The Broken Girl And A Wolfe

Chapter One

     Some people are able to go through life, never having a dramatic moment happen. While others have some traumatic ones that seem to end their world. I classified myself in the latter. I wouldn't go as far to say I've had the worse life, because I really don't know what other people have endured but I wasn't naive enough to think my life was great.

                                             *HER*

     These thoughts ran through my head as I got out of my shabby bed. The mattress, a simple torn and stained twin, had no frame and just rested on the floor. A suitcase with clothes sat at the end. The room I was in wasn't very big, but was enough for 22 more beds just like mine.

     Kids were getting out of them and shuffling around, trying to stay warm from the cold air that was coming in through the windows. The orphanage we were at being all but forgotten by the world outside. As kids started walking toward the only working bathroom, I tried to push my way to the front. Not so that I could go first but being one of the older kids, we tried to keep the peace. So many kids trying to use one bathroom all at the same time tended to get ugly quick.

     You might ask why the owners of the orphanage would let us live like this. I might have had an answer for you, if I didn't think this was the way life was. Adults are cruel, they abuse you and use you. Then when they are done, they leave you while they collect money from the state under the pretense of taking care of you. And no one ever bothers to check if things were truly going wrong.

     I came closer to the front of the line to see a kid already standing there. He was a gruff looking 17 year old with raven black hair that slopped on the side of his head. A scar running from his left eye all the way to his chin. He used to be tan, but living in this life for so long tends to turn your skin a ghastly shade of grey. He probably would have grown out into a fine young man, if life hadn't decided to kill both of his parents in a gruesome car crash ten years ago. With no other family to claim him, he ended up here, where all the forgotten kids came.

"Jake." I said as I walked up to him. We had been friends since the day I first arrived. He was older and had been here longer than me. He took me under his wing and taught me the ropes.

"You're supposed to be here before everyone." Jake chastised me.

"Sorry, I'll do better." I hated disappointing him, but didn't have time for much more discussion with 21 pairs of eyes waiting for us to delegate.

     The sun had barely started shinning in the sky as we started ushering in the youngest children first. The showers had broke down a month ago, or so we were told. So they had to go in, use the bathroom and try to get clean with some dry shampoo and a wash cloth. The little ones were the hardest since they needed the most attention. I would help the girls, while Jake helped the boys. Once all of the ones too young to do it themselves were done, we guided them back to their beds so they could get changed into the cleanest clothes we could find. You would think their wouldn't be that many of us who were little. But when couples came to adopt, they didn't want broken children, they wanted babies or toddlers. All the kids here were school aged at least. Once you turned 18, the owners would give you a small check with enough money to survive maybe a week and then kick you to the streets. Jake would turn 18 in two months and I dreaded the day.

     Today was different than every other day though. Today we would be going to school. No one ever cared if we went to school before, but I guess some head honcho guys had cracked down on the owners and are forcing them to enroll us. Not much of a force though. Since having to enroll 23 poor kids into school, they were issued a grant for each of us. Some of the younger kids were excited to start, anything to get out of this place they called a home. While the older ones couldn't decided if it was a blessing or torture. We had been left pretty much to ourselves for so long, teaching each other any education we arrived with.