Chapter Text
The doctors said that Michael’s eye never formed and the nerves on one side of his face were dead. He couldn’t move or feel on the right side of his face, he had no eye on that side and maybe he shouldn’t even have his left one either. The other kids and adults said that the amber looked like the devil’s own eyes, he already scared people before that. All of the people at the church said he was cursed, that he held the devil in him. Enough that even a five year old would cover his own face so that others didn’t hate him. It was dumb they already hated him, but he was five. What else was he going to do?
Michael’s parents also hated him. The moment he was born they must’ve hated him so much that they left him at an orphanage with no way to find them. There was no way they didn’t, well apparently he wasn’t the only one. He knew that people who looked different were sent to this place. They said it was a live in church to get the devil out of them. One day they introduced a small boy with dark skin, they said his name was Shroud. That name was chosen for him because of his eyes. Now Michael thought that he had eyes of the devil, but this kid's eyes were red. They were a light red, more white, but when the light caught them they were like rubies. Shroud was two, and even a five year old knew what this kid would go through.
So Michael protected Shroud, he told him he liked his eyes, he stopped other kids from being mean. He yelled at the adults for him and he made sure their cots were next to each other. Shroud would not be sad like Michael was, he taught shroud to read, write, and speak. He was the smartest kid in the church by the time he was four, in Michaels opinion anyway. The first thing Shroud wrote for him was a note he left on his pillow, it said that both their eyes were pretty. It was simple and short, written in chicken scratch but it was Michael’s favorite thing. He kept it folded in his pocket like a warden against evil, it was the best gift he ever had.
One day a woman with curly white and brown hair was talking to some of the kids. They pointed at Michael and Shroud reading on a bench and she frowned. She walked up to the two young boys, not much older than four and seven. “May I sit with you two?” She asked with a smile, Michael stared at her suspiciously but Shroud said “Of course ma’am!” and moved over to give her more room. She smiled more and sat down, “Do you two like it here?” Michael frowned but Shroud said “Not really, but they have books here!” He smiled and showed her a book about Jesus and the virgin Mary that the two had been reading. The woman nodded “I see, do you get to go outside much?”
Michael shook his head, this place like to hide them from other people, the woman hummed. “I see… Well my name is Puffy.” She held out her hand and Shroud shook it enthusiastically and introduced them. After a moment she began to talk about this Orphanage in the hills of L’manburg. She said all sorts of kids were there, mainly ones others claimed were agents of the devil. There they could run around in the woods and make friends with the kids in town if they wanted to. They all got their own rooms and plenty of food, Shroud seemed to like this place already however Michael was suspicious. Nowhere is perfect.
However when she eventually offered for them to go there and live with the others Michael jumped at the chance. If it was somewhere they could be outside then it would be better than the church. Then they were in a car with Puffy and ice cream in all three of their hands, the radio was on and Shroud and Puffy were singing along. Michael was making sure Shroud’s ice cream didn’t melt all over him, eventually they reached the large wooden house surrounded by woods. The town was a short walk down the hill on a trail, but they had plenty of room to run and play without anyone seeing them. They were shown to rooms in one of the halls, they were right next to each other. In one of the halls there was a large stained glass window, Shroud and Michael picked it as their new safe spot.
No one else went there and it was just like the large windows in the church, not that they wanted to go back. They were allowed to eat alone, either in the woods or their rooms. The amount of free room they had was great and although they avoided everyone no one was mean. Niki was always in the kitchen baking, Shroud liked to help her with cookies. She would always laugh when he got the dough on his face, and they got their pick of the cookies when they came out. Tommy also likes them, he said they called him devil spawn his whole life. Now he runs with them in the woods playing tag, even though he’s bigger and older he still lets them win sometimes. Drista also plays with them, the four of them often found weaving through tall trees laughing maniacally.
Foolish takes them to the library in town, technically he is an adult so he gets to go where he wants in town. When they asked why he never left the orphanage he just shrugs and says it’s his home. He reads to them at night and asks them about whatever book they are reading, oftentimes he acts out whatever is happening in his own book for them when they ask. They also talk about writing their own book, even over dinner they come up with characters and plot ideas. Dream hangs out with them sometimes, usually with a craft project. He helps them make props for Foolish to use white acting out his story, Niki helps with sewing though.
One day Dream is talking with some boys from town, they were often together. Shroud thought they were big and scary, but he needed help on a mask him and Dream were making. So he worked up the courage and ran over, Dream pointed to the places he needed glue then turned to his friends. Shroud thought that was it, but instead Dream introduced him to his friends. “Guys this is my new little brother Shroud, Shroud this is my friends George and Sapnap.” Sapnap smiled and George waved, Shroud hid behind Dream to hide his eyes. They weren’t like the rest of them, unwanted and found by Puffy. They had parents who loved them and were normal. George tapped his arm and he looked up, the brunette tapped below his eyes. One was a dark blue and the other was dark brown, they both looked black until the light hit them. Shroud smiled and ran off, he then returned with a winded Michael who had been pulled from the stained window hallway.
He fanned out his fingers and waved to Michael, “My big brother Michael.” He turned to Michael and gestured to George, “My new friend George!” Michael waved to them and George pointed to the book he was holding to his chest. “Is that Alice in Wonderland?” and Michael nodded, the conversation that followed was strangely intelligent for a five year old and seven year old and a teenager they just met. A conversation so intelligent Sapnap and Dream decided to ignore them and have their own conversation. Whenever George came over they immediately started talking about a new book, and when George left it was usually with a new book recommendation for the two boys.
Six months later George and Sapnap went missing, Six months later Dream made a new mask and never took it off. Six months later Michael was proven right as usual, nowhere, nothing, and no one is perfect.