Moon Angel

Chapter 1: The Beginning

PART ONE: OMEGA

Seven Years Earlier

Chapter 1: The Beginning

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring out the window and into the yard outside. I watched as the other children played a game of tag in between the trees. Their laughter and squeals drifted through the second story window. I looked away, my gaze wandering around the small room I shared with two other girls at the Home.

I didn't belong here. I wanted to leave, but I didn't know where I would go. I didn't even know where I came from.

My mind was a blank when it came to my past. No matter how hard I tried, my mind stayed in a blur.

I could remember pain, and I could remember darkness.

Then a forest and a lake. I could remember the overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

I was 10. I remembered my age... and all the questions. They were so insistent, in my face. It scared me. They spoke in a strange tongue that I couldn't understand, but they couldn't understand me either.

The longer I was there, the more I began to understand. The language was called 'English'. It felt strange when it came out of my mouth, but I persevered.

They kept asking the same questions: Where do you live? Who are your parents? How did you get here? I didn't know any of the answers, except to one question; 'what is your name?' I knew that one.

I remember being moved to the Home, when no-one could find any answers.

I remember that the other kids at the Home called me weird. They called me other names too but I don't want to repeat them. I stood out. I tried to blend in but I couldn't. I seemed to un-nerve people. Every new foster home I got moved into didn't last long and I ended up back at the group home. I'd been there off and on for a year, and in the year I had been through five homes. I couldn't understand why I always ended up back there. Mrs Matthews assured me that it wasn't my fault, that people's circumstances change, that I had just had bad luck with placings. I didn't know why I couldn't believe her.

I thought that it must have had something to do with the fact that I looked so different from all the other children. I had pure white hair and eyes with irises so lightly coloured it was if they weren't there at all. I had never thought those aspects of me were strange but the other children would relentlessly tease me. They liked to remind me of the fact that I hadn't been able to stay in a home. They would say all sorts of nasty things, spreading rumours about me.

I quickly worked out that being different wasn't something that was cherished here and I kept my distance from the other children as much as I could. They seemed to like it that way.

But my looks weren't the only thing that made me feel so different. I had wings, and as far as I could tell, none of the other children did. In fact, nobody else did. The only logical explanation was that I simply did not belong here, and since my differences had already set me apart, I kept my wings a secret. I didn't need to give anyone else an excuse to taunt me further...

The door opened and Mrs Matthews came into the room, startling me from my thoughts.

"We've found a new home for you," she said. "And this one could be permanent, if it works out."

I looked up at her. "Permanent?" I repeated, unsure if I heard her right.

She nodded, smiling. "The man is coming tomorrow to sign the last of the papers. I thought I'd let you know first."

"Thank you," I said.

She smiled again, closing the door behind her.

***

The next day came faster than I realised, and I was there, standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at the foyer, where Mrs Matthews was speaking to a tall dark-haired gentleman. I ran through what I'd been told about him. His name was Drake Carter. He was a wealthy businessman and lived in a big house in the country. I would be the first foster child that he had invited into his home.

Mrs Matthews turned and smiled at me as I approached them. "Selene, I would like you to meet Mr Drake Carter. Drake, this is Selene."

Mr Carter extended his hand towards me in greeting. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said, smiling. I shook his hand, meeting his eyes. There was a kindness in them that made me feel at ease.

Mrs Matthews turned to Mr Carter, a pile of papers in her hand. "If you follow me to my office, we can finish the last of the paper work."

He smiled again. "I look forward to getting to know you better, Selene," he said to me before he followed Mrs Matthews into the next room.