Finally, there was Polina, the youngest of the four and her story is possibly the most tragic. At three years old, she'd spend her entire life locked in the institute. The moment she was born, her parents were horrified by her shocking facial deformation: that creepy smile that adorned her face is what damned her to a life of pain. One day, in a particularly cold winter, Polina made the simple mistake of falling asleep near the logs for the fire. That night, the drunken carers threw her onto the fire, not even noticing that she was a toddler, not a lump of wood. She awoke to the searing feeling of flames, the rancid smell of burning flesh filled the air, her skin was melting with her bones. She screamed for help and the carers pulled her out- but the damage was done. It was a miracle she survived without any medical attention, but, from then on, her skin was burned a raw-red colour. But still she smiled.
