Isabelle felt the mans curious eyes on her while the orphanage lady unlocked her and Rajah's wrist cuffs. Hopefully he was seeing how terrible the place was. It really wasn't fit to keep children in. For one thing, there were forty-eight children, of all different ages and backgrounds, jammed into one rectangle room. The beds were cheap, many having holes in them, and they only got three changes of clothes, plus whatever they'd arrived in. There were two meals a day and from the moment they woke up to the moment they fell asleep, they were doing chores for the owner. It really was a hell-hole and on the very edge of society. Nearly no one visited and only the babies got adopted right away. Isabelle suspected that many were adopted because of sheer pity and nothing else.
When the cuff was off and the man was ready to leave, he lead her outside, holding the door open for her. She nodded her thanks and followed him out into the fresh air. Seboro looked like he was going to say something, but instead of turning to her, he turned to Rajah, so she just closed her mouth and took a deep breath through her nose.
Isabelle had tasted the outdoors much more than the other kids of the orphanage. Her and Cally were among the few who weren't afraid to sneak out and, since they were both small-bodied girls, they could fit through the one tiny window their room had to offer. At first she went out every night, Cally accompanying her sometimes, sometimes only Tilly would come, but Rajah could never come. He'd always had to stay behind since he was too large to fit through the window. He'd never complained though. When the orphanage owner started to catch onto Cally and Isabelle, they'd stopped going out so often, but still did on occasion. Then one hot summer day, when Izzy was fifteen and Cally was thirteen, the two of them planned to break out. They would go in the middle of the night and Rajah would sneak past the owners sleeping form and meet them outside. They were going to run away. But they barely made it to the city before the authorities caught them and they were thrown back into the orphanage faster than they could blink. The white cuff had been placed on her, but Izzy had made up something about kidnapping so Cally didn't have to have one and that put an end to their midnight outings. And the owner had had it out for her specifically ever since. No wonder she'd called her in first. She wanted to get rid of her.
Even though she may have seen more freedom than the other children, Isabelle still hadn't truly been outside in at least two years, and could hardly believe she was now. She glanced at Seboro, then at Rajah, wondering what their future had in store for them. Were Seboro and his wife good parents? Were they wealthy? Strict? Would she and Rajah like them and feel at home, or would they feel like strangers in their home? A thousand questions whirred through her mind and she sighed a heavy sigh, trying to focus on the feel of the road under her feet and the sun on her red hair rather than her fast-changing future.
Rajah let out a heavy sigh and sank to the ground when Isabelle left to grab her belongings, which he knew consisted of the letter from her parents and another goodbye to Cally. While she was gone, she flicked his tail across the floor and watched Seboro. He seemed to be relieved about something and Rajah blinked in that slow way of his when he was contemplating something. He hadn't had much experience with humans, but he knew enough to feel suspicious. Maybe he was wrong to feel that way, afterall, if the man was telling the truth, then he'd lost a daughter and this would be a rather hard experience for him. But he just couldn't shake the feeling.
He knew why Isabelle had agreed to go. As much as she talked about getting out of the orphanage, she would never let anyone adopt her. If someone were to adopt her before eighteen, then she would feel tied to them and couldn't leave them as soon as her birthday rolled around. She would be trapped longer and the more time she was gone, the longer Cally and Tilly had to wait for her. No, Isabelle would have fought the man, maybe cussed at him to keep him from adopting her had things been normal. He knew she'd only accepted because of his story. Because his daughter had died in a boat accident. If he was telling lies, they were pretty damned good.
When Isabelle returned, she demanded that her white cuff be removed and the lady looked irritated, but unlocked both hers and his with a heavy sigh. Then they left without so much as a goodbye from the thin woman who'd all but raised the two of them since Isabelle was around seven-ish. When they were outside, Rajah took in a deep breath of fresh air and sighed with pleasure. It felt so unbelievably good to be out. And to have that cuff off too. Wearing it had felt like being in a glass box. He'd felt like a part of him had been caged up and he was suffocating. Now he was completely free.
"What is your name?" Seboro asked, directing the question towards him. Rajah tilted his big white head up towards the man and fell into step with Isabelle, allowing her to place her hand on his back as they walked, like always. "I'm Rajah." He said, purring out the letters of his name. He was still a bit suspicious, but now, with the fresh air, and the cuff gone, he was a bit more open. He glanced at Isabelle before back at the man. She was enjoying the outdoors too. "Where are we headed? Where do you and your wife live?" He inquired, swaying his tail ever so slightly.