Johanna stared out the window. It was raining.

It's always raining she thought. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." She said softly. The door opened. It was Raoul. Raoul had taken care of Johanna for as long as she could remember. She was his ward. She had never known her parents. She knew Raoul couldn't be here father.

Her hair was much to blonde. Her skin was pale and her eyes were almost black. Nothing about her was anything like Raoul at all.

"What do you need sir?" She asked politely.

"I'm going out for a while. Colonel Brandon will stop by later to check on you." Johanna nodded, her eyes still glued to the window.

She liked Colonel Nathaniel Dorsett; he had always treated her as a daughter. As had his wife, Susannah. Their adopted son Toby felt like Johanna's little brother. She loved to play with him. Lately, however, he'd been sent away to school and she hadn't seen him. She missed him terribly.

When Johanna was seven, Colonel Dorsett had taken her out of the house for ice cream. He did this several times before Raoul found out. He had yelled at Johanna for an hour.

"Why do you hate me?!" She screamed back. "What have I done to you?!" Raoul had never answered. From that day on Johanna was forbidden from leaving the house.

"Johanna!" Her thoughts were interrupted by Toby.

"Toby!" She got up and hugged him. "Oh I missed you so much!"

"Hello Johanna, and Happy Birthday." She smiled. Raoul had, of course, always forgotten her birthday, but the Dorsett's always remembered. The Colonel held out a big black book.

"A friend of mine wrote it. I hope you like it." "Unfortunately we have to go now. Susannah is expecting us home. Come one Toby."

"Papa do I have to go?" Johanna smiled. She had never called anyone Papa. And though she was sure Colonel Dorsett wouldn't mind it didn't feel right. She had a memory, however vague, of her parents. Her father was tall with dark hair and green eyes. Her mother barley came past her father's shoulders and had dark hair and dark eyes. Her memory was the smell of roses. The man, her father, had said something. Her mother laughed. Roses her mother smelled of roses. That's all she remembered.

"I hope you like the book, Johanna. Toby thought you would like it. Happy Birthday."

"Thank you." She said as the Colonel and his son walked out. She sat back down and saw the Colonel and Toby get into a carriage. As they drove away Johanna felt as though all happiness had been sucked from her.

The bird in the cage next to her began to sing. She looked at it. Then sang:

Green Finch and Linnet Bird, Nightingale, black bird, how is it you sing? How can you jubilate sitting in cages, never taking wing? Outside the sky waits, beckoning, beckoning, just beyond the bars. How can you remain staring at the rain maddened by the stars? How is it you sing? Anything"? How is it you sing?

My cage is many rooms damask and dark. Nothing here sings, not even my lark. Larks never will, you know; when they're captive, teach me to be more adaptive. Green Finch and Linnet Bird, Nightingale, blackbird, teach me how to sing... If I cannot fly, let me sing

Johanna looked into the street and noticed a boy about her age gazing up at her. He was very handsome. She opened the window. He smiled at her.

"Hello."

"Hello…I'm Johanna… who are you?"

"Anthony." She heard a knock at her door.

"I must go. Come tomorrow…Anthony."

"I will." He walked away. There was another knock. This time harder. It was Raoul. Johanna sighed, but smiled as she saw the boy walking away. Anthony She said over and over again in her head.


I've been thinking about this story recently, and I decided to exchange Jane Austen's character's for my own. As I'm rereading the rest of the story, I will make necessary changes. Hope you like it!

~Kate