The Orphanage

By T.K. Wrathbone

Penelope Black has lost her parents and is being unceremoniously dumped into the cold, grey and forbidding old Kingsmere Orphanage.

As if losing her parents wasn’t bad enough, she now has school lessons for eight hours a day, lives with five other girls in the one room, shares a bathroom with twenty-five more, and the one thing that worries her most is living with boys across the hallway. But those things are the least of Penny’s problems.

For the school, run by the mysterious Dr Livè and his henchman Grosvenor, has had ten children mysteriously disappear and then reappear, except for two who never came back, all by the time she even arrives. And they all look like they’ve been drugged out of their minds, ending up sicker than when they first vanished into the nurse’s room.

There are secrets and lies and mysterious times at Kingsmere Orphanage and Penny’s new friends Alex, Alistair, Alfred and Adrian are determined to find out what’s going on. Even if it means they’re next on the hit list of Dr Livè’s suspected illegal drug trials. Except what they find out is happening is far more deadly than they could have ever imagined.

• Language: English
• Publisher: T.K. Wrathbone
• Release date: Jul 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781925683257

T.K. Wrathbone

Welcome to the spine-tingling world of T.K. Wrathbone!T.K. Wrathbone is a children's TV show veteran who loves watching disaster and creature/zombie movies and TV shows, but not at night.T.K. started writing many a year ago back in primary school, but only started her author career in 2015 with the release of her first three stories and anthology. She will write and release stories until there are twelve Bones books and a special edition numbered 13...For more information visit – www.tkwrathbone.com

Book preview

THE ORPHANAGE

T.K. Wrathbone

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

About the Author

Other Titles

Copyright

Chapter 1

Penelope stood before the old battered steps that led to the old battered door. Her eyes moved up to the imposing windows of the three-storey battered old building that stood before her. It was cold, grey, and dismal.

The butterflies in her stomach stopped playing nice and became competing dragons, wreaking havoc by getting revenge on each other in a sick game of tag.

She was going to be sick.

Her hand flew to her mouth and she tried not to retch, but doubled over briefly, gasping for air, waiting for the feeling to pass.

Come along, dear, the social worker said from behind her. It’s going to be your home now.

Penelope slowly rose, her gaze moved back up, and she now saw a curious face in the window…staring down…at her…

I don’t want to be here, she vehemently thought, gripping the handle of her bag until her knuckles turned white. Why should I have to be here?

Mrs Grey, the social worker, waved her up the stairs. She was already standing on the porch talking to a man.

Penelope stood rooted to the spot. She glanced around at the forbidding demeanour of the building. Ragged bushes ran along the wall, ivy climbed upward making its way into every crack and crevice. Bubbling white paint was chipping or missing.

The landscape wasn’t much better, just barren wasteland with a few trees dotted amongst it.

Her gaze landed back on Mrs Grey, and with fear in her heart, she removed one hand from her bag to grasp the handle of her suitcase, which she ever so slowly rolled over the pale grey gravel and up the battered, chipped stone steps toward the door.

Penelope, this is the headmaster, Dr Livè. He will be taking you from here. Doctor, this is Penelope Black, you already have her papers so I’ll leave her with you.

Thank you, Mrs Grey, the tall stony faced man said. He had a nose like a beak, and his face was long and thin just like the rest of him. He clasped his long thin fingers in front of him. Come along, Penelope, we have a bed waiting for you. He stepped inside and held the door open for her.

Mrs Grey laid a hand on Penelope’s shoulder as she passed, but moved on without a word.

Penelope watched the social worker get in her car and drive away before turning her head back to the headmaster who was impatiently waiting for her. It was all in slow motion, like some kind of movie.

Come along, Miss Black, Dr Livè spat between clenched teeth. "I don’t have time for you to waste."

Penelope heaved a sigh and rolled her lonely little blue suitcase through the imposing doorway into an even more battered foyer. Cold grey stone blocks for a floor, old wood panels for walls, and everything was bare. No rugs, no paintings, no furniture.

Penelope glanced down each hallway as they passed. All were bare and sadly lacking in anything other than coldness. She followed Livè upstairs and down hallways until they were standing in a six bed room.

The last one on the right is yours. Livè stood with his hands behind his back. His cold demeanour matched the building.

They’re perfectly suited, Penelope thought as she rolled towards the bed.

You store your case under the bed, your clothes in the cupboard beside you. The bathroom is down the hallway. Breakfast is at eight, lunch at one, and dinner at six. There is no eating in-between, all rules must be followed, and classes are from nine until one and two until five. Just because you are here does not mean you will cease studies. They are the backbone of Kingsmere Orphanage. He turned on his heel and walked for the door. The bell is about to go, you can start classes after lunch.

Penelope watched his retreating back until it had left the room then checked her watch. Twelve-thirty, half an hour till lunch. She sat on the bed, put her head in her hands and sobbed.

She sobbed for the months of heartache at the pain of losing her parents. She sobbed for the fear of having