After cleaning the whole building, they didn't notice that the time passed by quickly, and before they knew it, the sun was already out and night came.
They went to the dining hall and were served with one potato and one cup of water per person, a portion of food not enough for a growing child.
Calista was shocked and reluctant when she saw the serving, but when she looked at the other children, she saw they dug in immediately as if they hadn't eaten for a long time.
Seeing this, she reluctantly also did the same thing. Such a small serving was gone immediately. Calista thought that there were any additions, but they didn't come, and before long, they were ordered to go to sleep.
Calista had an indifferent look on her face when she saw a rather small room where multiple children were trying to fit in, but deep down she was freaking out.
How can I even sleep in this place?!
Afraid that there wouldn't be any space for her to sleep, she immediately found a spot for herself and went to the spot beside the wall.
She reluctantly lay down on the hard floor, where only a thin fabric was there as her mat.
It was very uncomfortable to have the feeling of lying down without any soft materials supporting her back, especially since she was used to having a soft mattress on her back.
She tried to close her eyes and sleep while facing the wall, but since there are many people in the room, noises are heard from every corner.
A whimper echoed throughout the room that made Calista immediately flutter her eyes open and turn her head to see a girl who seemed to be the youngest among them.
The kid was surrounded by the other children. She was crying openly, with her tears running down her cheeks.
The others were in a panic at the state of the child. Some were wiping away the tears on her cheeks while others tried to distract the child.
Calista frowned at it and went to their spot.
"What's your problem?" She asked in a rather harsh tone.
It was too late for her to realize the tone of her voice. Her tone was like that not because she was annoyed but because, not talking for some time, she didn't have the chance to adjust her tone.
All the children in the room looked up at Calista in shock.
The room suddenly fell silent, and a tense atmosphere lingered in the air.
The crying child seems to also sense it, and her tears stopped. The child looked up at her while biting her lip as if trying to prevent her whimper from coming out of her mouth.
"C-calista there's nothing wrong," one of the children that was trying to calm down the child said.
Calista frowns.
"That's not 'nothing,'," Calista said bluntly.
Silence fell into the room once again, and it went on for a few seconds before Calista asked again.
"What's wrong with you?" Calista asked towards the crying child.
The child played with her fingers and was avoiding her gaze before reluctantly responding, "I-I'm hungry."
Calista frowns.
Seeing her reaction, the children held their breath, afraid of what would happen next, but the next thing that Calista did made them confused.
Calista suddenly walks towards the door of the room in confidence after thinking for a minute, as if she's trying to go outside.
"W-where are you going?" The same child that was calming the crying child asked.
Calista paused and turned her head. "Getting food," she bluntly said before walking again.
Everyone blinks their eyes, trying to process her answer. It took them a few seconds to realize what she said, and it was too late for them to stop her.
Meanwhile, Calista is walking down the hallway towards the kitchen. She passed through a slightly ajar door of the office of the headmistress and her minions.
Out of curiosity, Calista took a peek, and there she saw various types of food that she didn't see at dinner.
Although the foods are ordinary, the fact that they can afford to eat that type of food while only giving the children a glass of water and a potato was just outrageous.
How can they eat peacefully while the children are starving?!
Calista was now certain that this orphanage was corrupted to the core.
She suppressed her anger and breathed in and out quietly before leaving and continuing to go to the kitchen.
If the headmistress and her minions are eating that kind of food, that means that there are a lot of ingredients other than potatoes in the pantry.
Calista quietly went to the pantry. As soon as she opened it, she saw not only potatoes but a lot of food.
She huffed in disbelief when she saw this as she ran her finger through her hair.
She sighs, trying to calm her nerves before looking at the ingredients in front of her.
A new challenge has appeared in front of her again. No matter how much she looks around, every item she sees needs to be cooked.
And she doesn't know anything about cooking.
"Maybe there's something to eat here." She rummaged through the food.
As soon as she saw a familiar round, crisp fruit with smooth, taut skin that had a vibrant red color, her eyes lit up, and she immediately grabbed it.
"Apple," she mutters to herself.
Her eyes caught sight of a sack of apples just beside it. She was about to grab more to get to the kids when she suddenly feels the fabric around her neck stretched and anchored, pulling against her body with a persistent, unyielding hold.
With her eyes widening, Calista turned her head, and there she saw the wrinkled face of an old woman.
"Just as I expected! You thief! Didn't you learn your lesson?" The old woman's voice was sharp and cutting, each word laced with heat and intensity.
Calista groaned when she felt the pressure of the fabric around her neck as the old woman pulled her closer, using the old woman's grip on the collar of her shirt.
Tears threatened to come out of her eyes as the woman pushed her down to the hard floor.
Noise echoed throughout the pantry that garnered attention from others. A few minutes later, another adult came into the room; it was the headmistress.
"What's going on here?" she asked while inspecting what happened.
She looked at Calista, who was lying on the floor, and then at the old woman. Her confusion turned into understanding as she turned to the old woman.
"Did she steal anything again?" The headmistress asked the old woman while stealing glances at Calista.
"I stopped her before she could even do that, headmistress," the old woman said in a proud voice.
The headmistress gave a thankful look at the old woman before shifting her attention to Calista; her thankful look was all gone and was now replaced with a mad expression.
Calista felt an indescribable feeling. Her instincts were telling her to stay as far as possible from this woman.
Her body went on autopilot as she instinctively ran out of the pantry and ran down the hallway without ever looking back, but it didn't even take a few meters before a hand got a hold of her long silver hair.
The sudden tug jolted Calista's head backwards sharply, disrupting her momentum and causing her neck to strain painfully. The pull sent a stinging sensation through her scalp, making her eyes wince shut for a brief moment.
Her steps faltered at the force of the tug that unbalanced her; her hands instinctively went to her hair in an attempt to free it.
"Let go!" She shouted in protest.
A mocking laughter echoed in the hallway, followed by the tightening of the grip on her hair.
"Do you really think I would do that?" A sinister voice said just beside her ear.
Calista tried to look at the headmistress's face.
The headmistress's face twisted with a cruel delight; a smirk was playing on her lips as her eyes glinted with malice.
All the hair stood up on her whole body at the horrifying sight. This made her even more determined to get out of her grip.
This woman is dangerous. I have to get away!
Calista tried her best to move around in the hope that the headmistress's grip on her hair would lessen, but alas.
She was even thinking of cutting her hair as an option, but there's no sharp thing that is capable of cutting her hair in sight.
"Stop moving!!" A deafening shout echoed throughout the hallway as Calista suddenly felt a hard object thrust on her belly, sending sharp pain throughout her whole body.
Calista's knees gave way, and she collapsed to the ground, sprawled out with no energy to move.
A hollow ache spread through her belly and then throughout her whole body, gasping for breath that wouldn't come easily.
Her limbs felt heavy and unresponsive; her vision blurred and darkened at the edges as the world tilted around her.