Chapter 1: A Miserable Life

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'Enough is enough, young lady!' shouted Mrs. Welkinson at the top of her lungs. 'When was she going to lose her voice' thought Millicent bored from going over this daily. She muttered something about trying harder and left. She saw Mrs. Welkinson fuming and hurried down the corridor, she had no desire to make her madder than she already was. 

She entered her dormitory, the place stunk, the New Horizons Orphanage was supposedly the best orphanage in Southwood but all the charity donated was used by Mrs. Welkinson to provide for her 'luxuries'. 

The dinner bell rang and everyone formed a single, straight line and walked down the steps into the mess hall. The food had improved considerably after the entire food poisoning incident. She sat with the girls of her dormitory whose graceful manners made Millicent want to puke.

 Millicent was not a girl with graceful or perfect manners like a young lady should have according to Mrs. Welkinson. They taunted Milli for being 'boyish' in their sickly sweet voice to which Milli responded with her signature eye roll or her ultimate death glare which made them cower. They had vegetables which were definitely rotten and stale rice for dinner but Milli was used to this, after all, she had been eating it ever since she got her teeth and this still was better, the food they served earlier was worse. 

She went back to her dormitory and laid down on her bunk. The others prayed, thanked God, but thanked him for what? What had he ever done for them? Their parents had either died or left them in this miserable place to rot.

 The room was further filled with hushed but excited voices discussing tomorrow – The day Milli dreaded the most. She woke up to the matron's screams, the next day, that was the sound of their daily alarm. 

It was 'The Lucky Day' today; people came to adopt the children of the orphanage. Everyone wore their best dresses, suits, etc. The excited squeals of the girls filled the room.

 Milli's thoughts conflicted with theirs'. Milli felt like a doll on display in a shop being purchased. Nevertheless, she got dressed in clothes that she absolutely detested, a pink top with a long black skirt. Mrs. Welkinson was shouting, as usual, telling everyone that they will get no meals for the rest of their lives if they did anything to disrupt her image. Milli rolled her eyes and moved on Mrs. Welkinson eyed her viciously and Milli pulled on her innocent look something she had mastered when she was just five. Soon the people who were supposed to decide her fate arrived. 

There was a woman with blonde hair and sparkly blue eyes, she was accompanied by a man in his thirties with determined brown eyes. They both looked quite fit and agile. There was also a woman with brunette hair and cool brown eyes. There was another man about 6 feet in height.

 More people kept entering looking at the children fascinatedly. Milli restrained herself from punching them square in the nose when they looked at the girls with distaste and made their way to the boys. 

No one ever wanted to adopt girls and treated them as if they were the worst beings that ever existed, despite themselves being born and nurtured by a woman.

 Milli's train of rebellious thoughts (as per Mrs. Welkinson) were interrupted by Vincent teasing Sophie, Milli's best friend, he was calling her pathetic and that no one was ever likely to adopt her. 

Sophie glanced at Milli and Milli promptly stamped on Vincent's newly polished shoe, leaving Vincent to turn a shade of red that even a tomato would be ashamed of but he, wisely, kept to himself after that. 

Sophie was Milli's best friend and was in the orphanage for 4 years, she had become Milli's best friend for she was the only one who actually understood her and her tangled and rebellious thoughts. 

They did have conflicting personalities, on one side was Milli bold and boyish and on the other side was Sophie timid and girly. She wouldn't hurt a fly on purpose much less an actual living walking person. She muttered thanks and went back to straightening her dress. 

Milli saw the blonde woman staring at her creepily, she decided to ignore it adults were weirdoes anyway. 'What if someone adopts you and not me? We are like two sides of a single soul.' said Sophie with a worried expression. 

Milli rolled her eyes at her friend's poetic language and said, 'No one wants girls, Sophie. The faster you understand it the better it will be '

'Why don't you want parents?'

'Even if someone decides to adopt us, they'll treat us like their maids, not kids and I'm not likely to take orders so I'll run away.'

'Not everyone is like that Milli'

'Yeah, sure' Milli said not wanting to burst her friend's little bubble. She had tried explaining to her that there is a great difference between the world of her fantasy books and real-life and that they lived in the real life but it was of no avail, Sophie didn't budge. 

The adults went on asking the boys' names and some were interested in just seeing the infants completely ignorant to the long sad young faces desperately waiting for love and care. Heartless people, couldn't they be a bit nicer and put a smile on these faces? 

Everyone in the orphanage kept waiting for someone to come and adopt them, give them a home, someone ready to play the role of their parents. Everyone but Milli. She was hating every moment of this 'Lucky Day'. 

She felt like a doll on display with people entering, judging her, and leaving. It was as if she could be bought! Others might like being bought but not Milli, no one could do that to her, and if they did she would be the worst nightmare of their lives. 

As if reading her thoughts the blonde woman sprang up from nowhere and said, 'I would do the same. I'm Jennifer. You?' She stretched her hand out but Millisimply rolled her eyes and said nothing. 

This was usually enough to drive those adults but this Jennifer woman won't budge. Milli turned and started moving away when a firm hand grasped her shoulder, it was Jennifer 'It is rude to not reply when someone politely asks you a question '

 To be honest, Milli was afraid of this woman, her eyes gave a clear message Obey-me-and-do-as-i-say-or-it-won't-turn-out-good-for-your-health.

 Milli saw Sophie talking to the man who was accompanying Jennifer. He seemed to be giving her orders and Sophie was nodding her head obediently. Milli was puzzled. 

Did Sophie know this man? Why was she listening to him so attentively? Why did she seem so confident?

 She rarely spoke confidently and that too never to a stranger. Milli knew something was wrong whether it was a strange lady's sudden interest in her or Sophie's behavior. 

She should've ran towards her friend and warned her but her swollen attitude got in the way and instead, she retorted to Jennifer's instruction by saying, 'And who exactly do you think you are, huh? My mom?' 

Jennifer smirked then grabbed a napkin and thrust it onto Milli's nose, the toxic smell drove Milli unconscious.

"a/n - hi, thanks for reading till the end of this chapter. Please do review. Hope you liked it : ) "

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