Alone No More

Prologue

          I woke from my dream with a silent scream, my throat raw from a night of the same. I choked the terror down, taking an account of the small room I, surprisingly, was not forced to share. My pale skin was chilled from the drying sweat on my naked body. Well, that was another set of clothes mysteriously missing. I sat up, ignoring the dull ache that spread throughout my entire body, and reached for the bottle of water I kept on my bedside table. The cool flush of water soothed my throat, allowing me to breathe easier.

          Setting my bare feet on the worn wood that made the floor, I felt a shiver run through me. The threat of catching a cold spurred my sore, sleepy body to quickly make its way across the small space. A matter of two strides had me within reach of my chest of drawers. I pulled the single full drawer open.

          On top was a pair of dark grey jeans, which I reached under to grasp my favorite pair of pants, a torn pair of black skinny jeans. Setting those atop the dresser, I grabbed the first shirt I saw, a black shirt given for free, probably advertising some restaurant or another. Grabbing my undergarments from the same drawer, I hastily made my way to the community bathroom, grateful this nightmare had woken me up before any of the matrons were wandering the halls.

          Slipping into the bathroom, I closed the curtain that served as a door and stepped into the cold shower, not allowing it time to warm. After all, we were only allowed ten minutes to bathe. While the frigid stream slowly warmed, I contemplated how I had come to be in this orphanage, somewhere south of nowhere.

          My entire life I had been passed around, as an infant, possibly only days old, I was found, my parents both dead and laying on top of me. We had been struck by a car, killing them on impact, but their bodies had kept me alive. A short hospital stay later, I was placed with a foster family. They said I was too sick, that I would not sleep, eat, or move. I was returned to the hospital, where I was determined to be healthy, and sent to another home. Seven families turned me away before the age of two. It only got worse as I got older.

          The sputtering of the timed shower head drew me from my thoughts, the now-warm water preparing to turn off. I quickly rinsed my scarred body under the slowing water, and stepped from the open shower. I grabbed a towel from the cupboard under the sink and quickly dried myself. I caught sight of myself in the mirror.

          My hazel eyes had dark bags from my most recent sleepless night. My black hair was a tangled mess due to my not having a brush since two homes back. My bones jutted out, making odd shadows against my skin. The orphanage only had a stipend large enough to serve us dinner four days a week. The other days we were expected to eat our school lunches. This summer had been long. My thin body also had scars littering it, many from the hands of those meant to care for me, some from those acting as siblings, some from unknown night terrors coming to life.

         Tearing my gaze from the mirror, I quickly dried my chilling body. The nuns demanded that everything be done in a timely manner. Now, they didn't exactly force us to dry and dress quickly, but the hundred-year-old drafty house did it for them. Once I had my shirt pulled over my head, I stepped back into the hallway. I could see a faint light breaking the night sky at the other end of the hall, causing me to rush back to my room, and grab my school supplies.

          Today was my last first day of school. And I didn't want to be late.