The Orphanage

She woke up, the ceiling seemed dreadful to look at. Another day, in this horrid foster home. She laid in bed, it had white covers and pillows, right beside it was a small wooden table.

The room was small, as she'd gotten her own. There was a bean bag in the corner, next to it a bookshelf, she was there often, she loved reading. Other than that, the room was mostly barren.

The walls were a dark brown wood, and it was awful.

Her name was Fate, which is apparently odd. She had no family, no relatives, she was just found on the front door. They cared and nursed her, but she was a mystery to everyone.

She was kind, soft spoken, and most of all, she kept to herself. Nobody knows why her name was Fate or where she came from, but when they found her on the porch, the basket she was in had a name tag,

"Fate."

So, they called her that. Fate. She was never fond of the name, and actually hated it slightly, but of course, she'd never say that out loud.

Fate slumped out of bed, and tidied it up, then got changed and headed downstairs. She wore blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. Looks weren't that important.

In terms of appearance, Fate was, in her mind, average. But, realistically, far from it. Her long silver hair seemed to gleam outside, and her blue eyes shined in the light.

She was skinny, and always looked cautious, as if expecting something to happen. She was always alert, never leaving herself open. It was like instinct to her, like everyone was an enemy, and she had to protect herself no matter what.

The other kids at the orphanage noticed this, and were intimidated by Fate initially. But, after discovering her shyness and unwillingness to talk without making a mistake in embarrassment, they'd soften up to her.

Her skin was smooth and soft, so it was easy to get hurt. She would always react instinctively and do something on impulse, everyone called her reckless. She was 12 years old.

As Fate headed downstairs, all the other children were already up, running around and playing. Most of them ranged from ages 5 to 8, while the oldest were around 15.

Once they saw her, one of the children walked up. She was 7, had bright blond hair and brown eyes, and looked like she just got done taking a shower.

"Good morning! Can you help me with my chores? I'm not good at laundry, and it's my turn this week," As she spoke, her bright smile began to dissipate.

Fate stood there a second, thinking of a response, but just then a boy walked up. He looked to be around 9. He wore a white T-shirt and black shorts, and had a thin pale face.

"Hey Anne! I thought I was helping you!" His face was stern. "Oh… I forgot," she quickly replied. "Sorry Jace," Anne looked at Fate, "Nevermind!" Her bright smile returned and she confidently walked over to the boy.

Jace looked at Fate, seeing her confusion on what to do. "Sorry Fate, I'll handle her." Then he looked at Anne. "You shouldn't startle her like that," He smiled and held Anne's hand. "Sorry.." she replied, before walking off with Jace.

She was a little shaken, not knowing what to do. This happened a lot, and everyone in the orphanage knew. They were used to it. According to them, whenever she got nervous her eyes would look around, trying to find an opening to escape.

The downstairs was composed of several rooms, each serving a different purpose. There was a hallway which lead directly to the entrance, and around it was several rooms. 5 rooms in total.

One was the kitchen, the other storage, and the dining room. The other 2 were the lounge room and playroom. The playroom mostly had babies and 4-5 year olds.

Fate went to do her chores, washing dishes. She walked into the kitchen and did her best. Then, when she finished, she put them in the pantry. It was slow and agonizing.

She hated work, it felt so repetitive and boring. Fate washed her hands and sat down. Her silk hair flowed past her shoulders, and her blue eyes showed rebellious intent.

There was no way she was staying here. Everytime she got a foster parent, they'd always send her back. Fate could only guess the reason was for the wild look she gave, otherwise, she had no idea.

She glanced at her hand, and focused. A little, thin white string danced between her fingers, coming out of her palm. Nobody knew. Not even Fate understood it, the strings just appeared.

They sometimes shoot out of the tips of her fingers, which put holes in the wall. She could control the strings movement, but sometimes lost control by accident.

Once she tried to shake Jace's hand, only for him to be cut. The strings were sharp, extremely sharp. It scared her. She never used the strings, and was actually frightened to.

Her palm began to shake, and the strings diminished, eventually disappearing. Fate stood up, and felt tired, like she just ran for a minute.

She left the kitchen, the dishes finished. She headed upstairs, dodging the children so they wouldn't ask her anything. One boy, James, tried to run after her when she shook her head, she didn't want to play games.

Fate finally reached her room, and hid. She still had chores to do, but decided not to do them. Mom would probably get onto her, but she'd always give up and let Fate stay and read.

She didn't have any friends, just her big orphanage family. That wasn't a big deal, but it was bothersome to not have someone to share ideas and play together. To have an actual friend that didn't make her uncomfortable.

She doesn't mean that her family makes her uncomfortable, they just never felt like a true family. Fate always felt as if they never connected as family, and wouldn't mind just leaving. She hated this orphanage, everything was bland.

Books were her only escape, novels, comedy, magic, it was all interesting. More interesting than this place.

Her room was small, only having a bookshelf and bean bag. There was a small desk in the corner, but she had no use for it. Her bed was a nice place to think.

Otherwise, boring.

Suddenly, a loud ringing sound filled the room. It was the bell, chore time was over. It was time for school.

Fate left her room, barefoot. The other children hurriedly finished up their chores and got ready. They didn't go to an actual school, they would sit in the "classroom" where Mom and Sister would teach us math, science, ELA, etc.

The classroom was located upstairs, near Fate's room, so it was easy to get there fast. She headed through the small hallway and entered.

The room was hot, with the windows open. The corner had a rug for the younger children, while the middle had bean bags and desks, for the older kids. There was a whiteboard in the front of the desks, where Mom would teach.

Sister taught at the rug, sometimes getting up and helping the older kids with difficult equations or other problems they're having. She was nice.

Everybody called her Sister. Nobody knew her real name, and nobody asked. Mom was more stern, and would often scold Jace for not listening. Fate always did her work, just wanting the day to be over. Mom would often compliment her work and move on, helping other kids.

Mom tried to make Fate help other students, but once she saw her fumbling and being difficult to understand because of her embarrassment, she never told her to help other students again. Fate was more than happy for this, even if it wasn't her fault she wasn't the best talker.

Mom was already in the classroom, fixing things at her desk, which was beside the board. Sister was sitting on the carpet in her chair, waiting for the children.

When Fate entered, Mom simply smiled and waved, before motioning her to sit down. Sister looked up and smiled.

Mom was tall, with short black hair. Her face was thin, with smooth skin. She had brown eyes and an elegant smile. She wore blue jeans and a black shirt, with a small red jacket opened.

Sister was short, with curly brown hair and hazel eyes. She wore a white apron with black jeans and a brown shirt. She was black and loved to teach.

Fate sat down in the back, and pulled out her papers and pencils. Soon, dozens of kids flooded through the doors at once, Jace leading.

They all headed to their respective spots, Jace sitting in the front and Anne laying on the carpet with Sister.

As everyone got ready, a girl sitting beside Fate whispered, "How do you get here so fast? I can never finish my chores on time without help.."

She looked around 10, with straight, short brown hair. Her baby blue eyes fit her perfectly. She was healthy and smart. Her name was Olivia, and she was nice. They never talked often, just the occasional hi then and there.

"Uh, I'm just… a fast worker I guess." Fate replied hesitantly. Olivia knew she didn't talk often, but always tried to start a conversation, until eventually giving up.

"Well, you gotta teach me! It's so hard to dust everything without Mom showing me what I forgot to clean. You know how she is about chores," Olivia spoke with speed and elegance, as if she was made for this moment.

Fate looked down, before quickly replying in a squeaky voice, "Umm, sure, maybe in the future." Olivia stared for a moment, not speaking. She felt pressured to continue talking.

"Yes, I know how Mom can be… uh.." Fate looked around, avoiding eye contact. Olivia seemed to get the hint, but replied, "You seem to be talking more today, at recess, let's play tag!"

Just then, Mom looked over and stared at Olivia, and she got the message: To be quiet.

She looked away from Fate and pulled out her binder, along with some papers. Fate was already well and prepared, as she was pulling out her stuff as she spoke.

The room showered with silence, the only sound being heard was all the clicking and papers being shoveled. Mom began talking.

"Now everyone, we will begin class. Get your textbooks out and go to page 90.."

Her voice seemed to trail off, as Fate lumped back in her chair. It was boring. The class lasted around 120 minutes, which is 2 hours. 20 minutes took up all 4 main subjects: Math, ELA, Social Studies, and Science. Lunch was after, which lasted 15 minutes. After lunch was recess, 20 minutes. In between Math and ELA we had a 5 minute snack break.

When school was over, we did more chores and hung out in the playroom, or went outside. Fate would normally go inside, but after Olivia wanted to play tag, she felt like she had to play.

The day seemed to go by in slow motion. Mom's words faded into her head, and everything went blank. She was thinking of nothing, her mind was empty. Everything around her turned white, but when she looked closer, it was small, white strings.

Her hand ached, and her eyes began to dart around. She could feel herself moving in her chair, but only saw white strings. Suddenly, she could see again, and everything was normal.

Olivia was glancing at Mom, listening. She was stroking her pencil in boredom. Everybody was quiet.

Fate looked at her hand, it was bleeding. The white strings were there, she knew it. A sudden power surged through her head, into her palm. The silk strings vibrated, and shot out at the ceiling.

Fate looked up, to see a tiny hole in the ceiling. It happened again.

Whenever she was tired or bored, everything would go white. She didn't understand it, but it happened often. The strings wouldn't obey her, and shot out.

She looked over at Olivia, who had a confused face. She was glancing at Fate, probably wondering why her eyes looked so wild and alert.

Fate was shaking, and stopped in her tracks. She glanced at Olivia, gave a slight half-smile before looking back at her papers. Her hands were still bloody.

Mom seemed to notice the confusion in Fate's face, because she stopped talking for a moment and stared at her. But she quickly looked away and continued doing the lesson.

There was a window on the right of Fate's desk, and she began to stare. The feeling began to shoot up again, but she repelled it.

She stood up and grabbed a tissue, making sure to hide her hand. How would she explain why it was bloody? It's hard to lie to Mom, her fierce eyes always made you want to tell the truth.

Fate headed back to her desk and wiped her hand, before staring off. Her body was shaking, and felt tired. She tucked her silver hair behind her ear, before listening to Mom again.