Chapter 3

BIP! BEEP!

I press the alarm button, trying to stop her irritating moans. I lie in bed, my soft stuffed animals surrounding my heavily buried form. I have many of them, a whole collection from my childhood, that I can't bear to get rid of. Golden hues flood my small windows, illuminating my face as I sit in the dazzling sunlight. Just beyond the glass is a beautiful environment of crisp green grass, crystal clear lake water and tall trees. Puffy clouds hang in the blue sky, birds cruising on the horizon.

I wearily drag myself out of the covers, my feet causing a thud as they hit the ground. Stumbling to my dresser, I casually grab a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, slipping them over my figure. My spare pair of glasses, the other lost in the storm, squeak as I slide them onto my nose. By chance, I see my body in the mirror and I jump.

A huge black and blue bruise spreads over my left shoulder, surrounded by extreme redness. Another, though not quite as large, decorates my knee, bringing back painfully harsh memories from the night before. This is not just a dream.

I really did meet a beautiful, crazy man last night who saved me from certain death.

I still remember his perfect face, his amazing green eyes and his uniqueness that I didn't understand. Even thinking about him sends tingles through my body, alertness floods me. How can a brief memory affect me so much?

I rush to the door, looking down the hallway. Rows of doors greet me, suffocation invading my senses. A disgusting stench makes me wrinkle my nose in disgust, but not surprise. It always smells like this. The other kids all got used to it, but I never did.

From the very beginning, from my ninth birthday until now, I've felt like I didn't belong. Almost... like my parents weren't destined to die, that I was supposed to be by their side even now. It was just a feeling, in the pit of my stomach, that something was very wrong. The other kids, as I grew up, seemed to understand this too, willingly treating me as if I didn't belong. At first, I was a pretty nice kid. I wanted more friends. I wanted to play in their games. I wanted Mrs. Penn to treat me like everyone else. And, most of all, I desperately wanted to laugh. To smile.

But I soon gave up on that fantasy.

I soon gave in to the coldness of the other kids, turning into a hard, sharp, bitter, hard shell. I didn't need anyone. I didn't want anyone.

I was above them all.

I would stay in my room for hours and hours, studying and reading, making myself smarter and even more above the crowd. Now, to go along with my newfound pomposity, I had the intelligence to encourage it.

And these long years, full of awful puberty and other struggles, have done nothing to change that.

I check my slightly tattered old watch, gasping as I realize it's almost time for school. It starts at 8:00 and it's 7:40. No wonder all the other orphans are gone, the only sound being the whistling of the wind. What was wrong with my alarm clock to wake me up so late?

I have so many problems.

The wind floods my hair as I race down the stairs. I pass Mrs. Penn, our supervisor. She raises her eyebrows as I quickly grab my backpack. "Mona!" she calls to me, her voice high and authoritative, "After school, you will be grounded!"

"I'm sorry!" I exclaim. I couldn't help but go to bed at two last night! I mumble angry retorts, too low for Mrs. Penn to notice.

I stumble to the kitchen, grab a small pop tart, stuff it in my mouth as fast as I can. Mrs. Penn glares at me as I scramble for a glass of water, my frantic gulps echoing around the room. "Don't you think," she says dryly in a dangerous whisper, "it COULD be too late for breakfast?"

The evil fire-breathing dragon is furious now. It would do me good to get away.

I grab my shoes; white sandals that happen to be the only pair of shoes I have. They are old and worn, flowers dancing on the sides, a size too small for comfort. I shoved my feet into them, loosening the straps as much as I could, my toes falling off the soles. They look horrible on me, but that's to be expected. I'm a poor orphan with no family. I have no home to go to.

Suddenly there is a knock on the old wooden door, the sound reverberates throughout the orphanage. I look around quickly. Mrs. Penn is nowhere to be found, probably in her office writing me for another cleaning job. I head for the shaken door, where even a polite knock can hurt the worn wood tremendously.

A mirror hangs precariously from a single nail, right next to where I stand. I examine myself once more, examining my ratty, tangled, red hair, which I usually pull back into a frantic ponytail. My nose, crooked as always, sticks out slightly, an annoying feature I absolutely hate. My slightly curvy body is hidden under some of the only clothes I own, a loose t-shirt and baggy jeans, letting no one know I even have a figure. Even though I'm wearing tight clothes, I'm so small that guys would have to bend down to see my shape. My lips and complexion? Nothing special.

My eyes are the only thing I like about myself, and even they aren't spectacular compared to that divine man I saw last night. I'm the least desirable girl in school, and for good reason. I don't even show what little I have, hiding my eyes behind thick glasses and burying my kindness under arrogance.

I grab the metal door handle with my fingers, twisting it, then quickly open it. My eyes widened in surprise, my form motionless, frozen in shock.

"Hey Mona," a deep, masculine voice whispers on the wind, making its way to my ears.