Bright

Chapter 1

Night was falling as I looked out the window across from my bed in the orphanage. As the last of the sun's rays disappeared beneath the horizon, I remembered the last few weeks, and how all of the younger children had sat and intently written their letters to Santa Claus. All the while, the older children and I had read their letters, and then written them back pretending to be some of Santa's faithful elves. I knew it was all to make them happy, but somehow it still felt wrong that after we wrote them back, the maids threw their heartfelt letters away. Maybe the rest of them didn't believe in Santa, but I did. Maybe that's why the children rarely ever received what they had wished for that year; Santa and his elves never got the letters, so they were left to make wild guesses. I always wrote letters to Santa Claus, and personally delivered them to the mailbox. This year, I had wished for what I wish for every year: kind, compassionate parents. Not just parents, but a family. A family that has other children, so I can have brothers and sisters, and maybe even a dog or cat. That would be a family. Somewhere that I can belong in. That's all that I wish for. No toys, no books, but something dearer to my heart than anything. "Lights out, girls!" Mistress Dana called from the door. Quickly she added, "And stay away from that window, Esther, or you're going to catch a cold."

"Yes, Mistress Dana," I said and climbed somberly into bed, thinking of the new year to come, and the years after, that I would still sleep in this room. As my thoughts drifted elsewhere, I silently slipped into sleep. My dreams started like any normal child's dreams; quiet and dark, but then turning into something much more exciting. I always record my dreams in a notebook that I got for my birthday when I was eight, and this is what I have written down for this one: The colorful waters that all of my dreams brought with them pulled me under their lavender scented waves. One thousand things ran through my head at once, but I took no notice. My eyes were glued to the swirling shades of the rainbow before me. They pulled me farther and farther into their world of mystery and secrets, where I was only allowed for a short time. Through the thick mist of light and dark mixed together, was the faintest trace of flames. They sputtered when a snow filled breeze drifted past, and then resumed with their hypnotizing patterns. I was drawn closer and closer, until I saw clearly before my eyes the mantle of a stone fireplace. Surrounding it were walls colored like the creamy white of clouds. The light from a lit candle illuminated the shape of an old, bony man. He was bent over a desk, with a wicked grin written on his face. His pen moved widely in curves and lines. He came to the end of his page, and turned it over in one quick, snappy motion. Then he resumed, and his smile grew until it looked liked something that had come straight out of Tartarus. The man folded his paper and slipped it into a worn envelope. He sealed it with a red stamp that had a banshee on its face. The darkness flowed back over to cover the image of the man, and the sweet lavender scent of before wafted towards me. The colorful waves flowed in and out of view, and then they were all gone.

I awoke to the rustle of my window curtains. I was confused by my dream. Who was the man? Who was he writing to? Why did I need to see him? Was it all just my imagination, and was there truly nothing to worry about? All of these questions I had no answers to, but I was determined to find out. Somehow.

I pulled the covers off of me, and sat up in my bed. The sun's light had begun to fill the window, casting glowing images onto the floor. The girls around me were just beginning to awake, and I knew it was time to get ready. I lifted myself from the bed and headed towards the dresser that me and my friend Helen used to share. She had been adopted two summers ago, so now I had it all to myself. I pulled open the second draw that used to be Helen's, but now was used for storing my pants, shorts, and skirts. I pulled out a faded pair of blue jeans, and then opened the first drawer and took out an old, green shirt that said 'Maryellen's Flowers and Fun Findings' on it. It had been donated to the orphanage, so I had no idea where it had come from, except from someone named Maryellen that owned a florist shop that apparently sold other things, too.