Chapter 1
Acquaintances

"Kids, quiet now!" Ms. Cole shushed them. The children of Wool's Orphanage were squeezed together in the far too small dining hall waiting for yet another badly cooked meal. The room went silent, and Ms. Cole continued.
"This is Amy; she has been transferred here from another orphanage." Every eye in the room was now on the little girl with big green eyes, long brown hair and wet worn-out clothes. Through the small dirty windows, placed close to the ceiling, he could see it was pouring outside.
"I hope you all will welcome her, she has had some issues at the other..." But Ms. Cole felt silent, and went to her head, like she was having a very sudden headache. She looked rather confused as she mumbled; "Well, just be nice. Amy you can sit anywhere there's room."
The look on the girls face clearly said that Ms. Cole's request was ridiculous considering the fact, that the dining hall was completely crowded. He didn't think that anyone except him had noticed that the girl had been starring concentrated at Ms. Cole, forming a small line between her eyebrows, when she got her abrupt twinge. He watched her frowningly. If it hadn't been for his own, in lack of a better expression, gifts, he probably wouldn't have noticed. Ms. Cole left the dining hall, looking disorientated. The girl scanned the room and found, to her surprise, a free seat. A seat which, of course to her ignorance, was always available. Next to him, Tom Riddle. His looks did in no ways disclose the nature of his personality. He was beautiful, with black perfectly combed hair and refined features. His sapphire blue eyes glistened in the faint light from the grimy lamps hanging from the ceilings. She gave him a fleeting look before she sat down next to him, but didn't deign him a glance for the next twenty minutes. Riddle couldn't help but glimpse over at the girl, trying to decode her. He had only been aware of her existence in about half an hour, but he just knew that there was something off about her. Or maybe not 'off', he thought. Maybe just different, special. Like myself.
Tom Riddle did have very high thought of himself, but it wasn't completely unfounded. He was most definitely different from the other children at Wool's Orphanage. He was gifted, and not only with intelligence. He could do thing. Things that no other he knew was capable of, that no other he knew would dare to do. But something told him that it was quite plausible that this girl was.

She pulled out a piece of paper from her jacket pocket, which had the number 2-02 written on it. Since Tom Riddle had been at the orphanage for his entire life he was well aware of the figures meaning, which was referring to the placement of the girls room. Second floor, room two. Right next to his own, room one on the second floor. She rose and left the hall without looking back. He stood up arbitrarily, and followed her with his eyes. As soon as she was out of sight he set after her, keeping his distance. When they reached the second floor and she entered her room beginning to close her door, he blocked it with his foot. She opened the door slowly and looked at him. He waited for her to break the silence, but she remained quiet.
"Hello," he said at last. "You're Amy, right?"
She looked at him, her facial expression impossible to read and pursed lips, still not speaking.
"Right?" he repeated. Finally her lips parted, and she replied his question, to which he already knew the answer.
"Yes," she said, her voice replete with annoyance. "What do you want?"
Riddle was so thrown back by her extreme impoliteness, that for a second he was bewildered. But he soon recovered.
"Well, as Ms. Cole encouraged us to do, I am welcoming you to Wool's Orphanage. My name is Riddle. Well, actually it's Tom." He held out his hand towards her.
Amy's emerald green eyes were filled with distrust and wrath as she looked at his hand.
"How sweet, Riddle" she said sarcastically, and commenced closing the door once again. Riddle stopped the door with his hand this time, and stepped closer to her.
"In general, when someone introduces themselves to you, it is dreadfully indecorous to try and shut a door in their face."
"Well, Riddle, perhaps I am just ill-mannered."
He narrowed his eyes. "What is your last name?" He asked her, not knowing why he had such a need to question the girl.
"Get out," she hissed as she shoved his hand off the door. He instinctively took a step back.
"I really can't imagine that being an authorized last name."
With one last irate glare she slammed the door in his face, and Riddle stood with his nose inches from the scruffy wood, not knowing what to do. He took a deep breath before stepping away from the door.
Maybe I should sleep on it, he thought, feeling more defeated than ever.
As he fell asleep that night he thought to himself that he was foolish to insist on making contact with this girl when she was obviously barmy. But his curiosity enticed him, and he knew that as soon as it was possible he would, once again, talk with Amy. Or rather to Amy.

When she woke up the next morning Amy had no desire to join the rest of the children at breakfast. The overcrowded dining hall reminded her of pigs in a stable, and most of all she didn't wish to bump into Tom Riddle, the strange offensive boy cross-questioning her yesterday evening. There was something about his sapphire blue eyes that told Amy not to let him get too close, yet she couldn't help but feeling inquisitive. But Ms. Cole had told her that absent from mealtimes was not acceptable unless you were giving permission, and Amy had no permission, and wouldn't fancy an admonition on her second day at the orphanage. So she got dressed and went at slow speed down to the ground floor where the dining hall was to be found.

When Amy entered the room it was far from as packed as yesterday evening. Probably because there was fifteen minutes until breakfast was served. Amy did see kids, both boys and girls at her own age, roughly nine, but ever since she went to her first orphanage she hadn't been much of a people-person. She sat down by a table where only two younger children were seated. They both turned their faces at her when she joined them, but looked away quickly.

Tom Riddle stepped inside the dining hall, and saw to his great gratification that Amy had placed herself at a rather unfilled table. He sat down next to her casually, every trace of his bafflement from yesterday expunged. She took a glance at him before returning to tearing up her napkin into tiny bits.
All through breakfast the two of them kept sending each other fleeting looks, without making eye-contact at any point. Riddle considered trying to converse with the girl, but didn't want the other kids seeing him being so nice to someone. They all respected and feared him, and he wished to keep it that way, 'cause then none of them would tell Ms. Cole and the restoring personnel at Wool's Orphanage exactly what Riddle had done to them. Therefore he just made sure that they finished their breakfast simultaneously. He longed to walk up to her and demand some answers. Who was she, and why had she been transferred her from another orphanage? And most important of all, why did Ms. Cole get a head-ache while Amy was starring intensely at her?

But he barely dared to. Yesterday she had completely lost it, and there he had only asked for her last name. He walked behind her up the stairs, and to his great astonishment she turned around and spoke to him when they reached the second floor.
"Are you following me?" she asked accusingly. Tom Riddle raised an eyebrow.
"No," he answered. "I live here."
She looked puzzled. "What?"
He gestured towards the door of room 2-01. "You have not noticed the other rooms on the hallway?" He said with a smirk. She didn't smile, but turned her back on him, and started moving towards her room.
"Wait! I just want to talk to you," he explained.
She eyed him for a while before heaving a deep sigh. Then she walked to her room and left the door open. Riddle had a sinking feeling before entering the room. It was identical to his own, except from the wardrobe, which was a bit smaller. She sat on her bed and motioned him to the desk chair. He took a seat opposite to her and looked around in the recognizable room.
"Baines," she exclaimed after a short while. "That's my last name."
"Why so out-going all of a sudden Baines?" he sneered offended, emphasizing his newly acquired knowledge. She snorted at him.
"No one is forcing you to be here, Riddle." She retorted. For a few moments they just stared mulishly at each other – sapphire blue into emerald green. The boy was the one to look away.

"My apologies, I just hadn't expected you to be so obliging after our interaction yesterday."
"Maybe I have had a change of heart." A slight smile curled her lips.
"You do seem to be a quite ambivalent person."
Amy shrugged her shoulders. "When you go through many changes in life it's a pretty good characteristic to be… adjustable."
"I guess you're right," Riddle answered and added: "Been to more than one orphanage I assume?"
"Three to be exact," she said gloomy. He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why?"
"Was sent off to the first when I was seven, but I don't remember much from there. Don't remember liking it, can't recall hating it. But they told me I couldn't be there, that I didn't belong, whatever that's supposed to mean.
The next one was appalling. I lived there for one-and-a-half year, and every day was worse than the last. The principal there hated me, and I made her life a living hell, so she sent me off to this place. "
Riddle looked astounded. "Why can't you remember anything from the first orphanage, it's not that long ago, is it? And where were you living before that?" He asked intrigued.

"That's actually two questions with the same answer," she said. "It's roughly two years. My mom died, and I had no relatives. The time I spent at the first orphanage is unclear. I was always in my room, mourning my mother's death. When they came for me I had no idea how long it had been. I remember a woman telling me, that they were sorry if I was upset about leaving, but I just couldn't be there. And I didn't know what to answer, because I didn't know how I felt anymore."
She gazed at the floor, her eyes floating with memories.
"I-I'm sorry.." he said flustered. She looked him straight in the face, and for a jiffy he felt disorientated. He blinked a couple of times. That was odd, he thought.
She rapidly looked away, biting her lip. "It's okay…" she looked up without meeting his eyes. "How about you? You have been here your whole life."
Riddle nodded, happy to change subject. "Yes, I was actually born… Hold on, how did you know?"

She looked nervous and mumbled something about 'presuming' and 'pretty normal', but he wasn't going to let her dodge the issue. "How did you know?" he urged her, and demanded: "Tell me now."
Amy had started sniffling, and a single tear escaped her eye. "It wasn't on purpose… I didn't mean to do it…" she said apologetic.
"What did you do?" he asked harshly. She hid her eyes with her hand. "It happens through the eyes." She whispered. "Sometimes I can just see inside of people."
Tom Riddle looked at her in awe. She saw his impressed facial expression through her fingers, and murmured, partly to him, partly to herself; "It's out of control."
All of a sudden Riddle felt a burning hanker after sharing his biggest secret with her. He leaned towards. "I can talk to snakes you know," he said undertone. The girl opened her mouth in disbelief, removing her hand from her face.
"Really?" she asked amazed. He nodded proudly. "They listen to me, do as I say. And that's not all!" he continued eagerly. "I can do many things!"
He looked through the room, and spotted a paper pellet on the floor. He focused on it and lifted his hand. The paper ball floated peaceably through the air towards the two children. He grinned when he saw Amy's face was lit up in a smile. The ball stopped in front of her, and just as Riddle dropped it, Amy held out her hand and caught it.

"Wow…" She turned the pellet between her fingers. After starring at it for a few second she freed it from her grip, but instead of falling to the ground, it lingered in the air for a while before drifting towards Riddle. He swallowed before grabbing the ball.
The looked intensely at each other, both feeling the tense yet thrilling atmosphere that clearly said that this was going to be splendid.