RTBW CH 03

-Chapter 3-

After staring for a moment at the silent kids who refused to respond, I finally crawled back out through the hole in the wall.

I was a little worried they might follow me, but the twins weren’t naïve enough to trust me just because I’d handed them a chocolate bar.

“Well, whatever. I’ll just have to… mold the childhoods of these little future villains a bit.”

I want to live.

No—I will live. I’ll survive, grow up into a proper adult, and make this orphanage mine.

Then I’ll make that horrible director pay for every bit of suffering she caused the children here.

Clenching my fists, I dashed toward the food storage room.

I thought I heard faint whispering from the hole I’d come through, but I ignored it. There was too much to do.

***

“Ugh… if I’d known, I wouldn’t have acted all cool earlier.”

I’d strutted off confidently after promising to bring food to the twins—but today, of all days, the meal was just soup.

Thin, watery soup.

There was no way I could sneak any of it out without getting caught.

I stared blankly at the bowl, my excitement from earlier draining away.

“Aisha! You’re not eating?”

Elle, the girl who’d shared a room with me until a few days ago, slid up next to me, eyeing the soup.

“If you don’t want it, can I have it? I’ve been so hungry lately.”

I looked at her for a moment, then pushed my bowl over.

“Sure, go ahead. I’m not hungry.”

“Thanks!”

“Just tell them I ate it, and return the dishes for me.”

“Of course!”

Elle beamed at me, spooning up the watery soup with excitement.

I bit my lip. The reason everyone was always hungry wasn’t a mystery—these “meals” were practically water.

‘No wonder we’re starving.’

They called it soup, but it was basically colored water with maybe one or two floating crumbs. No real nutrition at all.

‘And the biggest problem here is that greedy director.’

No wonder the kids had taken to digging in the dirt for bugs to eat.

Even now, Elle was happily gulping down what was left of my “meal.”

‘Poor Elle. Poor all of us.’

Not a single kid here looked healthy—everyone was skin and bones.

Meanwhile, the director looked like a bear. Big, heavy, towering over everyone.

And it made sense—she ate all the donated food meant for us.

‘That awful woman.’

I was grinding my teeth in anger when a sudden, brilliant thought struck me.

“Wait—that’s right! I can go there!”

Once the idea popped into my head, I didn’t hesitate. I had to act fast.

I quietly slipped out the back door, keeping low so none of the staff would see me.

Despite my caution, a grin tugged at my lips.

‘How could I have forgotten that place?’

The one spot with more food than the kitchen or pantry combined—the director’s room.

I usually hate the saying “people look the way they act.” Life’s not that simple. Some people look cold but are soft-hearted, and others look kind but scam you blind.

But the director? Even I had to admit—she looked exactly like the greedy monster she was.

Her face was practically sculpted out of greed.

She wouldn’t share even a single bean with anyone else.

Even when her hoarded food started to rot, she’d rather let it go bad than give it to a hungry child.

Sometimes, she’d toss a few scraps to the kids who flattered her—but that was it.

I tiptoed toward her room, checking the time. The big clock in the orphanage courtyard struck noon.

‘Perfect. She always leaves for lunch at this time. Especially on Wednesdays—she eats out on Wednesdays.’

I remembered every detail of her habits.

Most kids didn’t pay attention to that stuff, but I made it my business to know everything—about her, and every other adult in this place.

So without hesitation, I made my move.

The window was wide open.

They usually kept it that way around this time, since the director’s room always stank from her never cleaning up after herself.

The staff would air it out whenever she was gone for lunch.

It was practically inviting me in.

“Well,” I muttered, staring at the open window, “guess I’m a thief now.”

The thought made me pause for just a second—but I quickly shook it off.

“This is for the greater good. I need to feed the kids first!”

Grabbing my empty stomach, I climbed through the window.

And just like that, I was inside.

As expected, the director’s room was filled with food.

On the big table sat fresh bread, milk, fruit, sandwiches, snacks, chocolate bars, even candy—all piled up like a mini feast.

“Unbelievable. She really is a greedy pig.”

The bread, in particular, caught my eye—it was from the bakery nearby that donated to the orphanage every few days. Supposedly for us.

But of course, she’d never shared it once.

I scanned the table quickly, then stuffed two small loaves of bread, one milk bottle, and one chocolate bar into my pockets.

“If I take any more, I won’t fit through the window.”

I sighed at the pile of leftovers but turned toward the window again.

That’s when I heard it.

“Ugh! I’m so sick of this!”

The director’s voice.

My heart dropped.

If she caught me here, she’d beat me so badly I’d be lucky to walk again.

‘Seriously?! Of all days—why today?!’

Every hair on my body stood on end.

‘Should I hide? I’m small—I might fit somewhere…’

But if I hid and she stayed in the room, I’d starve to death before she left.

I froze in panic, until I heard another voice—the timid tone of one of the caretakers.

“Director, is something wrong?”

The director barked back, voice full of venom.

“What, do I have to report every little thing to you now?”

“N-no, of course not! I was just surprised you came back so suddenly—”

“Shut up.”

“Ah…”

I could hear her mocking laugh.

“Oh, what’s this? Are you gonna cry again and gossip behind my back later?”

“Th-that’s not it! You said we could speak freely if something bothered us, so—”

“Idiots. Shut your mouths. I can’t even stand the sight of you.”

“Director…”

Perfect. The argument was buying me time.

Clutching my loot, I quietly inched toward the window.

The problem was, my pockets were now full—milk, bread, chocolate—it was hard to move properly.

Maybe I should just hide, I thought.

But before I could decide, the door slammed open.

“I said shut up! I can’t stand your stupid squeaky voice—it’s like a pig being butchered!”

“D-Director—”

“Enough! Go bring me my lunch! Oh, right—remember that beef that was donated for the kids? Grill that for me.”

I didn’t wait another second.

Timing it with the sound of her shouting, I hauled myself through the window and dropped to the ground outside.

My heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

I landed on my butt with a painful thud but didn’t dare make a sound.

Then—

“Wait a second! What’s this?!”

Her voice was even louder now—and closer.

‘Oh no. Did she catch me?!’

I froze, pressing myself flat against the wall under the window.

My brain went blank. My mouth was dry as sandpaper.

I couldn’t even breathe properly.

Then I heard the caretaker again, her voice trembling.

“D-did something happen?”

“Oh, you bet something happened! Look at this!”

I heard papers fluttering through the air.

“Th-this is…”

“Use your eyes! Can’t you see? There’s no record of the latest donation money anywhere! Not a single coin came through for the kids!”

“Ah… that’s because… the situation’s been bad lately…”

“If the situation’s bad, fix it! You think you’re getting paid to sit around?”

“Y-yes, but—”

“You know how much money we need here, right?”

“The sponsors have stopped donating, so I wasn’t sure what to—”

SMACK!

The sound of something—or someone—being hit.

“If you just stand around doing nothing, you think money will fall from the sky?! Go make yourself useful! Get those useless brats to earn their keep—make them beg if you have to—”

“B-begging?!”

“No, wait… I’ve got a better idea.”

Her voice turned low and sickly sweet—like a beast savoring its next prey.

A chill ran down my spine.

“I’ll just make a few of them look more pitiful. Remember last time? When one of them got hurt and the donations poured in?”

“D-Director, you don’t mean—!”

“That’s right! I’m a genius! Nothing brings in money like pity. I’ll pick a few myself. Make sure they’re well-fed for now.”

I stayed frozen under the window, my heart hammering so loud I was afraid they’d hear it—caught between relief that I hadn’t been discovered, and fury so sharp it burned.

That woman wasn’t just greedy. She was a monster.