Lorry, lying all morning on his bed. He was already imagining to challenge the police with his friends Grim and Stan. A few hours later, he went to the orphanage with Grim to visit Stanley but everything does not go as planned.

  -What are you doing here? Stanley is not allowed to go out today. Get out before I saw you.

  Grim smiles coldly.

  - We just want to talk to him. It will only take a minute.

  The supervisor frowned.

  - Didn't you understand? Get out from here!

  Grim, without paying attention, grabbed Lornry by the arm and trained him inside while running. The supervisor shouted behind them, but they continued to move forward, ignoring the protests.

  They were finally intercepted in a corridor by a massive silhouette: the director of the orphanage.

  - Well, see what here it is. Grim Williams. Still to sow chaos.

  Grim looked at him with challenge.

  - I want to see Stanley.

  The director crossed his arms, his face darkening.

  - This boy is not allowed to receive visits. And you have nothing to do here.

  Lorry intervened timidly:

  - We just want to know how it is.

  The director fixed Lorry with a cold look before turning to Grim.

  - Get out from here before I call the sheriff. Or worse, before I decide to settle it myself.

  Grim advanced a flamboyant look.

  -What did you do to him?

  The director smiles, a cold and threatening smile.

  - Nothing looking at you. But if you want to stay in one piece, I advise you to leave immediately.

  Lory pulled on Grim Channel, worried.

  - Grim, we better leave.

  Grim, after a moment of hesitation, slowly retreated. But his gaze remained fixed on the director, a silent promise in his eyes.

  A contained anger

  Outside, Grim was walking fast, his tight fists. Lorry was trying to follow, struggling to match his pace.

  - We should have broken his mouth, whispered Grim, his voice full of rage.

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  Lorry, out of breath, tried to calm him down.

  - It would be useless. You have to find another way to help Stanley.

  Grim stopped, fixing the horizon with determination.

  - They don't know who they are dealing with.Lory shivered when he heard these words. He knew that Grim was never joking when he spoke of defending his friends.In the oppressive darkness of the orphanage cellar, Stanley was curled up against the cold wall, his body bruised by recent abuses. His arms were covered with scratches, her legs trembled, and his mind oscillated between fear and despair. He only heard the deaf creak of the door, followed by the flickering light of a lantern.

  - Stanley, whispered a soft but firm voice.

  He slowly raised his head. It was Ms. Eleanor Hartfield, or "Maman Hart" as all children called him. His benevolent features seemed to illuminate the dark cellar.

  - Maman Hart… murmured Stanley, the voice broken by fatigue.

  -Come, my boy, she replied, kneeling near him. Let me help you.

  Stanley hesitated.

  - You shouldn't be here. If the director sees you ...

  She put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

  -Let me take care of that. This is not the first time that I have stood up to him, and it will not be the last.

  With care, she helped him get up, but when she saw her wounds closely, a flash of anger passed over her face.

  -These monsters ... she whispered, almost for herself.

  Ms. Hartfield Guida Stanley out of the cellar, but hardly had they reached the corridor that the director appeared, his arms crossed and a disdainful grin on the face.

  - Eleanor, tone daring exceeds the terminals. This boy was punished for a reason.

  Mrs. Hartfield does not cillage.

  - And what reason justifies to leave a child locked in a cellar, injured and humiliated?

  The director approached, his tone becoming threatening.

  - You forget your place, Hartfield. These children are under my responsibility, and I do what I deem necessary to maintain order.

  -It’s not order, it’s cruelty, she replied, her voice trembling with contained anger. Do you break these children, and dare to call it education?

  The director fell slightly, but his gaze remained frozen.

  - Be careful, Eleanor. You have no idea what I am capable of.

  She planted her eyes in hers, a mixture of challenge and determination.You either. Now excuse me, I have a child to treat.

  ---

  Maman's room Hart

  Back in her room, mom Hart had Stanley sit on a chair and released a medical kit. She cleaned her wounds carefully, her hands expert but trembling with anger.

  -They shouldn't treat you like that, Stanley, she whispered. No child deserves that.

  Stanley lowered his head, eyes bright with tears.

  - I can't take it anymore, mom Hart. I am tired ... tired of this life, of this place.

  She put a soothing hand on her shoulder.

  - I know it's difficult, Stanley. But you are stronger than you think.

  He timidly looked up at her.

  - What if I can't do it?

  She smiled gently.

  - So I'll be there to help you. You are not alone, Stanley. Not as long as I'm here.

  Stanley nodded, moved by his words.

  ---

  A glow of hope

  Before he left his room to join his dormitory, she gave him a last advice:

  - Never lets their cruelty turn off the light that is in you. You have a strength that even they cannot understand.

  Stanley inspired deeply and left the room, but crossing the corridor, he felt the cold and threatening gaze of the director posed on him. Cold sweat flowed along his back.

  But somewhere in the back of him, he felt a little flame of hope.