#Chapter 248: A Dark Place

Audrey Edwin and I stood outside the orphanage, staring up at the stark white facade and gleaming windows. The place had… changed since I’d been here. When I was last here, the roof had practically been caving in, the shingles falling off the sides of the building, the windows covered in spiderwebbing cracks that let in the cold winter air. But now, it seemed that the entire place had been torn down and rebuilt. Instead of a dilapidated Victorian mansion, it was a sleek and modern structure with clean lines and large windows. Even from outside, we could see children moving around the brightly-lit hallways with smiles on their faces. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as I stared past the colorful flower gardens out front, the sound of children’s laughter and squeaky swing sets echoing across the quiet street. “You okay?” Edwin touched my shoulder, snapping me out of my reverie. “If it’s still too much, you don’t have to go in. You can wait in the c