughts and my hands trembling from the rush. I felt like I was playing a game of hide and seek, one that I couldn’t afford to lose. I wrapped my hands into the loose folds of my nightgown to try and stop them from shaking.

I closed my eyes and took measured breaths, wondering what was taking the other Matrons so long. Had they decided to meet somewhere else? Had I taken a wrong turn and ended up somewhere other than the Head Matron’s office? What if the Matron’s had gone into the Head Matron’s office and I hadn’t heard them, and they’re nearly done with their meeting? My toes curled against the cold floor at the thought of it – I needed to see what was happening.

I peered around the corner, searching blindly down the hallway for any sign of the Matrons before I stepped out from my hiding spot. Keeping one hand on the wall I crept back towards what I hoped was the Head Matron’s office door. The rough texture of the brick walls was replaced by a grainy material that could only be wood, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I smelled the Head Matron’s almond perfume. Not only was I at the right door, but as I pressed my ear up against the wood, I could only hear the shuffling of papers and the crackling of a fire. The other Matron’s hadn’t arrived – yet.

Just as I let out breath of relief, I heard the quiet tapping of shoes hurrying down the hallway towards the Head Matron’s door, and I was standing in plain sight. Cursing under my breath, I pivoted on my heel and sprinted back to my hiding spot around the corner. I could only pray they hadn’t seen my obnoxious white nightgown flapping behind me and that their own heavy breathing and footsteps had masked the sound of my own.

I released the breath I had been holding when one of the Matron’s knocked gently on the Head Matron’s door. The only other sounds that could be heard was the light creak of the Head Matron’s unoiled door hinge, and the slight turn of the door handle as the thick sheet of wood closed behind the Matron’s as they entered the office.

I took that as my go-ahead, and practically threw myself onto the ground so I could press my ear up against the crack at the bottom of the door. The crack was too small to see anything besides the passing of shadows and the occasional flicker of light from the fireplace, but the Head Matron’s office was so tiny that their voices seemed to echo around the room, making it easy to eavesdrop.

“First they don’t send us supplies for the planting season and now you’re saying they’re not going to turn the power back on?” said one of the Matrons. Maybe Matron Bathe. She had a slight lisp to her voice that caused the other girls in the orphanage to snicker behind her back whenever she spoke too fast. A habit she had not yet kicked. They compared her voice to that of a snake’s – and while their comments were cruel, they weren’t necessarily untrue. And they certainly were funny to listen to.

“We don’t know if that’s actually true,” said Matron Tran, “the power has gone off before and it’s come back on. Maybe this time it will be no different?”

“And even if the power doesn’t come back on that doesn’t mean anything bad has happened. The government could still be in power.”

The Matrons bickered in hushed tones, their anxious voices sending a chill down my spine. I had never heard a Matron speak in a tone that wasn’t harsh or monotoned – if they were worried, then something was horribly wrong.

“Enough,” said the Head Matron, her voice silencing the others. “I spoke to Randall three days ago. He told me a rebel faction took the Salt Lake Providence, and they were planning an attack on ours as well. If they succeeded in breeching the Citadel’s walls, the first thing they would do is destroy the power plant to cut off electricity.”

Randall was a government official who visited orphanages and represented their needs to the government. I had only seen him once before, and it was not my fondest memory. But who was this rebel faction the Head Matron was talking about? I prided myself in knowing most of the faction groups that opposed the government, but I had never heard of a faction gaining enough power to overthrow an entire Citadel.

I scrunched up my eyebrows, setting my mouth into a frown. The government controlled three main Citadels: the Salt Lake Providence, the Colorado River Providence, and the Sacramento Providence. If the Salt Lake Providence had fallen, why hadn’t they told us? Should a rebel faction be able to bring down one of the Citadels, it meant the other two were vulnerable. If the rebel faction – whoever they are - had attacked the Salt Lake Providence first, then their next stop would be the Colorado River Providence – us.

The Matrons all took a deep intake of air at the mention of the rebels. I tried to stifle the frustration rising up my chest as I thought of all the lessons the Matrons taught myself and the other girls throughout the years. They always made a point of encouraging nationalism for our government, rejecting rebellious ideologies of reform and denouncing factional groups that existed beyond each of the three Citadel’s walls.

“Surely Randall is mistaken, Head Matron. The government said they killed them all after the last attack they launched against the Citadels?” said Matron Tran.

“Matron Tran, as I’ve said before, all of this is still purely conjecture. Until I have received word that any of these rumors are true, we must still act as though all information we hear is possibly false.” Said the Head Matron.

“These are just rumors, we may not to have to worry.” said one Matron, though the quiver in her voice said something else.

“Regardless,” said the Head Matron, “the orphanage should take precautions.”

“Of course, Head Matron. Should we gather the girls in the morning?”

“What for?”

“I – I thought you meant to warn the girls, maybe have them prepare a bag in case we should have to leave on short notice –“ the Matron sputtered.

“I want you three to gather the other Matrons in the morning and tell them exactly as I said. They are to review the handbook for the emergency evacuation procedure and prepare accordingly. None of you are to tell the girls.” The Head Matron said.

My eyebrows nearly lifted off my forehead, my mouth forming a large ‘O’. Is she suggesting that –

“Are you saying that in the event that the orphanage is under siege…?” Matron Tran said, pausing to let the Head Matron answer for her.

“My highest priority is to evacuate the other Matrons. We are not expected to aid the wards of the Citadel.”

My breath caught in my throat. If the orphanage was attacked, the Matrons would leave all the girls behind.

“’Wards of the Citadel’? How can you call them that, Cynthia? How can you even suggest that we leave them to fend for themselves if we are attacked by the rebels? We have cared for some of these girls since they were babes –“

“It was not a suggestion.” Interrupted the Head Matron. “It is a direct order. If the orphanage is attacked, all Matrons are to evacuate through the emergency tunnels that run beneath the building. If a Matron is seen aiding or trying to take an orphan into the emergency tunnels, they will be left behind.”

I felt my cheeks heat with anger, my heart pounding angrily beneath my rib cage. Instead of trying to listen to the other Matrons’ responses, a loud ringing noise overtook my senses. It was if my body were slowing shutting down. The edges of my vision began to blur, and before I knew what I was doing I was standing in front of the Head Matron’s door, my hand reaching down for the handle as though I intended to open it.

A gnarled hand suddenly wrapped around mine in a steely grip, yanking my body backwards and onto the floor. I blinked up at Matron Blithe standing above me, still clad in her white nightgown and her graying red hair tucked back into a tight bun as she held my wrist. The skin around her eyes almost looked scaly in the moonlight.

“Now, Miss Eleanor,” she said, “you’re wandering the halls after curfew? I’m most interested in hearing what kind of excuse you’ve got tucked up your sleeve this time.”

“Why, Matron Blithe, you’re looking spectacularly old this evening. I just so happened to be sneaking off into the woods to steal a few cats from the neighboring village and build a sacrificial altar to pay homage to the pagan gods. I’m sure you have plenty of experience in that department.” I said, trying not to wince as Matron Blithe dug her nails into the soft flesh of my wrist.

“Why you little –“

The Head Matron’s door suddenly swung open, stopping whatever fun name Matron Blithe was about to come up with. There was a pregnant pause as Matron Blithe stared at the Head Matron, as if she couldn’t believe that she was standing right in front of her, then she returned to herself and scowled down at me. Matron Blithe yanked me upwards onto my feet, letting go of my arm to grab ahold of my shirt collar instead.

“I found this one wandering around the hallways, listening to your private conversations from outside your door.” Matron Blithe said, still holding me up like a prized trout.

“Yes, I can see that.” Said the Head Matron. Behind her, I could see the other three Matrons rising from their seats to see what was going on. They stood behind the Head Matron, and I could see Matron Tran’s face turn down into a frown. She was disappointed that I was here, but I could tell that she wasn’t surprised.

Matron Blithe and I waited for the Head Matron to say something more, to deal out a swift punishment and be done with the situation. But we all stood in a stony silence, the Head Matron unmoving.

“Well,” said Matron Blithe, shifting her weight from foot to foot awkwardly. “what would you like to do, Head Matron? I can fetch your cane if you’d like.” She sounded almost hopeful.

I rolled my eyes and let out a deep sigh, my shoulders rising and sinking from my ears. It was going to be a long night.

“That won’t be necessary.” Said the Head Matron, making everyone around us gasp softly in surprise.

“What?” said Matron Blithe.

“Escort Miss Eleanor back to the dormitories if you would, Matron Blithe. And please make sure she does not leave her room unattended again.” The Head Matron said.

Matron Blithe opened her mouth to respond, but the Head Matron had already swung the door shut. The sound echoed through the hallways, making my bones rattle from underneath my skin. I had broken the curfew rule, one of the strictest rules the Head Matron put in place - and had gotten away with it. But why?

“Alright then,” said Matron Blithe, finally coming out of her state of shock. She was just was surprised as I was that the Head Matron was letting me off the hook. She steered me back towards the dormitories, giving me one last spiteful push that nearly made me trip over my ankles as she let go of my nightgown.

The orphanage was separated into two sections: the North Wing, containing the Matrons living quarters and office spaces, classrooms, a library, and the South Wing, housing a large dormitory that the girls would sleep in at night. The two were connected by the main hall, ensuring that the Matrons would have direct access to the dormitory at any point in time.

I thought these areas contained the entirety of the orphanage but overhearing the Head Matron’s plans to evacuate through the hidden tunnel system had proven that there was more to the orphanage than I thought. To get into the tunnels there had to be an entrance and an exit. But where was the entrance? Or the exit for that matter?

There weren’t very many places in the orphanage that could hide an entire secret entrance, and if the Head Matron was right and this rebel faction was coming for us next, I didn’t have time to hunt it down. If I wanted to warn the other girls and get them out of the orphanage before the rebels took over the Citadel, my only option was to lead the girls through the surrounding forest and away from the orphanage. From there I could take them towards the fields and hide there until daybreak.

I knew the surrounding area well. The planting and harvesting seasons usually kept me and my wandering mind busy, but while the Matrons had us reading and studying historical books left over from the Old World during the winter months when the ground was frozen, I often found myself restless. So, I would don my heaviest sweater and hike the snow-covered trails and climb the vast pine trees that overlooked the orphanage and the barren planting fields that lay below it. Rain or snow, day or night, I knew the woods better than most of the other girls.

I groaned at the idea of leading almost thirty girls through the darkness of the woods, the ground soggy from the melting snow and the air still clinging to the dying winter chill. The girls were accustomed to working long days in the field during the hot summers and knew not to complain about the blisters they got on their hands and feet during the fall harvest. But they didn’t know how to navigate the barren woodland areas that surrounded the orphanage. They’d crash through the underbrush and alert any living thing within a mile radius as to where we were. And that was if they didn’t loudly complain about being out in the woods in the middle of the night.

Matron Blithe and I continued our journey through main hall, the walls on either side of us looking grayer than ever. Through the windows I could see the full moon through the trees, the sight of it almost taking my breath away. There were more pressing things on my mind, however, and my adrenaline was making me more and more jittery the closer we got to the dormitory.

Telling the other girls everything I knew was now my greatest priority. Their very lives could be at stake if they didn’t know what was going on. I knew I had to tell them, to warn them, but the more I kept thinking about how I was going to get them out and safely away from the orphanage, the more certain I became that such a feat would be impossible. We would have to wait until daybreak to flee, and I didn’t know if we had that long.