The Fosters

Chapter 1

"Raven, wake up. School bus will be here in five." Tiffany said in a voice full of concern.

"I'm not in school anymore. It's a college. How many times did I mention this, Tiffany? " I groaned in sleepy voice.

"Yes, yes. College. Baby girl is seventeen now." She chuckled, pushing the curtain aside.

I opened my eyes, and was surprised to see no sunlight outside. It was cloudy.

"Rain at this time of the year looks so odd." I yawned, stretching my hands.

"Come on, now. Go and freshen up. All the girls are in the cafeteria already." Tiffany placed a cardboard box on my bedside table.

"What's that?" I frowned.

"Your new diary and a set of glitter pens." She smiled broadly. "You had asked for them day before yesterday."

"Oh, thanks a lot, Tiffany." I grinned. "I really wanted those."

"Hey, now get up, lazybones." She pulled my hand.

After she left, I freshened myself up and went downstairs in the cafeteria where all the fifteen girls of St. Williams Orphanage were present, munching on their breakfast and watching daily soaps.

"Hey, Raven." Britta waved as I sat next to her.

She was already gulping down her beacon.

"Hi." I smiled back and picked up an apple from the fruit basket.

"Tiffany told me that you'll be getting a new roommate soon." She winked.

"Really?"

I had my room all by myself since last one year. Nobody moved in after I came. New roommate sounded a little annoying. The thought of sharing my room with another girl who was a complete stranger made me sick to my stomach.

"Yeah. I don't know anything about her case history. You can ask Tiffany if you want." Britta answered.

"Hey, Raven, I wanted to ask you if you're attending the Literature fest tomorrow." Janet came and sat beside me.

"Well, I want to. But I also have my essay remaining. I better finish that." I frowned thinking about my homework.

"Alright. If you're not attending, I'll update you on the news of the fest." She smiled.

Janet and I were in the same college and grade. The day I didn't go to college, she covered it for me, and vice versa.

After breakfast, I went to pack my backpack and left for the bus stop with Janet. She was chattering the whole time about this boy named Carter in our class, who she had a huge crush on.

Janet had a dark and pathetic past. She had been living in St. Williams Orphanage since she was twelve. Her parents who ran a detective agency, were shot by some nasty criminal right at her place. Janet had hid herself in her closet and so she wasn't found by the criminal. She was hiding inside the whole day, and finally the cops discovered her the next morning and sent her here.

"You know what, I think Carter has the same feelings for me. I've seen him staring at me in class." She went on and on in the bus.

I remembered about Herald. 

Where was he now? Did he miss me? What was he doing? Does he still hang out in Alison Square? Is he dating another girl? The thought of another girl made me shiver. I couldn't imagine him with anyone else but me.

I'd had been dating him since last four years, got pregnant with his baby by mistake and my parents had forced me to abort it.

So many things had happened in the past four years. I had lost both my parents in that massive car crash.