Aegis: Catalyst Grove Read Free Page A

towards Damien as a salute, before easing his way back through the rusty storm door of the Parlor Room.   Damien breathed a sigh of relief and decided he would just go back in through the front door, as if returning from looking for Graham’s hiding spot outside.
    As Graham made his way through the Parlor, he slowly poked his head through the doorway peering into The Commons to see if anyone was there.   Seeing no sign of life, he made his way past the large leather armchairs and the giant fireplace.  
    “Stop looking at me, Alexander,” breathed Graham, addressing the portrait overtop the aged wooden mantel as if he were alive.   “You give me the creeps every time I walk by you.”   There was nothing overtly disturbing about the portrait.   It was only a picture of the Founder of Greenwood taken from the chest up. He was in a coat and vest, looking slightly upwards like most people do in portraits.   A small grin could be detected underneath his large beard, and he had the air of a man who took great pride in what he stood for.   He actually had a kind face, but there was just something about it that was unnerving to Graham.
    Moving on, Graham finally made it through the Commons, stopping at the threshold of the main hallway between the two wings and the dining room.   On each side of the door leading to the dining room, there was a grandfather clock positioned to give scheduled rings for each wing.   One for the boys and one for the girls.   Just past the clocks were two giant staircases leading to each floor of the wing of the Orphanage.   The main level was for staff.   The second level was lined with study rooms, utilities and offices.   The only thing on the third floor was bedrooms.  
    The gongs of the Grandfather clocks downstairs signaled that it was study time.   Perfect! I will just walk in there with the others as if I have been here the whole time.   He darted up the staircase.   Graham looked down the hallway and noticed for the first time that it was strikingly bare.   Every 20 feet or so, there was a gap between doors with blank wall space, in front of which was a small table with a vase or small sculpture on top.   Above the table hung a portrait of either a prominent past staff member or nature scene.  
    After seeing a few kids in the first three rooms, he decided to keep moving until he met a group of kids to mingle in with.   He turned to walk back, but immediately tripped, falling flat on his face.   His cheeks turned red with embarrassment as he stood up.   With a slightly bruised sense of pride, Graham looked behind him to see if anyone noticed his clumsiness.  
    Expecting to see a vacant hallway, he turned around, only to be greeted by the large, round belly of Mr. Kobble.   It felt like an eternity as Graham’s face plunged into that rounded gut.   He could feel the large buttons of Mr. Kobble’s vest against the bridge of his nose as he took in the overpowering smell of a woodsy cologne.   As Graham tried to recoil and flee the scene, Mr. Kobble grabbed him by the shoulders with his strong, stubby hands.
    “There ye are, lad!” He belched.   “Werd has it Ms. Winstone has been searchen fer ya,” said Oliver in his rich Scottish accent.   “Better that I find ya than her, ya know. She is a bit cross today.”  
    Graham forced a small grin and politely nodded his head.  
    “You’ve seem’d like a ghost these past few weeks Mr. Graham.   Wha’dve ye been up to that makes ye so scarce round ‘ere?”  
    Mr. Kobble guided Graham past the sculptures, beyond the staircases and through the middle section leading to the office of Ms. Winstone, the Head Matron of Greenwood.
    Graham’s first response was to begin talking and let his imagination fill in the details.   “Well, I’ve been seeing rats running around my bed at night, so I thought I could follow them back to their colony.”  
    As he was saying this, Graham knew this was a horrible excuse for a