Chapter one

Tessa trudged home, kicking her feet on the pavement and wiping her face every now and then. It was a tough time for her now, when her Aunt Harriet just passed away. No one was truly here for her anymore. Tessa's brother, Nate, died in a war he participated in for he was a soldier. Tessa sold everything to pay for the funeral of her aunt. Her black dress stopped at her ankles and her ankle boots were covered with mud from the rain. She didn't wear a cardigan for she felt nothing, only emptiness. She hasn't been the same since her brother passed and for years, she had lived under her Aunt Harriet's roof. Now, Aunt Harriet was gone and it was only Tessa. The broken girl who had no life or friends. The broken girl whose only passion was novels. She looked up and saw she was in front of her aunt's house. She looked around. The rain still fell and the earth was covered in fog. There was not much to look at, especially if you lived in a deserted area. Tessa heaved a sigh and went in.

The place still looked the same, except the entire house was bare. There were no photos on the wall, no furniture, no nothing. There only lay a duffel bag by the kitchen which occupied Tessa's things. The government had made her transfer to an orphanage called the Institute. The duffel bag was not at all heavy and Tessa zipped it open, getting a blue sweater and hemmed shorts. She got her combats and went to change in the bathroom. Again, the room was bare, save for a toiletry bag that the girl prepared earlier. She wondered how the people in the Institute will treat her. Will they be kind? Will they be unfriendly? Tessa had never made a friend, so she assumed she couldn't make friends there. Nate's voice rang through her head before he went to war: While I'm gone, make friends, okay?
Tessa's eyes stung and she swallowed her sobs. She had agreed but never made any. It was hard to and she could not find one she could trust or one that understood her. But there was no harm in trying, right? Having changed, Tessa looked at her reflection. Her hair was still wet and so she got a hair tie and tied her thick hair into a careless, messy bun. A knock on the front door made her sigh. It was time to go.

Throughout the car ride, Tessa kept quiet, looking out the window. They were headed for London, though Tessa didn't know why she couldn't be in an Institute in New York. Probably because they thought it brings too many memories, she thought. They had already been in the plane and Tessa slept the whole way from exhaustion.
"Are you alright, Tessa?" Tessa looked at her escort, Miranda. She was a nice person, and her profile was sharp. Her hair was clipped and her blue eyes were concentrated on the road. Tessa sighed softly and continued looking out the window.
"No," she replied. They were now on the highway, and Tessa could see cars and city lights in the distance. An uneasy feeling settled in her stomach. She was terrified to head over to the orphanage. Her anxiety and panic disorder unsettled her and her depression only made it worse. She didn't take pills for they were too expensive and she couldn't afford them. Tessa thought of books and A Tale of Two Cities and her favourite authors. Books calmed her down, for a reason Tessa could not pin point. Miranda told her the Institute was on the skirts of London, and they were already at the skirts of London. Tessa's heart rate sped up and butterflies flapped in her stomach rapidly. Miranda jerked a left and all Tessa could see was a big building. She felt like vomiting. They were here. They have arrived.

She shouldered her bag once again, as Miranda rang the doorbell. Tessa's hands were sweaty and she had to wipe them on her shorts every now and then. Miranda offered her a smile.
"Don't worry. You'll fit in,"
Keep telling yourself that, Tessa thought and the door swung open. A woman, with dark brown hair, was smiling down on them.
"You must be Tessa. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," she smiled. "I am Charlotte Branwell. I run this orphanage,"
"Pleasure to meet you," Tessa's voice wavered. Charlotte looked at her in concern. Before she could say anything though, Miranda leaned down and spoke to Charlotte in a hushed voice. Tessa's stomach tightened. She didn't like anyone who knew she was depressed or has anxiety. Charlotte nodded and Miranda left with a wave. The older woman smiled.
"Let's go in and have something to drink, alright?" her accent was heavily British, Tessa noticed but it wasn't something she didn't expect.

She held her hot chocolate in her hands as Charlotte showed her around the Institute. Tessa was intrigued by its beauty and how everything was in order. Charlotte had already shown her Tessa's room, where Tessa laid her bag at the foot of the bed. Now, they walked through a narrow corridor with a door at the far end.
"And this is the library." All the doors were closed, but that was because Agatha the cook was cooking something that smelled foul. The tour ended, Tessa realised. "Any questions?"
"Are there others here?" asked Tessa. She was curious; it was her nature. According to her brother, her curiosity was a besetting sin. The thought of him increased Tessa's anxiety but mentioned nothing about it. Charlotte laughed.
"Of course there are! They are in their rooms, though. Would you like to meet them now or do you wish to see them at dinner?" Tessa shrugged.
"It would be preferable if you met them now, Tessa. Only if it's alright with you," Charlotte waited for her response. Tessa nodded an affirmative.
"Okay. Maybe it will be better if I meet them now,"
Charlotte smiled.