ANNABELLA
The wind howled against the worn down window sill, causing even more paint to slowly chip from the sides of the window. The moon was the dim and only gave the room a small shread of light spreading just enough to barely reach the doorway. The whole building was dead quiet, you could hear a pin drop through the eerie silence. Most the residents in the West Side Girls Community Home were asleep, as they had been for the last few hours.
My name's Rose. I'm not like most girls here, Annabella says its just, because I'm special, but I don't think there's anything special about me. I couldn't sleep, I'd been sleeping uneasily, tossing and turning in my bed every night, for days. This night was no exception. It took forever to fall, and stay asleep. I wasn't surprised when I suddenly awoke, but I let a shriek escape from my lips anyway, though it only lasted a second. I normally don't scream. I quickly covered my mouth, to stop it. I couldn't risk waking the other girls up, not again. A million things were racing through my mind. I had the dream again, my dream, the dream I've always have about my mom. The dream was the same, always about the day my mother was killed. There's only one other person that knows about my dreams, she's the oldest in our home, Annabella. Annabella's 15 now. Since the age of 11, she's looked after not only her own sister Skyler, but all the younger girls in the home, due to the fact that all the house mother does is feed and neglect them.
I ripped my sheet off, turning my body and hopping down to the cold, hard floor. I winched a bit when my feet hit the ground. I walked quickly and quietly out of my bed room. Sadly, I have to share the room with a few other girls. A six year old, Talitha and her twin sister Tabatha, a girl named Delilah, she's 8, and Annie she's same age as me, five.
Annabella's room is in the same hall as mine, but several doors down, so the walk wasn't as short as I wished it was. I couldn't get caught, not again. I still haven't fully healed from the last time. I rushed down the hall as fast as my small, shaking legs could take me. I open the door, walking in and over to Annabella's bed as silently as I could, not wanting to wake up the older kids. "Annabella, wake up," I whispered fiercely in her ear. Annabella woke swiftly, opening her eyes and sitting up slightly, evening her height to match mine. She keeps her eyes fixed on mine for merely a moment. I looked down at the beds duvet, before Annabella leaned in toward me.
"Bad dream?" Annabella whispered concernedly.
