Sabrina – Part 1

Sabrina Black dreamt she was somewhere cold and dark. She dreamt of a man and a woman, except the man was not a man at all, but a spider in human form. She dreamt the spider attacked the woman—pinning her down beneath its weight; then she jolted awake to what she believed was the dying screams of a baby seal. Unable to determine the source of her dysphoria—amongst the brain fog that follows wakefulness after a deep sleep, Sabrina gave her mind a second to catch up and process.

Thankfully, it was not a dying seal but instead Isabella—singing her lungs out from the bathtub next door. Sabrina tried to raise her head from the pillow but was met with resistance. The pillow lifted with her face as if stuck by some adhesive and for a moment, Sabrina thought she had been pranked during the night, perhaps by Isabella whom she had never met eye to eye with—and who was clearly already awake (given the singing).

Sabrina pushed the pillow away anxiously and was astonished to see a string of white silk, hanging from her mouth, and attached to the pillow. Sabrina pulled the string from her mouth using the tips of her fingers to snap the line, then noticed the further puddle of white silk on her pillow. The whole ordeal confused her as she first contemplated what this stuff was, but more importantly why it was spilling out of her mouth while she slept. Isabella’s singing grew louder, so much louder it woke the other orphans that slept all around her.

“Shhhuuuutt…uuupppp” Shouted Casey Mirant in a sluggish growl. Some of the other girls started to stretch as if Isabella’s crude singing was a normal alarm to wake up. Sabrina rose from her cot, still dressed in her pyjama’s, and stomped her way across the room—knocking her pillow to the ground and arriving at the door that separated her and Isabella. Sabrina passed the other twenty-two orphan girls that stirred, her white hair flowing out behind her like liquid milk.

Sabrina tried at first to open the door, disregarding the bathing eighteen-year-old that would be on the other side, but the door was locked. She slammed her fist on the thick wooden door in protest but that only promoted Isabella’s singing to grow louder. She was loving it. Not only did Isabella get into the bathtub first (All the orphan girls shared the same tub every morning), but she would wake them all with her exaggerated singing: this was a very Isabella thing to do, and Sabrina hated her.

As Sabrina heard some of the other girls behind her shout their disapproval, most still waking drearily, Sabrina reached under her hair and pulled free two pins she had tucked there. None of the other girls knew this but: among other talents, Sabrina had always had a knack of poking around in places you shouldn’t poke, one of them being door locks.

Sabrina knelt on one knee to check if Isabella was smart enough to leave the iron key in the door and was greatly pleased, she was not. It was difficult to see much between the keyhole except a slender ankle hanging outside the tub, its toes coated in bath foam.

Sabrina picked at the lock and felt around for the pins. She hadn’t picked this door before but didn’t consider it to be any different, or more difficult than the kitchen door she’d picked last week. Within the minute she heard a pleasant ‘click’ as the lock signalled its surrender. Sabrina stood, a broad smile stretching across her pale face and her dark eyes grew wickedly darker.

“Ladies, ladies!” She announced turning with outstretched arms as if this were a big reveal in a circus. Most of the girls had woken up by now and we're getting dressed, some collecting their towels and forming a single line for the bath.

“Ladies--and gentlemen” Sabrina added, gesturing to Mona; a short, flat-nosed girl with chubby cheeks and a wart the size of a small coin on her chin. Some of the girls laughed but Mona only returned the remark with a middle finger. Mona had thick skin and a good sense of humour, which was why Sabrina liked her.

“I thank you all for attending, but first I must warn you” Sabrina shouted. Isabella could no doubt hear Sabrina shouting just outside her door, but over her own singing voice—it must have only sounded like more heated insults. Isabella reviled in the irritation of others under her actions and sung louder. Little did she know the door that shielded her from the fury of her fellow orphans was unlocked and ready to be opened.

“The creature inside might frighten you!” Sabrina taunted, enjoying every moment of build-up. Some of the girls had formed a small group front and centre of the premiere and understood what was about to happen; they knew in addition to her other mischievous talents, Sabrina had somehow managed to unlock the door.

“And I can promise you. Her appearance is every bit as repugnant as her singing”

Sabrina placed a pale hand on the doorknob and turned it slowly.

“I give you…..ISABELLA, the bloated seal!” Sabrina shouted, throwing the door inward. The look on Isabella’s pretty face went from gleeful singing to wide-eyed horror, soapy water exploded from the tub by the electric dance Isabella did in a failed attempt to conceal herself. The entire party of orphan girls peered in at her and Isabella let out a scream, but it was heavily washed out by the laughter of the onlookers. She considered getting out of the tub to shut the door that sat nearly ten feet away but reconsidered when she exposed a full breast and realised that it would require exposing all her naked body to do so. A girl at the back wolf-whistled; all the while Sabrina stood, holding the door open as if she was doing no more than showing off a pet to a group of individuals.

After a few seconds that probably felt like hours to Isabella, she finally decided to submerge as much of her body as she could beneath the waterline, in an attempt to contain as much dignity as she could below its shallow depths.

“WHAT’S GOING ON HERE!” came a screeching voice that silenced everyone. On the opposite side of the room containing all the beds, stood a woman. Her deep wrinkles could be seen despite the weak morning light, but her burning sapphire eyes were young and fierce.

“Return to your beds immediately!” The old woman croaked, and every girl obeyed, even Sabrina. This was Tabatha, the owner and proprietor of the Torrent Orphanage. Her ruling was harsh and her temper harsher. Not even Sabrina had the courage to oppose Tabatha.

“Not you Sabrina! You stay right there” Tabatha yelled, less loudly now that she had gained control of the situation. The girls fled to their beds while Sabrina remained idol—the door to the bathroom still open, and Isabella still submerged in the tub. She too had ceased to scream at Tabatha’s presence.

The long rectangular room fell silent as Tabatha made weathered steps down the centre that separated the beds either side. The sound of her footfalls echoed on the wooden floor until she halted before Sabrina. Sabrina looked up and saw that Tabatha knew exactly what had happened without even asking. She gazed around at the girls beside her, who all averted their eyes and even Sabrina herself averted her eyes when she looked down at her.

“Look at me,” she said. Sabrina looked up.

A hand flashed across her face as fast as a snake bite and stung with equal venom. The force of the smack almost sent Sabrina falling, but she kept her feet. She felt the burning temperature begin to flare up on her cheek, hot tears begin to form but she forced herself to stop. She wouldn’t cry in front of everyone, no matter how much it hurt; and wouldn't give Tabatha the satisfaction either. She felt the cold bony fingers of Tabatha grip her chin and pull. Sabrina caught sight of those dangerous sapphire eyes for a split second before another hand came. Another palm struck her, on the same cheek; this time Sabrina did fall. She used her long white hair to safeguard the hand that wiped away a single tear that couldn’t be imprisoned within her eyelids and rose slowly to her feet.

“If anything like this happens again, you’ll all receive the same treatment” Tabatha shouted, addressing the girls around her. “Do you understand?”

“Yes, my lady” everyone answered in broken unison. Tabatha stepped past Sabrina to close the door that exposed Isabella and left.

“I want you all bathed and dressed before the hour, you all have work to do,” Tabatha said striding down the centre of the room before exiting. The room stayed quiet for a time and only Sabrina heard herself say: “One day, I’ll kill you bitch”

She returned to her bed in silence, her cheek a ruin of fire and picked up her pillow that lay on the floor. She suddenly remembered the white string that hung attached to it and looked at it more closely. Sabrina noticed it was spider’s silk.