Lightning Strikes

Samantha slipped into Miss Higgin's office and stood waiting for the Mistress to look up from her desk. After a moment went by, Miss Higgins looked up, pulling her spectacles down her nose and looking over them up at Samantha. "Well, it's about that time I would say, here you go." She said, handing a small box to Samantha. "What's this?" Samantha asked, taking the box cautiously. "Why, it's your birthday present." Samantha's eyebrows rose, she had had 15 birthdays here and this was the first time she had been given anything. She opened it carefully and looked inside. All that was there was a note, a sketch of a man and a woman, and a small necklace with a cross on it. "That's all that was left with you when you were dropped off at my doorstep." Miss Higgins said. "Why are you giving it to me now?" Samantha wanted to know. "Well, you're 16 now. Today was your last day here. You still have plenty of daylight left. You're a smart girl, i'm sure you'll be just fine." She had risen from her desk and had put her arm around Samantha's shoulder and somehow Samantha had not noticed that they were standing at the front door to the Orphanage. She was so shocked she did not know what to say. "But..." was all that came out. "You can't be a child forever my dear, it's time to grow up and join the real world." Miss Higgins said as she opened the door and made a gesture as if the world was full of great things and opportunities to be explored. It was a little hard for Samantha to see that at this junction though, all she could see were the filthy streets, the dirty, hungry people, and the fear of leaving the only home she had ever known and joining them threated to make her lose her lunch. "Well, off you go, the world is waiting for you." Miss Higgins said. Then she actually hugged Samantha, who returned it unconsciously, her mouth still hanging open in surprise. "You're one of the ones I will actually miss I think." Miss Higgins muttered half to herself as she patted Samantha on the back and slipped back into the orphanage, shutting the door behind her. Samantha half thought to pound on the door and beg and plead or demand or whatever it took to be let back in. She knew it would do no good though, she had seen this happen to other girls, and many of them had knocked at the door until their hands bled, all to no avail. Rules were rules here, and they would not be broken for anyone. She did stare at the door for a long moment as she pondered these things though, and then she turned to face the street. She hadn't a penny in her pocket, Miss Higgins wouldn't have had a spare one to give her. The necklace she had just received was worthless as far as money was concerned. It was the only thing left from her parents though, so she wasn't sure if she would have parted with it anyways. The sketch must have been some poor street artist's rendition of them, she could barely make it out for how old and wrinkled it was though. The note was a simple, "please take care of my dear baby girl, I am too poor and my husband is dead. Her name is Secret." Wait, what? Samantha's eyes were so teared up that she could scarcely see the page through the water in them. She brushed away the tears with the back of her hand and blinked until she could see and then read the note again. "My name is Secret?" She muttered to herself. Does that mean that it's a secret, or that it is Secret?" She shook her head, looking around suddenly to see if anybody was watching her talk to herself. She read it about 3 more times until she came to the distinct conclusion that her name was actually Secret. Why had she been called Samantha all these years? Maybe Miss Higgins had been confused to, and had decided to name her herself. In any case, it was a lot to think about, and she needed to find some place to sleep for the night.