I sat up in my scratchy bed. It was pitch dark, but I could make out the dark shapes of the other beds around me. I was in an orphanage with a lot of other girls. I don’t have any memories of my parents, but I was always told that my mom died shortly after my birth and my father went out to sea before I was born and never returned. I had insomnia, so I often woke up in the middle of the night. I sat on the cabinet beside my bed and turned on the lamp. I grabbed my book that was under my pillow and started reading. I would do this every night; it was the only thing that made me enjoy myself. I suddenly heard low talking near the bedroom door, and I swiftly closed the lamp and hastily shoved the book under the pillow. I listened to an employee of the orphanage say:
“Is Anastasia going to get adopted?”
“Yes,” the warden said, “By Mrs. Lee.”
“But- isn’t that her real-”
“Shush!” “We don’t want anyone to hear.”
The sound of retreating footsteps followed the conversation. I didn’t think much about the weird conversation; I was relieved that I didn’t get caught and could continue reading my book.
The following day, the caretaker pulled me out of my bed.
“You’re getting adopted,” she said gruffly and threw me a dress.
I vaguely recalled the conversation last night but didn’t ponder it for long. I pulled the dress over my head and asked the caretaker to close the zipper. The caretaker led me through the long and bland hallways of the orphanage. Other girls in the hallways looked at me enviously and whispered amongst themselves. I know I didn’t look like the ideal child. I had rough raven black hair that barely touched my shoulders, but my eyes were the weirdest part of my physical appearance. My left eye was gray-ish green, while my right eye was light blue. As the caretaker hustled me into the adoption room, I avoided the woman’s gaze, hoping she wouldn’t notice my eyes.
“Your eyes!” the woman cried, “They’re so unique!”
I looked up, surprised, and realized that the woman also had heterochromia,the condition for different colored eyes. I smiled slightly.
“Thanks,” I said, not usually complimented for my eyes.
Suddenly it struck me how similar the woman and I looked; we both had raven black hair and different colored eyes. A realization hit me with the force of a car. I quickly recalled the conversation last night. The employee had said something about my parents that no other person could have known. Could she have meant my birth parents?
Could Mrs. Lee be my birth mother?
“Is Anastasia going to get adopted?”
“Yes,” the warden said, “By Mrs. Lee.”
“But- isn’t that her real-”
“Shush!” “We don’t want anyone to hear.”
The sound of retreating footsteps followed the conversation. I didn’t think much about the weird conversation; I was relieved that I didn’t get caught and could continue reading my book.
The following day, the caretaker pulled me out of my bed.
“You’re getting adopted,” she said gruffly and threw me a dress.
I vaguely recalled the conversation last night but didn’t ponder it for long. I pulled the dress over my head and asked the caretaker to close the zipper. The caretaker led me through the long and bland hallways of the orphanage. Other girls in the hallways looked at me enviously and whispered amongst themselves. I know I didn’t look like the ideal child. I had rough raven black hair that barely touched my shoulders, but my eyes were the weirdest part of my physical appearance. My left eye was gray-ish green, while my right eye was light blue. As the caretaker hustled me into the adoption room, I avoided the woman’s gaze, hoping she wouldn’t notice my eyes.
“Your eyes!” the woman cried, “They’re so unique!”
I looked up, surprised, and realized that the woman also had heterochromia,the condition for different colored eyes. I smiled slightly.
“Thanks,” I said, not usually complimented for my eyes.
Suddenly it struck me how similar the woman and I looked; we both had raven black hair and different colored eyes. A realization hit me with the force of a car. I quickly recalled the conversation last night. The employee had said something about my parents that no other person could have known. Could she have meant my birth parents?
Could Mrs. Lee be my birth mother?