Carina Gray is a sharp-witted, fiercely loyal Slytherin with a knack for mischief and a heart of gold she tries hard to keep hidden. Known for her bold sense of humor and unwavering courage, she isn't afraid to stand up for her friends, even if it m...
Carina Gray was different, and everyone at the orphanage knew it.
It wasn't just because she was always getting into trouble—though that was definitely part of it. Lights flickered when she was upset, doors slammed on their own when she was angry, and the weirdest things always seemed to happen around her. The other kids noticed, and they didn't let her forget it. "Freak" was their favorite name for her, not that Carina cared what they thought. Let them whisper. Let them stare. She'd just roll her eyes, cross her arms, and dish out a sharp, sarcastic comeback that would leave them wishing they'd kept their mouths shut.
Being stuck in a run-down orphanage run by Mrs. Trumble, the grumpiest woman in existence, wasn't exactly fun. Mrs. Trumble treated Carina like she was some sort of ticking time bomb, always keeping a suspicious eye on her. Carina didn't mind much. It was almost funny, in a twisted sort of way, how much Mrs. Trumble despised her. Especially when things would "accidentally" go wrong in the house—like the time Carina "somehow" swapped the salt with sugar in the kitchen and ruined an entire batch of Mrs. Trumble's famous cookies.
Not that Carina would ever admit to being behind it. She was no snitch, and besides, it wasn't her fault that weird things just happened around her. She didn't understand it, but there was something about her that didn't quite fit into the normal world.
At eleven, she was bold, hotheaded, and couldn't stand being told what to do. Mrs. Trumble tried, of course—strict rules, no nonsense—but Carina didn't take well to rules. Especially the unfair ones. More than once, she found herself in trouble for talking back or refusing to follow Mrs. Trumble's ridiculous demands. But Carina didn't back down from anyone. She wasn't scared of the other kids or the punishments Mrs. Trumble handed out.
She was tough, because she had to be.
Still, underneath all the bravado and smart-mouth replies, Carina had a softer side—one she didn't show to just anyone. She cared deeply, even though she'd rather pretend she didn't. The few friends she had in the orphanage—okay, maybe just one—knew she would always have their back. No matter what. Loyalty meant everything to Carina, and once someone earned it, she was there for them, even if it meant breaking a few rules or sneaking them an extra biscuit during lunch.
And while she was a master at pulling pranks and causing chaos, there were times when she needed an escape. That's where books came in. She loved reading—adventures, mysteries, anything that let her leave the dreariness of the orphanage behind for a while. Books were her refuge, and no one could take that away from her.
But as much as Carina pretended not to care, there was one thing that haunted her: who were her parents? She had no memory of them, no clue where she came from. All she had was a strange, swirling emptiness inside her chest whenever she thought about them. Mrs. Trumble never told her anything, and the other kids only teased her for being "the orphanage weirdo." Carina hated that. Not knowing. Not understanding why she was the way she was. Why things broke or moved or fell around her when she didn't mean for them to. It wasn't fair, but life never was.
But for now, she was just Carina—the girl who didn't fit in, but who had never needed to.
